Tag: pacing issues

Spoiler-Free Review of “56 Days” on Prime Video: A Guilty Pleasure Thriller to Get You Through the Weekend

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“I think secrets are destructive…”

56 Days premiered on Prime Video on February 18th 2026 with all eight episodes available to stream now. The limited erotic thriller series (based on the novel of the same name) stars Dove Cameron, Avan Jogia, Karla Souza, Dorian Missick, and Megan Peta Hill. Each episode is approximately 48-52 minutes long.

After Oliver and Ciara meet in a supermarket, they begin an intense relationship with one another, but when a corpse turns up 56 days later in Oliver’s apartment, dark secrets from their past are revealed, potentially connecting them to the murder.

Here is the trailer:

56 Days is a trashy, but intriguing enough thriller with a few surprises along the way. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Prime Video

Undeniable chemistry between the leads.

Dove Cameron is so gorgeous and absolutely electric in this. I thought the chemistry between Ciara and Oliver was off the charts. If you enjoy steamy, guilty pleasure thrillers, there’s plenty of juicy moments in this one.

Without the fantastic chemistry, I wouldn’t have been as invested.

Images courtesy of Prime Video

A mystery that pays off in the end.

I found this series fairly easy to binge-watch. It took a while for the mystery to unfold, but I thought it got better and better as the episodes continued. I didn’t know who to trust and I was shocked at a few of the reveals, which worked in the show’s favor.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Prime Video

Too much time spent on side characters and sub-plots.

Be prepared for a lot of time jumps. Everything felt very chaotic at first, but I think the transitions between the past and present day plots eventually became more seamless. That being said, I much preferred to watch what was happening in the past involving Oliver and Ciara.

We spent way too much time with the detectives in present day. I get that we needed to see what was going on with the case, but we also spent quite a bit of time fleshing out their characters with excess fluff involving their personal lives. I think this slowed down the overall pacing.

This series should have only been about six episodes or it might have worked better as a film. They just dragged too many things out to fill time, which was frustrating.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Prime Video

I’m in!

56 days is soapy and very pretty to look at with a few worthy thrills and reveals sprinkled into the mix.

If you enjoy guilty pleasure thrillers, there’s enough here for you to indulge in.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on 56 Days in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

DON’T TAKE THE JOB…

It was only supposed to be temporary…but when Olivia Crewe accepts a new position that seems too good to be true, she soon discovers that twelve other girls previously had the same job as her. Only none of them lasted for more than thirty days. No notice. Nothing…right before they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

My supernatural thriller Girl Number Thirteen is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Girl Number Thirteen is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “The Burbs” on Peacock: Keke Palmer Shines in this Quirky Mystery Reboot

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!**

“These people are CRAZY…”

The Burbs premiered on Peacock on February 8th 2026 with all eight episodes available to stream now. The mystery comedy series (based on the 1989 film, The Burbs) stars Keke Palmer, Jack Whitehall, Kapil Talwalkar, and Julia Duffy. Each episode runs for approximately 40 to 42 minutes.

Newlyweds, Rob and Samira relocate to his childhood home in the suburbs with their baby, but Samira begins to suspect that her new neighbor across the street may be hiding deadly secrets connected to her husband’s past.

Here is the trailer:

The Burbs has a solid cast and some fun moments sprinkled in, but does it do enough to earn a watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Peacock

Keke Palmer steals the show!

She is the BEST part of the series by far and the main reason I tuned into this one. I thought she was absolutely fantastic and I loved her character. Some of the other neighbors were fun as well, but without her, a lot of things probably wouldn’t have landed.

Images courtesy of Peacock

Solid second half.

In a lot of ways, this show reminded me of a mash-up of Desperate Housewives and Only Murders in the Building with a few Easter eggs and cameos thrown into the mix for fans of the original film starring Tom Hanks.

It took a while to find its way, but I thought the second half of the series was a lot of fun and a few of the twists caught me by surprise.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Peacock

Longer than it needed to be.

There were definitely some pacing issues with this one. I thought the first half of the series was very slow and I almost tuned out a few times. Keke Palmer kept me invested, but there was a lot of fluff and extra stuff that slowed down everything surrounding the main mystery.

A lot of the humor didn’t land for me either, but I think this improved in the second half of the series. The first half just felt very unsure of itself, but we eventually got there.

We’re left with a cliffhanger at the end of season 1 so I will be annoyed if this doesn’t get picked up for a second season, but we’ll have to wait and see.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Peacock

I’m in about 75 percent…

The Burbs takes a while to get going, but there is a solid mystery at its core worth digging into.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Burbs in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

THIS COMPETITION IS KILLER…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

Scream Hunt is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!

