TV-14 Archives - Plugged In https://www.pluggedin.com/blog/tv-rating/tv-14/ Shining a Light on the World of Popular Entertainment Fri, 07 Mar 2025 16:33:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://www.pluggedin.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/plugged-in-menu-icon-updated-96x96.png TV-14 Archives - Plugged In https://www.pluggedin.com/blog/tv-rating/tv-14/ 32 32 Grosse Pointe Garden Society https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/grosse-pointe-garden-society/ Fri, 07 Mar 2025 16:33:48 +0000 https://www.pluggedin.com/?post_type=tv-reviews&p=34186 The seemingly charming members of The Grosse Pointe Garden Society hide their involvement in a murder in NBC’s drama.

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The Grosse Pointe Garden Society is comprised of charming, seemingly ordinary members. And on the surface, the members’ lives appear to be blossoming with success.

Alice works as a high school English teacher and is married to her husband, Doug. Brett serves as the society’s manager and has two delightful children. Catherine is a thriving real estate agent and the society’s vice president. And the newest member, Birdie, lives a comfortable life as a socialite and bestselling author.

But there are weeds growing in the lives of these society members.

You see, Birdie only joined the society after a reckless driving incident, which legally mandated that she complete community service hours. She’s also trying to reconnect with her biological son, Ford, whose adoptive parents want Birdie completely out of the picture. Meanwhile, Alice discovers that someone shot and killed her missing dog. After Brett divorces his wife for cheating on him, he must compete for his children’s affection with his wife’s new husband, Connor. Catherine, to compensate for her husband’s cold attitude starts an affair with a coworker named Gary—serving as just one of many of the man’s affair partners, she discovers.

Clearly, Alice, Brett, Catherine and Birdie each have a weed in their lives that they need to take care of.

And buried deep beneath the soil of the Gross Pointe Garden, one of these weeds has been, um, taken care of.

The only question: Who?

Whodunit With a Twist

If you’re familiar with “whodunit” style murder mysteries, you probably know what to expect: Someone finds a battered but recognizable dead body, a detective interviews the potential suspects and finally the murderer is revealed at the end.

But Grosse Pointe Garden Society is a whodunit with a twist.

Battered and anxious, Alice, Brett, Catherine and Birdie heap piles of dirt onto an unidentified dead body in the opening sequence. The series’ detective seems to be in cahoots with one of the murderers. And the audience waits with bated breath for the victim to be revealed.  

But there’s more to the show’s twisted nature than its narrative spin.

Characters use profanity, including “b–ch,” d–k,” and “a–” and misuses of God’s name, and several characters indulge in alcohol usage and smoking. Additionally, in the second episode of the series, characters allude to abortion.

Several plot lines feature romantic cheating. Catherine sneaks behind her husband’s back to have the affair with Gary, and until she discovers his other affair partners, she seems entirely unremorseful. Likewise, Brett’s ex-wife seems equally unapologetic about her affair and the resulting divorce, which affects their two young children.

And as you might expect, since the primary protagonists are immediately presented as murderers, Grosse Pointe Garden Society features elements of violence, too. Birdie describes the macabre nature with which her fellow accomplices committed the crime, and the series opens as the crew buries their blood-covered victim. Compared to your average murder mystery, though, NBC’s drama significantly tones down its emphasis on these violent elements.

Grosse Pointe Garden Society certainly has its imperfections. So while its creative spin and colorful characters might be your inspiration to dig in, you might get a little dirty doing it.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out. )

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Suits LA https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/suits-la/ Wed, 05 Mar 2025 17:01:27 +0000 https://www.pluggedin.com/?post_type=tv-reviews&p=34167 Suits LA showcases this over-the-top legal franchise on the West Coast, where we find a world just as cutthroat as the show’s predecessor.

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In court, Ted Black is the entertainment lawyer you want representing you. But outside of court, his wisecracks get a little old.

Ted learned as much when he saw more than half his Los Angeles firm vanish in a moment. His business partner, Silas, conspired to write Ted out of the practice altogether—after compelling Ted to merge their firm with another’s—all because of a rude comment Ted had made months before.

