Change Your Image
newsmanatl-1
Reviews
Big Shot (2021)
A surprise...
I never met a show created by David E. Kelly that I didn't like, and "Big Shot" is no exception -- although it comes as a surprise because I didn't know this series was in the works. It has the feel of dozens of other "comeback" stories, from "Hoosiers" and "Rudy" to "Glee," but enough originality, charm, and humor to hook you from the pilot episode and have you pulling for the allegedly unlikable coach badly in need of redemption and a team of privileged California beach kids whose vacuous lives need a boost as much as their surprisingly clever and youthful take on things will prove to be an equally important influence.
John Stamos is perfectly cast as the coach you aren't supposed to like, but do, and there's a strong backup that includes a standout Sophia Mitri Schloss as his daughter.
If you don't mind having your strings pulled rather obviously shamelessly, in a familiar but satisfying way, this is the show that will leave you feeling good after every episode.
Debris (2021)
Wait for it...
The first several episodes of "Debris" may strike you as mediocre and plodding, but good enough to keep watching. In actuality, they lay the groundwork for a complex, layered, very clever and engaging SF series that feels familiar in a kind of "Fringe" meets "X-Files" meets "Lost" meets "MI5" kind of way. The title "Debris" refers as much to the personal lives of the central characters as it does to wreckage of an alien ship falling to Earth. If you keep watching to Episode 9, you will not fail to watch Episode 10. My favorite SF series since "The Expanse," and possibly better.
Debris: I Am Icarus (2021)
Enormously satisfying...
The previous episode ended with a big cliffhanger, and this one delivers the conclusion you not only want as a viewer, but need. This is a game changer for the series, and if you've followed it to here, you aren't going to stop. We can only hope that the creators have a much broader story arc already in mind, because this feels hard to top.
Debris: Do You Know Icarus? (2021)
Worth all the time it took to get to this episode...
Everything in the series has been leading to this thrilling two-part episode. The title "Debris" refers to more than the alien junk falling to Earth from space, and that becomes clear as we see how much the central characters have been dealing with wreckage of their own lives. This episode is twisty turny in the best kind of "Fringe" meets "X-Files" meets "Lost" kind of way. Thank goodness I didn't stumble on this series until the second part was streaming, because I couldn't have waited!