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What TV SHOWS are you watching?

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10 Dec 2018 20:46 #287883 by Sagrilarus
Maisel is back.
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10 Dec 2018 21:50 #287886 by Grudunza

Sagrilarus wrote: Maisel is back.


Yes! And still awesome. First one seemed a little weak, like they were finding their rhythm again or something, but the next three I’ve seen were all great. Man, I love this show.
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10 Dec 2018 22:50 #287891 by san il defanso
Now that the new season of Doctor Who has finished up, I'm left with all sorts of opinions. Here are some of them...

- I love the central performances, particularly The Doctor and Graham. Ryan and Yaz are perfectly good, but still feel a little undercooked as they're written.
- The second half of the season was stronger, when people other than Chris Chibnall were writing for the show.
- In general it has seemed a little less comfortable with the sci-fi elements of the series, such as time travel, monsters, and aliens. Not that those things haven't been there, but they tended to feel somewhat perfunctory.
- In contrast, the show has gotten better at historical stuff. "Rosa," "Demons of the Punjab," and "The Witchfinder" all did really well in evoking a sense of new locations, and found some really good thematic resonance in those new time periods.
- Villains have been woefully underwritten, almost across the board. The only exception is the villains in "The Witchfinder," and then I would limit that to the humans, not the aliens.
- Several of the episodes seemed to be missing a final act. There looked to be a central conflict but then it would sidestep it and sort of miss a proper resolution.
- The show has a more unified tone and look, which is a trade-off. It deadens some of the variety that has marked it in past, but it allows the show to have a clean break in style and gives some nice continuity between episodes.
- There was very little serialization, and indeed very few callbacks to the show in the past. This isn't a problem, more just a hard break with what has come before.

I didn't love the finale, which I thought overcorrected for a lot of the overwrought finales of the RTD and Moffat years by being too underdeveloped and sparse. That's been kind of an overall theme of the year; where before there was often a tendency to go overstuffed and chaotic, here it feels like they really wanted to avoid that and so underwrote a lot of episodes.

The finale was such that it left a bad taste in my mouth from the season, but I like the whole thing on reflection a little more. There were several episodes that managed to find a way through the new tone into something that I really liked. I especially liked "The Woman Who Fell To Earth," "Rosa," "The Witchfinder," and "It Takes You Away." That last one was the highlight for me, really poignant and well-executed while constantly surprising me.

It's definitely a harder break from what came before than the RTD-to-Moffat transition, and I have some disappointment with the underwritten material. I am still excited to see more of it, although waiting until 2020 for the next season is some next-level crap.
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10 Dec 2018 23:01 #287892 by Shellhead
In recent times, I have been watching two shows about time travel. I am also looking for a job right now, which requires an uncomfortable amount of time thinking about my past and talking to strangers about it. So perhaps I am unusually drawn to time travel as a subject, because time travel shows are by nature obsessed with regret and redemption.

DC Legends of Tomorrow features a lot of action and drama, but at its heart is a fun show. A time traveler recruits a team of adventurers to help him save the future from an immortal villain named Vandal Savage. For you DC tv or comic fans, the team consists of Rip Hunter, Atom, White Canary, Firestorm, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and a couple of Flash villains, Captain Cold and Heat Wave. Those villains are played by the same actors who starred in every season of Prison Break. Over the course of the three seasons that I have watched, there have been a variety of guest star characters from history and comics, including George Washington, Helen of Troy, Jonah Hex, and John Constantine. The team changes a bit from season to season, as does the primary bad guy. The show never takes itself completely seriously, though there are some nice emotional beats including sadness or compassion. Some episodes are tributes to influential figures like George Lucas, Elvis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. My favorite episode so far was an homage to the movie Groundhog's Day, funny and wild until it turned sad and sweet near the end. Legends of Tomorrow is my Doctor Who, but it suffers from one recurring story flaw. The time travelers are supposed to address and resolve anachronisms in the time stream, but they always arrive after the problem starts, instead of just before when they could prevent the whole problem.

12 Monkeys works as either a sequel or perhaps even a prequel to the great movie of the same name. Season one is exciting and surprising at times, but treats the subject matter respectfully. The second season is even better, with a few shocking twists, some genuinely spooky scenes, and some amazing cliffhangers. Where Legends romp casually all over history, 12 Monkeys is very focused on about a 30-year time span at first, from 2013 to 2043. Over the course of the show, the show starts veering further into the past and then finally into the future beyond 2043. More importantly 12 Monkeys tackles some interesting ethical questions and doesn't always offer easy answers.