Now, Ted’s once-revered firm teeters on the brink of collapse as he and his remaining faithful scramble to pick up the pieces—and to steal back some clients Silas took in his departure.

The biggest client Ted has brought back is Lester Thompson, the famous actor who allegedly shot and killed his business partner. Despite Lester’s pleas of innocence, the evidence seems to point the other way. But if Ted could prove that Lester didn’t do it, the case might just be a big enough win to restore the firm to its former glory.

Full Disclosure Agreement

Ted hails, originally, from New York City, though he moved to Los Angeles because of bad memories and worse choices. But for fans of the original Suits series, that New York connection is just what they needed to hear to know that they’ll see some of the original series’ characters again. The creator of Suits LA said as much in an interview with TVLine, discussing how he planned to connect Ted to Suits protagonist Harvey.

And that connection tells audiences everything they need to know about Suits LA, content-wise. While the series, so far, isn’t as sexually salacious as its predecessor, kindling and current romances indicate that there’s nothing stopping the TV-14 show from heading that direction. However, our comment about the original series being full of “sour language and rampant bad behavior”? Yeah, that observation still rings true.

Suits LA brings viewers back into the cheesy world of television lawyers, where every case is the biggest one and everyone has the perfect comeback at a moment’s notice. But not all cheeses age well, and, despite the series seeming prime to give Ted a series-long bout of character growth from cocky to kind, it’ll be up to viewers to determine if Suits LA is “gouda” or not.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)

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Pantheon https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/pantheon/ Thu, 27 Feb 2025 17:57:26 +0000 https://www.pluggedin.com/?post_type=tv-reviews&p=34104 Pantheon asks some compelling questions about humanity and technology. It even inadvertently stumbles across some biblical truth.

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The Bible teaches that death is not the end. For the people at Logorhythms, that just means something a little different than what Scripture intended.

Twenty years ago, a brilliant scientist named Stephen Holstrom founded Logorhythms in pursuit of “digital immortality.” He discovered a way to scan a person’s brain and upload it to a virtual network, storing their consciousness as an “Uploaded Intelligence,” or “UI.” If you’re scanned as a UI, your physical body dies, but you can live forever in the digital world.

Holstrom died before his vision could be fully realized, but Logarhythms persisted, using somewhat shady methods to further their research.

Of course, none of this matters to 14-year-old Maddie Kim – until she starts receiving text messages from her father, who’s been dead—physically, at least—for two years.

Now a UI, he’s escaped from Logorhythms’ control.

Maddie’s not the only one making life-altering discoveries. Brilliant, troubled teenager Caspian Keyes has started to realize that nothing about his life is what it seems. His “parents” are undercover spies, his girlfriend is a hired actress, and he himself was created by Logorhythms to crack the secret of autonomous UIs. This revelation rocks his world – and it leads him right into Maddie’s path.

Together, Maddie and Caspian start unraveling the conspiracy surrounding Logorhythms’ work, and it becomes increasingly clear that these UIs could change—or destroy–the entire world as they know it.

LIFE, ARTIFICIALLY

Of the many controversial topics circling today’s culture, few are more hotly debated than artificial intelligence. Is it pushing us into a new era of technology? Is it leading to the ascension of robot overlords? The issue of AI goes hand-in-hand with discussions of creativity, individuality, and what it means to be human in the first place.

Pantheon touches on all these subjects and more. Don’t be fooled by the animation; there are plenty of mature ethical conundrums raised here. Is technology subject to us, or are we subject to it? At what point does it become unethical to cheat death? And what, exactly, makes a person a person?

Of course, you won’t find explicit biblical truth at the center of these questions, but that doesn’t mean Pantheon doesn’t occasionally hit the mark. When Caspian tries to convince Maddie that making a fully sentient UI would create “virtual gods,” she protests: “You can’t just keep making copies of people. That’s not what a person is.” It’s not exactly “made in the image of God,” but it’s at least on the right track.

