Welcome back to our TV Preview series! In this half of said series, Emily, Stephanie, Mandy C. and I will take a look at shows featured in our TV Preview: New Friends post, and let you know what we think you should—and shouldn’t—be watching.
Warning! Possible spoilers ahead.
Dynasty
Premiered: October 11 on The CW (Watch online.)
Twitter Pitch
Reboot of the top rich family business soap of the ‘80’s (that wasn’t Dallas) for today’s CW audience.
Familiar Faces
Elizabeth Gillies as Fallon Carrington
Nathalie Kelley as Cristal Flores Carrington
Grant Show as Blake Carrington
Alan Dale as Joseph Anders
James Mackay as Steven Carrington
Robert Christopher Riley as Michael Culhane
Faces That Might Become Familiar (If You Keep Watching)
Rafael de la Fuente as Sammy Jo
Sam Adegoke as Jeff Colby
Redeeming Qualities
Mandy C.: Cristal's sassy walk down the aisle was super cute.
Kandis: I… didn’t hate this? I think I'm so surprised by that, that I may be overly forgiving. This ended up being pretty fun and frothy. The cast is more diverse than the original, and I can see it adding a more interesting dynamic to the show. While the acting was… uneven, the Fallon and Steven actors were decent, and engaging. And they recast Sammy Jo (iconically played by Heather Locklear in the original) as a gay man! Brilliant. They even threw in a catfight old time's sake.
Stephanie: I liked it more than I thought I would. I covet the doors Cristal and Blake walk through at the end; I know that’s random but there you go. I actually kind of liked Cristal? I know she’s going to have a bunch of skeletons in her closet, but Fallon was really annoying, so I enjoyed every win Cristal made against her. Plus, I love a good scene set to Bowie’s “Modern Love” and that flower petal aisle was to die for. Oh, Matthew was cute.
It's Not Me, It's You
Mandy C.: Any show—or anything, TBH—that begins with a shot of a certain person who currently lives in the White House is immediately going to get my side eye and dislike. And I really don't know that I want or need to watch a show about rich people who are all out to get and/or hurt each other.
Kandis: The actress playing Cristal is really terrible, and hasn’t improved since she brought all of her Vampire Diaries scenes to a screeching halt. It wouldn’t be that huge of a deal, except Cristal is kind of a big part of the show. As I said, the show was fun, but I don’t ever see it being appointment TV, like back in the day. Although, to be fair, we only had like five channels back then. Also, THEY KILLED NICK WECHSLER.
Stephanie: Any talk of business deals made me reach for my phone. I just didn’t care. The likelihood is that soon even the people I did sort of like (like the chauffeur and the brother) are going to end up being horrible people and everyone is just gonna go around manipulating each other again and again, and I’m not sure I’m in the mood for that. Comparing the Carrington family dynasty to the Trumps and Kardashians in the first ten seconds of the show starting is NOT the way to get this viewer’s goodwill.
Let's Do This Again
Mandy C.: I'll fully admit to enjoying the promise of intrigue, but I am rooting for no one on the show, and that's a deal breaker for me. So nope.
Kandis: I may give this a couple more episodes before I make the official call. If I get too behind, I don’t think I’d have any qualms about deleting it off the dvr. But I kind of can’t wait to see who they cast as Alexis. I’m hoping they lean into the stunt casting, like Riverdale has with the parents. Like maybe one of Grant Show’s former Melrose Place leading ladies? That could be good.
Stephanie: I won’t be keeping up weekly, but maybe I’d binge it on Netflix if there was nothing else on.
Did you watch? What did you think?