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11 Dec 2018 02:24 - 11 Dec 2018 02:26 #287896 by mc
Replied by mc on topic What TV SHOWS are you watching?

repoman wrote:

mc wrote:

repoman wrote: The Mighty Boosh is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Here is how I describe watching the Mighty Boosh:

First Viewing: What in the hell was that?
Second Viewing: I've no idea what's going on or why I'm smiling
Third Viewing: Laughing so hard I've got tears in my eyes.

The Mighty Boosh is genius!



Tony Harrison is my hero.

For a very very disturbing but mercifully short period my son kept talking like Old Greg. (He hadn't seen it or anything).

Also without seeing it my kids seem to do crimps all the time.


I'd be willing to bet your kids have seen crimps on the Cartoon The Regular Show which stole that bit. Think its The Regular Show...the one with the blue jay and his buddy.


Maybe? I've not heard of it. My partner and I keep pinching ourselves because through no conscious effort our kids just don't watch TV. I don't mean, they stream shit in their rooms, I mean, anything. God knows what they see at school though. More likely that's where it's come from (so maybe indirectly).

Occasionally they watch this graphic human body show called Operation Ouch which has footage of operations and injuries. It's a kids show but I've seen more insides there than anything else on TV.

Oh yeah, and 1960s batman which is currently broadcast here. WTF. They WILL love the Boosh, when they are ready, I feel, based on that.


So speaking of blood and guts I'm watching Santa Clarita diet which veers from mundane stupidity to laugh out loud. Can't quite place that one.

Urgh. Vikings is back on. This is like the Walking Dead where we long long long stopped caring and hate all the characters.... why are we watching? I don't know.


I watched season two of Hip Hop Evolution,,after i watched the first one a month or two ago. I love a good music doco - ones that go beyond talking heads in front of les pauls especially. This is a pretty amazing document. Lots of great period footage and the guy interviews almost everyone, in their living rooms or front porches etc in conversation. There really are only a couple of notable missing faces so far and when you consider he's covering so much - it's impressive. The artists all seem genuinely on board with the guy.... like i said, neatly interspersed with period footage of not only performamces but just other scenes from the eras...it's pretty great. And I'm no hip hop head.
Last edit: 11 Dec 2018 02:26 by mc.

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11 Dec 2018 08:38 #287905 by hotseatgames

mc wrote:
So speaking of blood and guts I'm watching Santa Clarita diet which veers from mundane stupidity to laugh out loud. Can't quite place that one.


A hilarious show!

Finished Narcos: Mexico last night. It confirms a season 2 will happen, which is a good thing.

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11 Dec 2018 08:46 #287906 by charlest
I'm on Maisel bandwagon. Season 2 was great.
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12 Dec 2018 12:59 #288006 by barrowdown
What is this Daniel Tiger fan fic you guys are writing? Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood clearly takes place in an alternate timeline that diverges from the canon Mr. Roger's Land of Make Believe. In MRN's timeline, Mr. Roger's does not exist within the Land of Make Believe, which is somewhat cluttered by earlier episodes that feature people that exist in both the real world and Make Believe (particularly mainstay Betty Amberlin). Grand Pere and Daniel are also completely unrelated whereas in DTN, Grand Pere and Dad Tiger (Daniel Striped Tiger in MRN is closest to Dad Tiger in DTN) are father and son. We also have to ignore how they reduced the greatest character (Lady Elaine Fairchild) to a crappy supporting role and somehow made King Friday not a complete moron.

Prince Wednesday is still the worst, which is good because Price Tuesday (his older brother) is the worst in MRN.
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12 Dec 2018 13:09 #288010 by DarthJoJo
Been enjoying Great News on Netflix. Another woman has the creator credit, but Tina Fey is a producer and it very much feels like a return to 30 Rock. The lead is a producer on a daily news program, John Michael Higgins takes the role of Tracey Morgan as the on-screen talent disconnected from reality after tremendous success, Nicole Richie is a blend of Jane Krakowski’s image obsession and Alec Baldwin’s entrepreneurial spirit, and there’s a fun cast of background characters. The real twist from 30 Rock is the lead’s mother being an intern on the show and meddling in her life. It’s fun.

