Station 19

Station 19 (2018)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


It's not obvious watching the series that this is a spin-off from Grey's Anatomy, though might be clearer if both are watched together. The story follows Andy Herrera and her firehouse 19 family through many changes, relationships, discoveries, cases, and more than a few challenges. Andy thought she always knew what she wanted growing up, but it turns out life isn't as linear as one may think. This is a very real life series, showing how a group of people can become a family, and how that family can grow, change, and sometimes threaten to break as they navigate the changing world around them and within their own house. There are a lot of subtle and not so subtle concerns raised through various episodes as well that put a light on difficult situations and real life issues that everyday people must face. 

NCIS: Origins

NCIS: Origins (2024)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


This series may be one of the newest filmed, but takes us all the way back to the beginning, even before NCIS, which makes the name an apt fit. Given the difference in the timeline, we have new actors playing long familiar characters as we see Gibbs' history with his first family unfold and his original enlistment into NIS (Naval Investigative Services), before NCIS is even a thing. That doesn't mean that the original cast is completely gone however, as the voice over narrating the story is the very same Gibbs everyone knows and loves at this stage, though the story and acting itself is portrayed by the new, younger cast. Even a younger Duckie makes a few appearances later on down the line. If you've paid attention to Gibbs; story from the original series, it's a bit easier to follow along with some of the events playing out. Even Gibbs' rules make a few appearances, though not nearly with the same regularity or expectation as they do in the original series - he'll have to work up to that. The one thing we wondered in the beginning was if this series would end with the creation of the NCIS unit given the tie in to the original series, which was indeed answered. While it's nice to see how things came to be, it's not so surprising that this is a shorter series given the original purpose and how the ending ties into the beginnings of the rest of the saga.

NCIS: Sydney

NCIS: Sydney (2023)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


While this follows a similar format as the previous NCIS series, it is different as it's the only one that has been overseas. There are some disputes between US and Sydney agents, though both work on the team together. It also loses some of the charm being overseas as that means there are none of the usual and sought after crossovers with other agencies. This is especially obvious if you watch the series in order of when they first started airing, as it then follows Hawai'i, which has frequent and close crossovers with Los Angeles along with features of other series. As a result of the internal conflict and lack of familiar faces, it loses some of the charm of the other series as they all pull together. Still enjoyable, just not as engaging as a whole.

CSI: Immortality

CSI: Immortality (2015)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is also simply known as "The Final Episodes" in some places, though it was aired a special 2 part "movie" when it first came out. Grissom and Willow are both brought back on the scene of Las Vegas as they race against the clock to stop the biggest explosion yet. It's high stakes and high paced, which does put it in the spotlight of TV drama instead of realism as some tests just can't be run that fast no matter how good the experts or their machinery may be. It falls in line with the rest of the series though, and brings back familiar faces from the start of the spin offs, making it a quick hit for long time fans.

NCIS: New Orleans

NCIS: New Orleans (2014)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Took awhile to get around to watching this one, but it's just as enjoyable as the others. The accents and the frequent references to Mardi Gras make it obvious this takes place in a different area than the previous series, though of course, it overlaps and features several characters from the other spin offs just the same as the teams work cases together and overlap in various investigations. Dwayne Pride takes center stage of this team, a man who is heavily involved not just in his work, but in his city as well. Doctor Loretta Wade is also very different from our previous medical examiners, though still a crack up and not one the other characters should try to pull the wool over on. She steps in more than once both for the team, and for the victims as they work through their many adventures. As with most NCIS teams, this team is a close knit family that are most likely to bend the rules when one of their own is in danger.

Absentia

Absentia (2017)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


This originally caught my interest because it is in a genre I watch a lot and features Stana Katic, who also plays Kate Beckett in Castle, one of my favorite series. This series doesn't hit as a favorite, but is very emotionally charged from the beginning. Emily Byrne has been missing for six years, during which time her husband has remarried to raise their son Flynn. When Emily returns suddenly, it puts the family in a tailspin of confusion as they try to reconnect old ties and find their new balance. In the midst of this, the case she was working on before her abduction comes back to haunt her as it ties to her own kidnapping and appears to frame her for murder, or maybe not. With her memories mostly lost and disjointed flashes at best from the time she was missing, Emily is hiding from the law as she tries to clear her name in a desperate attempt to reclaim her family. They admit that they should have trusted her, but perhaps there is still more unknown to the story given her obvious PTSD and the memory flashes still resurfacing. It's a lot of distrust and devastation in a very confined package as Emily fights to regain her identity and figure out what is happening.

Alphas

Alphas (2011)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


Dr. Rosen and his team of Alphas work with the government to investigate other Alphas and keep them from breaking the law or putting more people in danger. The first few episodes are a little difficult to follow as it drops you right into the thick of their world while their on a case and doesn't explain their abilities very well. As the show progresses, the world building is easier to follow, as well as who has what abilities. Things take a personal turn once Rosen's own daughter turns up as one of the Alphas they are after, leading to a series of discoveries tracing back potential Alpha influences and schemes working behind the scenes. The series ends abruptly at the end of season 2, alluding to a failed mission and multiple deaths without really showing what happens after the final events. 