Spoiler-Free Review of “Long Bright River” on Peacock: Amanda Seyfried Stars in this Emotional Crime Mystery Series

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“Every single one of your actions is a choice…”

Long Bright River premiered on Peacock on March 13th 2025 with all eight episodes available to stream now. The limited crime drama series (based on the novel of the same name) stars Amanda Seyfried, Nicholas Pinnock, Ashleigh Cummings, and John Doman. Each episode runs for approximately 50-53 minutes.

When a series of murders involving young women occur in Philadelphia, a cop named Mickey suspects that there may be a connection to her own sister’s disappearance, leading her down a dangerous path to discover the truth.

Here is the trailer:


Long Bright River is very similar to Mare of Easttown with an emotional mystery at its core and a strong female lead. Is it worthy of YOUR next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Peacock

A layered mystery with emotional connections.

I thought the core mystery here was a solid one. I was invested more because of the believable bond between these sisters. Their relationship was far from perfect, but it made it more realistic and I truly felt Amanda Seyfried’s desperate struggle to find out the truth. I was engrossed until the very end and I thought the final reveal was a good one that kept me guessing.

Images courtesy of Peacock

Amanda Seyfried gives a note-worthy performance.

She’s the main reason why I tuned into this particular series and I thought she carried it in so many ways. She was believable, compelling, and very interesting to watch on screen. Her character was flawed in a lot of ways, but Seyfried clearly understood that with her portrayal.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Peacock

Draining at times.

The episodes here were a little too long for my liking. The first two episodes felt extremely sluggish, but thankfully things turned around by the time I got to episode 3.

I also think this series tried to cover too much. This often happens when series attempt to bring over as many details as possible from a book, but I think it took away slightly from the main mystery, which was interesting enough on its own.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Peacock

I’m in about 75 percent…

Long Bright River is an emotional, gripping crime series with a solid performance by Amanda Seyfried.

There were some pacing issues to deal with, but I think the series got better and better with each episode.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Long Bright River in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A VACATION TO DIE FOR…

Blood Rose Island Ad

When sisters, Nina and Gemma are vacationing in Hawaii with their friends, they get invited to an exclusive party on a private island that seems too good to be true. There’s only one rule…they can’t miss their ferry at midnight or they’ll have to wait until morning to leave the island. Only they didn’t realize that breaking this rule meant they would be hunted down on the island one by one.

Who will make it off the island alive?

I hope you enjoy my island thriller!

Blood Rose Island is available here!

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Spoiler-Free Review of “Never Let Go” on Demand: Halle Berry’s Latest Thriller Has Its Ups and Downs…

*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“If the evil touches you, it makes you do bad things…”

Never Let Go released in theaters on September 20th 2024 and is now available to watch on Demand as of October 11th 2024. The psychological thriller horror film stars Halle Berry, Percy Daggs IV, and Anthony B. Jenkins. It runs for approximately an hour and forty minutes.

A mother and two sons live alone in the woods when an evil takes over the world. The only way to survive is to stay connected to their house at all times to stop the evil from reaching them, but when one of the sons begins to question if the evil is real or not, their lives are put in danger.

Here is the trailer:

Never Let Go has some creepy and shocking moments built in to its plot, but does it do enough to be worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Images courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Welcome back to horror, Halle Berry!

I loved her in the film, Gothika and it was great to see her in another horror film. Halle Berry is such an exceptional actress and she always puts forth a believable and compelling energy, elevating whatever project she’s in. I thought she was terrific in this one.

The actors who played her sons did a solid job as well and I was very pleased to discover that Percy Daggs IV is the son of Percy Daggs III (Wallace from Veronica Mars). The talent definitely runs in the family!

Images courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Keeps you guessing.

While I’m still not sure how I feel about a lot of the reveals, this film definitely kept me guessing. I was intrigued to find out more and there were lots of twists and turns along the way. There were some creepy moments working in this film’s favor. It didn’t scare me at all and a lot felt watered down, but the overall vibe was certainly interesting.

The Cons:

Images courtesy of Lionsgate Films

Super slow pacing.

This was frustrating because this film had so much potential. It felt like it was three hours long. Everything just really dragged.

I also had so many unanswered questions by the time I got to the end of the film. I’m fine with the ending, but we were given several pieces of the puzzle early on that were never addressed.

So am I in or out?

Images courtesy of Lionsgate Films

I’m 50/50 on this one…

Never Let Go is excruciatingly slow, but it does throw in a few twists to keep us invested. Plus, Halle Berry gives it her all, which we always LOVE to see!

I personally liked Arcadian a lot better, which had a similar vibe, but there were a few sprinkles of potential here.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Never Let Go in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

A Halloween they’ll never forget…

Scream Hunt Halloween

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

My young adult horror thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt is available here!

**If you enjoyed this blog, I would love it if you would click the follow button on your way out to subscribe.  Thanks for your support!