Weeds (2005-2012)

Genre: TV / Comedy / Drama
Starring: Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Justin Kirk
Number of seasons: 8

 

Nancy Botwin finds herself the young, widowed mother of two boys after the death of her husband. To support her family and to make ends meet, she decides to turn to selling marijuana, with the help of her late husband’s brother, her accountant Doug and the husband of her best friend.

Over eight seasons of this show created by Jenji Kohan, things evolve at quite a pace. There is a revolving door of supporting cast members. I enjoyed this one very much. The acting was solid and the stories had a great way of hooking you. I particularly enjoyed the last episode, that tied things up pretty neatly.

Rating: ««««

Shameless (2011-2021)

 Genre: TV / Comedy / Drama
Starring: William H. Macy, Emmy Rossum, Ethan Cutkosky, Emma Kenney, Jeremy Allen White
Number of seasons: 11

 

In this American adaptation of the British series of the same name, we see the Gallagher clan go through life in the South side of Chicago. The father, Frank, is a raging alcoholic and drug addict who is rarely there for his six kids. The mother has left the home a while back, so the older kids are left to fend for themselves and their younger siblings.

After watching the British original, I decided to give this version a chance. I am glad I did. There were less of a turnover of character is the US version and a better constant focus on the Gallaghers throughout the 11 seasons. It was cool to see the characters evolve and age through the years.

There was a lull halfway through where things were dragging and I almost lost interest, but the series ended strong, with lots of dark humor and some touching elements. A good ensemble cast delivering compelling material.

Rating: ««««

Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005)

Genre: TV / Comedy
Starring: Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Brad Garrett, Doris Roberts, Peter Boyle
Number of seasons: 9

 

This sitcom centers around the life of Raymond “Ray” Barone, a sportswriter for Newsday, who lives on Long Island with his wife and three young children. Across the street are Ray’s Italian American parents, two very overbearing and ever-present people, always meddling in their son’s life. Also in the picture is Robert, Ray’s older brother. In spite of his age, Robert is ever jealous of the attention that Raymond gets from his parents and from the rest of the world.

Everybody Loves Raymond is a fun sitcom. By the time you reach season 9, you sense patterns and repetitiveness in certain moments, but the storylines are mostly quite entertaining. The strength here are the characters. They are well-defined and the casting was well done. Every cast member feels more like real people than TV characters. Very entertaining. Some laughter and some touching moments here and there.

Rating: ««««

Mr. McMahon (2024)

Genre: Documentary / TV
Directed by: Chris Smith
Cast: Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Triple H
Number of episodes: 6

 

This 6-episode TV miniseries produced by Netflix covers the life and career of businessman and controversial wrestling promoter Vince McMahon. Through various interviews with McMahon’s family members, current and former employees and numerous medias personalities, we get a glimpse behind the curtain of a business that has always blurred the lines between fiction and reality. Then, the documentary took a dark turn after serious allegations of sexual misconduct came out regarding Vince McMahon.

As a long time wrestling fan, I did not learn much here, but it was a compelling look at a dark complicated man. I am sure Vince McMahon himself is not a fan of this one. It sure does not shine a positive light on him.

Rating: ««««

Fred l'handicappé (2023)

Genre: TV / Franco / Comedy / Drama
Réalisation : André Roy
Distribution: Antoine Michaud, David Losier, Josiane Benoit, Anika Lirette
Nombre d’épisodes: 4

 

Cette websérie est inspirée de l’histoire vraie de Fred Mallet, qui, juste avant le début de ses études universitaires, a un accident en plongeant dans la piscine derrière la maison familiale et qui se retrouve quadriplégique. Il doit alors passer une longue période à l’hôpital pour apprendre à fonctionner dans cette nouvelle réalité, faisant le deuil de plusieurs choses.

Fred Mallet, aujourd’hui adulte, a écrit la série, qui est réalisée par son ami André Roy. J’ai beaucoup aimé Fred l’handicappé. C’est une série qui marie magnifiquement le drame et l’humour, dédramatisant un événement tragique pour en sortir du beau.

Rating: «««««

C'est comme ça que je t'aime (2020-2024)

Genre: TV / Franco / Comedy
Distribution: Karine Gonthier-Hyndman, Patrice Robitaille, Marilyn Castonguay, François Létourneau
Nombre de saisons: 3

 

Entre 1974 et 1976, deux couples de Saint-Foy, en banlieue de Québec, se retrouvent en manque de passion dans leur vie qu’ils considèrent tous trop empreinte de platitude. Ils décident donc de se tourner vers le crime organisé pendant que les enfants sont au camp d’été.

