Sunday Service

Hello, and welcome to the second (full) week of 2025. While many of us are gradually adjusting to not writing a “4”, thousands of Americans are unfortunately experiencing difficult times this first of the year. The wildfires in southern California have decimated livelihoods, leaving nothing but hopelessness in their wake. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families impacted by this horrible ordeal. My ultimate wish is we practice empathy beyond just this moment, but every day, as whatever is given to us can be gone in a blink of an eye. It could very well be you or me next time.

Follow this link to find organizations donating locally in this time of need.

The Pitt: Don’t call it a comeback

Max’s new medical procedural, starring Noah Wyle, comes thirty years after the actor was viewers’ eyes and ears in NBC’s groundbreaking series, ER. Then, he was the doe-eyed resident Dr. Carter; today, he plays the experienced Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch, the lead attendant at Pittsburgh’s Trauma Medical Hospital’s emergency department. As the lead, Robby has seen it all, including the decline of resources available to care for the hundreds of patients they see daily.

Wyle leads a strong and diverse cast of new and familiar faces playing medical staff ( Katherine LaNasa as Charge Nurse Dana Evans, Tracey Ifeachor’s Dr. Collins, Patrick Ball’s Dr. Langdon, and Supriya Ganesh’s Dr. Mohan), nurses, and new medical interns (Taylor Dearden’s Dr. King, Isa Briones as Dr. Santos, Gerran Howell as Whitaker, and Shabana Azeez as Javadi). Within the two-episode premiere, you get a sense of each character, some shape of their backstory, and potential arcs.

Wyle’s Dr. Robby is capable and earnest with patients, avoiding the stereotypical suit (Micahel Hyatt) drilling him about Press Ganey grades’ direct tie to financial stability for the hospital. Other characters shine immediately, including Dearden’s optimistic Dr. King, an exceptional physician whose naivete could be shattered in coming episodes. Fiona Dourif’s Dr. McKay is another delight as a caring single mother entering her career after some life obstacles — one in particular that makes a surprise cameo.

The heightened medical drama, exchanging (for now) soapy entanglements for an adrenaline-driven pace of technical jargon and bloody realistic patient wounds is just what I was missing. In addition to Wyle, the show boasts another ER alum in writer and EP, John Wells. One major difference is the series’ format. Borrowing from the linear storytelling of Fox’s 24, each episode is an hour of one 15-hour shift. This way many of the patients and stories they bring can easily evolve and return in future episodes.

Check out The Pitt every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on Max.

Family ties and lies in Asura

The new Netflix dramedy follows a Japanese family in 1979 Tokyo. Four sisters, all with distinct personalities, discover a secret that could level their family bond. They committ themselves to rooting out this scandal before it committs any real harm. While worried about this secret, they all have forgotten to shield their own skeletons. Soon its a comedy of errors as everyone’s dirty laundry coems out in the wash.

The series has a melodramatic feel to it, like a period version of Desperate Housewives. I digested one episode to get a sense of the tone, and I think I will stick with it, even though at times it gets a bit too silly. View the trailer below.

Shrinking will see you now

I finally tapped into the Apple TV dramedy I heard so much about. I honestly rode off the Jason Segel series because of Jason Segel. There’s nothing wrong with him, I’ve just never been a big fan. Perhaps it was my subconscious resisting the therapuetic nature in each episode, as the show tackles grief, toxic positivity, PTSD, and other emotinal isms we all face.

Created by Bill Lawrence, the show is meditation in TV form. I found myself smiling through teary eyes as each character reaches a breakthrough or setback. It’s humbly remarkable to see Harrison Ford in such a vulnerable role. Growing up, he was the epitome of action hero and leading man, from Indiana Jones to Star Wars. And I can’t forget my favorite — his villainous philanderer in What Lies Beneath. He portrays a different comedic strength I find calming and relateable.

As someone whose father has had a trail of health issues within the last decade, Paul’s story hit close to home. Aging is such a wild concept and everyone deals with it differently. One can only hope to have a support system through it.

Two seasons of Shrinking are available on Apple TV+.

Coming Attractions

The second week of January packs a punch with some of my most-anticpiated titles of the year, all returning for a second season.

• Castlevania: Nocturne S2 arrives on Netlix Thursday. Viewers join Richter Belmont and the half-vampire prince, Alucard, as they battle a wicked god-like Vampire Messiah from casting the earth into perpetual night.

• The same day, NBC’s Found returns to conlude its second season.

• Friday, it’s appointment TV as Apple TV+’s pyschological thriller, Severance, finally returns. After a two-year hiatus, we reunite with Mark S. at Lumen Industries.