Boots is a Netflix comedy-drama series created by Andy Parker, adapted from Greg Cope White's memoir The Pink Marine. Set in 1990, it follows a directionless young man who impulsively joins the United States Marine Corps alongside his best friend and must survive the brutal crucible of boot camp while carrying a secret about who he is. Executive produced by the legendary Norman Lear in one of his final projects, it balances raw military rigor with warmth and humor.
Miles Heizer stars as Cameron Cope, an aimless teenager with no obvious prospects who signs up largely on a whim and finds himself utterly unprepared for the punishing world of Marine training. Vera Farmiga plays his loving but overbearing mother, and Max Parker, Liam Oh, and Angus O'Brien fill out the ensemble of recruits and drill instructors who become Cameron's unlikely found family. The series mines both comedy and genuine drama from the pressure cooker of basic training and the secrets its recruits carry.
Critics responded enthusiastically, and the show earned a strong 92% Rotten Tomatoes score along with a top-ten streaming run, praised for its heart, its period specificity, and Heizer's grounded lead performance. Though Netflix ultimately did not renew it beyond its first season, Boots was widely embraced as a standout dramedy. It streams on Netflix.
Councilwoman Melissa Burke known as "Mel" used to be quite the party girl and rebelled against society before growing up and getting serious about her community. Now a dedicated councilwoman, Melissa (played by Melissa Joan Hart from Sabrina the Teenage Witch & My Fake Fiancee) finds she must provide a home for her nephew and niece (her sister's children). Seems that their mom is in jail for money laundering while their dad is on the run after being accused of running a Ponzi scheme. Melissa soon discovers she needs help with her new instant family and hires a babysitter to help out. Joey Lawrence (My Fake Fiancee & Gimme a Break!) plays Joe Longo, a commodities trader, is currently out of work due to the same Ponzi scheme and hires on as the new nanny or "manny". Taking on two youngsters, Ryder and Lennox, is no easy task as both Joe and Mel soon find out. This heart warming family sit-com is full of hope and day to day situations that mirror real life.
When Chloe King turns sixteen she discovers she is descended from an ancient race, the Mai. She soon learns of her new found cat like powers which include super human speed, night vision, super hearing, agility, retractable claws, and that she now has nine lives just like a cat. Upon discovering that someone is following her, Chloe also learns she is the descendant of an ancient race called the Mai and just might be responsible for protecting her race from the human assassins which have been on the prowl for them during the past thousands of years. Skyler Samuels (Wizards of Waverly Place) is Chloe King, who had quite a sweet sixteen birthday present. Amy Pietz (Caroline in the City) plays her mother, Meredith King. A single mom, Skyler raised Chloe by herself although she is from the Ukraine and was brought to the U.S. by a man who adopted Chloe and may also know about her and the super powers she has gained. Now Chloe has a heavy responsibility if she is to save the world, including both humans and the Mai race.
Wonderfully illustrated and written by Noriaki Kubo, Bleach is a tale that follows Ichigo Kurosaki in a series of adventurous travels once he has gotten the powers of a "Death God" that is similar to the Grim Reaper. With his new powers Kurosaki now defends humans against evil spirits while guiding their souls to their afterlife. This immensely popular television series is an anthology format that also started a valuable media franchise that includes seven rock musicals, many video games, four animated movies or feature films, as well as a couple of original video animation features. Among the most popular media from the Bleach series is their line of merchandise such as t-shirts, novels, and trading cards. Ichigo Kurosaki, a gifted teenager who has the ability to actually see spirits, comes up with a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki. Kuchiki is hunting for a Hollow or lost dangerous soul that must be defeated. Ichigo must help Rukia out and battle the evil Hollows while Rukia is left behind and stranded in the world of humans, sapping her of her strengths. Rukia may be punished for transferring her powers to another, namely to Ichigo Kurosaki.
It all begins when thirteen individual teams consisting of three competitors each race across the deserts and mountains and even through the rivers in Morocco, each with the hope of winning a new Ford Explorer plus $50,000 in U.S. dollars. Mark Burnett of Survivor fame is the producer and a wildlife expert named Dave Salmoni hosts each episode as they go through stages with checkpoints to be reached first. Some of these checkpoints include a challenge that needs to be finished before the teams can move on to the next. The last team to reach the last checkpoint loses and must leave the show. Also if any member on a team decides to give up or quit, the team is eliminated. Trekking through the hot Sahara Desert then over Atlas Mountains of Northern Africa is no easy feat, especially when there so many other dedicated competitors involved. They must show their ability to ride horses, read compasses, rappel the mountains, and right a capsized boat capably and forge on to win the race.
