Steven Helmer Publications

Even though I like watching television, I rarely watch a show when it first airs. This is because networks have very short leashes and I have no interest in getting invested in a series only to see a cancellation after only a few episodes. To be fair, there are plenty of series out there that probably shouldn't have even gotten to a first season but there are also just as many that were cancelled out of impatience despite plenty of shows taking more than one season to find their audience ( M*A*S*H comes to mind). Here are four I personally think should have been given more than one season. Forever (2014) I love a good mystery and this Ioan Gruffudd -led series about a doctor who, much like a video game character, respawns whenever he is killed, had plenty of them. Why couldn't he die? How old was he? Why did he always respawn near water? Throw in the fact it was also a crime drama, and you have a series that, if given more time, could have gone down a number of different road...

Synopsis : After moving to Oregon with their mother, two brothers discover a seemingly bottomless hole hidden under a trap door in the basement of their new home. Soon after, their deepest fears begin manifesting themselves and putting their lives in danger. Who's in it? Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett , Nathan Gamble, Bruce Dern and Teri Polo star in the movie. Review: I ended up watching The Hole the other day, mostly because of a mix of boredom and not finding anything else. I vaguely remembered watching this movie in the past but not enough to know if it was a film I had enjoyed. I still don't remember my opinion from the first time I saw it but my opinion today is a good one. There were a couple things I really liked about this movie. The first was, unlike so many other horror films, there wasn't an unneeded an emphasis on blood and gore and did not throw in any gratuitous nude scenes (unless you count Bennett wearing a bikini when swimming). Instead, the movie focus...

Synopsis: When Stephanie Falkner comes to Perry Mason to discuss an offer she's been made on a casino she inherited from her murdered father, Mason's long-time client Homer Garvin, Sr., asks the attorney to also meet with the prospective buyer, both to protect Stephanie and to represent his 15 percent stake. The buyer, George Casselman, is later found murdered, Stephanie becomes the primary suspect with Garvin charged as an accessory, putting Mason in a position to defend both, something that becomes more complicated when Mason's attempt to create confusion over the murder weapon backfires and has him facing potential charges as well. Review: I wasn't able to obtain a copy of The Case of the Long-Legged Models when I first read through Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason series. So, when I was able to finally get it through my local library, I made sure to have it in time for my three-day weekend. Unfortunately, while I have enjoyed most Perry Mason books, this on...

Synopsis: Bart Bromley is a 23-year-old with Asperger syndrome who lives in his mom's basement and works the night shift at a local hotel desk. To help with his social awkwardness, Bart studies hotel guests via secret cameras he has hidden in one of the rooms. When one of the cameras shows a guest being murdered, Bart tries to save her but is too late and, because he doesn't want to tell the police about the cameras, becomes a suspect in her death. He is transferred to a different hotel, where he meets and becomes obsessed with another guest, Andrea Rivera. However, he soon learns Andrea is mixed up with Nick Perretti, the same man he saw committing murder. Who's in it? The movie stars Tye Sheridan, Ana de Armas, Helen Hunt, John Leguizamo and  Johnathon Schaech . Review : I came across The Night Clerk on one of my movie channels yesterday morning and was intrigued enough to give it a try yesterday evening. The movie, as it turns out, wasn't quite what I was suspect...

There are times when I think I missed my calling and should have been involved in television. For one, I think I'd do a better job writing some of the episodes I've seen. However, I also am a person who sees missed opportunities when it comes to television series spin-offs. I've listed some in the past (you can read that here ). Here are a few more I think would have been great. Jenny - Doctor Who To be honest, I'm a little surprised Jenny (Georgia Moffett) never appeared in more than one episode of the series because the Doctor's "daughter," created using his DNA was such an intriguing character. In a way, she was a reboot of the Doctor, possessing his Time Lord powers but without the hundreds of years of experience using them. A spin-off series featuring her would have been fun to watch, even if it was just a limited series. Rachel Greene - Friends This would, of course, take place in an alternate universe where Rachel ( Jennifer Aniston ) didn't giv...

We are in the "fake spring" period of February with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. I decided to put one of my trail cameras out yesterday as a result, setting it on my patio table, facing one of my bird feeders. As has often been the case, I didn't see a whole lot of birds eating out of it. However, the neighborhood squirrels continue to be big fan. I managed to get a couple photos as a result. Here they are: __________________________________________________________________ Here are some other trail camera photos: Trail Camera Photos (11/10/2024-11/12/2024) Trail Camera Photos (10/3/2024 - 10/4/2024) Trail Camera Photos (4/7/2025-4/8/2025) Trail Camera Photos (5/22/2025-5/23/2025)