581 Best TV shows of Under 30 Minutes (Page 38)

Science fiction imagines new worlds we’ve never seen before, but the world of Synduality: Noir doesn’t feel that way. Noir feels like it presents a familiar world, except with an added touch of AI assistants called Maguses. The fighting piloted mecha robots are reminiscent of Gundam and Pacific Rim. At times, the action looks like automated 3D animation made to cut costs. However, even if the world-building was stronger, Synduality: Noir doesn’t feel like a show that wants to tell a story. There aren’t enough moments that we get to spend with the main characters Kanata and his Magus Noir to justify creating a whole series around it. We don’t even need to get into the icky slave-like dynamic between the (mostly) male Drifters and their (mostly) female Maguses.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Aoi Koga, Ayaka Ohashi, Fuminori Komatsu, Mao Ichimichi, Nagisa Aoyama, Taito Ban, Takeo Otsuka, Yusuke Kobayashi

Alongside its Thai counterpart, Comedy Island Thailand, this blend of game show, reality program, and fantasy series remains thoroughly unpredictable in terms of which parts of itself are partially scripted or not at all. It's fun to watch these actors try to keep a straight face precisely because the show doesn't take itself seriously at all. Unfortunately despite its originality, the actors who've been assembled for Comedy Island Philippines still seem restricted by how basic the challenges are that they have to accomplish (at least in the first two episodes watched for this review). It becomes clear in the segments between the actual challenges that this cast is at their best when they're riffing to each other or as a group—something that the series doesn't take full advantage of. There's a rigidity to the show's idea of improv; ironically, as enthusiastic as these actors are, the show itself doesn't say "yes, and."

Genre: Action & Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Reality

Actor: Andrea Brillantes, Awra Briguela, Carlo Aquino, Drew Arellano, Rufa Mae Quinto

Structurally, the show is very clear and intentional, spelling out the stories by giving us the who, the why, and the how behind the pranks. It's fun to think of them as revenge stories, where the payoffs and tricks can be entertaining—but the level of slapstick payoffs we get does not warrant the hefty, hefty setup at all. It fancies itself like a home renovation or baking reality show; difference is we're not really here for the process because we don't need to know how to stage these things, and we're not dying to hear 3 segments of brainstorming banter. It's a lot of sneak peeks and filler and bloat to get to the half decent stuff, but there is some half-decent stuff.

Genre: Comedy, Reality

Actor: Justin Willman, Kimberly Congdon, Kyle Marlett, Simon Taylor

Based on Mark Miller and Peter Gross' graphic novel American Jesus, The Chosen One opens with a tedious build-up and a predictable plot. The possibilities are endless when you have a superpowered Christ-like boy as a protagonist, but in four of the six episodes watched, the pacing only manages to come up with a myriad of miracles, a teenage love triangle, and strange voices in the wind. Even more potential is lost as side stories begin and never end, giving side characters backstories that only resurface to contextualize Jodie's story. The worst of these is when one of Jodie's spiritual possessions overshadows Tuka (the only native in his friend group), who is protesting the mistreatment of the Yaqui tribe. And although the Mexican setting and the secrets behind Jodie's powers were initially exciting, the show ends up feeling as narrow as its 4:3 ratio.

Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Bobby Luhnow, Carlos Bardem, Dianna Agron, Juanito Anguamea, Lilith Curiel

Rating: TV-MA

With an unusual premise, unique characters, and surprising writing, the original 2010 Megamind film had a genuine message all about accepting one’s self, and doing good despite the lack of acceptance, even as a big-headed blue alien. After 14 years, Dreamworks has released the series Megamind Rules! as sequel to the hilarious superhero comedy, naturally dealing with his journey to maintain his hero status, with a new villain to defeat every episode, along with a main plotline of increasing his influence through social media. There could have been a funny thread here, showing how careers have become fodder for content, as well as the contrast between evil habits he once had versus the heroic ideals he hopes to espouse. However, the series pays out in the most generic fashion, without any of the heart or timing the original film had that made it so compelling.

