As for “4400,” which premieres Oct. 25, the CW series is actually a reboot of a show titled “The 4400” that premiered in 2004, but with an interesting twist. Again, it involves people being returned, unchanged, after disappearing years and sometimes decades earlier, but the emphasis is on marginalized people, whose absences were felt by their families but not seriously scrutinized by authorities.
The group arrives in Detroit, and they’re essentially quarantined by the government, while both getting to know each other and, in the case of those taken relatively recently, discovering what transpired while they were gone.
Why are they back now? What was done to them? And what happens next? The hope is you’ll stick around to find out, but given the size of the cast, there are a whole lot of subplots to explore in the interim.
Therein lies the problem with both shows, which particularly in the case of “Invasion” feels so unhurried in its template of watching the crisis unfold as a global phenomenon as to blunt the drama.
“The X-Files” ran into similar problems in its later seasons, as the mythology became increasingly dense. But the current TV glut has only accelerated the sense that if the show you’re watching doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, click, next.
It’s unclear whether these alien visitors have all the time in the world waiting around for somebody to get to the point, but a lot of us mere mortals don’t.
Don’t look for ‘Curb’ blurbs. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
Larry David tends to keep his own counsel when it comes to things like publicity, so you won’t see any advance reviews of the new season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” because nothing was made available in advance.
The deal, basically, is whenever you’re ready to do more episodes, we’re here. And while 100 episodes in 10 seasons is nothing to sneeze at, it’s worth noting how that compares with the industriousness of something like “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which premiered the year before “Curb,” and hit its 500th episode this week.
Are you #TeamSubtitles?
Now, Sandra Gonzalez with a a hotly debated issue among couples everywhere
“Not since our great Pitbull’s music should be played at all parties debate of 2018 have my husband and I disagreed on something as strongly as the use of subtitles while watching our television shows.
First, let me say, neither of us have a medical need for them. And people who rely on them to watch and enjoy television should be the priority at all times.
Below them, there’s what seems to be an increasing number of people who, like me, watch TV with subtitles on.
Unlike his strong pro-Mr. Worldwide views, my husband does not prefer subtitles. He finds them distracting. I, meanwhile, find them helpful for exactly that reason. As someone with an attention span that’s as stunted as my five-foot frame, subtitles help me concentrate on the show I’m watching.
Should watch/will watch
One more from Sandra Gonzalez, who has a confession about her streaming intentions this weekend:
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