Don’t let the animation fool you into thinking Pantheon is kid-friendly, either. It’s certainly not as explicit as other adult animation offerings, but language is still fairly frequent, as well as violence and some upsetting content. For instance: Maddie is bullied at school and told to end her own life. Caspian’s “father” is emotionally and physically abusive to his “wife,” though we find out it’s an act to force Caspian into maturity. Teenagers constantly find themselves in danger, sometimes at the hands of adults. Between all of that and the brain surgery required to turn people into UIs, a generally ominous aura persists throughout the series.

Pantheon asks some compelling questions about the nature of humanity and our relationship with technology, though not always with biblical truth as the goal. Still, it’s encouraging that even when Scripture is all but ignored, we still circle back to one of its most central messages: Human life is unique and valuable, and nothing, not even the most powerful of technology, can ever replace it.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)

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Cobra Kai https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/cobra-kai/ Thu, 13 Feb 2025 15:38:07 +0000 https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/cobra-kai/ The Gen X-targeted nostalgia bait revisits Daniel and Johnny's rivalry from The Karate Kid … 34 years later.

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The biggest lie in storytelling? Two words: The End.

Stories don’t end, really. Not as long as the protagonists have breath in their lungs. Luke Skywalker brought down the Empire but became a bitter, old dude. Harry Potter defeated Voldemort, grew up and had kids, and still came back more than 20 years later to defeat Voldemort again.

The kids from 1984’s Karate Kid? They grew up, too. Their stories didn’t end when Daniel LaRusso planted a heel in bully Johnny Lawrence’s face. They went on, well after the movie’s credits finished rolling. And maybe the most important parts of their respective stories are still to come.

READ ON, READ OFF …

It’s been 30-something years since Daniel and Johnny squared off in 1984’s All Valley Under-18 Karate Championship. From that pivotal moment, their lives diverged radically.

Daniel leveraged his underdog victory to propel himself to modest fame and fortune—mostly as the cheesy spokesman/owner of his own line of car dealerships. Meanwhile, Johnny wallowed in self-pity, hating Daniel and vowing to get revenge someday.

Well, that day comes when Johnny and Daniel each reopen their old dojos—Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do, respectively—to compete (or, at least, have their students compete) in the All Valley Under-18 Karate Championship once again.

While Daniel continues the gentle, defense-only strategy of his old sensei, Mr. Miyagi, Johnny teaches his pupils the same motto his own sensei, Kreese, taught him: “Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy.”

Yessir. Johnny and Daniel both know how to land punches where they hurt the most.

But then Kreese makes a reappearance, taking over Cobra Kai and reimplementing the hard-hitting training tactics that he once trained Johnny on—and it makes Johnny realize that, you know what, maybe a little mercy isn’t such a bad thing?

He and Daniel ultimately team up to take on Kreese’s Cobra Kai dojo, causing Kreese to himself team up with an old friend named Terry Silver (the main antagonist of The Karate Kid Part III). And Silver is apparently still a jerk, because he gets Kreese falsely arrested in order to take over Cobra Kai himself…before Johnny and Daniel manage to get Terry arrested for his (authentic) crimes, too. And that shuts down Cobra Kai altogether.

But you (and honestly, Daniel) should know by now that it isn’t that simple. After all, how can a show called Cobra Kai not have the titular dojo?

Kreese and Silver each finagle their way out of prison. Kreese heads to South Korea to set up Cobra Kai once more, and Silver takes over the Iron Dragons, based out of Hong Kong. Both men then train their students in preparation for the same prestigious tournament the now-allied Johnny and Daniel train theirs: Sekai Taikai.

For Daniel, it’ll be his swan song in honor of Mr. Miyagi before he moves away from being a full-time sensei. After all, whatever dojo wins tends to influence the karate sphere into following that dojo’s karate strategy. But if either Kreese or Silver has his way, that’ll never happen.

Because in Cobra Kai, it’s not about the wax: It’s all about the whacks.

OUT OF BALANCE?

The original Karate Kid was relatively innocent and pretty inspirational—a PG film that inspired a generation of kids to flood their local mall-based dojos (and maybe even paint their parents’ fences).

