Why There's No Need For South Park: The Streaming Wars Part 2

While South Park: The Streaming Wars was a solid special for the long-running animated comedy series, it is not one that necessarily needs a sequel. South Park’s historic 2021 deal with Paramount+ means the series will produce 14 feature-length movies for the streaming service, the fifth of which was recently released. Following on from The Pandemic Special, South ParQ Vaccination Special, and the two-part Post-Covid saga, South Park: The Streaming Wars took serialized story elements of season 25 and ran with them.

Cartman’s struggle with living in a hotdog resulted in an unlikely surgery, Stan and Tolkien became involved with numerous “streaming services,” and the water supply of South Park became the subject of a life or death battle between monied interests. The complicated plot of the special eventually left Tolkien’s father missing, a minor character death, and the fate of South Park looking grim. Despite this, though, South Park: The Streaming Wars doesn’t need a Part 2.

The latest South Park special ended on a downbeat note, feeling like the first half of a two-parter that would soon have a more optimistic ending. However, most of the plots left dangling by the ending of South Park: The Streaming Wars (Pi Pi’s alliance with ManBearPig, his control of the town’s water supply, and the continuing environmental impact the streaming wars had on South Park) could be carried into the next season. Meanwhile, the special’s message (that climate change is exacerbated by companies hoping to profit off water scarcity) doesn’t need to be undone with a happy ending. If anything, South Park could prove that the show is serious about addressing the effects of climate change by not giving an easy answer to this dark, bleak story.

As a comedy show, South Park has an almost inevitable tendency to tack on happy endings even when they don’t fit the story being told. While there is nothing wrong with a show as gleefully silly as South Park featuring unrealistic endings, this latest special wouldn’t particularly benefit from one. It was a daring choice to bring back South Park’s biggest mistake, ManBearPig, in a plot that depicted just how big an issue water scarcity is. South Park would only end up undoing the harsh but truthful satire and softening its blows by having everything neatly fixed in South Park: The Streaming Wars Part 2.

Many of the times that South Park has kept ongoing plot threads going across numerous seasons have resulted in mixed reviews. The tiresome Tegridy Farms gag is proof that not every joke needs multiple episodes dedicated to it, while the PC Principal saga was an infamous case of serialization building up to an ending that was less than the sum of its parts. The best way for South Park: The Streaming Wars to avoid South Park's Tegridy Farms problem is by not returning to the story of the special at all, but instead implying that the town will need to deal with Pi Pi and ManBearPig’s scheme going forward. This ending would show how real-life communities also have to combat companies promoting climate change, as well as avoid South Park’s tendency to wrap up messy real-world events with tidy, glib endings.

Dexter: New Blood Star Talks Potential Harrison Spinoff Show Return

Dexter: New Blood star Jack Alcott says he would love to return to the role of Harrison in a potential spinoff. New Blood, which aired on Showtime from November 7, 2021 through January 9, 2022, was a continuation of their hit serial killer series Dexter, which followed the titular sociopath who hunts down and murders bad people, played by Michael C. Hall, who was nominated for five Emmys for the role. After eight seasons, the show went off the air in 2013 with a controversial finale that left fans reeling.

The story continued 10 years later in Dexter: New Blood, which saw Dexter attempting to blend into normal life in a small, secluded town. However, just as keeping his identity a secret and preventing himself from killing are becoming more and more difficult, his estranged son Harrison (Alcott) tracks him down. As the season progressed, Dexter began to worry that Harrison inherited his tendencies, leading to another controversial finale in which he made Harrison shoot him after realizing he could never be the father figure he truly needs.

During an interview with Gold Derby, Alcott was asked if he'd ever want to return to the role, potentially in a spinoff focusing on Harrison. He responded with an enthusiastic "yeah," gushing about the fact that it was eye-opening to be able to spend six months developing and deepening a character. He said he loves Harrison because he's "such an interesting character" combining elements that really resonate with Alcott with traits that are nothing like him whatsoever. Read his full quote below:

"Yeah [I would be open to returning]! Oh my gosh, I mean, that would be… I’ve never gotten to live in a character this complex for this long. To kind of live in a character for six months — and not only live in a character for six months but to be discovering new pieces about him every day and do something you’ve never done before and getting further and further mapped out — [I think that’d be great].

