August, not April, is the cruellest month for television, and not just for open channels. The platforms also suffer from the drought, the boredom and the buzz of the flies, but two little lights appear in the haze that make the trip of the month more bearable for those of us looking for an episode of good shit before they head off to bed. One of them is called Only Murders in the Building, an oasis of intelligence, meta-television and pop-metaculture that welcomes Her Majesty Meryl Streep in this third season. I won’t talk about her, trusting that my partner Paloma Rando, pained by my peddling her issues, will bring you her informed and subtle point of view in the same column.
My other August treat just ended and it’s called Strange New Worlds. It has completed its second season which was great and vastly superior to the first.
The Trekkie universe sees its glory days, reaching impressive heights of humor and the capacity for reinvention. Several series air simultaneously, but I think, as quoted by those in the know, that SNW is the one that makes the best use of the world Gene Roddenberry envisioned. The lines between bowing and taunting are very fluid, with the former often taking the form of the latter, which fans fail to appreciate. Akiva Goldsman, producer and screenwriter of this series, balances on this line and has even dared with a musical chapter. Salman Rushdie received a fatwa for less money.
The Trekks hold a more fundamentalist belief than the ayatollahs, and testing the limits of their tolerance is a risky proposition. Because of this, SNW isn’t just a refreshment in a breathless August, it’s a nice way to break down prejudices like they’re crazy.
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