Cobra Kai was the first real high-profile show from YouTube’s subscription-based addendum YouTube Red (which was picked up by Netflix in its third season). But it isn’t aimed at young viewers like the original was. At least, let’s hope not. Just as the show focuses on the now-50-year-olds Johnny and Daniel, the content is pretty grown-up, too.

The s-word flies more often than karate kicks, with plenty of other milder profanities (including the occasional f-word) landing blow after blow. Drinking and drug use land on the screen as well.

The show’s sexual content is also more in-your-face than you might expect: Daniel’s high school-age daughter, Samantha, is subject to sexual harassment and assault. And when she rebuffs her quasi-boyfriend’s advances, she becomes the subject of ugly and graphic rumors at school. A post-prom scene shows Johnny’s son, Robby, getting pretty steamy with his girlfriend, too. And it becomes pretty clear as the series continues that several high school couples are jumping in bed together. Parents and other adults are also caught in intimate moments, and at one point, Johnny searches online for a way to tell his star pupil, Miguel, that he’s “banging” Miguel’s mom, Carmen. And later, Johnny and Carmen are thrilled to learn Carmen is pregnant.

And naturally, Cobra Kai has some violent moments. I mean, it is a show predicated, at least in part, on beating people up. And sometimes, even characters we ostensibly root for have moments where they’re just plain mean. (Season 3 opens with one of Johnny’s students stuck in a coma after “good guy” Robby kicked him off a landing in an all-out karate gang showdown at school. And Cobra Kai’s final season reveals that Mr. Miyagi may not always have been a defense-based fighter, since he may have been responsible for one man’s death and another’s hospitalization.) But a few characters are murdered, too. And one young karate champ falls on his own blade after allowing his anger to get the better of him.

Ironically, though, it’s in the wake of those difficult moments that Cobra Kai, like its characters, finds a certain measure of redemption.

Cobra Kai is, after all, a story about folks trying to find their way to Mr. Miyagi’s mystical sense of balance, to find the middle way between being a pushover and being a world-class jerk. Everyone here, from oldsters Johnny and Daniel to their troubled pupils and offspring, is searching for redemption and meaning. Some tap into past hope and past sins, even as some of those hopes and sins are passed on to another generation. Families want to restore relationships, and friends work to make up for their regrets. Netflix’s show does more than simply play off Gen X nostalgia: It has a story of its own it wants to tell. Several, really.

But while those stories may have merit, they also come with problematic content aplenty. And that can make Cobra Kai a more difficult dojo to deal with than the original. After all, the motto is “No mercy.”

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)

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Poppa’s House https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/poppas-house/ Wed, 05 Feb 2025 23:54:34 +0000 https://www.pluggedin.com/?post_type=tv-reviews&p=33893 In CBS’ Poppa’s House, divorcee Poppa works with a new cohost to boost his radio show. Meanwhile, his adult son Damon balances his dreams and duties.

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Whether you’re driving to work or taking a stroll, you can turn that radio dial to Poppa’s House.

Hosted by Poppa himself, Poppa’s House is the No. 2 talk-radio show on the air.

Why not No. 1?

Well since Poppa’s divorce, the show has come off as a bit … bitter.

Now, Poppa only plays music that his listeners describe as “old-school.” He publicly tells callers on his show to “kick rocks.” And his negative attitude toward women has caused a lot of females to stop listening altogether. According to Poppa’s assistant Allen, Corporate needs something to change.  

Enter Dr. Ivy Reid.

Corporate commands that Ivy, a podcaster with a Ph.D. in psychology, will become Poppa’s new co-host for the Poppa’s House radio show. And her scented candles, assertive personality and new ideas immediately annoy Poppa.

And although their personalities clash, Poppa and Ivy at the radio station must work together to bring Poppa’s House back up to the top.

But the radio station isn’t the only concern in Poppa’s life. Poppa’s adult son, Damon, is having troubles of his own.

After graduating from film school, Damon landed a job as a successful foam roller salesman to support his wife and kids. The only issue is that he hates every second of it.

