Category: Reviews

Rosamund Pike leads the charge in The Wheel of Time, Prime Video’s action-fantasy epic based on the long-running book series by Robert Jordan. With so much story to adapt in so little time, how does the potential Game of Thrones heir stack up?

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. These are the opening words of the late Robert Jordan’s The Eye of the World, the first book in his 14-volume high fantasy series known as The Wheel of Time, with the final three books completed by Brandon Sanderson.

It should be no surprise, then, that Sanderson serves as a consultant on the highly anticipated TV adaptation, which releases its first three episodes on Prime Video starting this Friday, Nov. 19. The series faces an uphill battle for fans of the novels versus fans of prestige television: How does Jordan’s arguably old-fashioned story about chosen ones and dark lords translate to modern audiences hungry for something new?

After screening the first three episodes, the strategy employed makes decent sense. Seize on the forward-thinking ideas and concepts already in the original story — there are more than enough — and focus far less on the tropes. No need to dwell on this being yet another tale about farm boys realizing their destinies. Lurking behind the pages of Jordan’s first novel is a morsel of mystery behind who the chosen one really is, even if it might be somewhat obvious to some.

By that count, the TV series wisely picks up on an opportunity to center more of its tale on the female leads. While The Eye of the World mostly fixated on one point of view throughout the first half or so, later books were far more varied and complex when it comes to who this story is truly about. So TV’s The Wheel of Time kicks off with that very approach by utilizing a large cast and plenty of conflict to get the swords and magic going sooner than readers of the books might expect.

Rand, Perrin and Mat

Set in a possible future perhaps thousands of years from now, mankind has already gone through an apocalyptic reset or two. The current “Age” looks a lot like Middle Earth and Westeros, but closer to a Renaissance period in terms of the clothes, technology and the arts. In this world, human beings can channel incredible, magical powers, but there’s a catch. Women can learn to control these abilities quite well, but men “go mad” when they try it themselves, and are therefore deemed a threat to society.

Moiraine (played by Gone Girl‘s Pike) belongs to an order of female channelers known as Aes Sedai. But unlike her contemporaries, she’s less concerned with seeking out and defanging male channelers. She wants to find the “Dragon Reborn,” a prophesied reincarnation of a powerful individual who could either save the world… or destroy it.

The potential for absolute greatness (or destruction) leads Moiraine and her blade-wielding Warder companion, Lan (Criminal Minds‘ Daniel Henney) to a remote village where four young adults apparently fit the description of the Dragon Reborn and must be protected at all costs from the seemingly all-powerful “Dark One” and his deadly hordes.

Egwene and Nynaeve

Yes, it’s a standard setup as far as high fantasy narratives go. But the central characters are where things get a bit more surprising and distinct. There’s Mat Cauthon (Barney Harris), a quick-witted sleuth who’s always up for a game of dice. Perrin Aybara (Marcus Rutherford) is a gentle-natured blacksmith who fears hurting others with his large size and potentially dark nature. Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski) is the strong-willed leader of his friends, and he has eyes for Egwene al’Vere (Madeleine Madden), who has been all but promised to him as a wife from birth but has larger aspirations of her own.

When these characters and mystical forces collide with one another, it results in fairly satisfying intrigue and set pieces, plus some much-needed tension between those with power and those without. Because the books have been completed, Jordan’s meticulous world is filled to the brim with baked-in ideas and stunning world-building that the screenwriters can pick and choose based on where they want everything to ultimately end. In some cases, the show takes some welcome shortcuts and adds a few nice updates to an already well-worn story.

There’s no meandering around the Two Rivers and getting to know all of Emond’s Field before the adventurers set off for what fans really want to see, and rightfully so. Logistically, it would be a nightmare to do a single book’s worth of content per season. Let the books be the books and the show be the show appears to be a mantra for showrunner Rafe Judkins (Chuck, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

A nice addition to the drama, for example, is a bit more motivation behind Mat’s gambling. He isn’t purely a selfish character, he simply struggles to trust others and wants to do right by his two sisters. These characters are also aged up slightly, so the romantic elements are far more pronounced and less reduced to schoolyard crush material. (That was fine for the books, but in the show, cutting to the chase will probably be for the best.)

Unfortunately, The Wheel of Time misfires in other attempts to mix things up. Perrin’s story is needlessly complicated by guilt and horrific violence that is technically new to the canon, yet somehow feels painfully outdated, even for 1990. There are also times when it feels like the story is obviously speed-reading, which even newcomers might be able to pick up on.

Still, The Wheel of Time has enough potential to ride past these initial frustrations thanks to a high budget and deep commitment from the actors to faithfully bring the magic of this story to life. It’s simply a thrill to see these cherished characters finally get an adaptation worthy of such a grand adventure. Assuming future episodes and seasons continue to innovate (it’s already renewed), even if not every bold departure hits the mark perfectly.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Prime Video’s sleek, ambitious The Wheel of Time is off to a promising start, though this heroic journey risks getting a little too ahead of itself.

