It seems Peacock is going all in on spy thrillers. It makes sense: like the ever-popular murder mystery genre, spy thrillers rely on a plot full of twists where every character is a suspect. Throw together some name actors and let them do their best with the material. When it fails, you move on to another one. When it works, you get something like Ponies.
Set in the late 70s, Ponies follows two secretaries for the American embassy in Moscow who become CIA operatives after the mysterious deaths of their spy husbands. Bea (Emilia Clarke) and Twila (Haley Lu Richardson) are considered “Persons of No Interest” (Ponies, for short) by the KGB. This makes them perfect for clandestine operations while also allowing them to discover what their spouses were up to. What follows is a mix of spy thriller, buddy comedy, and character drama.
Part of what makes Ponies work so well is that blend and how well the writers establish these characters. What starts as the typical buddy cop premise of the straight-laced operative and chaotic rule-breaker quickly morphs into a story of the two discovering themselves and their previously hidden talents. There’s more to both Bea and Twila than even their superiors expect. That helps make the story one worth investing in, even without the car chases and plot twists. Some of those twists do lean into predictable patterns, but it works thanks to the prior investment in the characters. The show might not always nail the thriller aspects of its genre, but it succeeds in large part thanks to a game cast.
Clarke gets a role worthy of her talents with Bea. You can see the facade of her buttoned-up nature unravel as the season progresses. Unlike Twila, she is fluent in Russian, which makes her immediately suited for undercover missions. Twila, the wild card, soon takes up the role of playing defense. She spends many a mission protecting Bea from outside forces and using her gift of gab to get her way. Together, the pair make a surprisingly great spy. The bond they develop, along with Clarke and Richardson’s incredible chemistry, holds the show together.
Adrian Lester makes a supporting turn here as the Moscow station chief Dane Walter. His role as our duo’s superior makes him an interesting foil while also giving him the chance to mentor these new spies. We also get a substantial subplot from fellow low-level embassy workers Cheryl (Vic Michaelis) and Ray (Nicholas Podany) regarding their possibly doomed marriage. While they mostly add to the comedic elements of the series, both actors offer just enough to suggest something deeper. Michaelis, in particular, gets to showcase her many facets as the season goes on.
The fusion of laughs, thrills, and in-depth character work proves to be effective for Ponies. There’s also a lot of style here, but it isn’t without reason. It captures a moment of peak Cold War paranoia while also being a great work of spy fiction in its own right. Buoyed by brilliant performances, this is a show that I hope we get more of. At the very least, maybe it can inspire more shows to put this much thought into their writing.
Last week, we looked at the best shows of the last year. It’s only fair that we take some time and look at the worst. These five shows (and one dishonorable mention) offer a wide range of awful. If you’ve had the displeasure of watching any of them, I hope this list provides you with comfort. You are not alone. If you liked any of the shows on this list, I don’t need to know about it. I’m happy for you, or whatever you need me to say to stop you from commenting.
Dishonorable Mention: All’s Fair
Photo: Hulu
It takes considerable skill to assemble a murder’s row of actresses (and Kim Kardashian) and give them material this horrendous. By now there’s been plenty of discussion on whether Ryan Murphy’s law drama is a contender for worst show of all time or a classic example of camp style. Make no mistake, this is a campy show, but it’s also one with so few redeemable qualities that it becomes hard to stomach. That the likes of Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, and Naomi Watts are used to prop up the wooden acting of Kim K is its greatest offense. The only reason it’s relegated to a mention is that I never reviewed it. Truthfully, I never made it past the first episode. Do yourself a favor and just look up the clip of Paulson calling someone a “discarded cumrag.” You’ll be better off.
Few people get to enjoy the rich reward of starring in multiple TV shows. For Tim Allen, he gets to do it while regurgitating the material that made him famous. The world has changed, but Allen remains the same. Shifting Gears almost has enough self-awareness to make his character, a gruff widower who owns an auto shop, alone because of his own actions. This is a show for those same boomers, watching it while wondering why their kids never call, so he gets let off the hook. What follows is a collection of sitcom plots that were past due 30 years ago. The series’ greatest sin is the misuse of Kat Dennings, forcing her to find comedic chemistry with Allen. There’s nothing funny here, despite what the omnipresent laugh track seems to think.
