What TV SHOWS are you watching?

So it turns out that my wife and I had watched the first episode of OA when it first came out. About ten minutes in I thought to myself "I've seen this before" but didn't say anything, because my wife can usually do that ten seconds after the opening music ends. A few minutes after my realization she chimed in. But we watched it again since it's been a few years.

It's on the list now. Don't know if we'll go the distance with it, but we've caught up on our other stuff so it may get a good run.

Found and queued up Into the Badlands. Don't know if it's my wife's kind of thing but I may use it as my show to watch when she's out.

Watched the first two episodes of season two of Hannibal. It's frustrating. The season starts out with a massive spoiler for a big deal that will apparently happen at the end of season two. Fuck, who thought that was a good idea? Then the plot gets stuck in first gear, because poor Will is locked up and everybody think he is guilty. Looks like most of this season will is going to be a slow buildup to the spoiled scene. It was fun watching Hannibal take over Will's job, and the scenes with the exceptionally chilly Gillian Anderson suggest a big potential scene in the near future. I am hopeful that we will get a flashback to a certain traumatic scene from her past, but it might be even better to leave it somewhat shrouded in mystery.

Am finally getting around to Peaky Blinders. I love it. My girlfriend is kind of being dragged along by being in the same room when I'm watching, but I've noticed her starting to really pay attention. At its root, it's a crime drama, which is nothing innovative. But the setting/time period is what makes it for me; right in the heart of the postwar period when communists inspired by the revolution in Russia, Finians inspired by the rebellion in Ireland, and veterans demoralized by what they've returned to are all creating an upheaval in the midst of a still-transforming society and economy where comprehensive public services are kind of a distant fantasy.

When we turned HBO back on for GoT, I also managed to catch up with the first three episodes of the last season of Veep. It remains the funniest show on TV. Since they've decided to play up the presidential campaign, they're being a bit more bizarre in the overall humor tone, but it's totally working. It also gives that many more openings for Richard (Sam Richardson) to give his endlessly positive unintentional rebukes.

I think Cillian Murphy really elevates Peaky Blinders as well. Although I'd say he elevates almost anything he's in.

I'd agree with that. He's definitely the strongest actor there, but that probably has something to do with his being the strongest/largest role. I'm a little non-plussed with Sam Neill, but I've never really been a fan of his.

charlest wrote: I think Cillian Murphy really elevates Peaky Blinders as well. Although I'd say he elevates almost anything he's in.

I’ve watched all of Peaky Blinders and enjoyed it. It has its weaknesses (especially in the repeated season plotting of “Don’t go up against Billy/London/the Russians/the Americans, Tommy. They’re too dangerous.” And then he does.), but it was the performances and production and music that kept me coming back.

I love me some Cillian Murphy, but his performance was on auto-pilot. He was always the coolest man in the room, never without a plan. Helen McCrory and whoever played Arthur, though, really impressed me, even when their material was weaker in later seasons. And the other brother’s gypsy wife was on Detectorists in a much different role!

Shellhead wrote: The rest of my top five is Firefly and Veronica Mars, two great shows that got canceled in the middle of a season.

I also quite liked Veronica Mars. Apparently Hulu will have new episodes late July.

DarthJoJo wrote: And the other brother’s gypsy wife was on Detectorists in a much different role!

Aimee Ffion-Edwards. I had to double check because yeah, two really different performances!

Also thank you for mentioning Detectorists which is possibly my most favourite show for the last few forevers.

Started watching the new season of Santa Clarita Diet last night, and I haven't laughed so much in a while! This show is truly hilarious, and if you have Netflix you should check it out.

The premise is that Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant are husband and wife realtors. Drew contracts a zombie virus and becomes undead. Hijinx ensue.

Joebot wrote:
I liked the first book a lot, but even if it's not your thing, I think it's important to note the impact that Martin has had on the fantasy genre. At that point (1996), what was the most popular fantasy series going on?? Probably Terry Brooks, David Eddings, maybe Dragonlance. That is fucking DIRE.

So then Martin comes along and decides to play it straight. No cutesy hobbits or fey elves or wise old wizards. Warfare is brutal, politics are worse. Characters die and justice is a long time coming (if ever). Magic is weird and unknown, and dragons are terrifying. Martin paved the way for authors like Steven Erikson, China Mieville, Joe Abercrombie, etc. I think Martin deserves credit for pushing the boundaries, and getting fantasy out of the genre ghetto.

Gotta give Glen Cook some credit for this, though I suppose he was never as popular as all that. Just the idea that a guy would come back from Vietnam and then write a book about a bunch of soldiers deeply mired in their own survival who slowly come to realize thay’re basically fighting on the side of Sauron. Wow. Blew my mind when I was a kid.

hotseatgames wrote: Started watching the new season of Santa Clarita Diet last night, and I haven't laughed so much in a while! This show is truly hilarious, and if you have Netflix you should check it out.

