Welcome to What To Watch, your weekly guide to recommendations for television viewing. There is so much broadcast on the small screen these days, it can sometimes be daunting to figure out how to spend your hard-earned time. Well, worry no more! We at JoBlo.com are TV fanatics and have prepped a handy guide for you to follow over the next seven days. Each week, we will bring you picks catered to your viewing mood. If you have recommendations you think we missed, let us know in the comments below or email your selections to [email protected].
OUR PICKS FOR January 14th – 20th
Wanna watch something….that could be the next big genre hit?
THE PASSAGE (Airs January 14th on FOX) – When Stephen King hailed Justin Cronin's The Passage as the next great horror novel, I snatched it up and consumed the massive story of a post-apocalyptic future populated by vampires. Ridley Scott optioned the books which are now finally a TV series. I am not sure how I feel with the trailers looking dramatically different from the source material, but I am willing to give it a shot to see if it is better than Guillermo Del Toro's The Strain.
Wanna watch something….if you are nostalgiac for early 2000s genre programming?
ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO (Premieres January 15th on The CW) – Roswell was a fairly popular soap drama that aired for three years back in the early 2000s. This reboot takes more of a timely view by equating the alien presence in the titular New Mexico city with undocumented immigrants. That could be too on the nose or maybe it will work well. Time will tell if this ends up like the Charmed reboot or something much worse.
Wanna watch something….like Harry Potter crossed with KINGSMAN?
DEADLY CLASS (Premieres January 16th on SYFY) – I enjoyed the first episode of Joe and Anthony Russo's adaptation of the comic series of the same name. Dark, violent, and chock full of 1980s references, this series feels like it is set at Hogwarts for supervillains. While Ithe series does have a ton of potential, it will hopefully demonstrate itself worthy through the rest of the season.
Wanna watch something….based on a best-selling novel about witches?
A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES (Premieres January 17th on Shudder/Sundance NOW) – The resurgence of marquee television programs has found many novels that were never developed for the big screen being turned into new series. Witches may be old hat these days, but this novel (first in a trilogy) started the trend. Having already debuted on Sky One in 2018, this series is finally making it's way stateside and could generate a considerable fan base.
Wanna watch something….that takes STAR TREK up a notch?
STAR TREK DISCOVERY (Premieres January 17th on CBS All Access) – I happily admitted I was wrong about my initial review of this show's first season and have been highly anticipating the second. With the addition of Anson Mount as Christopher Pike and the appearance of the Enterprise and Spock, this season looks to hew closer to the Original Series while still maintaining a distinct visual style and serial storytelling tactic. While still not worth the cost of subscribing to CBS All Access, this season could change my mind.
Wanna watch something….that may be the last time we see Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle?
MARVEL'S THE PUNISHER (Premieres January 18th on Netflix) – The first season of The Punisher didn't get the character of Frank Castle quite right, the second season makes a little progress. Very little. While the trailer is very cool, the pacing on this series is way off. Still, it may be a long time before we see The Punisher again as it is inevitable that Netflix will cancel the show in a month or two. So, enjoy it while you can.
Wanna watch something….about one of the biggest political news story of the decade?
BREXIT (Premieres January 19th on HBO) – HBO has a long streak of quality original films and this one may be their timeliest. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the man who almost singlehandedly orchestrated Brexit, this movie may be more informative to American audiences than those in the UK.
Wanna watch something….with coke, money, and Don Cheadle?
BLACK MONDAY (Premieres January 20th on Showtime) – Seth Rogen produced this 1980s set film about the notorious stock market crash that bears the series' name. With a cast of talented actors led by the always great Don Cheadle, this looks like it will be a pitch black comedy with some messed up dramatic moments to boot.
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