For the creators of Chad Powers, there is nothing funnier than a guy in some ridiculous prosthetics. Glen Powell stars as that guy, forced to wear the persona of Chad Powers after ruining his reputation. Powell tries and fails to stretch his comedy muscles, thanks to a series that relies solely on tired tropes. It doesn’t help that the guy under the makeup, Russ Holiday, is as irredeemable as they come. You’re basically waiting for everyone to figure it out. A comedy for the Barstool Sports crowd, Powers is the worst kind of show, one that inspires neither laughs nor jeers, just disinterest.
Netflix takes a stab at the modern medical drama with a series that aims to add every plotline you could think of into one 10-episode season. Natural disasters, family drama, and an ill-advised sexual harassment storyline are all part of this look into the staff at a Miami trauma center. The constant use of flashbacks only adds to the chaos. Sprinkle in a trove of unlikable characters, and you have a recipe for one of the worst of the year. That this series premiered right as The Pitt was wrapping up its first season further showcased the gulf between them. This Grey’s Anatomy knockoff couldn’t hope to compete.
To give this show the faintest of praise, there is a decent idea lodged in the center of this real-life drama. The series, based on Natalia Grace’s adoption and subsequent abandonment, spends its first half telling the story from the perspective of the Barnetts. The husband and wife are eager to adopt, but things seem to go south when they become convinced that Natalia is not who she says she is. Just one minor problem, that’s not what happened. In the second half, the audience learns of the actual events and abuse Natalia suffered from the family. This choice adds an extreme tastelessness to a show already full of melodramatic acting and awful writing. Maybe starting with the abuser’s perspective wasn’t the most sound of choices.
After an unprecedented cyberattack, the United States trusts only one man to find the culprits responsible and bring them to justice. The man is former president George Mullen, a popular figure who reads like every centrist’s wet dream. He’s tough but sensible. He’s smart, but able to speak to the common man. His politics are so vague that he seems to stand for both everything and nothing at the same time. Played by Robert De Niro, Mullen is just one of the many inert characters with a big name actor attached. Zero Day is desperate to say something about our current times, but comes up short. It yearns for a time when an impressive speech could unite us and forgets that only ever happened on The West Wing.
As the Star Trek franchise enters its 60th year and approaches a decade of what fans dub “new Trek,” there’s understandable concern about what’s next. While the streaming era has seen a return to regular TV production, the reception has been mixed. The fan service has noticeably increased, but that doesn’t mean the franchise can’t try out a few new things. After a foray into adult animation, there was some success targeting a younger audience. There is a certain sense, then, in this latest move: going for that precious YA market.
Starfleet Academy takes the traditional Star Trek mold and adds some youth-focused energy. Taking place in the far-future 32nd century, the series follows the first batch of recruits to the newly reopened Starfleet Academy, led by the peculiar Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter). There’s the rebellious human Caleb (Sandro Rosta), pacifist Klingon Jay-Den (Karim Diané), the first hologram student Sam (Kerrice Brooks), the wealthy jackass Darem (George Hawkins), and admiral’s daughter Genesis (Bella Shepard). That’s just covering the cadets! There’s a whole slew of teachers, rivals, and computer programs to keep these kids busy. It’s enough to make one worry about the show’s ability to develop these characters.
A large cast and a short episode order are nothing new for modern Star Trek. Thankfully, the setting adds some necessary creative license. First introduced in the later seasons of Discovery, the 32nd century finds Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets recovering from a cataclysmic event called “The Burn.” It’s a harsher setting than we’re used to, while also providing a fresh canvas for the writers. This allows the writing to reiterate the ideals of the franchise while showing people who have grown disillusioned with them. It’s a shame that the mundane tropes found throughout much of recent Trek remain present.
