TV 2021 TV DISCUSSION

[Eoae]

2 hours ago, Zimbra said:

Re: Archer I'm way more forgiving than most about the chances they took with the theme seasons and mixing things up, but without Jessica Walter there's no show.  At most I would say do a mega-episde/mini-movie thing wrapping up the show with them dealing with the aftermath of Mallory's death.

Oh, conceptually, I like where they took the show.  If you just describe the new setup and basic plot to someone,Archer Vice, Archer-ana Jones, Archer in Space, etc. sound really funny.  For me, anyway, the setup was funnier than the execution.  I didn't laugh much during the coma seasons.  The earlier seasons don't land with me like they do other people, but I found them reasonably amusing.  I'm not really a comedy fan, truth be told.

I think you can do the show without Mallory, and I'm not going to be bothered if they try.  I just don't think this show needs to keep going.  It's got 12 seasons in the can and managed to reinvent itself several times.  Fairly sure everyone involved has made a nice pile of money.  Maybe the creators have one great season in them that they really want to tell, but the odds are good that the show has peaked creatively.  Walters was apparently beloved enough that this seems like a natural stopping point.

[Tabe]

I've been watching clips of Breaking Bad on Youtube lately and they got me wanting to finally watch Better Call Saul.  I have previously watched season 1 not long after it hit Netflix but have absolutely zero recollection of it.  Not even a hint of "yeah, I vaguely remember this" familiarity.  I only remember liking it a lot.  So this is a fresh watch, essentially.

I'm a little way into season 3 and, well...

I'm bored.  

The pacing on this show is brutal.  Waaaaaaaay too many scenes that are 3+ minutes long that should be 45-90 seconds.  Way too many scenes of just nothing.  Feels like Vince Gilligan took all the (mostly rightly earned) praise for Breaking Bad and let it get to his ego so he's out to prove how artistic he is at every opportunity.  At this point, I don't even much care if some things end up with a resolution (Does Chuck's condition ever get sorted out?  I don't care.  It's a contrivance and annoying as heck.)  And so on.  And no, I don't buy Jimmy/Saul telling on himself at the end of season 2.  Nope.

I'm not hating the show but there's absolutely no doubt the only reason I'm still watching is that I'm very invested in the Saul/Mike/Gus characters from BB and want to see how they come into their final forms.  Without that angle, I'd have given up quite awhile ago.

[RandomAct]

That's wild because I actually enjoy BCS a good bit more than I did Breaking Bad. To answer your question without spoiling, yes, there is an endgame to Chuck's condition, and it is more or less what drives the rest of the series.  Also, if you stick with it, you're probably going to really like Kim, as she becomes the best character on the show imo.

[Craig H]

At this point, I think BCS is better than BB. And Kim is my favorite character on TV not named Roy Kent. 

[Technico Support]

On 8/16/2021 at 9:43 PM, Curt McGirt said:

The trailer makes it look really half-baked. I'm avoiding it unless y'all say otherwise. Sadly most Starz originals look like that to me. 

 

Speaking of Starz originals, I'm watching Counterpart on Amazon and it's really good.  So of course I just read that it was cancelled after two seasons.  Oh well.  Hopefully, it doesn't end on too much of a cliffhanger.

On 8/16/2021 at 10:52 PM, elizium said:

After watching the first two seasons back when they first aired, decided to pick up with season 3 and start catching up on Fear the Walking Dead. Still a pretty up and down show, but season 3 and now season 4 have been a marked improvement over what I remember from the first 2 seasons.

But what I really want to talk about is how it is pretty clear (and awesome) that someone on the production team is a big Deadwood fan. Beyond Kim Dickens as the star, you have Charlie Utter and Reverend Smith becoming major characters in season 3 and now Jack McCall and Francis Wolcott have both shown up in season 4.

Show might not be much but I'll stick with it if they keep coming

I won't spoil too much (and scroll down if you don't want to read anything about the show's future)  but I'll tell you I stopped watching after it became an entirely different show eventually.  The show changed showrunners and they swapped out like 95% of the cast for a whole new cast.  It was insane.

On 8/21/2021 at 10:55 PM, Contentious C said:

I'm trying to make it through the first episode of the new version of The Stand, but, ugggggh, it's so much Harold Lauder.  It's just terrible.  Or maybe it's too good: they cast a guy so thoroughly unlikable and creepy that you instantly feel for Fran, even though the woman who plays her has all the personality of wet crafting paste.  I'm curious to see some of the other casting decisions, but it looks like I'd have to actually finish this episode to get to see them, short of cheating on IMDb.  Ugh.

Holy crap, yes, this was bad.  Watched episode 1 and gave up.  Trying to be all Lost and telling the story out of order was such a bad move.

[Craig H]

Regarding Counterpart, it's excellent the whole way through and the way season two ends does make it feel like the end of a good science fiction novel. So it's a cliffhanger, but in a good way and not in a way that NEEDS closure. 

[Matt D]

7 minutes ago, Craig H said:

Regarding Counterpart, it's excellent the whole way through and the way season two ends does make it feel like the end of a good science fiction novel. So it's a cliffhanger, but in a good way and not in a way that NEEDS closure. 

