One show has left, another was saved and a third has finally won me back.

1. Sense8, tragically canceled after a momentous season 2 cliffhanger by Netflix, was saved by a massive online campaign. Netflix relented and gave the show a 2 1/2 hour “finale”. And wow, was it ever. As a writer, I could see the compression going on, trying to smash 3 planned seasons into one final episode, but it worked. This has been one of my favorites, and the conclusion gives it the send-off it deserves, while at the same time making me feel sad that this is most likely the last time I’ll see this gang in action.

2. The Expanse. One of the best sci-fi shows to grace the small screen since the remake of Battlestar Galactica. Canceled by the Syfy network after three seasons, and saved by yet another massive online campaign by the fans. Amazon, led by one Jeff Bezos (also one of the aforementioned fans) recently announced that his company had secured the rights, and so the story will continue.
Having read the books, this is one of the most outstanding adaptations of a series of novels I’ve ever seen.

 

3. Westworld. This HBO series, created by Jonathan Nolan (brother of Christopher, and co-conspirator with that brother of the Batman Trilogy, Interstellar, and most importantly to me, the creator of one of the best television shows in the last decade, “Person of Interest”) and Lisa Joy, this re-imagining of the old Westworld film into a complex study of true A.I. awakening has really kept me interested from a storytelling perspective, but hasn’t captured my heart until this week. The episode S2E8 “Kiksuya” was heart-rending and real, dragging my emotions (finally!) into the story that felt cold and distant the more it has gone on. I’d go so far as to say that this episode has to be my favorite to date.