Damon wants to chase his dream of becoming a director, but he recognizes the importance of taking care of his family. Poppa supports and inspires these aspirations as Damon struggles to balance his dreams and duties.

Turn that Dial

Like most family-based TV sitcoms, CBS’ Poppa’s House has constructive and concerning elements.

True to its TV-14 rating, the show employs profanity, including “d–n,” “a–” and misuses of God’s name. Characters utilize sexual references and innuendos as a primary source of comedy, and while these comments are not particularly graphic, they are extremely frequent.

And as you may have already noticed, Poppa has a complicated relationship with women. Throughout the first episode, Poppa consistently makes negative comments about his ex-wife, some of which are in front of his son. And as mentioned, the divorce seems to have soured Poppa’s perception of women in general. Poppa is rude to female callers on his radio show, one of whom asks, “Why do you reduce every conversation you have with a woman to sex?” And Poppa publicly disrespects Ivy on air by telling listeners that she is “overstaying her welcome” at Poppa’s House.

The show also contains a great deal of family dysfunction. For example, although Poppa frequently mentions his ex-wife, he seems completely unbothered by their divorce. Additionally, Poppa also has a sour relationship with Damon’s father-in-law, and the men incessantly insult one another. And when Nina, Damon’s wife, discovers that Damon lied about a job-related incident, she briefly behaves coldly toward him. There is also an ongoing joke in which Damon pokes fun at Nina’s height.

But despite these issues, family relationships—including the good and bad parts—are at the heart of Poppa’s House. While Damon and Nina argue, they ultimately love and affirm one another’s dreams, and they learn to make one another a priority. And although Poppa can be cantankerous, he willingly offers Damon support and advice.

Whether or not Poppa’s House shows up in your house is up to your family. But if you do choose to “turn that dial” to CBS’ comedy, you’ll find an imperfect, somewhat dysfunctional, but highly relatable family.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)

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Watson https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/watson/ Fri, 31 Jan 2025 21:11:03 +0000 https://www.pluggedin.com/?post_type=tv-reviews&p=33855 'Watson' provides a new spin on the classic Sherlock Holmes stories, but it likely won’t enthuse any diehard Arthur Conan Doyle fans.

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The name “John Hamish Watson” doesn’t necessarily carry the same weight as “Sherlock Holmes.” But doesn’t the ever-loyal Dr. Watson deserve his day in the sun?

A day in the sun is exactly what he gets in Watson.

In this modern CBS spin on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, Watson is an American doctor who left his life and career behind to solve mysteries with Sherlock Holmes. But after a fateful encounter on Reichenbach Falls with Holmes’ nemesis James Moriarty, Watson wakes up in a hospital to find he can’t remember the events of the past few weeks — and worse, that Sherlock Holmes is dead.

Watson’s story doesn’t end here. In fact, it’s just beginning. Turns out, Holmes was fairly wealthy, and he left a significant sum of cash to his friend in the hopes that he would resume his medical career.

Watson would never betray his friend’s last wishes. And that is quite a lot of cash. So he heads home to Philadelphia, hires a group of brilliant, slightly eccentric doctors and opens a clinic to treat rare diseases. It seems that Watson and his team are really doing some good in the world…except that Watson’s brain injury might be a little more serious than he’s letting on, and Moriarty might be a little less dead than everybody thinks.

ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR WATSON

After nearly two centuries and countless adaptations, it’s hard to believe that there are any twists left to make to the Holmes stories. Still, Watson does its best. In fact, the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ of it all almost feels like an afterthought. If occasional reference wasn’t made to ‘Moriarty’ or ‘the Reichenbach Falls,’ you might think you were just catching a re-run of Grey’s Anatomy.

The heavy lean into medical drama means you probably also have a good idea of what content issues to expect. Patients find themselves in upsetting situations (in the pilot episode, a young pregnant woman faces a fatal case of insomnia), while doctors get involved in some messy personal entanglements. There’s also the presence of drugs, as one of the clinic patients is a recovering heroin addict and Watson takes various prescriptions to perform “experiments” and develop new treatments.

