I wanted to do full length pieces on Peacemaker (HBO Max), 1883 (Paramount+), The Gilded Age (HBO Max) and my rewatch of Law & Order but I didn’t want to wait and have you miss out on these great shows.
Peacemaker
Sure it’s a superhero show and what isn’t and this isn’t the time or place for that debate. I’m into all the hero stuff, but Peacemaker is anti-hero, so maybe it will appeal to a wider audience. All the money is on the screen in this first season of a series from writer/director/EP James Gunn that began its storyline in his recently released ‘Suicide Squad’ (also on HBO Max). The show has a ton of heart, great casting and character development and as is the case with a James Gunn product – an outstanding soundtrack.
1883
Also on the spinoff trail is a prequel series to the wildly popular yet still under-the-radar ‘Yellowstone’ (don’t worry, its winning all the awards this year). 1883 tells the story of the wagon trains and trails and tribulations of an expanding American frontier. Sam Elliott leads the way on a breakout cast including the married duo of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and relative newcomer Isabel May. At times, the story becomes burdensome where you are left thinking “how much worse can it get?” but there are enough small triumphs to keep you from thinking the worst is around the corner. It’s a grown-up western drama and we haven’t had enough of those in recent times on the small screen.
The Gilded Age
I have just seen the one premiere episode of this new series from our old friend Julian Fellowes (created Downton Abbey and as the memorable Kilwillie on Monarch of the Glen) and it has good bones. The cast is all-star led by tv veterans Christine Baranski, Carrie Coon and Cynthia Nixon so all is well on that angle. There are some hints of Downton from the perspective of the ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ of it all – servants and those they serve as well as ‘Bridgerton’ with regards to new society vs old society. Newcomer Louisa Jacobson shows real promise as the curious niece Marian Brook. If Fellowes can keep it fun and light I think it has a chance.
Law & Order (rewatch)
This isn’t a review of Season 21 of L&O as much as it is public notification that I have been rewatching the original run of Law & Order. I’m in season 10 now and the reason I’m doing this is two-fold. First, there is so little compelling 1-hour non-serialized drama on these days and second, and most importantly, the flavor of a series changes when you can watch all the episodes in sequence without delay between seasons. I did a rewatch of ‘The Sopranos’ in December 2020 and it came off as a completely different show. Law & Order is coming back to NBC in about a month and I’ve been pleasantly pleased with general storyline flow and cast changes from season to season. No clunkers so far.