Wilfred is a dog. Wilfred is a man in a dog suit. Either or both may be true but one thing for certain is the story idea and the concept just seems to work for this dark comedy. The Aussie actor Jason Gann (Rats and Cats, Kenny) is Wilfred the eponymous dog whose owner Sarah (played by Cindy Waddingham from I Love You Too and Lowdown) along with her boyfriend Adam (award winner Adam Zwar from Lowdown, The Wedding Party), who looks at Wilfred and sees him as a man who just happens to wear a dog suit. The idea came from an original and award winning short film written by Jason Gann and Adam Zwar. A very popular and AFI award winning television program in Australia which aired there in 2007 and again in 2010, Wilfred is now airing in the U.S. Editor Debbie Lee told them "Go as far as you want with it, the more bent the better" and so they did. This TV program based upon a short film has its silly moments but overall is funny and entertaining due to good acting and writing from its young stars.
Cooking shows are hot on television now days, creating serious competition among the celebrity cooks as well as prospective winners in various formats on TV. MasterChef features the likes of Gordon Ramsay (Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares) along side Joe Bastianich (restaurateur/vineyard owner), and Graham Elliot (chef/restaurant owner) as judges who oversee the contestants who come from a wide assortment of occupations including housewives, doctors, lawyers, private chefs, realtors, and travel writers. From what appears to be a huge crowd in the initial tryouts they whittle the prospects down to 100, then down to 38 or so and put them all to the test. With each contestant offering their "signature" dish to the judges, the competition begins and so does elimination, one by one. It is amazingly difficult to please all three judges as they are diverse in their likes and taste preferences, and the pressure is on to perform and show they have a talent for cooking. The coveted crown of MasterChef will be given to whomever can best please the judges and keep their head about them in the heat of the kitchen.
Lifetime television has found themselves a hit show with Drop Dead Diva. Brooke Elliott (Broadway musicals Wicked, The Pirate Queen) is Debbie Dobkins a shallow gal who was deemed to be a "zero" when she died in a car accident and then entered Heaven. Apparently she had done nothing worthwhile, either good or bad while on Earth. Hating her useless life she wants to return and do something of value. Pressing the key on a computer keyboard she is transported back to life but with what some may consider handicaps. She is now overweight Jane Bingum, a brilliant and hard working lawyer. Aghast with her appearance initially, Debbie learns to appreciate inner beauty and, through her inherited body, goes after the retribution she needs. Interesting twist on a semi-reality show where we find the heroine is scorned because of her appearance but learns more about how to treat people than she ever could in her previous life. Might be nice if we could each have a second chance in life. Margaret Cho (The Cho Show, Ghost Whisperer) is Teri Lee, Debbie's assistant and friend.
As is typical on American reality TV shows the competition is strong and celebrities find they are pretty average when it comes to competing, especially skating on ice! Ice skating is one of those sports that should be learned while young so the falling down isn't quite so painful. Stars on this show included Sean Young (Haunted Echoes, Harvest Moon) who was first to be eliminated, Bethenny Frankel (The Apprentice: Martha Stewart), Vince Neil (rock group Mötley Crüe), actor and rapper Brandon Mychal Smith, Jonny Moseley (Olympic Gold medal skier), and Rebecca Budig (Batman Forever) who was the winner. Each celebrity was paired with a professional skater who gave their celeb pointers and guided them to perform on the ice. Judges awarded points as well as the viewing audience so the combined scores determined who was the most successful pair each week. Vernon Kay hosted and judges were Dick Button, Johnny Weir, and Laurie Ann Gibson. Additionally they had a "color commentary" each episode by Tanith Belbin who is a retired Ice Dancer.
When Scott McCall is bitten by a werewolf while he wanders in the woods, he tries to keep it his secret from all but his closest friend Stiles (Dylan O'Brien from High Road). Stiles willingly helps his pal Scott when he must go through changes and become a werewolf at night. Scott is played by Tyler Posey (Brothers & Sister, Lincoln Heights) and must undergo the changes even though he fights it. He is somewhat of a social outcast and having such an enormous secret other life, it is even more difficult to fit in at his northern California Beacon Hills High School. As Scott first notices how powerful he has become and how each of his senses has become heightened, he finds his shape shifting strangely intriguing. He loves the game of lacrosse and now plays like a pro thanks to his newly found gift of power. And romance is coming his way since he now has more self confidence and has found a girlfriend in Allison Argent (Crystal Reed from Skyline).
Haven't we all wondered if we had perhaps been switched at birth when we disagreed with our parents? Now how about if it turns out that the hospital actually did switch babies, purely by accident? And the families don't find out until the children are teenagers. Bay Kennish (played by Vanessa Marano from Without a Trace and the Gilmore Girls) has a high school project that includes learning about blood types and she inadvertently finds out her parents blood types do no match hers, showing she absolutely cannot be related to either of them. The family has their DNA tested and confirms the results Bay has come up with in school. Finding that the hospital made a huge error by mixing up the babies, they find the other child and discover how different her life is. Lea Thompson (Back to the Future Trilogy) is Bay's stay at home mom Kathryn and her father, John is played by D.W. Moffett (Friday Night Lights). Bay's new found sister is Daphne (Katie Leclerc from Veronica Mars) who unfortunately suffered deafness due to a case of meningitis as a young child. Daphne, her mother, and grandmother have a hard life and soon the Kennishes invite them to live in their guest house. Deaf actress Marlee Matlin also stars as friend of Daphne's mom, Regina.