Because Watson airs on broadcast TV, you won’t find anything very explicit here, but look out for some adverse themes. For example, Watson is a recent divorcee, and his ex-wife Mary is now dating another woman. For now, the couple is only spoken about rather than seen, but it’s highly unlikely things will stay that way in the future.

Watson probably won’t enthuse diehard Conan Doyle fans looking for their next fix of Sherlock Holmes. Still, it’s an original spin on classic characters, and we find plenty of admirable themes about the value of human life and devoting oneself to the care of others. Just be careful of some adverse messages that may pop up, too. All evidence in this case points to them developing further down the road.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out. )

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Prime Target https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/prime-target/ Thu, 23 Jan 2025 20:53:32 +0000 https://www.pluggedin.com/?post_type=tv-reviews&p=33770 This math-centric thriller comes with an interesting premise. But Prime Target comes with some primary problems, too.

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“Math nerds are probably the most dangerous people on the planet.”

So says Taylah Sanders, a young employee for the National Security Agency tasked with monitoring those math nerds. And they live some surprisingly interesting lives.

Take Edward Brooks, a brilliant mathematics graduate student at Cambridge. How do we know he’s brilliant? Someone mentions it at least every 15 minutes or so. But his brilliance has led him into some dangerous waters: the world of prime numbers.

That’s right: 1, 3, 5, 7, 11 … No, no. Best look away now. Before you, too, are chased by murder-minded terrorists.

What—You’re Still Reading? Well, Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You

Edward does think himself rather clever. Studying at Cambridge University—yes, that Cambridge, where Sir Isaac Newton set the mathematics world in new motion—Edward believes that the study of math has some grand new discoveries lurking in the shadow of well-known numbers and trig signs. “(New) numbers are out there, just waiting to be found, like vast, hidden continents.”

He believes that people have not looked into the mysteries of prime numbers nearly enough. Even though the world is built around numbers neatly divisible, nature leans into the primes. And those prime numbers, Edward believes, may be the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe itself.

“What if God’s cipher here on earth—the DNA of existence—is actually prime numbers?” he asks his mentor, Professor Mallinder.

Mallinder knows that his brilliant (everyone says so) student is onto something. He knows because another brilliant student of his was on the same path 30 years before. Oh, and hey, she mysteriously died. Forces untold aren’t so much interested in prime numbers as “God’s cypher,” but rather a key to unlock every computer encryption known to man.

You wouldn’t want something like that falling into the wrong hands, would you?

Taylah—she of the NSA—knows someone is after Edward’s prime-number theories. Why? Because Professor Mallinder also died mysteriously just a few days ago. And when Taylah brought it up to her boss, that boss was promptly gunned down.

So now, Taylah takes it upon herself to save Edward and whatever secret knowledge he has rattling around in his head … before both he and she meet unfortunate fates of their own.

Prime-al Leer

Prime Target feels like an Apple TV+ misfire.

Certainly, we see plenty of plot holes that seem out of place in a show predicated on advanced mathematics. And both Edward and Taylah—despite being nicely telegenic and all—are rather unappealing as characters.

But Prime Target comes with other issues, as well.

Edward’s true love may be math, but he’s not above a physical tryst or two. He falls into a casual relationship with a (seemingly) clueless male bartender in the first episode—one that swiftly lands them both in bed. But he may not be that particular about who he sleeps with: When the bartender asks if Edward’s parents know he’s gay, Edward tells him “I’m not anything.” Which suggests that if the bartender had been a woman, Edward might’ve just happily bedded her, too.

The show labels itself a thriller, so we shouldn’t be surprised that bodies are beginning to pile up like snow in North Dakota. And while Prime Target seems to try to keep things to a PG-13 level, some of the deaths we see can feel R-rated bloody.

Foul language, while not ubiquitous, can still be harsh when we hear it. S-words and an occasional f-word speckle the dialogue, with some more mild profanities folded in.

