Monday, March 30, 2020

What I’m Watching: Brockmire (Season Premiere)


Brockmire: Season 4, Episode 1 “Favorable Matchup” (B+)

In all of the television that I’ve been watching over the past couple weeks, this is the one that comes closest to addressing the current coronavirus epidemic, though not in a particularly favorable way. Skipping ahead to 2030 is an interesting choice, though it’s not as if this show had all that much more to cover in the present. Presuming that disease outbreak would be responsible for mass chaos isn’t a far-off notion, and I doubt it’s comfortable for anyone looking for an escape from the real world right now. This show has never been for the overly polite or sensitive, and though the profanity was less extreme than usual in this half-hour, the sentiment was still there. I’m thrilled about the introduction of Brockmire’s daughter Beth, played by Reina Hardesty, who I’ve previously seen in guest appearances on “The Flash” and “Timeless.” She seems to be completely ready to go head-to-head with Hank Azaria, and this show has thrived for the past few seasons on two-person dynamics. This episode felt much more expansive than it was, in that it focused on just its two new main players and their insular world, which was plenty interesting enough to sustain the half-hour. Brockmire wasn’t happy at all with the idea of becoming the commissioner of baseball when approached by the Yankees owner played by John Ales from “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll” and “Sneaky Pete,” but he’s never exactly been good at letting go. The notion of traveling to New York to live with his daughter so that he doesn’t have to be left alone was decidedly extreme, but it’s totally up his alley. I can’t wait to see how it plays out.

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