J’ai toujours eu un faible pour l’univers que François Létourneau nous livre à l’écran dans les séries qu’il crée. C’est comme ça que je t’aime ne fait pas exception. Une ribambelle de personnages plus colorés les uns que les autres. Déjà que les personnages principaux sont forts en soit, disons qu’ils sont bien entourés.

Pour ce qui est du jeu des comédiens et comédiennes, rien à redire. C’est solide. L’intrigue m’a presque perdu à quelques petits moments, mais ça c’est terminé en force. Et l'effort mis à recréer les années 1970, bravo.

Rating: ««««

Léo (2018-2024)

Genre: TV / Franco / Comedy
Distribution: Fabien Cloutier, Marie-Laurence Moreau, Steve Laplante, Julien Poulin
Nombre de saisons: 5

 

À l’approche de la quarantaine, Léo se sent un peu seul dans sa vie de jobines et de semences de pot au cœur du petit village fictif de Walton, inspiré de la Beauce. Il décide de changer de vie et de se trouver un travail stable dans une usine à gâteau. C’est là qu’il fait la rencontre de Cindy, avec qui il tombe en amour et décide de se bâtir une vie plus sérieuse.

Cette série de cinq saisons est une création de l’acteur, auteur et humoriste Fabien Cloutier. J’ai toujours bien aimé l’univers et l’écriture de Cloutier. Ça me rejoint souvent, et Léo ne fait pas exception. On s’attache rapidement au personnage principal, joué par Cloutier lui-même, et aux membres de son entourage. Ici, l’auteur et acteur principal a su s’entourer d’une distribution fort talentueuse. 

Certains personnages sont un peu caricaturaux et quelques épisodes sont moins bons, mais, somme toute, c’est une très bonne série drôle et touchante à la fois, criante de vérité montrant la bonté profonde des gens simples et sans prétention.

Rating: ««««

That 70's Show (1998-2006)

Genre: TV / Comedy
Directed by: David Trainer
Cast: Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson
Number of seasons: 8

 

In this series set between 1976 and 1979, a group of teenagers hang out together every day taking drugs, listening to music, dating each other and getting into all kinds of mischief. They mostly hang out at Eric Forman’s house, often to the dismay of Eric’s no-nonsense father Red. In the group are Eric and his on-and-off-again girlfriend Donna, Jackie, Kelso, Hyde and Fez.

A great comedic show, with loads of laugh-out-loud moments. A few weaker episodes here and there, but, overall, a great show with a loaded cast, full of talented folks. Even the support cast is strong here. My favorite characters are actually the adults, Red and Kitty Forman. Especially Red, who can threaten to put his foot into an ass like no other.   

Rating: ««««

The Beatles Anthology (1995)

Genre: TV / Musical / Documentary
Directed by: Geoff Wonfor and Bob Smeaton
Cast: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Number of episodes: 8

 

This TV series examines the lives and career of The Beatles and it’s four members, from their humble beginnings to superstardom. Over the course of eight, hour long episodes, we go through their history with considerable details. I love how, in this documentary, a big piece of the attention was given to the actual music. We also get to hear from the three surviving members (at that time, since this was done before Harrison’s passing) and their entourage, and Lennon’s presence is felt through archive footage. This is absolutely great stuff.

Rating: «««««

Blanche (1993)

Genre: TV / Franco / Drama
Distribution: Pascal Bussières, Robert Brouillette, Patrice L’Écuyer
Nombre d’épisodes: 11

 

Ce téléroman historique, qui est en fait la suite de Les Filles de Caleb, raconte l’histoire de Blanche Pronovost, fille d’Émilie Bordeleau et d’Ovila Pronovost. À l’âge adulte, Blanche désirait pratiquer la médecine, mais cette formation lui est difficilement accessible à l’époque en tant que femme. Forte de caractère et indépendante, elle devient infirmière et part éventuellement pratiquer la médecine dans le Grand Nord québécois. 

Comme Les Filles de Caleb, ce téléroman est basé sur l’œuvre d’Arlète Cousture. L’histoire est toujours intéressante, mais le jeu des comédiens est plus inégal. Dans certains cas, c’est un peu gros. Somme toute, série qui a moins bien vieilli que son prédécesseur.

