Lots of Good Stuff…

“The TV Junkie” by Penny Landau ****I’ve been a huge fan of Sandra Oh’s work since “Arli$$” and of course, as Christina Yang on “Grey’s Anatomy.” When I heard she was returning to series TV and that it was from the BBC, I knew it had to be great and it is. My favorite Oh obsession is now “Killing Eve,” which has an interesting concept. Late of MI5, Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) is recruited as an agent by Carolyn Martens (the wonderful Fiona Shaw) to hunt down a serial assassin, Villanelle, played to perfection by Jodie Comer. The show is a brilliant game of cat and mouse, as Villanelle, intrigued by Eve, stalks her, confronts her and even dines with her. The tension, sexual and otherwise, between the two women is fascinating to watch. There are only eight episodes in this first season, so binge-watch away.

Talking about binge-watching, the reboot of “Lost in Space” is the one to see! The premise is similar, the Family Robinson is lost in space when their home base, the Resolute, is attacked and the Jupiter 2 escapes, along with many other spacecraft, also oddly named Jupiter. It’s the same group of people, with a few changes. Maureen, John, Judy, Penny and of course, Will, are there, with a new and different Dr. Smith, as portrayed by Parker Posey. Yes, you read that right, Dr. Smith is a woman and she is beyond the valley of the evil. Judy, apparently adopted, is Black; Don West is no military hero, but some sort of narcissistic smuggler (of fine whiskey, I might add!); and the robot is interesting, to say the least.

For those of us who were privileged enough to enjoy the 1965 version, there are so many subtle references to the original. When one of the Jupiters crashes, “Dr. Smith” picks up a photo album that flips open to a pic of Bill Mumy (we also see Mumy’s face again on the ID of the real Dr. Smith). The imposter’s real name is June Harris, an homage to both June Lockhart and Jonathan Harris, the original Maureen and Dr. Smith, respectively. One of the injured is named Angela as in Cartwright. It’s like looking for Ninas in one of Hirschfeld’s drawings.

All in all, “Lost in Space” is the best sci-fi show on TV. Do NOT miss this one!

On a personal note: Toby Stephens, who plays John Robinson, is the son of Dame Maggie Smith and noted director, Sir Robert Stephens. I had the pleasure of working with him on Broadway in Ring ‘Round the Moon, with the late, great Marian Seldes. He was a dream to work with—charming, funny and oh, so handsome.

The wedding paradox…

The wedding of the decade happened last Thursday night on “The Big Bang Theory” and it was everything we had hoped for and more; the more being Kathy Bates (who, like Bette Midler and Greer Garson, can do no wrong) as Amy’s mother and Teller as her mostly silent father. Best moment—Penny reading Amy’s mother the riot act, much to the delight of Amy’s father. One of the greatest casting ideas of the century, second only to Kathleen Turner as Chandler’s trans-mother and Debbie Reynolds as Grace’s show tune-loving, fag hag mother, is Jerry O’Connell as Sheldon’s brother Georgie. He even looks like an adult version of Montana Jordan, who plays Georgie in “Young Sheldon!” Missy was there; his mother Mary was there, but where, oh where, was Meemaw? How could he marry Amy without Meemaw? Did she die and nobody told us? Was June Squibb not available? That aside, the wedding was so sweet and romantic and analytical; everything you’d expect from Mr. and Mrs. Cooper.

Yes and no, renewed or DOA, here’s the list:

ABC cancels “Alex, Inc” (bye-bye Zach Braff) and “The Crossing,” making that two shows whose episodes are on my DVR that I can erase. Was “Designated Survivor” supposed to end after this current season? All the usual suspects have been renewed, from “Grey’s Anatomy” to “Speechless” to “Roseanne.”

Meanwhile, over at CBS, Linda Lavin notwithstanding, the horrendous “9JKL” bought the farm, along with a surprising “Kevin Can Wait” (even Leah Remini couldn’t save this one!), “Superior Donuts” and one of my favorite shows, “Scorpion.” No, it’s not that I’m a Scorpio, but Katharine McPhee and Elyes Gabel are so adorable together. Well, go see her in Waitress on Broadway if you’re having withdrawal symptoms.

Fox cancels “Brooklyn 99” and NBC picks it up. ABC cancels “Last Man Standing” and Fox picks it up. So long “Lucifer,” but what will happen to “The X-Files” with no Gillian Anderson? I shudder to think! NBC has axed “Rise,” the trailer park version of “Glee” crossed with “Fame” and that’s an insult to trailer parks. As long as my “Law & Order SVU” and my “Blacklist” remain, I’m a happy girl. I need my weekly dose of James Spader.

Until next time…

“The TV Junkie” was preceded in her family by a large mahogany cabinet that housed a small screen with a large speaker below. Thus began her love affair with the older sibling in the living room. Theirs was a tenuous relationship, prone to mishaps (forgetting to use the special “screen” for “Winky Dink”), joyous events (“Julie & Carol at Carnegie Hall”), sad moments (Clarabelle saying goodbye to the Peanut Gallery) and a wide range of emotions (the funeral of John F. Kennedy and the Inauguration of Barack Obama). From “Captain Video” to “Star Trek” to “Lost;” from “A Brighter Day” to “The Edge of Night” to “General Hoapital;” from “Peyton Place” to “ “Dynasty” to “Desperate Housewives;” there has never been a greater love, than that of “The TVJ” and the best friend a girl could ever have.