4 Best Releases Similar to The Lord Of The Rings The Rings Of Power on Max

Confession time. I’m a New York Giants fan. And a third-generation one at that. So when I heard that they’d be the team featured in Hard Knocks: Offseason, I did not find myself especially enthusiastic. Even casual fans of the now 23-year-old series can tell you that many, if not most, teams don’t exactly cover themselves in glory. And for an organization like the Giants, traditionally one of the most buttoned-up of the NFL franchises, it seemed an especially odd fit. However, I’m a lifelong Giants fan, so as they go, so do I. What’s immediately apparent in the two episodes screened for critics is the addendum of Offseason at the end of the series title is not merely cosmetic. While the show has traditionally focused its lens on the sidelines and field during preseason, Hard Knocks: Offseason posts itself in the hallways and at the desks of the front office. Yes, viewers glimpse the occasional player or prospect. Indeed, the coach, in this case Brian Daboll, remains an important part of the story. However, the “star” of the proceedings is General Manager Joe Schoen as he and his team attempt to build a squad that will erase the sting of going 6 and 11 in the 2023-24 season. As a central figure, Schoen is a fairly laid-back focal point. His stories do reveal an intense dedication to work and frugality. A tale of driving for hours after accepting the Giants job with nothing but two peanut butter sandwiches for sustenance is particularly informative. However, at least so far, all external signs of excess seem sublimated beneath a loose, laconic management style. There’s no mutiny visible or afoot, so he seems to command respect. He just doesn’t do it by bloviating about the building or thundering in the face of his staff. Continue Reading →

Tuca & Bertie Season 3 finds Tuca (Tiffany Haddish) and Bertie (Ali Wong) rebuilding their lives in the season two Bird Town flooding and moss infestation aftermath. They’ve got promising leads professionally with new jobs on the horizon. Plus, they’re both in solid relations. Bertie with adorkable long-term boyfriend Speckle (Steven Yeun) and Tuca’s new beau Figgy (Matthew Rhys). The two bird besties might be leveling up in careers and personal life, but there’s always some drama waiting around the corner to pounce in and disrupt their technicolor dreams.  Continue Reading →

It seems like every TV show is set in Manhattan. Be it Friends, Sex & the City, or Seinfeld, Manhattan is the de facto environs for our favorite television. Somebody Somewhere, HBO’s latest series from Hannah Bos (High Maintenance) and Paul Thureen, keeps the Manhattan setting, but swaps out the Hudson and East Rivers for the Kansas and Big Blue Rivers.  And just like the Little Apple seems like an inverse of the Big, this new show is a slice of lives drastically different from the hip and connected characters of Girls or And Just Like That....  Continue Reading →