Rating: «««

House (2004-2012)

 Genre: TV / Drama
Starring: Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Robert Shawn Leonard
Number of seasons: 8

 

Dr. Gregory House is a medical genius leading a team of diagnosticians in a big fictional New Jersey hospital. Despite chronic pains in one of his legs that has him addicted to painkillers and misanthropic attitude, House goes through his career solving puzzles and saving lives in the process. Even when his personal life is crumbling around him, his genius comes through in the end.

Dr. House is such a strong anti-hero character. He can be abrasive, merciless and despicable to people in his entourage, but, you know that, deep down, he is a good guy. And Hugh Laurie does such a powerful acting job here. He brings House to life and makes you feel like it is a real person. The supporting cast, that changed a lot over the eight seasons of the series, were all very good also.

I dug how, over each episode, new cases came along, as the lives of the main characters evolved. It is a long series, with a large number of episodes, but it is worth the investment in time.

 Rating: «««««

Revelations (2005)

Genre: TV / Drama
Starring: Bill Pullman, Natascha McElhone, Michael Massee
Number of seasons: 1

 

In this story inspired by the Book of Revelation, in the New Testament, an astrophysicist, Dr. Richard Massey, and a nun, Sister Josepha Montaflore, work together to stop the end of the world from happening, through the work of Satanist cult leader Isaiah Haden.

I am not much on biblical and religious stuff, but this mini-series still managed to be somewhat interesting to me, through the work of a talented cast. Some of the story felt really silly to me, but I remained watching all the way through. The fact that it was only a 6 episodes season helped.

Rating: «««

Sans rendez-vous (2022-2023)

 Genre: Franco / TV / Comedy
Distribution: Magalie Lépine-Blondeau, Mikhail Ahooja, Mylène Mackay, Isabelle Vincent
Nombre de saisons : 3

 

Sarah est infirmière-sexologue dans une clinique de santé sexuelle. Avec ses collègues tous aussi dysfonctionnels les uns que les autres, elle vit sa vie personnelle dans le chaos, tout en étant confronté à des patients qui en vivent des vertes et des pas mûres.

Sur les trois saisons de cette série, il y a un bon nombre de moments qui m’ont fait rire et sourire. Il y aussi d’autres moments qui m’ont presque fait décrocher, tellement ils détonaient du reste. Pas mauvais, mais pas génial non plus. Passable.

Note: «««

All the Light We Cannot See (2023)

Genre: TV / Drama
Starring: Aria Mia Loberti, Louis Hofmann, Lars Eidinger, Hugh Laurie, Mark Ruffalo
Number of seasons: 1

 

This four episode mini-series tells the story of Marie-Laure, a French blind teenager girl living in occupied Saint-Malo during World War II. Left there by her father, who had to leave to get the Nazi soldiers away from his family, she does a daily broadcast on home radio equipment. She crosses path with Werner, a German soldier with a soft spot who was picked by the Nazis from an orphanage and used for his knowledge on radios.

Based on the novel of the same name, this is a beautiful mini-series. It starts slow, but it gets more and more riveting as it goes along, building to an emotional crescendo. The acting is superb, and so are the writing and directing. This was absolutely brilliant. It was nice seeing Hugh Laurie again. Overall, I can only highly recommend this.

Rating: «««««

Dexter: New Blood (2021-2022)

Genre: TV / Drama
Starring: Michael C. Hall, Jack Alcott, Julia Jones, Jennifer Carpenter
Number of seasons: 1

 

Ten years after faking his own death by riding his boat in a hurricane, Dexter Morgan has relocated to Iron Lake, NY, where he is living under the name Jim Lindsay. He is trying his best to live a normal life, with a little cabin in the woods and a relationship with the Police Chief. One evening, his estranged son Harrison, now a teenager, come knocking, with mysterious motives. Soon enough, the quiet life in Iron Lake is turned upside down.

I loved the original Dexter series, and I was curious to see where they would go with it. The original ending was disappointing, so I had hopes for a better end. Well, in my humble opinion, this was not it. This one season follow-up had its strong moments, but, in the end, I was left disappointed again by an ending that made no sense.

 Rating: «««

Chartrand et Simonne (2003)

Genre: TV / Franco / Biographical
Distribution: Luc Picard, Geneviève Rioux
Nombre d’épisodes: 12

 

Cette mini-série québécoise raconte de façon légèrement romancée, sur 12 épisodes, l’histoire d’amour ainsi que d’engagement social et politique du syndicaliste Michel Chartrand et de sa femme, la figure sociale féministe Simonne Monet.