My Happy Marriage 9 (Light Novel)

My Happy Marriage 9 by Akumi Agitogi

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The narrative changes a lot here as we're no longer focused solely on Miyo and her experiences to find her happy ending. Miyo and Kiyoka are much more comfortable together, though it seems Kiyoka may not be as retired from his military career as he had hoped. Even Godou ends up joining the fray as his old classmate seems to be in the middle of this new commotion trying to draw Miyo away. Kiyoka gets a good scare in the process, though it seems Miyo is doing well as far as her own abilities go. She's doing much better around other people as well, proven by how the rest of the women in the extended family seem to adopt her so quickly. A far better response than what they receive from the men, who seem to need a rather severe wake up call given their actions and the unfolding story of their own history. For all that these new characters portray themselves as easy going and accepting, they don't seem to have any intention of truly honoring Miyo's choice.

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Scorpion

Scorpion (2014)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This series was recommended to us after watching NCIS: Los Angeles, as everyone thoroughly enjoyed the character Hetty. While the actress does have a cameo is this series, it is a very minor role. This is still thoroughly enjoyable and different than many series. Scorpion is a team of brainiacs that don't fit the mold of standard society, except for Paige and Cabe. Cabe acts as their government link, providing intel and coverage to their operations so they don't always end up on the wrong side of the law. Paige helps them find their humanity and emotions in the midst of all the equations and probabilities constantly running through their heads. On the flip side, the team helps Paige understand her son, who is a genius like the rest of the team. Sometimes it seems like they approach things in a rather chaotic and confusing manner, but as always with their intelligence, there is some sort of logic underlaying their calculations and actions. That doesn't guarantee everything always goes as planned, but somehow, they manage to get the job done.

Lilo & Stitch

Lilo & Stitch (2025)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the live action version of the original Lilo & Stitch animated movie. There are some rather obvious changes to the story, especially when it comes to interactions between Lilo and Nani. While there were rumblings about the changes from the fan community when it first came out, truthfully they are far more believable and fitting to the storyline than the original version. This wouldn't be possible without Tutu though, who also is a new highlight in this version of the story. All in all, this keeps up a high energy through the entire movie and has a lot of good learnings with highlight scenes mixed in. 

NCIS: Los Angeles

NCIS: Los Angeles (2009)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


While each rendition of these series like NCIS and CSI are enjoyable, there's something special about this series. G is an unusual character to begin with as the majority of this series, he only knows the initial of his first name. There are many highs and lows this team goes through, but more than once they prove that they are family. The one who brings them all together initially is Hetty, a elder and mysterious operative that has a rather unique point of view when it comes to intel and how her team operates best. It's proven time and again that this team works in a unique format and is highly efficient in their own way, even though many other agencies often seem to take issue with how they operate. As is also common, there isn't really an ending to this series, which hopefully will indicate more information down the line with other adaptations as these often can and do overlap at times.

My Happy Marriage 5

My Happy Marriage 5 by Akumi Agitogi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The manga is currently the furthest behind in the story of all the mediums available, and yet there is something about seeing the story come to life with the art that is still thoroughly enjoyable and continues to add new dimensions to the story. Miyo meets her mother's family for the first time and learns about her own gift, but possibly at the cost of her new life she's slowly been settling into with Kiyoka. Miyo's own timid nature is at times her worst enemy, though she has quiet moments where she comes to her own realizations. Once she's made a decision, she seems to be steadfast in seeing it through. Of all the characters in the series, her growth is the most significant in all forms of this series, though she remains very demure.

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NCIS

NCIS (2003)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This series isn't marked as finished for the main arc, and already has several other offshoots just like CSI. If you pay attention to the dialogue, you'll even catch a few references to CSI in this arc, which is rather amusing. While there are verbal references to the other departments, there haven't been any character interactions that overlay, at least not yet, but it's possible somewhere down the line considering both a written and filmed by the same studio. Gibbs leads the show here and keeps the team on point, just as each other arc or season always has it's own focused leader that is the center of the charge, though we still see plenty of airtime for the other characters as well. Sometimes the leader may actually be rather scarce for a good portion of the episode, though he'll always show up when needed, often smacking the back of McGee's head for one comment or another.