Give Apple TV+ credit: It’s not every streaming service that would give its viewers a thriller predicated on “math nerds.” But Prime Target serves up some Prime problems. And, as we know, those sorts of negatives rarely add up to be positive.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)

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Goosebumps: The Vanishing https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/goosebumps-the-vanishing/ Fri, 17 Jan 2025 15:46:38 +0000 https://www.pluggedin.com/?post_type=tv-reviews&p=33715 A few darker elements raise this adaptation from the kid-friendly tone of its source material to a TV-14 rating.

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When five teenagers took a dare to spend the night in an abandoned research facility, they had no idea the place would turn out to be haunted. Clearly, they’d never read a Goosebumps novel.

Naturally, this dare ended in tragedy. A boy named Matty was mysteriously killed by an unseen supernatural being, and his younger brother, Anthony–unable to explain what he saw–described the event as a freak accident. No one knows what really happened, and no one is very keen to find out.

Fast-forward 30 years, and Anthony has teenagers of his own. Twins Devin and Cece live with their mom, Anthony’s ex-wife, but they’ve come to spend the summer with their dad in his hometown of Brooklyn. And wouldn’t you know it: The local kids present the newcomers with a very familiar dare.

And so that supernatural being awakes again, and Devin and Cece have the chance to put a decades-old family mystery to rest.

That is, if whatever got their uncle doesn’t catch them first.

THINGS THAT GO ‘BUMP’ IN THE NIGHT

R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps novels enthralled a generation of tweens with toned-down horror and paranormal adventure. The series was such a smash hit that it spawned a franchise of video games, movies, spin-off books…and, of course, a recent TV adaptation.

Goosebumps: The Vanishing is the second season in an anthology series inspired by Stine’s stories. At some points, the adaptation stays true to the tone of its source material: horror-comedy with a dash of kid-friendly frights. For the most part, however, ‘kid-friendly’ falls a bit to the wayside.

The Vanishing is a bit more “cool TikTok teen” than “Scholastic book fair” (the Sabrina Carpenter and Travis Scott needle drops make that fairly obvious). Devin and Cece are typical TV 17-year-olds who get embarrassed by their lame dad and laugh when he makes them waffles. Devin’s entire motivation for checking out the research facility is, naturally, to impress a girl.

A few of the frights are above the grade-school demographic, too. You won’t be on the edge of your seat or hiding under a blanket for the entirety of The Vanishing, but there are a few jump scares and images that could be disturbing for younger viewers. There’s a general uneasy atmosphere in several scenes, and you might find yourself thinking: “What’s around that corner? Why is it so quiet? Did anybody hear that—AH!” And, of course, the show’s baked-in supernatural elements will give many a parent pause.

No, Goosebumps: The Vanishing is no Poltergeist or Scream, but it’s not entirely kid-appropriate, either. A few darker elements raise this adaptation beyond its source material and well into the TV-14 rating.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)

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Doc https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/doc/ Wed, 08 Jan 2025 18:51:58 +0000 https://www.pluggedin.com/?post_type=tv-reviews&p=33641 Fox’s new medical drama Doc sets up an intriguing premise. Time will tell if it crashes into salacious content or recovers into a worthwhile watch.

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When Dr. Amy Larsen walks into your hospital room, it’s a bittersweet thing.

She’s the Chief of Internal Medicine at Westside Hospital. And chances are, she’ll be able to figure out what’s wrong and get you right on your way.

Just don’t expect a kind word or a lollipop during your treatment: Amy’s the worst-rated doctor when it comes to bedside manner. Her work-focused attitude extends to those around her, with many of her fellow staff members merely putting up with her rather than liking her.

But then, Amy wakes up as a patient in her own hospital. She’s been in a severe car crash and has undergone significant surgery. It quickly becomes apparent to the doctors treating her that she’s suffering from a condition called partial retrograde amnesia.

She doesn’t remember anything from the last eight years: her divorce four years ago; her current boyfriend of five months, fellow doctor Jake Heller; or even the death of her son seven years ago.

They aren’t sure if Amy will ever remember what she’s forgotten, and those close to her don’t know how to respond, either. Her ex-husband and estranged daughter both struggle with Amy’s sudden desire to speak with them after years of enduring a broken relationship. And Jake can’t help but hurt that his girlfriend doesn’t even know who he is anymore.

