REFLECTIONS
Cedric Yarbrough plays Kenaneth, JJ’s minder, care-giver and all-round wingman. It’s funny and irreverent as JJ yearns to live as normal a life as possible, while overcoming the challenges of his condition as well as those of his crazy family.
Riverdale (M-Net 101, 8pm): When they say “loosely based on the popular comic book characters” they really mean it. Other than the names, there is nothing that ties this series to my beloved Archie comics. Murder, intrigue and darkness have been woven into the retelling of the lives of these carefree teenagers to appeal to modern audiences, which I think is rather sad.
The Walking Dead (FOX, Monday at 9pm): Part two of season eight begins with episode nine. At the end of the previous episode last year, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) got into a fight which left Rick severely injured. He managed to escape and caught up with Michonne (Danai Gurira), who took him to a sewer where the others in their group were waiting, only to find Carl (Chandler Riggs) had what appeared to be a bite on his abdomen.
Top Gear (BBC Brit, Wednesday at 8pm): Appearing here just days after its UK premiere tomorrow, the 25th season is presented by Matt LeBlanc, Rory Reid and Chris Harris.
Locations for this season include Norway (where they ran afoul of authorities for speeding – allegedly 160km/h over the limit), California, Italy, France, Sri Lanka, maybe Japan if you believe celebs’ Twitter, and of course the UK.
LeBlanc has said in interviews that this series will feature “more comedy”. To this end, he will pull pranks on Harris and Reid, including smashing 500 eggs on Harris’s vintage 2CV.
Apparently the aim is to make Top Gear a family show, with appeal which is broader than just the cars (although they’ll still remain the main focus).
I’m not quite sure about the logic behind this; the former trio of presenters had the perfect mix of comedy (and far better pranks) and petrolhead content. I’ll always prefer them and their shenanigans, and the rhetorical catch phrase “How hard can it be?” – inevitably proving exactly that – is one I often apply to my own escapades.