Route to Ruin: The Reckoning Awaits

Route to Ruin: The Reckoning Awaits (2025)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is another format similar to what we see on ReelShort, though it flows slightly better when it's put together entirely in movie formatting. The story is also in Chinese, so American viewers will want to be sure they are watching a version where they can keep up with the subtitles provided. While Hannah is not trying to hide her identity really, the public perception that she can't be who she is because she's the bus is inherently flawed given the elderly couple who begins to bully her first also claim to be from a wealthy family with status, and were also riding the bus. Regardless, the situation quickly spirals out of control, especially once Sophie arrives. They are all truly horrible people determined to have their own way and they care nothing about anyone else, flaunting their perceived status and doing whatever they think they must to stay above everyone else. While what they do is horrible, it's good to see that there are those who do at least have some common sense, even if most of the original crowd and even the police are too afraid to do anything at first.

Heiress Crash Lands on Her Husband

Heiress Crash Lands on Her Husband (2025)

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


As the app is known for, the "videos" are really short clips. Many of them are cut down to air as ads on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc. It's just enough to make you curious about the ending sometimes, but what they don't tell you is that the endings are hidden behind a paywall in the app and you have to pay per "episode" that you want to watch. Sometimes these can be found on other sites, like TikTok or YouTube, though the quality may be questionable and some content may be missing. The acting is subpar and the storyline is predictable, but the foundation behind it and the eventual affection between the main leads is touching if you look at the heart of it. Lily ultimately didn't care about status or money, though she mistakenly believed Harry had saved her before when it was actually someone else. Likewise, Quince doesn't care about status or money either. He's fallen for Lily even back before the accident and hasn't given up on his quest, though there are more than a few obstacles in his way.

The Rookie: Feds

The Rookie: Feds (2022)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is a direct spin-off of The Rookie, focusing on FBI rookie Special Agent Simone Clark who is introduced in season 4. Like Nolan, Simone is an older rookie joining the force, and her ideas don't always mesh well with how all other agents think she should behave. She does find a few allies both among the FBI and the LAPD after working a few cases, though some are still rather disgruntled with how she gets the job done. Simone is a fun character, but overall, this doesn't have the same immediate draw that the original series did. It makes sense to have this sister series though as Simone and the FBI continue to be sources in the main series, so this does help to round out the storyline and creates a lot more character depth for the series as a whole.

High Potential

High Potential (2024)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In some ways, this is similar to other crime dramas like Psych and The Mentalist where we have a civilian who works as a consultant with the police to solve crimes. The difference here is that Morgan doesn't claim to be a psychic at any point in time, just a mother with a brain wired differently who is able to remember details and put things together faster than most other people. This works to her advantage when she catches the attention of the current police chief, who asks for her help in solving a case. Coincidentally, Morgan also needs the help of the police as her family has their own cold case with her husband's disappearance that was never solved. For being so exceptionally smart, Morgan is also quirky and unknowing in her own ways, illustrated in oddities like when she thinks nothing of taking a case file home with her. Luckily, she has some good people pulling for her and willing to help out.

My Happy Marriage 8 (Light Novel)

My Happy Marriage 8 by Akumi Agitogi

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This volume is a bit of a surprise as it's a collection of short stories rather than a traditional light novel. That being said, each story is still enjoyable and the characters are still great, it's just a little harder to follow along and figure out where each story takes place as they aren't in a linear timeline. While we don't see much of Miyo outside of the more recent timeline, we get a fair bit of information regarding Kiyoka's childhood, and even Godou's. It's always been clear these two are friends given how Godou tends to be way more energetic than Kiyoka, yet he trusts and relies on him a lot more than most of his squad, beyond just being an aid. From the author's notes at the end, the main two stories were written specifically for this volume as an official part of the storyline while the rest are various short stories that have popped up in random locations over time while working on the series, so those are more like small extras. The piece about Kiyoka's parents was especially surprising, though we still got several touching moments between Kiyoka and Miyo. 

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Psych

Psych (2006)

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars


Unsurprisingly, this series reminds me a lot of The Mentalist, which, looking back at past notes, was loosely based on this earlier series. Shawn Spencer takes his act above and beyond pretending to be a psychic for the police force. He has one very clear and vocal opponent who refuses to believe him and finds him a nuisance while most of the rest of the team seems to appreciate his assistance and are perfectly fine waiting for him to tell them who to arrest, even if they do wish he'd get to the point faster without all the drama. Truthfully, as with many other series along this theme, he's just highly observant thanks to the "training" his father raised him with while he was working with the police himself. 

NCIS: Hawai'i

NCIS: Hawai'i (2021)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Similar to series like CSI, this is part of the NCIS franchise, which also has several spin-offs overlapping in different areas. In this case, the series takes place in Hawaii. Jane Tennant isn't always the focus of each episode, but she plays a key part as the one who runs operations for NCIS in Hawaii. She has a rather complex past that creates a very nuanced character, though she's often mostly portrayed as tough and getting the job done. Even though she has a rocky start when she takes over NCIS, it's pretty clear early on in the series that she has a solid team under her and there's little they won't do for each other. This is especially highlighted as the series continues and some of the cases can get close to home. If you enjoy crime dramas, this is a good one to pick up with lots of material to keep you entertained.