There seems to be only one constant from before the accident: When Dr. Amy Larsen walks into their room, it’s still a bittersweet thing.

Remember When

Medical dramas tend to contain the same general content issues: injuries and romance. And Doc, so far, charts the same.

The romantic focal point of the show centers on Amy’s rekindling relationship with her ex-husband, a man who’s moved on and gotten married again. And given that the series starts with Amy and Jake passionately kissing in the back of a car (with the intent to do more), it’s only a matter of time before romantic drama ensues.

If the first episode is anything to go on, we’ll be seeing a lot more injuries and surgeries as the show continues. The most graphic, so far, involves a surgeon removing a piece of Amy’s skull during surgery to reveal the bloody mess beneath. And speaking of mess, bad language occasionally pops up, too, including “a–,” “b–ch” and “h—.”

Doc has the opportunity to tell an interesting story about fixing broken relationships and second chances. But with the potential for the show to slip into salacious content, time will tell if Doc is worth remembering.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)

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Going Dutch https://www.pluggedin.com/tv-reviews/going-dutch/ Wed, 08 Jan 2025 17:06:57 +0000 https://www.pluggedin.com/?post_type=tv-reviews&p=33639 In Fox’s Going Dutch, decorated Colonel Patrick Quinn is assigned to Stroopsdorf, the “least important U.S. Army base in the world.”

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Welcome to Stroopsdorf.

Located in the Netherlands, Stroopsdorf is deemed the least important U.S. Army base in the world. It offers sights such as giant tulip sculptures, uniformed officers playing frisbee and a military man struggling to perform a single pullup. And according to a sergeant there, cheese, laundry and bowling are what Stroopsdorf is known for.

When the uptight Colonel Patrick Quinn is assigned to assume command at Stroopsdorf, he asks, “Why the Netherlands?”

General Davidson replies, “To drive you insane.”

You see, before Quinn received his orders to go to Stroopsdorf, he thought he had been assigned to an esteemed military base in Germany. Unfortunately, when Quinn and his executive officer Major Abraham Shah arrive in Germany, they learn that Quinn was caught on camera spewing a diatribe against General Davidson. Not the sort of attitude you want to see from the commander of an important military base.  As a result, Davidson assumed control of that German base himself and is now sending Quinn to the Netherlands, where Quinn won’t cause an international crisis.

But that won’t stop Quinn from speaking his mind.

Quinn is enraged when he sees the relaxed attitudes of the soldiers at Stroopsdorf, who seem to have misplaced all the base’s weapons. As he watches officers play pool and video games in the base’s “teen center,” Quinn tells Shah, “This place is a boys-and-girls club for middle-aged Dutch civilians.” His frustration intensifies when he meets Stroopsdorf’s interim base commander: his estranged daughter, Maggie Quinn.

Although they haven’t spoken in two years, Colonel Quinn and Captain Maggie must work together to transform Stroopsdorf into a respectable and professional service and combat base.

Attention

For a person so intent on professionalism, Colonel Quinn’s actions and comments are frequently unprofessional. And a significant amount of the humor in Going Dutch is predicated on Quinn’s arrogant and abrasive behavior.

Quinn is frequently rude to his subordinates, resorting to name-calling and condescension. Many of Quinn’s comments involve crass bathroom humor or sexual innuendo. And characters also use profanities such as “b–tard,” “a–,” “h—” and misuses of God’s name.

And although Quinn’s relationship with his daughter is clearly an opportunity for character development, Quinn—at least at this point in the show’s run—often comes off as completely averse to his family. For example, when he first arrives at the Dutch base, Quinn tells Maggie, “Stroopsdorf isn’t a punishment; being here with you is.” And Maggie later reveals that Quinn did not seem upset when her mother passed away.

Despite its problems, Going Dutch does seem to offer a sweet storyline about a father-and-daughter relationship. With the proper attention, and if the show’s issues are navigable, it might be a decent TV comedy for families with older viewers.

(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at letters@pluggedin.com, or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)

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