Quick Hits: “Margo’s Got Money Troubles”, “Half Man”, “Widow’s Bay”

Welcome to what should be the final installment of these quick reviews for the time being. It’s taken a while, but I feel confident that I’ll have some full reviews on newer shows coming next week. As for this installment, we’ve got an OnlyFans dramedy, a dark look at male masculinity, and a small Massachusetts island that might be cursed.

Photo: Apple TV

Admittedly, calling Margo’s Got Money Troubles an “OnlyFans dramedy” is a tad misleading. Sure, the risque subscription service plays an integral part in the story, but there’s so much more than the label implies. After getting knocked up by her English professor, Margo (Elle Fanning) does indeed run into money troubles, and she turns to OnlyFans as a surprisingly useful way to make money. At its core, the series is a family drama with some spice added in. That spice often leads to the show’s funniest moments, but the writing never looks down on Margo or the other sex workers she encounters.

That humanist spirit applies to the rest of the cast as well. Margo’s estranged parents, Jinx (Nick Offerman) and Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer) are particular highlights. Offerman and Pfeiffer provide great foils for each other, and Fanning leans on both in different circumstances. With a great cast that also includes appearances from Greg Kinnear, Nicole Kidman, and Marcia Gay Harden, Fanning remains the standout. Margo may be impulsive and a bit naïve, but she’s also determined to carve out a place for herself despite what others think. Her struggles are the story, but the victories, however small, are what keep you watching.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles is currently streaming on Apple TV.

Final Verdict: Tune In

Half Man

Photo: HBO

How bleak is too bleak? Half Man, Richard Gadd’s follow-up to Baby Reindeer, often feels designed to test the limits of that question. Gadd drops the black comedy this go, but adds even more psychological tension. The series follows Niall (Mitchell Robertson), a shy, closeted teen forced to live with his violent half-brother, Ruben (Stuart Campbell). The series follows a non-linear path through their lives up to adulthood, where Niall and Ruben (Jamie Campbell and Richard Gadd, respectively) continue to struggle with themselves in various ways.

As with his previous work, Gadd tackles some heavy themes here, specifically toxic masculinity and repression. The problem is that the story’s point feels well made before we get anywhere near the conclusion. There just doesn’t seem to be enough material for 6 hour-long episodes. Instead, Half Man ramps up the dourness to an unpleasant degree. The intent is to drive the themes home in the audience’s mind, but it only exposes the flimsy plot holding it all together.

Half Man is currently streaming on HBO Max.

Final Verdict: Tune Out

Widow’s Bay

Photo: Apple TV

There’s something wrong with Widow’s Bay. The fictional island town is the setting for the titular Apple TV show and home to a curse that has spooked many of the locals. Regardless, Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) is determined to turn the place into a tourist attraction. Therein lies the central premise of Widow’s Bay as Tom deals with hesitant locals and his own growing fear that the curse is real. That’s enough foundation for a solid TV show, but creator Katie Dippold and her team don’t stop there.

Part of what makes the horror/comedy combo of Widow’s Bay work is how seamlessly the show transitions between the two genres. You buy the terror these characters experience while also appreciating the absurdity of it all. It helps to have the likes of Stephen Root and Kate O’Flynn in your cast. Rhys’ chemistry with Root’s outspoken local is a particular delight. O’Flynn, meanwhile, ends up being one of the year’s surprise stars as Tom’s assistant Patricia. On top of all that, you have fantastic direction from Hiro Murai, Andrew DeYoung, and even an episode by Ti West that toes the line between genres beautifully. All in all, Widow’s Bay is the biggest surprise of the year so far. The island might not be the next Martha’s Vineyard, but it’s well worth a stay.

Widow’s Bay is currently streaming on Apple TV.

Final Verdict: Tune In

Another Brick in the Wall #1 – Treachery/Sparra’s Kingdom

The TV Tuners podcast is back! Swanson, Kiorein, and Stairmaster have returned for a series covering the forgotten animated series Redwall. Also, the gang reveal what they’ve been up to and commiserate about the final season of The Boys. Want to request a future bonus episode? Donate to our Buy Me a Coffee page https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tvtuners

Quick Hits: “Rooster,” “Bait,” “Big Mistakes”

Welcome back to another series of mini-reviews! This go-around is a bit of a “Oops, all comedy” situation, which was more of a happy accident than anything intentional on my part. We’ve got Steve Carell going back to school, Riz Ahmed trying out for James Bond, and Dan Levy entering the world of crime. Let’s get into it.

Rooster

Photo: HBO

2026 may end up being the year of Bill Lawrence. The prolific comedy writer/producer has overseen the revival of Scrubs as well as continued work on Shrinking. You can also see his name in the credits of Ted Lasso, even though he isn’t directly involved in the return of that show. With Rooster, Lawrence dives into the waters of HBO comedy.

