At the FX TCA presentation in early August, John Landgraf revealed that 342 scripted series had aired in 2017, with the primary boost coming from streaming services as the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, Amazon continue their digital arms race. This puts the television industry on pace for 500 scripted series in 2017 when accounting for streaming, pay cable (e.g. HBO, Starz, Showtime, Cinemax, Epix, etc.), basic cable, and broadcast outlets, an increase from the 455 scripted series in 2016. And if the marketplace weren’t already crowded enough, Apple and Facebook have announced plan to get into the original content game – the former poaching Sony TV executives and the latter launching its Watch platform this past August after rescuing MTV comedy Loosely Exactly Nicole from cancellation.
All this is to say that television fans have a bit of a conundrum to deal with. On the one hand, there’s a whole lot of content out there for you and networks are, for the most part, taking chances that they wouldn’t even a few years ago. On the other, with so many new outlets trying to produce their own content and so much classic content available at the click of a mouse, there’s such a thing as too much choice, with the volume fans are bombarded with on a year-round basis proving to be overwhelming.
That’s where we here at KSiteTV come in. As you might expect, anybody who writes about TV watches a lot of it and therefore at least a few shows that got passed over by viewers for one reason or another. We know that nobody can keep track of every new show that comes down the pike, and we totally get that a rough pilot or an uninspiring trailer can make it easier to cut bait, so we’ll be recommending shows every Friday that we think you should catch up on through our new Binge This Show feature. Sometimes they’ll be current; sometimes they’ll be classic. Sometimes they’ll be poorly reviewed shows that are worth a second look; sometimes they’ll be shows that simply got lost in the shuffle. But what ties them all together is that they’re content that we think should get a little slice of your (increasingly) precious TV time.
Fuller House (Netflix)
Cast: Candace Cameron Bure (Make It or Break It); Jodie Sweetin (Walt Before Mickey); Andrea Barber (Hollywood Darlings); Michael Campion (Christmas Trade); Elias Harger (Popsy); Juan Pablo di Pace (Dallas); and Soni Nicole Bringas (Instant Mom).
Creator(s): Jeff Franklin (Full House)
Number of Episodes (So Far): 26, divided into two 13-episode seasons
Similar Shows: Full House. What, did you think we were going to compare it to The Walking Dead?
Why You Should Binge: A number of TV critics deride Fuller House as being exactly what’s wrong with the current wave of TV series revivals. But the
number of people who have enjoyed the Netflix series prove that there is an audience, and for me, it’s like taking a trip to my teenage years when Full House was still on, minus Michelle’s catchphrases.
The show isn’t politically correct at all times; Fernando alone is a relic that might not have worked in Full House’s original run, though the heart brought with the character makes him a good counterpoint to a now grown-up Kimmy Gibbler. Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Andrea Barber all went back into their old characters seamlessly, and there are a number of callbacks to the original show. Best of all, the original series’ stars all seem to come back a few times each season, and there’s an updated take on the old theme song! The sets look nearly identical to what we were seeing 25 years ago, perhaps with a higher quality now prepared for high-definition TV’s.
As I mentioned, there’s a comfort if you grew up watching the original show, and it’s nice to be able to check in and be in on the occasional inside jokes, especially ones made at the Olsen twins’ expense.
With the third season dropping on Netflix on September 22, just in time for the 20-year “dadiversary” of the original Full House, now’s a good time to catch up on the easy-to-binge 26 episodes that are already made.
How You Can Binge: All 26 episodes of the first two seasons are available on Netflix. Season 1 is available on DVD as well. [Craig Byrne]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXuGLswn2l0
Channel Zero (Syfy)
Cast: Paul Schneider (Parks and Recreation); Fiona Shaw (True Blood); Natalie Brown (The Strain); Luisa D’Oliveira (Cracked); and Shaun Benson (ARQ).
Creator(s): Nick Antosca (Hannibal)
Number of Episodes: 6
Similar Shows: In terms of atmosphere, the closest current analog to Channel Zero is probably Cinemax’s Outcast, whereas it contains some of the visceral elements of American Horror Story and the surreality of a Falling Water.
Why You Should Binge: Channel Zero: Candle Cove might be the most legitimately scary season of television I’ve ever seen. The story of a psychologist who returns to his hometown to investigate how the mysterious disappearances of several children 30 years ago are related to a local television show that aired around the same time, Candle Cove juxtaposed smothering, almost disconcerting quiet with gorgeously macabre imagery and themes centered on the lasting impact of childhood trauma and the vulnerability of memory to create something bold, distinct, and instantly memorable. In lieu of throwing everything at you at once or hitting you over the head with its themes in case you miss them, Channel Zero isn’t afraid of negative narrative space, nor is it interested in filling its coffers with the Island of Misfit Horror Tropes. Rather, this is a show that’s comfortable with discomfort, that revels in making audiences squirm the deeper down the rabbit hole they go; it’s a show more concerned with atmosphere and character than in plot, externalizing the internal fears and trauma we all carry with us.
Its slow burn pacing and relative paucity of dialogue might not be for everyone, and its heaviness might not necessarily make it an ideal binge, but its disorienting visuals and inner kernel of sadness make it a watch that any horror fan worth their salt should indulge in. This is the type of challenging, unnerving psychological horror that burrows deep into your consciousness, a show that demonstrates the type of heights that horror-based television can climb to in the Peak TV era.
How You Can Binge: The show is available with limited commercials on the Syfy site, as well as the Syfy app and various On Demand outlets. You can buy it digitally through Amazon; Vudu; Google Play; and iTunes, while the DVD is coming out September 26th. [Shilo Adams]