The dark and sterile sets are still here, for one. The biggest challenge is the increased number of melodramatic character arcs. This is an expected part of any show attempting to play with the trappings of a teen drama. The problem is that it often overshadows the more enjoyable science fiction elements. For example, an episode that focuses on the campus rivalry between the Academy and the War College. The concept takes the standard rival school idea and adds a nice Trek twist to it. In execution, the episode gets bogged down by focusing on Darem’s parent issues. A genre fusion like this requires a delicate balance to pull off, and Starfleet Academy hasn’t found it.
Still, there are plenty of performances here that sell you on the show’s potential. Holly Hunter does fantastic work as Captain/Chancellor Ake. She balances playfulness and seriousness effectively, honoring the old Starfleet tradition. The first episode goes deep into the history between her and Caleb. It establishes them as the relationship the series centers on. There’s also Gina Yashere as the part Klingon, part Jem’Hadar first officer Lura Thok and the return of Robert Picardo as The Doctor (no, not that one). The two offer support to Hunter as figures for the cadets to look up to. The debut episode also introduces us to Paul Giamatti’s deliciously sleazy Nus Braka. Giamatti clearly loves chewing the scenery, rounding out a cast of veteran actors who can help guide the youngsters.
Starfleet Academy has a lot to say about potential. The young cadets all have the skills necessary to make it, but they need the right guidance. The same is true of the show. As odd as the genre mash-up seems at first, it can work with the right focus. Unfortunately, in the episodes available so far, the potential remains unrealized. Your mileage will almost certainly vary, but if you were already weary of this idea, the series won’t do much to change your mind.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy is currently streaming on Paramount+. New episodes air on Thursdays.
Television Turmoil is a look at the worst and weirdest series to make their way onto the small screen.
The 90s were a period of enormous growth for television. The rise of cable caused an explosion of channels attempting to cater to specific interests and age groups. It wasn’t just cable networks attempting to expand into the market. With Fox successfully established as the “fourth network” in the world of broadcast television, The WB and UPN came into being in an attempt to capture some of that same magic. Of the two upstarts, UPN is something of a black sheep in discussions about this period. When looking at a show like Shasta McNasty it isn’t hard to understand why.
Created by Jeff Eastin, the program attempted to cater to the male demographic (specifically “11 and up” according to UPN’s then-COO) as it followed the exploits of three friends who are part of the titular rap rock band. If you didn’t know this was produced in 1999, that last line certainly gave it away. The trio features Dennis (Jake Busey, son of Gary) the “wild one,” Scott (Carmine Giovinazzo) the “straight man” and Randy (Dale Godboldo) the “guy who gets all the other jokes.” Don’t you worry, there is also a female character. Diana (Mary Lynn Rajskub in the pilot, Jolie Jenkins for the rest of the series) who shares a kitchen with the trio and occasionally gets to have a plot of her own. Also, because this is the late 90s, Verne Troyer is here.
The pilot of Shasta McNasty aired immediately following an episode of WWF Smackdown in a rare moment of synergy for UPN. It is perhaps one of the worst things I have ever forced myself to watch. Chock full of rampant sexism, abuse, and constant sex jokes, it feels like someone took the most detestable aspects of 90s shock culture, put them in a blender and removed anything resembling satire. After all, we’re supposed to side with these characters. The show makes that clear by all but cheering on their actions. The only saving grace is that no one had the idea to include a laugh track full of Married… With Children-style whoops and hollers.
Most of the pilot revolves around our trio of misfits spying on a woman across the street change with the help of an elaborate camera system, only to discover that her boyfriend is cheating on her. Disgusted by this, they resolve to break the couple up and lead her into the arms of one of them. With such a thin plot, there is plenty of time for Zach Morris-like fourth wall breaks, a musical interlude that is neither particularly funny nor musical, and an extended sequence of Scott fighting a parrot puppet. With all that, it isn’t hard to understand why 11-year-olds were specifically called out as a potential audience.
While the show attempted to keep up that “in your face” edgy style that has aged as well as a 1-800-COLLECT commercial, the network had other ideas and retooled the program after a few episodes. The new version, simply titled Shasta, sanded down a lot of the edges to the show. It became less about shock value and more about standard sitcom fare. Plots no longer revolved around scoring with women, instead focusing on paying rent or the relationship between Scott and Diana.
