Howdy, streamers. It's time for another installment of "What Could I be Doing Easily from My Couch?" The fruits of your labors this week will treat you very, very well. But other than these shows listed, there really isn't anything else for the average TV viewer to sink their eyeballs into on the new-to-streaming front. Are you hyped up for Series 8 of the British detective drama Foyle's War? What about Season 2 of the half-puppeted Disney XD series Crash & Bernstein? Those are the two garnishes on this entree dish of superheroes, super-bonding, and small town super-mysteries.
Update: We're now at the end of September 14 with no sign of Arrow Season 2. Netflix hasn't released a statement saying what happened or why plans changed. We did, however, get an email from a publicist letting us know Season 2 will be available to stream on October 8, 2014! Get pumped.
Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bat signal! It’s an invisible jet! It’s Superman! But down here on the ground is Arrow, the greatest superhero to ever use a hoodie as his costume. The CW definitely deserves props for delivering a series that, though it still ties into the network’s mission statement of “Pretty People = Great TV,” is also a fun and drama-filled superhero story. We’re less than a month away from the network’s double dose of comic book fare, with Arrow’s Season 3 and the freshman season of The Flash both premiering in the early days of October. So what better time than now to revisit Starling City for its second chapter?
This second season follows Stephen Amell’s vigilante billionaire Oliver “Arrow” Queen dealing with the Season 1 death of his best friend as he tries hard to push revenge aside to stick to his moral coda of not killing anyone. Easier said than done, especially with Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) turning from a flashback friend into a flashback enemy who resurfaces as the malicious Deathstroke. Fortunately, Oliver’s bonds with confidant John Diggle (David Ramsey) and the tech savvy Felicity (Emily Better Rickards) are growing, and we’re introduced to Roy Harper (Colton Haynes), who takes on more of a hero role in the upcoming season.
Both seasons of Arrow will be available on Netflix Instant starting Sunday, September 14.
When NBC first announced they would be turning Nick Hornby’s 1998 novel into a TV series, despite there already being a film adaptation, it seemed like the kind of project that would last five episodes before being dumped off of the schedule for repeats of…whatever other NBC comedies exist these days. But to my surprise, the series has not only performed well in the ratings, averaging over eight million viewers during its freshman run, but it also managed to deliver something that audiences and critics alike could grow fond of. That’s the power of the Hornby, and of creator Jason Katims, who also worked on the long-running movie-to-series Parenthood and Friday Night Lights.
About a Boy is anchored by David Walton’s Will Freeman, a man-child who is living off of the success of a hit song by being unemployed and shrugging off adult responsibilities. His life changes forever, and arguably for the better, when Fiona (Minnie Driver) and her 11-year-old son Marcus (Benjamin Stockham) move in next door. Throughout the season, Will and Marcus become good friends, based on the conceit that Marcus acts as Will’s son in order to attract women. And though Will is initially aghast at his selfish lifestyle opening itself up for others, it soon becomes second nature for him. Season 2 will start warming audiences’ hearts again on Tuesday, October 14, so you have exactly a month to catch up.
About a Boy Season 1 is currently available on Netflix Instant.
Despite tackling subject matter that’s been handled time and again over the years, the New Zealand mystery thriller This is Not My Life is one of the most memorable trips into the world of a man whose memory has been completely wiped out. The series, set in the 2020s, stars Charles Mesure as Alec Ross, who wakes up in the town of Walmoana without a clue of who he is or how he got there. He doesn’t recognize his wife Callie (Tandi Wright) or his two kids Becky (Ariana Brunet) and Christian (Tom Cameron), but he slowly starts to realize that Walmoana has far more going on than it appears, and he enlists some townsfolk in helping him understand the clues. It’s best to go into this one mostly blind on what it’s about.
This might be a nice pairing for the upcoming series version of The Truman Show, though its treatment of identity is different. This is Not My Life was actually supposed to get its own Americanized series back in 2011 when ABC snatched up the rights, with creators Gavin Strawhan and Rachel Long attached for the adaptation. But it never surfaced and that’s perfectly fine, as this show stands alone admirably.
This is Not My Life is currently streaming all of its 13-episode first season on Hulu.