The premise is that Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant are husband and wife realtors. Drew contracts a zombie virus and becomes undead. Hijinx ensue.

Episode 5 of the latest season was hilarious. I was in hysterics. The writing and timing was excellent.

Joebot wrote:

Michael Barnes wrote: I think it’s cute that people still think that Martin will “finish” the books. It ain’t ever gonna happen. The show has overtaken the books in such a way that there is absolutely no incentive whatsoever for anyone involved to write, what, an “alternate” last act?

I only read part of the first book but I thought it was unbearable. The show makes it much easier to digest the food and bad parts of the story. I don’t know why anyone would read the books over watch the show at this stage.

What is likely to happen is that after He does there will be some kind of rough/unfinished version of whatever it was he was working on before the show outstripped the books.

It's crazy to think that book 5 came out roughly about the same time as the series pilot. Since then, the show has gone 8 seasons, and he hasn't published anything except some "fake history" books that no one was asking for. I agree that Martin likely will never finish the series. He's got "Fuck you money" at this point.

I liked the first book a lot, but even if it's not your thing, I think it's important to note the impact that Martin has had on the fantasy genre. At that point (1996), what was the most popular fantasy series going on?? Probably Terry Brooks, David Eddings, maybe Dragonlance. That is fucking DIRE.

So then Martin comes along and decides to play it straight. No cutesy hobbits or fey elves or wise old wizards. Warfare is brutal, politics are worse. Characters die and justice is a long time coming (if ever). Magic is weird and unknown, and dragons are terrifying. Martin paved the way for authors like Steven Erikson, China Mieville, Joe Abercrombie, etc. I think Martin deserves credit for pushing the boundaries, and getting fantasy out of the genre ghetto.

Dragonlance really had its hey day in the 80s -- the 90s was basically just the spin-off stories, by then Weiss and Hickman were onto the Death Gate Cycle, which is not bad. TSR really shifted focus to Forgotten Realms and they fired up Spelljammer, Ravenloft, and Dark Sun in their quest for over-saturation.

Other decent stuff going on:

Robert Jordan was busy pumping out the Wheel of Time

Robin Hobbs had the Farseer Trilogy, which wasn't bad -- kind of a darker focus and centered on relationships more.

Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is pretty good (especially for the 90s)

My favorite book of the decade might be Tigana

Space Ghost wrote: Dragonlance really had its hey day in the 80s -- the 90s was basically just the spin-off stories, by then Weiss and Hickman were onto the Death Gate Cycle, which is not bad. TSR really shifted focus to Forgotten Realms and they fired up Spelljammer, Ravenloft, and Dark Sun in their quest for over-saturation.

Aye. I feel that the Death Gate Cycle to be underrated. I'd even go so far as to say that it is better than their dragonlance stuff, as a complete work.

It has less generic fantasy tropes, and pushes a couple envelopes with some interesting concepts here and there.

I read The Eye of the World and was done with Robert Jordan. The opening is okay, and the villain in the final confrontation is interesting. But otherwise, the story felt very padded out, and apparently the subsequent books became absolutely notorious for padding. It was as though Jordan was getting paid by the word. Jordan seemed to equate youth with stupidity, as all the young main characters were constantly making ridiculously idiotic decisions. And in lieu of actual character development, Jordan seemed content to assign his main characters signature quirks, like braid-tugging and skirt-smoothing. The Eye of the World was so bad that I lost some respect for the friend who loaned it to me. I hope that nobody ever tries to make a tv show out that series.

GorillaGrody wrote:

Joebot wrote:
I liked the first book a lot, but even if it's not your thing, I think it's important to note the impact that Martin has had on the fantasy genre. At that point (1996), what was the most popular fantasy series going on?? Probably Terry Brooks, David Eddings, maybe Dragonlance. That is fucking DIRE.

So then Martin comes along and decides to play it straight. No cutesy hobbits or fey elves or wise old wizards. Warfare is brutal, politics are worse. Characters die and justice is a long time coming (if ever). Magic is weird and unknown, and dragons are terrifying. Martin paved the way for authors like Steven Erikson, China Mieville, Joe Abercrombie, etc. I think Martin deserves credit for pushing the boundaries, and getting fantasy out of the genre ghetto.

Gotta give Glen Cook some credit for this, though I suppose he was never as popular as all that. Just the idea that a guy would come back from Vietnam and then write a book about a bunch of soldiers deeply mired in their own survival who slowly come to realize thay’re basically fighting on the side of Sauron. Wow. Blew my mind when I was a kid.

Black Company, hell yeah! I read about 5 or 6 of those books for the first time, just within the past few years. Loved it. That stuff was way ahead of its time. It was also freaking WEIRD in a really fun way. The mental image of the flying whales really sticks with me.