As you might expect, this failed to attract an audience or improve the show’s quality. Beneath all the juvenile antics and pandering to the lowest common denominator there was nothing left. The characters were nothing more than thin caricatures, and any of them developing into someone likable would be a step too far. Writing hackneyed sitcom scripts and anticipating the inevitable cancellation was all that remained.
After lasting a full season, mostly because of UPN having nothing else to air, Shasta McNasty was cancelled in the summer, airing a final episode that jumped ahead to 2010 for a Behind the Music parody that followed the band after they found success. The closest thing to an original idea the show had. Another in a long line of shows cancelled by UPN after a single season.
Perhaps I’m being a little rough on this show, but in my eyes there is just nothing redeeming about this. It’s a snapshot of the worst aspects of the late 90s, all edge and rage with nothing to say. A series in such desperate need of an identity that it attempted to find one by appealing to the South Park crowd with none of the humor. In many ways, that search for an identity is also key to UPN’s struggles as a network.
Like Shasta, UPN struggled constantly throughout its run to find an identity as a network. The WB found its niche as a destination for teens and young adults, a focus carried over into The CW. UPN could never find that singular focus, attempting to latch on to popular trends and hoping that one would lead to success. It isn’t hard to see the parallels. Even if it feels wrong to compare the entire network to this one show. In the year 1999, though, UPN and Shasta McNasty were on similar wavelengths. Both desperate to attract an audience but unaware that to garner attention you need more than what you can find at the bottom of a barrel.
Next Time: We take a breather and focus on something goofy, the much lampooned police procedural musical, Cop Rock.
2025 was a terrible year for the world. For television, it was surprisingly strong, thanks in part to a wealth of new programs. It was also the first full year of this blog, which I’ll assume is just a coincidence for the uptick in quality. The wheels of capitalism continue to turn, making the future uncertain in all aspects. But before we worry about the future, let’s look back at some of my favorites from the past year.
While Marvel’s live action offerings are still trying to regain their footing, their animation department has been knocking it out of the park. First, with X-Men ’97 and now with this updated version of our favorite wallcrawler. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man takes the established beats of our hero and finds fun twists on them. Whether it’s Norman Osborn as his mentor or a new homemade suit, it’s still the same Peter Parker we know and love. The cel-shaded animation adds to the unique experience while also paying homage to co-creator Steve Ditko. It’s comic book fun while also telling an engaging story, something surprisingly rare these days.
Hollywood satires are almost as old as Hollywood. What makes The Studio so special is the sheer joy it seems to have while mocking the business. Co-creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg direct every episode and continually find inventive ways to pay homage to film. Whether it’s a takedown on the one-shot trend that is also all one-shot or a riff on film noir, there’s always something in this show to keep you fixed to the screen. Rogen might also be the lead, but he’s surrounded by a game cast including Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, and Kathryn Hahn. That’s before we get into the cavalcade of guest stars, all game to poke fun at the industry and themselves. That a show this funny and inventive is at 9 should be a testament to how great this year was for TV.
Adult Swim is no stranger to odd programming, but Common Side Effects is outside their usual wheelhouse. A dark comedy/conspiracy thriller with elements of science fiction and stoner comedy blended in. The series follows a myriad of characters, all vying for a mysterious blue mushroom that cures all illnesses. Part of the show’s charm is the array of personalities, from our hippie lead, Marshall, to FBI detectives and best friends Copano and Harrington. The depth of these characters in such a short runtime (usually 22 minutes) is impressive. Equally impressive is the animation, full of compelling action sequences and vibrant psychedelic scenes. It’s wholly unique and wonderfully subversive.