Steve Carell is Greg Russo, the titular Rooster, a nickname he gets from students who are fans of his series of male-fantasy crime novels. In typical Carell style, Russo is an awkward guy who is just self-effacing enough to be bearable. After a convoluted situation involving his daughter Katie (Charly Clive) and her estranged husband Archie (Phil Dunster), both college professors, Russo takes a gig as writer-in-residence for the semester.

Rooster’s thoughts on academia are stale and easily the worst part of the series. Thankfully, the show mostly uses its setting as a backdrop for the antics of a cast of oddballs. Carell proves to be the perfect lead for a series that thrives on character interactions. His charming persona creates a chemistry with just about everyone he shares the screen with. In particular, his dynamic with college president Walter Mann (John C. McGinley) and Tommy, a student with a potential gift for writing (Maximo Salas) are the most endearing. Not everything lands. The aforementioned daughter and husband relationship takes up too much time with little payoff, but the show finds new ways to win you back. You could do worse than spending a couple hours hanging out with this group.

Rooster is currently streaming on HBO Max.

Final Verdict: Tune In

Bait

Photo: Prime Video

The possibility of James Bond being played by a person of color has been discussed for so long that it almost feels old hat to even bring it up. Maybe that’s part of what makes Bait so engaging. There’s a novelty to using the actual franchise name and likeness for this story, especially after its purchase by a billionaire with Bond villain tendencies. Created by and starring Riz Ahmed, the series follows Shah Latif, a struggling actor who finds himself in the running to be the fresh face of Britain’s favorite spy. What follows is less worried about the particulars of casting and more focused on examining Latif’s insecurities and the public backlash he and his family must endure.

While there’s plenty of dramatic heft to go around, Bait is primarily a comedy. Ahmed proves to be a fantastic straight man for the chaos that surrounds him each episode. The show is at its best when it allows Shah’s family dynamics to boil over into his career. His interactions with his cousin Zulfi (Guz Khan) are a particular highlight. The two make a terrific comedic duo, as Zulfi shamelessly tries to hustle his way into the same fame and fortune that Shah is chasing. Ultimately, Bait’s heartfelt satire is too irresistible to miss.

Bait is currently streaming on Prime Video.

Final Verdict: Tune In

Big Mistakes

Photo: Netflix

After being one of the creative forces behind the great Schitt’s Creek, Dan Levy hasn’t done a lot behind the scenes. Outside of a mildly received Netflix film, Levy has mainly stuck to building his comedic persona on screen. That changes with Big Mistakes, a crime comedy that is light on both.

The series follows Levy as Nicky, an openly gay pastor who, along with his sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega) gets involved in the world of organized crime. The show takes its time setting up that premise, banking on your enjoyment of the dysfunctional family dynamics and constant bickering that goes on when the family is together.

As you might tell, I was not won over. Levy and Ortega have great comic chemistry, and Laurie Metcalf is a treat as their demanding mother, Linda, but these characters are never funny enough to overcome their inherently unlikable personalities. Add to that a crime plot that takes too long getting to the point, and you have a show that is less than the sum of its parts. I wanted better for Levy’s return to TV, but Big Mistakes ends up as directionless as its characters.

Big Mistakes is currently streaming on Netflix.

Final Verdict: Tune Out

Quick Hits: “Love Story,” “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins,” “DTF St. Louis”

Well, it has certainly been a minute, huh? Life comes at you fast, as a teenage slacker once said, and that was certainly the case with my extended hiatus. It turns out raising children is as hard as they say, and we found that out on February 26th, when my wife and I welcomed our daughter a week earlier than planned. Everyone is doing great, but finding time to write recreationally was off the table, mostly because of exhaustion. Oddly enough, there was still plenty of time for watching TV. It turns out newborns don’t care what you do as long as you’re holding them.

What this means is that I have a backlog of new shows to discuss, but not the time to write full reviews for them. Enter these “quick hits” that will hopefully help us get back onto some sort of regular schedule while allowing me to share my opinions on the TV I missed covering. We’re starting off strong today with a tale of grand love, Tracy Morgan’s return to network TV, and a comedy/murder mystery with some real teeth.

Love Story

Photo: FX

To date, Ryan Murphy has given us horror, crime, and even sports stories. It only makes sense that love would come next. Although Murphy only has a producer credit, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette follows the blueprint of his other works enough to make one wonder how much control he actually wields. As the lengthy subtitle suggests, the show tracks the whirlwind romance of Kennedy Jr. (Paul Anthony Kelly) and model Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon) up to their tragic deaths in a plane accident. It’s a tale full of tabloid drama, big romantic gestures, and enough 90s songs to fill a compilation CD. There’s just one problem: our leads are cyphers.

While there are plenty of sparks between them, we never get an actual sense of who these two are. They simply glide from one dramatic moment to the next. The cast all try their best to ring pathos from the material, including Naomi Watts’ bizarre turn as Jackie Onassis, but there just isn’t enough meat on the bone. Love Story clearly wants to say something profound about fame and our cultural obsession with it, but never finds a coherent message. It’s ultimately a slice of 90s nostalgia that fails at both romance and story.

Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette is currently streaming on Hulu.

Final Verdict: Tune Out

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins

Photo: NBC

One joy of 30 Rock, among the many to choose from, was seeing what wild lines Tracy Morgan would deliver that week. Naturally, the latest collaboration between Morgan and 30 Rock showrunner Robert Carlock has my attention. The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins follows Morgan as a disgraced former NFL star agreeing to take part in a documentary on his life. The director, Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe), has his own public disgrace that bonds the duo and explains why he and an ever-present camera crew stick around Reggie’s house.

Reggie Dinkins has the fast-paced gag-a-minute pace of Carlock’s other work, but really shines thanks to a tremendous cast. Morgan and Radcliffe prove to be a terrific comedic duo, forming a bond that becomes the heart of the show. With supporting turns from Erika Alexander as Reggie’s manager and ex-wife, Monica, newcomer Precious Way as Reggie’s fiancée, Brina, and Bobby Moynihan as Rusty, a former teammate who lives in the basement. It’s a cast that gels almost instantly and gets even better as the show rolls on. Come for Morgan’s one-liners and stay for the cast chemistry. If you have to give only one network comedy a try this year, you could do much worse than Reggie Dinkins.

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is currently streaming on Peacock.

Final Verdict: Tune In

DTF St. Louis

Photo: HBO

Sometimes an actor gives a performance so real that it hurts to watch. That is David Harbour in DTF St. Louis, HBO’s dark comedy about middle age malaise. Harbour plays Floyd Smernitch, an ASL interpreter with a tender heart. He soon befriends the local meteorologist, Clark Forrest (Jason Bateman), a man who seems to have the perfect suburban life. As it turns out, they’re both unhappy in different ways. Their attempts to find joy eventually lead to death, and the show weaves a non-linear path to that moment and the fallout.

Part of what makes DTF St. Louis so engaging is the mix between the mundane and the surreal. At its core, this is a fairly typical crime drama, but the circumstances of the murder keep the viewer on their toes. Bateman, Harbour, and Linda Cardellini as Floyd’s wife Carol, make a fantastic trio to center our story on. While they all get their moments to shine, Harbour is the star here. Maybe it’s just because this isn’t the next role you expect from a Stranger Things alum, but his performance shows a level of vulnerability I forgot he was capable of. With strong acting and an engaging murder mystery at its center, DTF St. Louis stacks up as an early contender for one of the year’s best.

DTF St. Louis is currently streaming on HBO Max.

Final Verdict: Tune In

Wonder Man adds showbiz satire to the superhero genre

Photo: Disney+

We’re now over two years into Marvel’s promised “reshuffling” of its TV productions, and the results are mixed. The goal was to create more programming focused on being an actual TV show and not a movie split into episodic chunks. So far, we’ve got Daredevil, which returns next month, and Ironheart, a holdover from before the restructuring. The latter followed the movie model and suffered for it. Consequently, I had low expectations upon hearing about Wonder Man, another holdover.

A product of Marvel regulars Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) and Andrew Guest (Hawkeye), Wonder Man is less a superhero story and more a buddy comedy about two struggling actors. The series follows Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) a superpowered actor desperate for his big break. A chance encounter with Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), an actor mostly known as the fake terrorist The Mandarin, leads the duo to try out for a remake of sci-fi classic Wonder Man. This leads to some jokes at the expense of Marvel, but the satire is only part of the series’ charm.

The show plays more like a character study than a typical Marvel product. Simon Williams is not a hero. In fact, his powers are a burden to his life and career. Because of the Doorman Clause, superheroes are prohibited from working in the industry. This means Simon has to hide a key part of himself from everyone, a struggle that affects his acting. It’s an obvious metaphor, but one that works well because the writing doesn’t make it the character’s sole focus. Instead, the series takes the time to show us all the facets of Simon’s life and how they can help shape his future. It’s no coincidence that Simon comes into his own as an actor when he learns to accept his powers.

For their part, Abdul-Mateen and Kingsley prove to be a terrific duo to center a show around. Kingsley continues to take the bit role of Slattery and imbue him with a genuine sense of pathos. The best scenes simply involve the two discussing their love of acting. It’s that shared passion that forms their bond and makes them such an endearing pair. Simon overthinks everything, constantly in his own head, but Abdul-Mateen still showcases his charisma and skill. There’s brief moments where Simon shows his true personality and we get glimpses of the Wonder Man comic fans might know. By the end, he’s fully come into his own.

Wonder Man ends up being the perfect example of what Marvel’s TV output can look like moving forward. It doesn’t all have to be epic superhero stories. Sometimes a fun romp through Hollywood with some charming characters is enough. Not everything requires a big CGI fight in the last episode. Conflicts can exist within and still be compelling, even if the person in question can move mountains. The struggle is just as important as the triumph.

Wonder Man is currently streaming on Disney+.

Final Verdict: Tune In