I’d been holding off on watching it as it ended abruptly but maybe we’ll give it a go.

[elizium]

3 hours ago, Technico Support said:

I won't spoil too much (and scroll down if you don't want to read anything about the show's future)  but I'll tell you I stopped watching after it became an entirely different show eventually.  The show changed showrunners and they swapped out like 95% of the cast for a whole new cast.  It was insane.

Season 5 (I'm almost halfway through) is definitely a completely different show; in tone, writing, cast, even colour grade. I like a lot of the new cast, Maggie Grace and Garret Dillahunt especially, but it does come off like a big fuck you to anyone that may have been a fan of season 1-3. It's basically just The Walking Dead now, especially since I'm at the part where Dwight gets added to the cast.

You get used to main characters being killed off in The Walking Dead, but the way they did it in season 4 definitely came off as pretty cynical and a little petty. I would have been pretty mad if I had to wait over the season break between 3 and 4 and everything introduced in season 3 was just outright ignored (Proctor John and Walker, who was the most interesting character they added during season 3, chief among them).

Seasons 1-3 of Fear were definitely rocky (1 in particular was quite bad) but at least it was its own show. My main beef with the switch is that everything is filmed with such a washed out, dark filter like TWD, one of the main things I liked about Fear was how bright and sunny it was in contrast.

All that said, I do think season 4 was stronger overall than any of the 3 previous (though 3 was a pretty decent season), the John Dorie backstory episode is definitely my favourite episode of Fear yet. The backend wasn't great with the annoying brewer and filthy woman story lines, but it had the highest peaks of any season.

Not really feeling season 5 so far

[RandomAct]

Was wondering when the Bill Lawrence gut punch was coming on Ted Lasso, and they hauled off with it this week.  Idk why, but that moment with Ted at the end hit a bit harder than the similar moment in season 1. His desperation throughout the season has been obvious and I just feel for the guy.

I'm worried that a Nate heel turn is coming, with his confidence issues boiling over into him having that successful moment in the big game.

I was NOT expecting the Sam reveal at the end. The "no conflict" people should be happy now.

[Casey]

Justified S2 might have been one of the best seasons of a television show I ever watched, holy shit. S3 is starting out pretty slow. I could tell Gary Hawkins was a fucking loser the moment they first introduced him, and boy did S2 prove my instincts right on that one.

I'm still early into the series so this might change, but as of right now, Boyd is a pretty great anti-hero type character that might rank up there with Walter White, IMO.

[Contentious C]

S2 is certainly "better" but I found myself liking Justified S3 a lot because things get VERY twisted after the events of that season.  Boyd's hardly the only anti-hero.

[Coletti]

Whichever season had Margeaux Martindale as the big bad was my favorite, just non-stop awesome character work on everybody's part. 

I should rewatch Justified. It's just so damn good, and it was able to take "aw shucks good dude" Mike O'Malley and make him an evil piece of shit. 

[Casey]

1 hour ago, christopher.annino said:

Whichever season had Margeaux Martindale as the big bad was my favorite, just non-stop awesome character work on everybody's part. 

I should rewatch Justified. It's just so damn good, and it was able to take "aw shucks good dude" Mike O'Malley and make him an evil piece of shit. 

Margeaux was the big bad in S2, and yes that was indeed a badass season.

O’Malley isn’t in S3 and I’m near the end of it, so I haven’t gotten to his run yet. This season isn’t that bad, but it’s nowhere near the previous season. But it’s still pretty fucking good.

[Eoae]

Wife and I have been rewatching ER since early March.  Finally finished and jointly realized we have no interest in watching that show again.  I quite enjoyed it when it aired, but it doesn't hold up for me in 2021.  I'm kind of surprised I made it to the middle years after the original cast left.  A few random observations.

-- I was sort of relieved when the original cast left.  Could not have cared less about Doug Ross, Carol Hathaway, Mark Green, etc.  Actors are very talented and many of them went on to have long careers.  Anthony Edwards didn't, but he was bald by the time he left the show, so I imagine that might have played a factor.  Or maybe he was just typecast by then.

-- The ER trope of defining characters by their personal problems was tired by the time most of the original cast left.  So, of course, they continued to do it for another ten years.  More personal issues, the better.  

I fairly enjoyed the middle years. Less star power, more likable characters.  Maura Tierney might have been the best actress on the show.  Her character did the Hathaway "sad sack with problems' routine, but Tierney's character seemed less tiresome to us.  

Actually, Laura Innes has the best character on the show.  Weaver was a standout on that show.  Strong, capable female character.  Often combative but never unlikable.  I was very surprised how the show never exploited her physical disability for sympathy given that most of the people around her had their issues on full display.

Last few years are surprisingly watchable.  Season 15 was one year too long.  Angela Basset joined the cast, but most established characters were written out and it was a mix of bland newbies and minor characters.  Scott Grimes' character went from comic relief to Mark Green stand-in practically overnight.  I like Grimes, but he's not someone you should be asking to carry the show.