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13 Dec 2018 09:25 #288067 by Joebot

barrowdown wrote: What is this Daniel Tiger fan fic you guys are writing? Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood clearly takes place in an alternate timeline that diverges from the canon Mr. Roger's Land of Make Believe. In MRN's timeline, Mr. Roger's does not exist within the Land of Make Believe, which is somewhat cluttered by earlier episodes that feature people that exist in both the real world and Make Believe (particularly mainstay Betty Amberlin). Grand Pere and Daniel are also completely unrelated whereas in DTN, Grand Pere and Dad Tiger (Daniel Striped Tiger in MRN is closest to Dad Tiger in DTN) are father and son. We also have to ignore how they reduced the greatest character (Lady Elaine Fairchild) to a crappy supporting role and somehow made King Friday not a complete moron.

Prince Wednesday is still the worst, which is good because Price Tuesday (his older brother) is the worst in MRN.


Ugh, this show. The lack of continuity in the Mr. Rogers Cinematic Universe (MRCU) is appalling.

My daughter watches this show. The little songs that they sing repeatedly throughout an episode are INSIDIOUS. They will worm their way into your head for the rest of the day. Some of them have even become permanent fixtures in my house, like the little ditty for "Try a new food! It might taste good!"
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13 Dec 2018 13:27 #288082 by Sagrilarus

Grudunza wrote:

Sagrilarus wrote: Maisel is back.


Yes! And still awesome. First one seemed a little weak, like they were finding their rhythm again or something, but the next three I’ve seen were all great. Man, I love this show.


We've opted to watch one a week to stretch the entertainment a bit.

Everyone is good in the show. The extras are good. Just about as well crafted a show as has ever been made as far as I'm concerned. The writing is razor sharp. I'd love to know who consults on the standup material.

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13 Dec 2018 13:40 #288083 by charlest

Sagrilarus wrote:

Grudunza wrote:

Sagrilarus wrote: Maisel is back.


Yes! And still awesome. First one seemed a little weak, like they were finding their rhythm again or something, but the next three I’ve seen were all great. Man, I love this show.


We've opted to watch one a week to stretch the entertainment a bit.

Everyone is good in the show. The extras are good. Just about as well crafted a show as has ever been made as far as I'm concerned. The writing is razor sharp. I'd love to know who consults on the standup material.


I've been surprised with the cinematography as well. There have been some really fantastic tracking shots, such as one scene where Midge is in the car on her way back to the city with that new guy. The camera goes up and over the car and I was kind of mesmerized. Reminded me of the opening of Touch of Evil.

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13 Dec 2018 14:15 #288085 by Michael Barnes
Prompted by the comments here and also my kids watching the British Bake-Off, I started watching The Mighty Boosh.

Some of it is incredibly dumb. Some of it is incredibly smart. Some of it is incredibly funny. Some of it is all of the above.

“I want to become a writer.”
“But you haven’t even got a pen.”

(Vince hands a copy of Cheekbone magazine to the bear in the back of the truck”
“What are you doing?!”
“I’m giving him something to read!”
“He’s Russian. Give him this Chekov.”

“It’s the Human League, they invented music”.

Funny stuff. All the Gary Numan jokes are great too.

It reminds me a lot of The Young Ones and other Ben Elton comedies, and that is a good thing. I really like the players (the American dude that plays Mr. Fossil cracks me up). I’ll finish it up this week.
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13 Dec 2018 14:50 #288086 by Sagrilarus
(Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

The flipsie with the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building was pretty cool too.

Each episode features a short bit of stand-up comedy which has been stunningly good. (Of course, they get to write it in advance and do retakes so it should be, but heck, it's TV that's expected.) But halfway through the episode in Paris I was a little curious about how they were going to work it in. They did it with panache, and the interpreter in the club was every bit as good as Maisel was, delivering her 90mph delivery with ease, matching her step for step. Even Maisel was amazed in the scene, clearly giving her a look that she was impressed.

And I think that last part is key to the show. The writers understand that the show is about entertainment and getting good riff in, but you never get the feeling that you're looking at something staged. The characters react to their environment the way you'd expect, keeping a realism that you used to see in Jackie Gleason or Desi Arnaz. Characters laugh in the show. Really a beautifully crafted show.

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13 Dec 2018 16:19 - 13 Dec 2018 16:20 #288088 by ChristopherMD
Finished watching Norsemen. It was pretty good but not as clever as it seems to think it is.
Last edit: 13 Dec 2018 16:20 by ChristopherMD.

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