I love Harrison. Like, he’s such an interesting character, and there’s things I love about him and things that I’m like, Wow, that’s just like me. And there’s so many things that I’m like, This could not be farther from myself. And I also want to explore that. So yeah, to get the chance to further map this interesting, complex human being out and be on TV, yeah! Oh my God, Showtime, I’m definitely down for that."

If the series were to continue, Harrison's character would be the obvious one to follow. Given the young actor's enthusiasm for exploring a character through the less time-constrained medium of television, it is certainly a possibility should Showtime choose to go that direction. Although Alcott has appeared in television before, including Ethan Hawke's Showtime limited series The Good Lord Bird, there is clearly something in the character of Harrison that makes him want to dive even deeper.

While Dexter: New Blood had a very definitive ending, there are certainly threads that could be extended into their own series. Although Dexter made his son kill him with the best of intentions, that is a traumatizing experience that might just have triggered him to go down the same path as his father. On the other side of the coin, it may have prevented him from ever wanting to kill, but his association with his father may keep pulling him into situations where he is forced to do so. Any way it is sliced, Harrison's story is far from over.

Why A Schitt's Creek Movie Would Work (Despite Its Perfect Ending)

Despite the series’ perfect conclusion, a movie continuation of Schitt’s Creek would still work, and here's why. Premiering in 2015 on CBC Television, Schitt’s Creek followed the formerly wealthy Rose family as they were forced to relocate and navigate the simple small-town life. While the show had been consistently well-received throughout its six-season run, showrunner Dan Levy, who also played David Rose, wanted to end Schitt’s Creek at the peak of its popularity. In 2020, the series finale was aired, sweeping a historic seven Primetime Emmy Award win, most notably securing all four major acting categories and the Outstanding Comedy Series award. Regardless, a potential Schitt’s Creek movie would easily work for a good reason.

With Levy’s vision to not “compromise on quality or storytelling,” the series finale of Schitt’s Creek saw its characters go down separate paths. After the wedding of David and Patrick (Noah Reid), Johnny (Eugene Levy), Moira (Catherine O'Hara), and Alexis (Annie Murphy) followed their respective dreams and left the eponymous town behind. It had always been the goal of the show to make the Rose family realize how wealth is never the solution to building long-lasting relationships. The people of Schitt’s Creek did not only embrace the Roses, but also transformed them to be genuine, loving versions of themselves.

Schitt’s Creek creator Dan Levy recently discussed the possibility of a movie continuation. Although the show’s perfect ending satisfyingly closed the door on succeeding regular seasons, it still left several possibilities to explore. For instance, the easiest storyline to develop in a potential movie would involve the Rose family reuniting in Schitt’s Creek for a celebration or a special occasion. Perhaps, Alexis Rose, who was theorized to be a spy, had time off from New York and decided to visit. Or maybe, Johnny needed to come back to the eponymous town for a business meeting, with Moira tagging along. In that way, the much-awaited family reunion could still feel organic, capturing the individuality of the main characters while highlighting how much they have each grown since the show concluded. Moreover, it would be an effective way to expand the sitcom’s future without altering or hurting its established spirit.

Regardless, Levy stated that he would initiate a movie continuation only for a good reason. While he could have easily extended the sitcom beyond his 80-episode vision, he did not want to drag out the story and sacrifice its quality in the long run just to gain more viewers or profit. Because of this, no matter how high the demand for more Schitt’s Creek, including a prequel show about Alexis, it would not simply come off as a cash-grab attempt. The future of Schitt’s Creek under Levy’s creative decisions would certainly be respectful of the audience, since, for the most part, he did not make any mistakes throughout the show’s run.

