Here’s a guide to the shows with which I’m currently most obsessed; and for this first of two parts, that's Riverdale on The CW, The History of Comedy on CNN, and Legion on FX.  So, let's get to it, shall we?

Riverdale (The CW - Thurdays, 10/9c) I can’t remember the last activity I undertook that made me feel like both a teenaged girl and a dirty old man; but that’s the feeling I get, watching Riverdale.  And while it’s a peculiar feeling, it’s a peculiar show – albeit in the most wonderful, addictively watchable kind of way.  Sure, the media has made the most of the show’s Twin Peaks-ian influence (right down to the casting of Mädchen Amick as Betty’s mom); but odds are that it’s series like Veronica Mars, Desperate Housewives, and Gossip Girl, that will prove to be truer touchstones for most of Riverdale’s key audience.  Of course, casting the likes of Luke Perry (Archie’s dad), Molly Ringwald (Archie’s mom), Skeet Ulrich (Jughead’s dad) and Robin Givens (Mayor McCoy / Josie’s mom) is bound to attract my fellow Gen X-ers. 

The cast is preternaturally gorgeous, and thanks to sponsorship by Cover Girl, everyone looks flawless.  That the show is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Looking, Glee, Big Love) and executive produced by Greg Berlanti (Green Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl) only serves to raise my expectations.  The best sign is that as each episode reveals a little bit more of this color-saturated slice of the Pacific Northwest, filling-in more pieces of the Who Killed Jason Blossom puzzle; more mysteries arise, keeping viewers coming back for more.

The History of Comedy (CNN - Thursdays, 10/9c):  An eight-part documentary, from co-creators/executive-producers Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner (Hot in Cleveland, Grimm) and Mark Herzog and Christopher G. Cowen (CNN’s The Sixties, The Seventies, etc.), The History of Comedy grapples with comedy going back a hundred years; and instead of tackling this enormous subject chronologically, does so categorically.  Episodes deal with such topics as inappropriate humor and the comedians who shifted cultural mores and fought censorship (“F***ing Funny”); the success of female comedians who persevered despite crushing sexism and prejudice (“The Funnier Sex”); topical humor, ranging from late-night monologues to today’s “fake news” shows (“Ripped from the Headlines”); the ways comedians milk the mundane experiences we all undertake (“Comedy in Real Life”); and an especially poignant examination of the common threads of substance abuse and mental illness that are interwoven among comedians (“Sparks of Madness”).

But it’s the participation of some of comedy’s biggest and most revered names – including Carol Burnett, Larry David, Eddie Murphy, Roseanne Barr, Louis C.K., Gilbert Gottfried, Penn & Teller, Conan O’Brien, Elaine Boosler, Anthony Jeselnik, Keegan-Michael Key, Patton Oswalt, Judd Apatow, and Sarah Silverman; as well as archival footage of such comedy legends and pioneers as Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Jackie “Moms” Mably, Selma Diamond, Sam Kinison, Bea Arthur, Redd Foxx, Rodney Dangerfield, Joan Rivers, Jean Carroll, Phyllis Diller, and Totie Fields – that really makes The History of Comedy one to watch, if not study.

Legion (FX - Wednesdays, 10/9c):  As a longtime fan of the X-Men/New Mutants, I was pretty intrigued by the idea of bringing the “David Haller/Legion” character to television; and was further piqued upon reading that the show was being helmed by Noah Hawley (Fargo).  Once I realized that there’s no shame in having to watch some scenes (fine – many scenes) multiple times, in order to fully absorb the decidedly nonlinear narrative of the onscreen goings-on, I got right into this show’s very trippy flow. 

Legion is packed with gorgeous visuals, sensational art direction, and stand-out performances by Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) as Haller, Aubrey Plaza (Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates) as his anarchistic best-friend who dies and becomes David’s consciousness; and the always brilliant Jean Smart (Fargo) as an unconventional psychotherapist and mutant den-mother.  Anything but your de rigueur comic adaptation, Legion might require a couple of viewings before you commit, but it’s so worth the effort.  

Come back for Part 2, where I delve into NBC’s superhero-adjacent sitcom Powerless; Bravo’s second original scripted drama, Imposters; the hilarity that ensues on Fox’s The Mick, and what I love about the revamped TBS.

Get into it!
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