JC TV Notebook: In Praise of FX’s Pose
The JC TV Notebook is regular feature on this blog. Come back every Thursday for the latest on my favorite series, power players, castings and analysis.
I finished watching the second season of FX’s best current offering last night. It’s Pose, the cabler’s New York City-set period drama about a diverse ballroom community. It’s phenomenally good, addressing subjects like race, gay rights, the transgender experience, addiction, conformity and the concept of family. I hope it gets a slew of Emmy nominations later this month. It’s my choice for Outstanding Drama. (Yes, I care about that.) How can you ignore the stunning performances from Mj Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Angelica Ross, Hailie Sahar and Dominique Jackson? And then there’s Emmy winner Billy Porter, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Angel Bismark Curiel, Sandra Bernhard and Patti LuPone. I was on the verge of tears throughout Season 2. Episodes 3, 4, 8 and 10 are standouts and definitely worthy of recognition.
I don’t usually rewatch series or movies — there’s too much new stuff to check out — but this project from creators Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy is one of my favorites. Ever. I’ll be writing about Pose a lot during awards season. It is on Netflix now. Get to it!
MOVING ON
Showtime. The premium cabler has canceled Kidding after two underrated seasons. I thought Jim Carrey did tremendous work over 20 episodes. Same goes for Catherine Keener and Judy Greer.
Dancing With the Stars. Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews are out. Tyra Banks is in. Not gonna lie, these changes make me more likely to tune in again.
ViacomCBS. Nick Cannon dug himself quite a hole. Looks like he’s holding on to his Masked Singer gig, though.
NEWS AND NOTES
I unveiled the inaugural class of the JASON CREATES TV Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek says he’s “feeling great.” What is good news?
The 2021 Rose Parade has been canceled because of the coronavirus. That’s a bummer. Has anyone gotten reaction from Will Farrell and Molly Shannon?
The 41st season of Survivor isn’t happening anytime soon, either. Sad emoji.
ABC’s United We Fall has a big debut. I’ll catch up with it on Hulu. Eventually.
Burning question: Is there really a need for two major podcasts about The Office?
TAKES OF THE WEEK
Gizmodo’s Catie Keck: NBC’s Peacock Is The Netflix Alternative I’ve Been Waiting For
HuffPost’s Zeba Blay: We Need To Talk About Kat On The Bold Type
FIVE SEASONS TO BINGE
Better Things (Season 4, FX/Hulu)
Central Park (Season 1, Apple TV+)
Dead To Me (Season 2, Netflix)
How To Get Away With Murder (Season 6, ABC/Netflix)
Love, Victor (Season 1, Hulu)
FIVE SERIES TO SEE
Little Fires Everywhere (Limited series, Hulu)
Never Have I Ever (Season 1, Netflix)
Ramy (Seasons 1 and 2, Hulu)
Unbelievable (Limited series, Netflix)
Watchmen (Limited series, HBO/Max)
WHAT I’M WATCHING NOW/NEXT
Brave New World, Intelligence (Peacock TV)
The Chi (Season 3, Showtime)
I May Destroy You (Season 1, HBO/Max)
Little Voice (Season 1, Apple TV+)
Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi (Season 1, Hulu)