Fortunately, even Schitt’s Creek cast members are willing to return. Annie Murphy, for example, has admitted to hounding Levy with possible storylines for a movie. After all, it would be interesting to learn about the characters’ whereabouts after their long journey to love, self-awareness, and accountability. Although it might not be as heartfelt as the show, a Schitt’s Creek movie could still offer its audience a sense of closure and nostalgia.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Episode 6 Review

One of the best things about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is that the show has a different adventure every week but still does an excellent job of making sure that each and every installment allows the audience to get to know the crew of the Enterprise. It seems as if each episode of the newest Star Trek show intends to dive into the past of a different crew member each week. That doesn't mean that the entire focus is on that crew member; most of the time, the series is also so good because it handles this so subtly. It's usually not until the end of the episode that the watcher realizes that the main goal was to fill in the backstory gaps.

Such is the case in Episode 6 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds as the history of Captain Christopher Pike. While Pike happens to be the character fans of Star Trek have seen on screen the most, thanks to first being in Star Trek: Discovery, there's still plenty of history to fill in for the character. This episode did that deftly, making him come off as just a little more human. That might have been something that needed to be done after five episodes that made him a bit larger than life. He looked like someone who was a bit above it all, now that he's come to terms with his future.

"Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach" is the first Christopher Pike-focused episode of the new series and not only give the audience a better look at what a younger Pike might have been like but also draws the very clear line of distinction as to why some very advanced planets wouldn't be allowed into the Federation. By illustrating that line, the show also tells the tale of the Enterprise as people who are indeed the best among humanity (and other races).

In this episode of Strange New Worlds, the Enterprise crew embark on a mission to the Majalan system, an area on the edge of Federation space that Pike once visited a decade prior during a rescue attempt of a woman that has since risen to a high station in her culture's leadership. It turns out that another rescue mission brings Pike face to face with this woman again. The Enterprise crew also finds themselves tasked with protecting a young child from a kidnapping plot. It's soon established that the child is quite crucial to the Majalan way of life.

The child is known to Majalans as The First Servant and Pike's former love interest; Alora is in charge of retrieving The First Servant and getting him safe and sound back to the planet in time for a ceremony known as The Ascension. Because the Majalans have previously rejected invitation into the Federation, the planet's culture is unknown even to Pike, and a good part of this installment of Strange New Worlds is spent making it quite clear that there is a particular reason for that.

The show does an excellent job of bringing the audience along as the crew members start to wonder just what's up with the ruling class members spending time on board their ship. It doesn't take long for the mystery of the Majalans to start to unravel a little bit, even as more questions arise. This is underlined when it turns out the crew's new Majalan friends are quite advanced scientifically, to the point where they can wipe out a disease that the Federation has still not been able to cure. Unfortunately, those in possession of the cure refuse to share it as the Majalan's secrecy is again reinforced.

Captains of the Enterprise have one very prominent Achilles heel, which tends to be pretty and manipulative alien women. If there is a weakness in this particular episode, it is when Pike and Alora are together, mainly because of how bright and cagey Pike is earlier in the season. Despite obvious questions surrounding The First Servant, Pike finds that the spark that was struck up between him and Alora is still there a decade later. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has watched Star Trek from the original series, on.

The romance between Pike and Alora also introduces one of the laugh-out-loud goofiest moments of the entire Strange New Worlds series. After a spy, who is among those trying to steal The First Servant, is exposed, he goes on the run. Despite being pursued by the royal guard, this spy bests every combatant, making all those he takes on look quite incompetent. That is until Pike can tackle him, further proving his worth to Alora. Not long after, the happy couple retired to her bedroom, showing each other how much they've wanted to hook up for quite a while.

Other things made this episode of Strange New Worlds less than perfect. There were those attempting to kidnap The First Servant who could have avoided quite a bit of work if they had simply explained what was happening. Secrecy was the name of the game when it came to the Majalans, but it sure seemed as if there was a time or two when the biggest secret of them all would have come out. Certainly, the argument could be made that those opposing Alora might not have trusted Pike because he was so close to her.

It's even possible that they weren't clear that the Federation would even step in. Alora does an excellent job of making it clear that the organization that Pike works for is not without its own moral quandaries. Still, the episode of Strange New World's big payoff seems like it could have been avoided altogether if someone had opened their mouth about an hour earlier. This is a problem that shows all over television and streaming regularly have to deal with. It comes because the writers don't want to just tell the audience what the big mystery is. However, it also tends to create unbelievable issues with the plot.