I know what you’re all thinking – one year, he’ll decide not to write an epic end of year TV blog post and just keep his opinions inside his body.
Maybe, but not yet!
So here we go with the eleventh instalment, and the pasted list…
So what kind of year has it been?
I spent a lot of 2021’s TV chart apologising for failing to keep up with many recent big serious TV shows and retreating into familiar series and comedies, but I think I broke out of that cycle this year. As you’ll soon see, I’ve caught a fair cross-section of this year’s telly, including many of the big new shows.
So many of them, in fact, that a lot of old favourites have been crowded out. Our old buddy Stats Corner becomes increasingly redundant as long-running continuing shows become rarer in my viewing, or struggle to compete with the new upstarts. But there’s enough to keep it for now.
Despite keeping up with many of the latest launches, I inevitably missed a few – the most conspicuous ones which might’ve stood a chance of making the list are probably Our Flag Means Death (because it’s not showing legally in the UK til January 2023) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (because I am too cheap to subscribe to Paramount Plus). One day, readers.
Merry Christmas Violence! Yes, it’s the annual somewhat festive special, this year covering The Peripheral (no Christmas content) and the Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (lots of it).
After all that, they log in to The Peripheral (9:45), Amazon’s new cyberpunk thriller based on a William Gibson novel. Includes lengthy chat about the plot and themes, plus spoilers for a big plot turn in the second episode.
This fortnight, Nick and Alastair knuckle down for some premium telly with new Star Wars series Andor and eagerly awaited boat show 1899.
Finally, they’ve also seen all of 1899 (26:13), the new series about mystery on a boat from the creators of their beloved Dark. Can it possibly live up to that legacy? Be aware, they go into full show-ruining spoilers from 33:57.
This fortnight, Nick and Alastair take in an exquisite menu of famed predators, with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Bear.
After which, they ready their napkins for some high-class dining with excellent new high-tension kitchen-set comedy-drama The Bear (29:07).
Nick and Alastair tackle some big TV shows this Halloween, with Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Werewolf By Night. At least the last one is appropriate for the season.
And then move on to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (27:33), which might’ve inspired almost as many arguments, before finishing on Marvel’s other seasonal release: spooky one-off Werewolf By Night (39:41).
This fortnight, Nick and Alastair are trapped inside a basement in Inside Man, not to mention the metaphorical cage of their own grief in After Yang.
Finally, they’ve also watched After Yang (31:54), a sad (but good) sci-fi film about the passing of a robotic family member.
Nick and Alastair abandon the real world once again for one of their occasional recommendation specials! This time, they return to some beloved franchises during their eighties era, with Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt and Doctor Who: Earthshock. (Be aware – there are spoilers for the then-shocking endings of these 30+ year old stories. Enter at your own risk.)
Lastly, Alastair improves the lighting (up to a point) with unique Doctor Who serial Earthshock (30:23), as the Cybermen return for revenge, so angry that they’ve pulled off all their cling film.
This fortnight, Nick and Alastair effortlessly interweave the real and the fantastic with House of the Dragon and Thirteen Lives.
Lastly, Nick and Alastair are going deeper underground with Thirteen Lives (26:39), a movie about a bunch of kids trapped down a mine in Thailand. If that sounds familiar, it’ll be because it really happened.
This fortnight, two of the big TV events of the year hit Nick and Alastair all at once, with Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman and the final few episodes of Better Call Saul.
Lastly, after covering it since the distant past of 
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