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* Mother: I don't understand why you aren't losing weight and gaining it instead, if you are eating all those salads and fish.
Me: well, it would probably help, if I didn't eat any candy or drink wine.


* Best Television Ensemble Serial Dramas that I've Seen and can think of, off the top of my head.
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* Deception

Not bad. I found the pilot entertaining enough to continue with it. Like the concept a lot, much better than Castle. I actually buy this one, I didn't buy Castle's. The difference?

Master illusionist's brother is framed for a crime by a mysterious woman illusionist. One year later, he still can't find the person who did it. And they only have his brother's word that he's innocent of the crime she framed him for. The illusionists (the two brothers) had been doing the illusion out of the Prestige and the series borrows heavily from the story.

Anyhow, he catches a news story about a plane that exploded. And immediately figures out that it didn't because the hanger and surrounding area is intact. It was a bait and switch act. He goes to the site and manages to convince the FBI to listen to him. It requires a lot of persuading.
They give him a trial run. Then dump him when he screws up. He goes back to his team for help, and his brother, who is in prison, they agree to help him -- he manages to convince the FBI (with a great trick) to give him a second chance and with his team's help pulls off an illusion the nabs the bad guy and provides the first clue to the illusionist who framed his brother.

[It's actually more similar to The Mentalist than Castle in this regard, except no serial killers, yay! I hate serial killer storylines. Much prefer a competing magician a la Now You See Me.]

Unlike Castle -- the lead has a reason to work for the FBI, it's not just to write mystery novels, it's to save his brother and get the FBI's assistance in tracking down the criminal illusionist who is also working against the FBI. Also the FBI has a reason to get his help, they are dealing with someone like him. [Again more similar to The Mentalist, which I liked better than Castle.]

My problem with Castle is there's no way in heck any police department will take on an annoying novelist to help solve crimes. Also, his relationship with the female cop bordered on sexual harrasment, as did everyone else's.

Here, we don't have that as much. She's also not being forced to work with him. She chose to.
It's actually better than Lucifer in this regard as well.

So...giving it a chance. But I have a lot of tv shows, so we'll see if it lasts. (And ahem, no time to watch 85% of them. Possibly because I'd rather write posts on the internet or write period than watch tv.)

And still more tv shows for the folks who claim there's nothing on

1. Trust premieres 3/25 on F/X at 10 pm/9 central. It's the John Paul Getty story, the same one in "All the Money in the World" except with Donald Sutherland, Hillary Swank and Brendan Frazier in the lead roles. Directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) and Simon Beaufoy -- and is sort of Downton Abbey on acid. It's a black comedy based on a real life tale.

The tale?

Tycoon John Paul Getty is ensconced in an old English country manor wallowing in disappointment over his adult sons' recent forays into drugs and antiquities, with only four mistresses, a taciturn butler and a pet lion for company. Along comes his grandson, John Paul Getty III -- who owes money to some shady characters. After Gramps refuses to pay, the kid teams up with the people he owes to fake his own kidnapping in the hopes of splitting the hefty ransom. One small problem -- John Paul Getty Sr. refuses to pay up.

2. The Terror -- Monday March 26, AMC at 9/8c -- produced by Ridley Scott, stars Jared Harris (Mad Men), Ciarian Hinds, Tobias Menzies, and Nive Nielsen.

In 1847 a British Royal Navy expedition seeking the Northwest Passage through the icy, uncharted Arctic waters -- gets stuck. And a supernatural beast stalks the two ships. It's basically a historical monster/survival tale in the Artic.

3. Krypton -- Premiers on Wed, March 21, 10/9 central Syfy

More Battlestar Galatica than Smallville, this lavish new drama tells a soaring tale set 200 years before the demise of Superman's home planet. It comes from Cameron Welsh who last did Ash vs. The Evil Dead. Stars Cameron Cuff, Wallis Day, Georgina Campbell, and Shaun Sipos.


4. Barry HBO, Premieres 3/25/18 10:30 PM

About a former Marine turned hit-man who is depressed. This brings him to LA where he follows his latest mark into an acting class -- and suddenly decides, eh, time for a career change.

Stars Bill Hader, Sarah Goldberg, and Henry Wrinkler as the mercurial acting coach. (Yes, there is life after Fonzie.)

5. Station 19 -- think For the People and Grey's Anatomy except in a fire house. (Only problem is I think that 9-1-1 already did this far better. But whatever.)

Brought to us by Stacy McKee and Shondra Rhimes. Apparently Seattle has on of the highest percentages of women in their fire departments in the country."

(mefisto and I are both feeling rather validated at the moment. Ages ago, we had a rather lengthy and somewhat heated debate with a female poster, sdev, about whether women could be fire-fighters. We argued they could be. She argued they weren't physically capable. Ha! We won.)

6. Killing Eve -- BBC America, 4/8/18 -- stars Sandra Oh, and Jodie Corner. Brought to us by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) -- about a desk-bound and bored out of her brilliant mind, American (Eve), who works for British Security Services in London. After the MI6 taps her to ID an assassin -- the job-loving Villanelle -- Eve finds herself a target. (The assassin didn't particularly like being identified.

7. Genius: Picasso -- National Geographic - 4/24/18 -- 9/8 central -- stars Antonia Banderas as Pablo Picasso, along with Alex Rich.

8. SweetBitter -- Sunday May 6, 8/7 central - Starz

Set in the cut-throat world of high-end Manhattan dining -- the series is based on Stephanie Danler's best-seller about a 22 year old gal as she heads from a small town to the Big Apple in 006 and to pay the bills, she gets a job training to become a bakc waiter an the elite 22W restaurant.