7. The Chair Company
Photo: HBO
Tim Robinson has made a name for himself by playing guys that can be charitably described as “at their limit.” The Chair Company continues that while taking us inside the conspiratorial mindset of that person. After having a chair collapse beneath him during a presentation, Ron Trosper goes on a quest to find the company behind the chairs and make them…apologize? That Ron isn’t really sure what he wants from this adventure is one of the series’ unspoken gags. Full of bizarre non sequiturs, strange characters, and countless twists, The Chair Company presents a world all its own. One where a stranger in a Jason mask could be the crux of the whole conspiracy or just another element that doesn’t fit.
Sterlin Harjo’s Reservation Dogs was one of the most beautiful and underseen shows of the last decade. His followup, The Lowdown, continues in that vein while adding elements of noir and western into the mix. Ethan Hawke stars as “truth-storian” Lee Raybon as he looks into the probable suicide of wealthy Oklahoman Dale Washberg. In true crime story fashion, there’s more going on than you’d expect. With a terrific cast of supporting players that includes Keith David, Kyle MacLachlan, and Jeanne Tripplehorn, The Lowdown is a story that sits with you. Its focus on the community of Tulsa is well earned and timely, offering a glimmer of hope through our strength together.
Devastating and mesmerizing in equal measure, Adolescence takes your typical crime drama and turns it on its head. Each of the series’ 4 episodes focus on a different phase in the investigation into a young girl’s murder, with the added punch that they’re all shot in one take. What could easily become a gimmick creates a tension that builds as each installment unfolds. Add in terrific performances from Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and newcomer Owen Cooper, and you have one of the most thought-provoking series of the year. Adolescence never shies away from the themes it tackles, and it offers no straightforward solutions. It feels real in a way that few shows successfully pull off.
Speaking of real, it doesn’t get more realistic than The Pitt. Created by former ER writer R. Scott Gemmill and starring John Carter himself, Noah Wyle, the series’ first season follows a single shift at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center, one hour at a time. The show’s real-time concept (mostly) takes out the melodrama in favor of dealing with patients as they come in. It’s a welcome change of pace for a genre that too often revolves around the doctors, nurses, and medical staff’s personal lives. The series also serves as a tribute to the real-life professionals who do this day in and day out by giving us a taste of their process. That it’s also packed with terrific acting and writing only sweetens the whole deal.
3. The Rehearsal
Photo: HBO
No one can or should do what Nathan Fielder does. On the latest season of his docu-comedy series, the comedian goes to new heights in blending reality and fiction together. In a shockingly relevant move, Fielder tackles airline safety, specifically the possibility that pilots and co-pilots are not having effective communication in the cockpit. His attempts to crack this problem involve creating a fake reality singing show, reliving the life of one famous pilot, and even presenting his findings to a congressional representative. That’s only the tip of this delightful iceberg. Part of the joy of Fielder’s brand of comedy is in his ability to weave disparate threads together in ways you’ll never expect. By the end, you’ll believe a man can fly.
What a joy it is to have a new Vince Gilligan show. After spending time in the grounded world of the Breaking Bad universe, Gilligan returns to science fiction with a fun take on the alien invasion concept. When all but a baker’s dozen of people on the planet become part of a hive mind, it’s up to one misanthrope to save the day. Or at least, that’s the initial plan. With an incredible lead performance from Rhea Seehorn and a plot that knows exactly when to subvert your expectations, Pluribus is another winner. What really sets the show apart is the malleability of its central concept. The hive mind can represent the current AI hysteria, far-right groupthink, or any number of concepts that cause havoc in our daily lives. As the disclaimer in its credits states, “this show was made by humans,” for that we’re grateful.
A Star Wars show focused on the spy character from Rogue One was a tough sell initially, but Andor quickly made the case for itself. Part spy show, part political thriller, the show proved that you can create a captivating series in this universe without constant fan pandering. Season two further elevated the series to the pinnacle of what Star Wars can be. The 12-episode season follows Cassian Andor and an assemblage of Rebellion members, Empire toadies, and the civilians caught between them in the years leading up to Andor’s fateful adventure in Rogue One. Thrilling and increasingly relevant, it’s a show that will probably never be duplicated. A story of resistance, hope, and the constant struggle for freedom. If the best science fiction reflects aspects of our current reality, you can’t get much better than this.
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