Genre: Animation

Actor: Emily Tunon, Josh Brener, Keith Ferguson, Laura Post, Maya Tuttle

Rating: TV-G

Unsatisfying as the marriage depicted, Let’s Get Divorced had a promising premise but its approach to its themes betray its message. The couple, actress Kurosawa Yui (Naka Riisa) and incompetent political heir Shoji Taishi (Matsuzaka Tori), wants to split, much to the disapproval of Kurosawa’s agent and Shoji’s mother. At its most interesting, the show attempts to critique Japan’s attitudes towards divorce and the expectations surrounding famous couples, but it mostly shies away from the root of these views. However, what doesn’t help is how uninterested the show is in making us root for either character. Shoji is so incompetent that it’s downright infuriating. But it’s mostly the show’s treatment of Kurosawa that makes this comedy deeply unfunny. Gags about her (actually reasonable) anger reveal an underlying misogyny rooted in the show’s approach.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Arata Furuta, Fuju Kamio, Kōji Yamamoto, Lisa Oda, Reiko Takashima, Riisa Naka, Ryo Nishikido, Shin Yazawa, Tori Matsuzaka, Yuka Itaya

Rating: TV-14

Good ol’ fashioned live-audience sitcoms feel like a thing of the past, especially with Netflix’s whole season drops, and the binge-watching culture that has developed due to streaming. End of the Line brings back the sitcom approach, with Rodrigo Sant'anna and Roberta Rodrigues leading the comedic ensemble as a bickering driving divorced couple forced to share a space, but the fast-paced Brazilian show isn’t the laugh-out-loud, hilarious comedy of yesteryear. With an actual live audience that they actually show, it’s possible that some of the humor might be specific to the country. There are some moments that might pull out a chuckle or two, but most of the comedy feels more like clumsy improv, rather than well-written jokes based on characterization, set-up, and chemistry.

Genre: Comedy

Actor: Rodrigo Sant'anna

Rating: TV-14

Cindy la Regia: The High School Years has interesting and relatable plot points. With her unfashionable and socially-unaware cousin moving into her home, Cindy has to introduce her to the rich and privileged world of San Pedro Garza García, while trying to adjust to co-ed high school, joining resume-friendly philanthropic organizations, and generally succeeding. It’s practically Clueless, but with other details scribbled in. Except… events in the first few days lead her to be ostracized, so she can’t actually introduce her to things. And her cousin isn’t actually socially inept. And emotional outbursts come and go without any build-up or warning. It’s possible that the show had to rush through its plot to ensure it fits the spry seven episode runtime, but Cindy la Regia: The High School Years feels like a cash grab for the successful 2020 Mexican film it’s based on.

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Actor: Carola Cuarón, Luciana Vale, Michelle Pellicer, Nahuel Escobar, Vincent Michael Webb

On paper, A Man in Full looks like it could be the next Succession or, at the very least, Yellowstone. It gives us a look into Atlanta’s ultra-wealthy, primarily through the eyes of the tycoon Charlie Croker (Jeff Daniels). The show is headlined by stars like Diane Lane and Lucy Liu, helmed by acclaimed director Regina King (One Night in Miami), and based on a novel by bestselling author Tom Wolfe. So, by all accounts, A Man in Full should work. But it doesn’t. The show is hard to watch, not because it forces us to confront relevant truths, but simply because it’s badly made. Apart from the mentioned actors, everyone else is weirdly stiff and wooden, as if cast in a network show they know is doomed to fail. The writing is heavy-handed and lacks the humor and intelligence to match the show’s ambitious story. And the editing doesn’t do the show any favors—in a vital scene involving snakes and sex, the two separate shots were so clumsily intercut that instead of feeling thrilled, you just end up laughing at what just happened. Perhaps it gets better by the end, but you’ll need a lot of patience to get past just the first episode.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Aml Ameen, Chanté Adams, Diane Lane, Jeff Daniels, Jon Michael Hill, Lucy Liu, Sarah Jones, Tom Pelphrey, William Jackson Harper