If you haven't noticed, television's Golden Age has been alchemized into the Platinum Era. Where you once caught Tony Soprano or Rachel Green on your regularly scheduled program, you can now sneak a peek at Tyrion Lannister or Maura Pfefferman on the convenience of your digital and mobile device. Times are a changing and the sheer volume of high quality programming and the ways in which we devour them are changing too.
As a result, it's impossible for any one viewer to stay up to date on every single new offering. Like a zombie from "Fear The Walking Dead," we may binge ourselves but eventually we just can't handle anymore. So to help recap as the summer television season officially comes to a close, here are a few winners and losers from the past few months.
Winners:
"Mr. Robot" - USA Network
I've written about "Mr. Robot" before, but when you find a show that can crack your circuits with ease like this hacker drama can, it's worth doubling down. "Mr. Robot" is one part "Matrix" and one part "Fight Club" with its reality-questioning musings only out-crazied by its engaging and unreliable narrator, Elliot Anderson (Rami Malek).
In Elliot, viewers are given a protagonist who parallels the schizophrenia of the Internet Age and in Malek, the show is given a top-notch performer to act as the emotional anchor. Everything about "Mr. Robot," from its format and score to its characterizations and pacing, is unique. To put it into simple 1s and 0s, "Mr. Robot" is the best show of the summer.
"UnREAL" - Lifetime
Lifetime, USA? The fact that these two also-ran networks are producing must-watch television is a true indicator of the new landscape of TV. "UnREAL" takes you behind the scenes of a faux reality dating series and the pandemonium that surrounds it. Yeah, pretty meta, I know.
But "UnREAL" uses that self-awareness to its advantage, sharply poking fun at our obsession with reality TV while also pushing to the forefront the reasons we all love it. As a result, this dark comedy will have you cracking up but also wondering whether the show is laughing with us or at us.
"Humans' - AMC
Admittedly, "Humans" started better than it ended. Centering on humanoid robots known as "Synths," it was much more interesting to question what was going on in their hardware than to actually find out. But that doesn't mean that this smart and stylish show can't reboot in season two.
The inaugural season did a good job of marrying an escalating plot with internal character developments. Now with the central mystery unraveled, season two is ripe for exploring new dynamics of the Synth-Human relationship. "Humans" may not have lived up to its initial promise, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth watching.
Losers:
"Wayward Pines" - FOX
"Wayward Pines" attempted to co-op "LOST" by trying to hook audiences in with spooky mysteries. But that strategy only works when you give each plotline enough room to breathe, allowing viewers the time to theorize and debate. Instead of slow playing it, "Wayward Pines" challenged audiences with an endless stream of WTF? moments just in its Pilot alone.
Everything about this series felt rushed, as if the showrunners just couldn't wait to get to the next enigmatic plot point. And that's a real shame because the jostling pace distracts from solid performances from Terrance Howard and Carla Gugino. Ultimately, though, the compounding "Inception" moments don't make you think, they just make your head hurt.
"Sense8" - Netflix
From the minds that brought you "The Matrix," its two awful sequels and this year's "Jupiter Ascending" (LOL) comes the newest offering in mind boggling programming. "Sense8" is exactly the type of show that Netflix should be taking a risk on. It's bold, ambitious, creative, distinct and unlike anything currently on television. It would just help if the show was, you know, actually good.
The promise of "Sense8" is crushed under the oppressive pressure of its nonsensical plot lines, choppy acting and sprawling vision. There are elements of a good show here: the concept of eight ethnically diverse global individuals linked by a psychic connection is really out-there interesting. But the Wachowski's lack the nimble touch to put it all together.
"True Detective" - HBO
Okay, technically I'm cheating because "True Detective" isn't a new show. But since it's an anthology series, it kind of counts, right?
The first season of "True Detective" captured the attention of the TV-viewing public like few other recent shows have (raise your hand if you didn't have your own personal theory about the Yellow King). The second season...did not. Instead of the crackling energy, electric performances and rabbit-hole like mystery we expected, season two was marred by a missing sense of urgency, spotty portrayals by its controversial leads and the most convoluted plot this side of "The X-Files."
"True Detective" was the biggest disappointment of the summer and not even the sincerest Vince Vaughnalogue can change that.