John Stamos may have been the worst actor on the show.  He joined the show for the last few years and got saddled with the Doug Ross character template.  Hothead, erratic, relationship issues, deep-seated emotional issues.  Writers worked overtime to saddle his character with as much tragic backstory as possible.  Problem is, Stamos doesn't have much range as an actor.  He basically had one facial expression and one tone of voice and played the role like Uncle Jesse doing community theater.  I think his character managed to have more issues than Clooney's, which is quite a feat.

Bend It Like Beckham's Parminder Nagra was great.  Wish she had gotten more work afterwards.

All in all, i felt like show was hamstrung by immediate success.  Writers took from that that jump scares (Kellie Martin's character getting murdered, Paul McCrane's character suddenly losing an army to a helicopter rotor) + wayyyy too much melodrama was the way to go, so almost every incoming character had a depressing load of baggage to unpack as soon as we got to know them.  Show was short on major characters in good marriages with stable kids and relatives who weren't drains on their time, money, and emotional health.   

[John from Cincinnati]

Watching ER right now myself. Only watched a bit of the later stuff prior. The early Benton/Carter dynamic is the good shit. Innes just showed up. She rules and based on what I remember of the later stuff I'm not expecting that to change. Also enjoying the steady clip of "Oh shit, they're in this!" guest and recurring stars. Wish Michael Ironside had stuck around past season one. 

@Eoae Re: Anthony Edwards' hair, I thought Google was broken when it told me he was Goose in Top Gun.

Re: Justified, season two is considered by most to be the high point and I believe a lot of that rests on Martindale. But they throw so much at you in season three (Neal McDonough, Mykelti Williamson, Jeremy Davies still floating around, an increased role for Jere Burns finally) that it held a lot of charm for me. 

Edited August 29, 2021 by John from Cincinnati

[Dolfan in NYC]

The Problem With Jon Stewart  begins today on Apple+

[Eivion]

On 8/29/2021 at 12:59 PM, John from Cincinnati said:

Re: Justified, season two is considered by most to be the high point and I believe a lot of that rests on Martindale. But they throw so much at you in season three (Neal McDonough, Mykelti Williamson, Jeremy Davies still floating around, an increased role for Jere Burns finally) that it held a lot of charm for me. 

It between S2 and S3 for me. Loved McDonough and Williamson.

[Tabe]

So I've finished the first four seasons of Better Call Saul.  Seasons 3 and 4 are definitely a lot better than 1 & 2.  A LOT better.  The seemingly interminable "look how artsy I am" shots pretty much disappeared.  Gus Fring showed up.  And the pace picked up.  Some more thoughts:

- Although I still hated pretty much everything involving Chuck, his "last" episode where destroys his own house was incredibly powerful.  Really, really well done.

- I hate pretty much every character.  Except maybe Howard.  He's far from perfect but Howard seems to actually care, especially after being knocked down a peg or two.

- It's funny seeing Huell.  Every other actor looks pretty much exactly the same from Breaking Bad.  Poor Huell looks at least 10 years older, if not more.

- The season-ending scene for S4 where Jimmy reveals his insincerity to Kim and she realizes just how much she's been duped was pretty great.  Since I can't stand her, seeing her struggle or suffer is A-OK.

 

Although seasons 3 & 4 have redeemed the show a lot, 98% of the appeal is still just "how did we get to Breaking Bad?" as opposed to this show itself.  And no question I'd never have even gotten to season 3 if it didn't have the ties to BB.

[Casey]

On 8/30/2021 at 10:37 AM, Dolfan in NYC said:

The Problem With Jon Stewart  begins today on Apple+

Dolfan letting it slip that he’s from a month in the future.

[Zimbra]

The other shoe finally drops at Jeopardy, just hard to believe it didn't happen when they canned him as host.

[EVA]

Finally subscribed to Paramount Plus so I can catch up on EVIL. First few episodes of the new season were solid, but “E is for Elevator” was a stunner. A perfect mix of horror, comedy, and sincere exploration of religion/spirituality. The show at its best.

[Curt McGirt]

Seeing Stewart reminds me: What happened to The Daily Show? I keep getting stuff from them on Facebook but the show has been gone from the airwaves for about a month now. Usually they have a two week break like the other late night shows but this has been going for awhile. 

[Tabe]

1 hour ago, Zimbra said:

The other shoe finally drops at Jeopardy, just hard to believe it didn't happen when they canned him as host.

He's going to be sitting back and thinking, "Man, if I had just not tried to be a host, I'd still have a job..."  Not like anybody was looking into his background before Alex died.  But once he interjected himself as a possible host replacement...

[Technico Support]

3 hours ago, Tabe said:

Poor Huell looks at least 10 years older, if not more.

He lost over 100 pounds between playing Huell on BB & coming back in BCS.  So in his case, I guess getting thinner made him look older.

[Tabe]

1 hour ago, Technico Support said:

He lost over 100 pounds between playing Huell on BB & coming back in BCS.  So in his case, I guess getting thinner made him look older.

They also didn't fully cover up his gray hairs.  Good for him losing weight though.