J’ai été un peu déçu en revisitant cette œuvre, qui était franchement meilleure dans mes souvenirs. Beaucoup des comédiens et comédiennes jouent gros et faux, et je crois qu’une grosse partie du blâme revient aux scénarios. On ne sent jamais que les personnages ont des conversations. Tout est projeté comme un discours. La seule grâce qui ressort de cette mini-série est le travail de Luc Picard pour incarner Michel Chartrand. Il est criant de vérité, c’est incroyable. Quelques-unes de ses répliques m’ont bien fait rire aussi. L’aspect de l’histoire du Québec était aussi intéressante à voir. Mais, dans l’ensemble, c’est une œuvre de télé qui a bien mal vieilli.

Rating: ««

Les Filles de Caleb (1990-1991)

 Genre: TV / Franco / Drama
Distribution: Marina Orsini, Roy Dupuis, Germain Houde
Nombre d’épisodes: 20

 

Ce téléroman historique raconte l’histoire d’Émilie Bordeleau, fille de Caleb, et de sa tumultueuse et passionnée histoire d’amour avec Ovila Pronovost, au tournant du XX^e siècle. Ovila, qui sera d’abord son élève à l’école de rang en Mauricie, au Québec, deviendra son mari et le père de ses nombreux enfants.

Il y a si longtemps que j’ai lu les livres d’Arlète Cousture sur lesquels cette série est basée et que j’ai regardé cette série réalisée de main de maître par Jean Beaudin que j’en avais oublié des bouts. Quel travail avait été fait pour recréer le Québec rural du tournant du 20^e siècle. Les costumes, les décors et tout le reste, on y croit. Pour les acteurs principaux, le jeu est convaincant. Un visionnement à ce moment-ci de ma vie m’a donné une nouvelle appréciation pour cette histoire. C’est un peu kitch par bout, mais néanmoins divertissant. Quelques scènes auront marqué l'imaginaire.

Rating: ««««

Dexter (2006-2013)

Genre: TV / Drama
Starring: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Julie Benz
Number of seasons: 8

 

In his day job, Dexter Morgan is a forensic technician for the Miami Metro Police Department. He specializes in blood pattern analysis on crime scenes. But, he is also a killer. After a traumatic event in his youth, he feels the urge to kill, so, with the help of his adoptive father, he decided to channel these urges and to kill criminals who escape the long arm of the law. As time goes on, this dark passenger within him takes more and more space in his life.

Over the course of eight seasons, this show makes the viewer go through various emotions. It is really well done. Most of the cast is absolutely superb. Some seasons were better than others. Season 4, with John Lithgow as the dangerous Trinity Killer was a highlight. Some seasons, along with the ending, were a little disappointing. But, for the whole thing, I must give it much praise.

  Rating: ««««

 

Anna & Arnaud (2022)

Genre: Franco / Drama / TV
Distribution: Guylaine Tremblay, Nico Racicot
Nombre de saisons : 1

 

Inspirée du livre biographique écrit par Francine Ruel, cette courte série raconte l’histoire d’Arnaud, un jeune homme qui vit un traumatisme à l’âge de 20 ans. Cet événement l’emporte dans un tourbillon qui lui font perdre ses repères et l’envoie dans la rue comme itinérant. Sa mère, Anna, tente par tous les moyens d’aider son fils.

J’attendais cette série avec impatience. J’ai vécu un creux de vague quant à mon intérêt au milieu, mais la fin a très bien bouclé le tout. Une série fort touchante avec des acteurs de talent.

Note: ««««

Shameless - UK (2004-2013)

Genre: TV / Comedy / Drama
Starring: David Threlfall, Anne-Marie Duff, Annabelle Apsion, Maggie O’Neill
Number of seasons: 11

 

As the show starts, we focus on the dysfunctional Gallagher family, a working class family from a fictional estate in Manchester, England. The patriarch, Frank Gallagher, does more drinking than working, and his eldest kid, Fiona, takes care of the younger ones since the mother left home. As the seasons go on, the focus is slowly shifted to the Maguires, a family of criminals that move in next door to the Gallaghers.

This show started strong, but, as time went on, characters left and new ones came. The new characters were not always as strong and interesting as the original ones. There was a clear lack of focus, with too many characters. It became hard to follow, so I sort of lost interest as it went on. At least, it ended strong, with some of the original people coming back for the last episode. They probably should have cut on the number of seasons and focused the story more. When it was about the Gallaghers, it was really interesting. Some of the Maguire stuff was too. But, the rest was meh at best.

 
Rating: «««