Amazing how quick a year went by! I remember it like yesterday when I told my daughter about my decision to write episodic reviews of selected TV shows as a hobby. She, being the most wonderful and positive person that I know, said “Yay” with a bright smile and offered her help, if needed, with the artwork on the site – yes, she is talented. The Durg retro TV header icon on my site, the headers and banners on the episode-review pages, as well as the banner of my Twitter profile come from her. Our conversation took place around the middle of February in 2018 and a couple of weeks later, ‘Durg’s TV Show Reviews’ was born. My first “welcome” post went up on March 9th, 2018, exactly one year ago today.

My aim was to review each episode of a brand-new show as soon as it began airing. In other words, I was not to review a show that had already began or finished its run. I wanted to “live” through the show’s progress with the rest of its followers. Yes, it’s a roll of the dice, because the show may turn out different than anticipated. Yet, isn’t the mystery of a brand-new show part of the reason why we choose to discover it by watching? My commitment to publishing episodic reviews meant that I would continue doing so until the series either got canceled or reached its conclusion.

I approached the task as a hobby simply because I have my “regular life” to lead which includes, oh you know, things like work, family-related responsibilities, etc. I promised to myself that I would be very selective with shows, only choosing to review the ones that appealed to my tastes. I also decided not to review more than two shows simultaneously. I do not have the time to write more than two reviews per week. I put time and effort into my writing and compromising on the quality and detail of the reviews due to time constraints was not an option. My aim has always been to post my reviews within 48 hours of the episode’s airtime.

The verdict after one year: I never thought it would be this much fun! I have a few more followers than I thought I would have at this point (I’ve only reviewed three shows so far and I don’t really promote them other than posting updates on Twitter). It is wonderful to discuss on a weekly basis with followers of the show in question and receive feedback.

The first show that I began reviewing was Instinct (CBS), a charming procedural, so to speak, that got renewed for a second season set to air in 2019, with Alan Cumming and Bojana Novakovic as the lead duo. Next, I reviewed the first season of Killing Eve (BBC America) starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. The international crime-spy thriller, with the quirky and unique touch of showrunner Phoebe Waller-Bridge, earned widespread accolades in 2018 and got renewed for a second season (starting April 7th). The third and most recent show I reviewed is Manifest (NBC), the supernatural drama that was one of the biggest surprises of the 2019 winter season in terms of ratings. NBC has not officially announced a second season as of today, but there is little doubt at this point that the network will do so.

Manifest having ended its first season two weeks ago, I am currently not reviewing any shows. It’s not because I did not search for one, but rather because I could not find a brand-new show starting in the Spring season that piqued my interest. I am therefore waiting for Killing Eve’s second-season debut on April 7th to resume. If you have any suggestions of new shows, feel free to let me know. You can leave a reply below, email me at durg@reviewsbydurg.com, or tell me on Twitter. Remember, it must be a new show, with a weekly airing schedule.

Thank you for reading my reviews and feel free to contact me anytime!  

PS1: You can find the links to all my episode reviews by clicking on “All Reviews” at the top.

PS2: Follow Durg on Twitter and Facebook

Penultimatepisode-itis is the term I use to refer to the disease that has been crippling TV shows for as long as I have been a steadfast follower of primetime TV, the one causing penultimate episodes to be treated like fleeting after-thoughts by the writers, with little tender-loving care, as if they solely exist to announce in one for or another, “next week in the season finale…” — Side note: Both the term and the diagnosis are my own, no credible source cited (read: Love it or leave it).

Greetings, dear reader. I will keep this introduction brief and later post more on Durg’s Reviews on the “about” page, when I find the time. In fact, I should underline that phrase, “when I find the time,” because I plan to post episodic reviews of TV series only when other occupations (substantial part of which involve writing) allow me to do so. This is the reason for which I am starting with one show at first, and perhaps adding a second one shortly after. Beyond that, I cannot be sure.

Nevertheless, I promise that once I begin reviewing a new show’s episodes, starting with the pilot, there is a 99.5% chance that I will continue to do so until that particular show gets canceled or ends its natural run. In case you are wondering about the other 0,5%, it represents that rare case where the show turns out to be so dismal that I opt to no longer waste a single minute of my time watching and reviewing it.

Anyone who knows me well can tell you that I follow many TV series and cherish discussing them with friends and family. If they alone were to read and enjoy my reviews, I would be happy. I am hoping though that by maintaining Durg’s Reviews, I can reach others too. On a personal level, this exercise should prove useful in honing my writing skills in a language that I have now spoken for three decades without ever, at least in my opinion, mastering it like a native speaker.

My plan has always been to begin with a brand-new show; however, new series are mostly launched by networks and companies in the fall or in January. Here I was in late February and there were only a handful of them set to start in March or April. I still found two that piqued my interest. I decided to start with the new CBS crime drama called Instinct, premiering on March 18th. Time permitting, I plan to add Killing Eve (on BBCAmerica) premiering on April 8th.

The reviews will be posted a day or two after the episode airs and they will include spoilers. My next post, in the upcoming days, will be a preview of Instinct. I will then begin reviewing the episodes in the days after they air, starting with the pilot. I hope you will join me in watching them. It’s always fun to write reviews on a show watched by others and rewarding to discuss the episodes with those who have seen them.

Please do not hesitate to comment on my reviews or give me feedback on this site. You can use the comments area at the bottom of posts or email me (Durg@ReviewsByDurg.com). I am also on Twitter and Facebook.

As for the name “Durg,” suffice it to say (ehm… pausing), I am a big Trekkie and Durg was an alien character from a rather mediocre episode, to be honest, of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Why choose his name instead of another among thousands from the Trek universe? Well (pausing and clearing throat again), I happen to own the original costume worn by the actor who played Durg, and I look super cool and nerdy in it. So there! If you are a hater and this makes you shiver about the possibility of me posting reviews of Star Trek shows, fret not! This blog is strictly for reviewing brand new series, of that I assure you.

See you next time!