What TV SHOWS are you watching?

I know I’m late to the party but I’ve started season one of True Detective. It’s incredible. I can’t wait for Emily to go to bed so I can watch another episode. The ending of the third episode last night really freaked me out.

My son.binged.Travelers over the last week of snow days. He finished it last night...only to find out they cancelled it yesterday morning.

I burned through the entire 6 episodes of season 1 of Kingdom on Netflix. They need to give me season 2, and fast.

This is a South Korean show set in the age of swords, bows, and flintlock rifles. Add Game of Thrones-level political intrigue, fancy hats, and... zombies.

This show is super well done, gorgeous, and very entertaining.

Black Barney wrote: I know I’m late to the party but I’ve started season one of True Detective. It’s incredible. I can’t wait for Emily to go to bed so I can watch another episode. The ending of the third episode last night really freaked me out.

True Detective season one was an amazing show, but definitely not wholesome entertainment for the whole family. I can't recommend season two, because I found it completely unenjoyable.

Yeah I’m loving it so far and find myself anxious and excited to watch the next episode.

I had also heard bad things about season two, although I’m not sure how I’ll be able to not watch it after season one

Black Barney wrote: I had also heard bad things about season two, although I’m not sure how I’ll be able to not watch it after season one

Each season is intended to be a standalone show with no connections to the other seasons. True Detective is similar to American Horror Story in that regard, except that AHS has brought back a few characters in subsequent seasons. So the only thing that True Detective seasons one and two have in common is the creative team.

Shellhead wrote: So the only thing that True Detective seasons one and two have in common is the creative team.

And actually not even that. Season 1 was the combination of writer NIck Pizzolatto, who had likely nurtured the screenplay for a number of years, tweaking and massaging it to what it became; director Cary Fukunaga, who directed all eight episodes; McConaughey, then at the height of his powers and an exec producer on the show; and Harrelson, always reliable and also an exec producer. Season 1 was Pizzolatto's baby and the nuance and detail showed through. Fukunaga had a singular vision for the show and had complete control of its pacing and intensity (including one of the longest single shots in TV history in episode 4.) McConaughey and Harrelson embodied their characters, who were the central conflict of the story, because there was so much meat to sink into.

But Pizzolatto objected to so many other people being given credit for the success of season 1. He parted ways with Fukunaga, insisting in more than one interview that he, Pizzolatto, was the creative force behind the series. With a much shorter window to write, we found out just how lacking that creative force was in season 2, when his screenplay was somewhere between tortuously obscure and freshman screenwriter at USC simplistic. He had solid actors, albeit not at the level of the previous two stars, but I'm sure both they and the assorted directors had trouble making something workable out of what was a story that really didn't go anywhere, beginning to (supposed) end.

It's been a longer window for season 3. I haven't seen any of it, but I've heard some positive things. At the very least, he's returned to his roots in the Deep South, rather than trying to make another ill-advised statement about California development (think Roger Rabbit, but not making near as much sense.) But he got a couple writing assists on two episodes and had two new directors, plus himself, so I guess we'll see how it turns out.

So are you saying it was the screenwriter or the director that is most responsible for season one? Seems like it has to be the screenwriter. What was that shot in episode four?

Finished season 1 last night, the whole thing was amazing. I could talk about Michelle Monaghan’s character for days. Love Matthews character too

Anyone else have Canadian Crave? I don’t seem to have Logan as one of the HBO movies

So I watch TNG’s Conundrum episode and went to bed

Yeah I think I’ll have to watch season two of True Detective, no choice

The shot in four was the shot that started inside the house in the African American neighborhood, following Rust as he drug the biker guy around. It's maybe the single best sequence in a season full of them.

I think the success of season 1 was a combination of factors. Like I said, I think Pizzolatto's screenplay was something he had babied for a long time. It was a life goal project and it worked. I think having Fukunaga as the only director for the entire series kept a consistency that a fairly complex story might have needed. I think both lead actors being all in (to the point of being producers) kept the entire team on the same page and working toward the same goal, which is not often the case in creative ventures. I think it was a remarkable confluence of circumstances that made an excellent series, even if there are moments where it approaches a rather maudlin viewpoint and in which every female character is largely scenery (again, the essential conflict between the two male leads means that everyone around them is going to be somewhat extraneous.)

My issue with Pizzolatto asserting his primacy in season 2 is that it fractured that working unit; Harrelson and McConaughey were never going to be part of subsequent seasons, but the stories around the Hollywood gossip rags were that Pizzolatto had essentially told Fukunaga not to bother coming back. Saddling himself without a clear hand on the camera, a shorter writing window, and an even more complex story with FOUR leads was a recipe for disaster. And it was.

Black Barney wrote:
Yeah I think I’ll have to watch season two of True Detective, no choice

Season two is terrible, and can (and should) be skipped. The cast is pretty solid (weird, interesting role for Rachel McAdams), but the dialogue and story are awful.

I'm enjoying season 3 though. The story is a slow-burn, but it's keeping me engaged so far. It honestly reminds me a little bit of The Next Generation series finale, "All Good Things ..." when Picard is jumping back and forth between three different time periods. The show does something similar with Mahershala Ali's character, who may or may not be losing his mind. It's pretty interesting. And again, the cast is great, with some very impressive performances.

A friend recommended Titans so I checked out the first couple episodes and was blown away. I was expecting some kind of high school teen titans show and its really the opposite. Dick Grayson is a cop in Detroit after he splits from Batman because he was "becoming too much like him". He goes out as Robin at night and uses all Batmans' moves when fighting and this show doesn't hold back on brutality. Show also has a good sense of humor and some fine writing. I know everyone's burned out on superhero shows but this is still worth a look.

Sex education: amazing how the soundtrack of a modern teenage show is all from my teenage years. Not sure about the show yet.

Sherlock: re watching this with my daughter.fist season down. Still one of the best shows.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (not great)
Russian Doll (great except for ending)
Great British Bake Off
Orville (even better than last season)
Maniac (really good)

The ABC Murders on Amazon Prime

I think the first and one of the few Agatha Christie books I ever read was The ABC Murders. I was in my mid teens and don't remember being very impressed. The crux of the book is that a traveling salesman is killing people in alphabetical order using a "railway guide" which is like an early phone book type thing listing peoples addresses and name. Of course that's not revealed until the end of the book.

The show, wisely, understands that if you are an Agatha Christie fan then the mystery is already well known to you. Therefore it takes a very different approach. In "Columbo" style there is no mystery surrounding who the killer is. They mystery is how the hero detective solves the crime. They've also made it a cat and mouse type affair where the killer is sending taunting letters, ala Letters from Whitechapel, to the detective as he proceeds on his killing spree.

Another aspect that is changed, or at least my hazy memory doesn't recall it being a key aspect of the story, is that Hercule Perot is depicted as an aged and spent has been. He is not celebrated as a hero but rather despised as a busy body.

John Malkovich is great as you would expect and if you, like me, spend an hour wracking your brain trying to remember where you've seen the actress with that distinctive voice playing the killer's land lady before, she is Shirley Henderson who played Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films.