With the names of comedy heavyweights Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd above the title, you’d probably expect Apple TV+’s The Shrink Next Door to be a silly laugh riot. But fair warning: It is not.

The episode running times are actually a clue: The premiere is just 35 minutes, like a comedy, but later episodes stretch out to the 50-minute range as it ventures further into dramatic territory. Putting a nasty spin on the ’70s self-help era, The Shrink Next Door — premiering this Friday, Nov. 12; I’ve seen all eight episodes — upends our expectations by using Ferrell and Rudd to deliver a surprisingly dark psychological dramedy with seriously creepy undertones.

Based on true events that were turned into a popular podcast, The Shrink Next Door starts back in 1982, where we meet Marty (Ferrell), a kind and gentle but hopelessly naïve schmuck who runs his family’s fabric warehouse. Even a mild confrontation sends Marty into a debilitating panic attack, and his sister Phyllis (WandaVision‘s Kathryn Hahn) wants him to see a therapist. She sends him to see the bearded Dr. Ike (Rudd), who makes it his mission to help Marty find some confidence: “You let people take advantage of you.”

There are some early red flags, though: Ike hangs out with Marty outside the office… but then charges him for that time. He gradually creeps into Marty’s life — and his wallet. (Marty is richer than he appears, with Swiss bank accounts and a house in the Hamptons, and you can almost see the dollar signs light up in Ike’s eyes when he learns this.) Ike is a born schmoozer with a taste for the finer things, and he has no problem using Marty’s money to acquire those things. As Ike slowly bleeds Marty dry over several decades, he pummels his patient’s psyche with a barrage of bullying taunts and shameless guilt trips. “Why the need to claim things?” he asks when Marty dares to let it slip to a guest that the Hamptons house is actually his. “It’s unbecoming.”

There are tiny moments of comedic flair here — Marty gleefully painting his office to the Laura Branigan pop hit “Gloria” is a highlight — but mostly, this is an odd story, and a sad one. (Writer Georgia Pritchett hails from Veep and Succession, so she’s well-versed in sharply savage dark comedy.) It’s almost like What About Bob? in reverse, with the therapist becoming attached to his patient like a parasite. Phyllis starts to worry about Ike’s influence on Marty, and Ike drives a wedge between the siblings, with a tug of war that puts Marty in the middle. It’s a slow burn, and not exactly a barrel of laughs along the way, but it is strangely engaging throughout, getting scammier and more uncomfortable with each passing episode.

It helps that all three stars are superb. Ferrell and Rudd have a strong rapport honed over years working together on comedies like Anchorman, and that carries over here, with both clad in early ’80s eyeglasses and beards. (If nothing else, this show is a comprehensive survey of bad ’80s fashions.) Ferrell is not as goofy as usual, but he does some of his best dramatic work as Marty, with his kind eyes and sweet demeanor earning our sympathy (and pity). Rudd puts his natural charms to devious ends as Ike, showing a surprising menace when his dark side comes out. And as Phyllis, Kathryn Hahn continues her streak of making every TV show she’s in significantly better; just hearing her say “racquetball” in her ’80s Upper West Side Jewish accent is a treat.

Hahn disappears in the middle episodes, though, and Casey Wilson is underused as Ike’s wife as well. With just Ferrell and Rudd left to play off each other, it becomes a little suffocating. The story gets stuck in a holding pattern, hitting the same beats again and again. (This easily could’ve been a two-hour movie.) I kept waiting for all of this to build to some kind of climactic conclusion, but by the time it does, it’s ultimately unsatisfying. As creepy as Ike’s obsession is, it never gets creepy enough to be truly unsettling. All in all, though, it’s worthwhile just to see Ferrell and Rudd expand their acting ranges a bit and delve deep into a story that’s so strange, it has to be true.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd get surprisingly serious — and it works — in Apple TV+’s intriguingly creepy The Shrink Next Door.

Judge Judy is still dispensing justice in reruns on daytime TV, but if you want new cases? You’ll have to head to IMDb TV, where the honorable Judith Sheindlin stars in a new courtroom show, Judy Justice, that made its streaming debut on Monday. (IMDb TV is a free-with-ads streaming service available through Amazon Prime Video, but you don’t need to be a Prime subscriber to watch. You can use the dedicated IMDb TV app through Roku or Amazon Fire.)

Despite the change in venue, Monday’s premiere of Judy Justice should be comfortingly familiar to Judge Judy fans: It’s your basic domestic dispute that we saw a hundred times a year on her original show. Christina the plaintiff is suing her ex Lorenzo — a little person who works in “micro wrestling” — for repayment of money she loaned him to get dental work done. Lorenzo is countersuing for assault after an ugly incident that left him “leaking blood.” The premiere covers just this one case, with Judy berating both plaintiff and defendant with withering insults. (“Maybe you can gather,” she tells them, “but I’m not loving either one of you.”)

