Mysterical-Eye

A Midsummer Night’s Crime

My February 2019 Mysterical-Eye column covered my September 2018 switch from cable TV to Internet-streaming YouTube TV. In May 2019, YouTube TV rose from $40 to $50 per month, and I decided I’d rather give it up than give into another TV provider’s climbing cost.

Fortunately, there’s still a lot to be had at no cost with my current Roku TV. I still receive live local over-the-air channels, and a choice of free, ad-supported Roku channels like Tubi and Xumo offers many older TV shows on demand. This month (July) I’ve noticed several Stephen J. Cannell shows available: THE A-TEAM, THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO, HUNTER, 21 JUMP STREET, BOOKER, and SILK STALKINGS.

Meanwhile, Netflix also raised prices $2 per month, but I hope to keep it at least until the Spenser adaptation WONDERLAND premieres next year. On May 8, Netflix premiered the fourth season of the Devil-and-detective show LUCIFER, which it saved from cancellation on FOX. Its oddball premise tells you up front not to take it seriously, yet I find the actors’ performances full of heart. What if the Devil wanted to and could be redeemed?

The show didn’t change tone from its over-the-air run, but with a shorter order of ten episodes that didn’t have to fit the forty-two minutes of commercial television, it was able to tell a tighter season-long story. After a month of record-breaking viewership, it was renewed for a fifth, final season.

On June 13, Netflix premiered the third season of JESSICA JONES, its final Marvel Comics show in its deal with Marvel parent Disney. The final storyline sees super-powered P.I. Jessica (Krysten Ritter) contend with her best friend Trish Walker (Rachael Taylor), who gained cat-like powers in Season 2 and wants to be a hero herself.

On Hulu, the revival of VERONICA MARS premiered July 19, and I’ve heard from fans upset with how the 8-episode season ended. According to a Vulture.com interview, creator Rob Thomas felt it necessary to move on from the nostalgia of the 2014 crowdfunded movie and of TV reboots in general, to change the show from a high school drama with detective elements to a full-fledged detective show. He knows it’s a big risk, but in my opinion, the best creators take risks.

A similar show, IN THE DARK, aired March through June on The CW and is now available on Netflix. It concerns young blind woman Murphy Mason (Perry Mattfield), a sardonic loner who finds the body of her drug dealer friend Tyson Parker (Thamela Mpumlwana). Tyson once saved Murphy in the wake of a mugging, and Murphy is determined to find out how he died. The show is a realistic portrayal of disability and morally gray characters with a diverse cast. It was picked up for a second season to air this fall.

Also this fall, The CW will air the latest adaptation of Carolyn Keene’s NANCY DREW, Set to leave for college, Nancy (Kennedy McMann) is drawn into a murder mystery with supernatural overtones. I’m curious to see how the character who was the template for future generations of female sleuths will be written into our present.

Until next time, stay cool.