The cases may be new, but everything else about Judy Justice feels the same. It’s shot the same way and structured the same way as Judge Judy, with former director/executive producer Randy Douhit and co-EP Amy Freisleben both returning here. There are a couple of small tweaks to the format, though: Damages can now be up to $10,000, double what they were on Judge Judy, and her judicial bench is now emblazoned with “Judge Judy Sheindlin” in big letters, in case you forgot who’s in charge. Plus, her robe is maroon now, not black!

Judy is also joined by a new supporting cast: She has law clerk Sarah Rose (who’s also her granddaughter) and court reporter Whitney Kumar sitting to either side, along with new bailiff Kevin Rasco, who replaces Judy’s longtime TV companion Petri Hawkins Byrd. (In a recent interview, Byrd said he was never asked to return.) But they all stay silent until the final minute, when Judy very briefly reviews the highlights of the day’s case with Sarah. Basically, they’re just there so there are more people to giggle whenever Judy makes a funny quip.

Our final judgment: Judge Judy viewers should find plenty to love about Judy Justice, because it so closely follows the tried-and-true Judge Judy formula. Four episodes of Judy Justice are now streaming on IMDb TV, with more being added each weekday, and a total of 120 episodes have been ordered, so justice will continue to be served for a long time to come.

Now we want to hear your verdict: Give the Judy Justice premiere a grade in our poll, and hit the comments to tell us how it compares to Judge Judy.

My first thought while watching the proudly weird, thoroughly charming new comedy Ghosts was: How is this on CBS?

To be fair, the Eye network has moved past the days of “fat guy with a hot wife” sitcoms lately with a host of more thoughtful and bittersweet comedies like the recently departed Mom. But still, nothing on their primetime slate is nearly as odd or as ambitious as Ghosts (premiering this Thursday, Oct. 7 at 9/8c; I’ve seen the premiere, with advance looks at two more episodes). It doesn’t fit their comedy mold at all… but that just makes it all the more of a wonderful surprise.

An adaptation of a UK series from New Girl alums Joe Port and Joe Wiseman, Ghosts stars iZombie alum Rose McIver as Sam, who learns she just inherited a grand country estate from a great-aunt she never knew. Her chef husband Jay (Never Have I Ever‘s Utkarsh Ambudkar) is hesitant to move out of the city, but Sam has visions of turning the mansion into a cute bed and breakfast. And hey, it’s a free house, right? In this real estate market! What’s the catch? Well…

Turns out the estate is also home to an eclectic gaggle of colorful spirits who died on the property over the years, including a haughty jazz singer (Danielle Pinnock), a hippie named Flower (Sheila Carrasco) who died while trying to befriend a bear (“Drugs were involved”), a chipper Boy Scout leader (Richie Moriarty) who caught an errant arrow in the throat that’s still stuck there, and a cocky Wall Street broker (Asher Grodman) who died without pants on and bores the other ghosts with tales of his hard-partying ways. (“Tara Reid’s birthday. Enough said.”)

The ghosts don’t want Sam and Jay opening up a B&B and crowding their home with thoughtless guests, so they decide to haunt the young couple out — easier said than done, since their ability to interact with the living world is limited. (It takes a great deal of concentration just to knock a cup off a table.) But they catch a break when Sam takes a tumble down the stairs… and now she can see and hear the ghosts when no one else can. The result is an inspired mix of Beetlejuice and The Money Pit, with a spooky, goofy energy that isn’t remotely like anything else on broadcast TV.

The chorus of ghosts is a comedic masterstroke: They’re a mismatched group of oddball personalities who don’t exactly love each other but are stuck together for eternity, like reluctant coworkers. (They don’t even share the same cultural references, since they died centuries apart.) It’s a superb cast full of fresh faces dropping quotable one-liners left and right. Every viewer will have a different favorite ghost, and there are no wrong answers here, but Brandon Scott Jones — so great on The Good Place and The Other Two — is an early standout as colonial dandy Isaac, who resents Alexander Hamilton’s fame and takes a not-so-secret liking to Jay.

Ghosts also shares a bit of What We Do in the Shadows‘ silly, supernatural sense of humor. (When Sam attempts to cleanse the space with sage to ward off evil spirits, the ghosts kind of like it: “It’s actually delightful!”) McIver is bubbly and appealing as Sam, and her newly acquired sixth sense sets up all kinds of storytelling possibilities going forward. But let’s be real: How much “going forward” does Ghosts actually have? I mean, I hope a comedy like this can find enough of an audience to survive past a single season on CBS… but I don’t have a lot of faith that it will. Maybe if we’re lucky, Paramount+ will pick it up for future seasons, and it can be as weird as it wants to be. But while it’s here, let’s at least appreciate it while we can. After all, as the ghosts would tell you, even the best things don’t last forever.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Ghosts is probably too weird to survive on CBS, so enjoy this supernatural oddball before the cancellation axe falls.