Television (no longer temporary)

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:43 am

You'll be on your phone during House of Cards very shortly.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 9:51 am

Ryan wrote:You'll be on your phone during House of Cards very shortly.

Does it get boring?

Ryan · Post by **Ryan** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 10:01 am

I thought so. Just ridiculously silly and overwrought storylines.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 10:13 am

Ryan wrote:I thought so. Just ridiculously silly and overwrought storylines.

I can see that. They are already forcing too much too fast. Plus, the President is such a manipulatable lightweight.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 11:28 am

The Sybian wrote:
A_B wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:
Finished (or caught up) to Veep yesterday. I think they could end it right there and it'd be just fine.

I have watched the first two season thru Amazon Prime and this show is tremendous.
I'm close to finishing the second season of House of Cards. What a powerful show, even the opening credits and music give me an erection. I'm tempted to alternate episodes of HoC and Veep.

I have not watched HoC but from what I know about it, flip/flopping would be a tale of two extremes

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 11:51 am

bfj wrote:High Maintenance, a web series on HBO is pretty entertaining. Each episode is 10-15 minutes long and chronicles the people a weed dealer in NYC meets on his deliveries every day.

Love this show. The dog episode was one of the most creative things I've seen on TV in a while.

Anyone watching Designated Survivor? I'm a junkie for shit like that, so I"m enjoying it, but I have a feeling it's also kinda awful.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:21 pm

I just watched a couple of episodes of Atlanta, and based on those episodes, it is fantastic.

It has a unique tone, and it really took a few minutes to realize that it is a comedy. It is very low key, but it had a couple of laugh out loud scenes.

L-Jam3 · Post by **L-Jam3** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:47 pm

After 2 eps of Designated Survivor, I can't tell if it's a good good show or a good bad show. I'm liking the sneering intrigue from the dad from Turn.

I'm also a 2 in on Atlanta. I'm intrigued enough to watch a couple more, although I only had a few out-loud laughs. The one in Ep 2 when the mother realized she was talking to Paipah-Boiyee was one of them.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 12:58 pm

L-Jam3 wrote:After 2 eps of Designated Survivor, I can't tell if it's a good good show or a good bad show. I'm liking the sneering intrigue from the dad from Turn.

I'm also a 2 in on Atlanta. I'm intrigued enough to watch a couple more, although I only had a few out-loud laughs. The one in Ep 2 when the mother realized she was talking to Paipah-Boiyee was one of them.

The foul mouthed pizza delivery kid was hysterical.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 1:50 pm

Anyone watching The Good Place? I'm enjoying it so far. extremely bizarre, but I'm really liking all of the characters and acting. It could really go in any direction, both story wise and be great or horrible. If I can enjoy a bizarre comedy from the pilot, I think that is a great sign. Plus I love Kristen Bell. She plays a very sweet, innocent seeming character who actually completely lacks any redeeming qualities. And who doesn't love Ted Danson?

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 1:58 pm

L-Jam3 wrote:After 2 eps of Designated Survivor, I can't tell if it's a good good show or a good bad show. I'm liking the sneering intrigue from the dad from Turn.

I feel like they didn't really capture what a shitstorm it'd be if the capitol was just bombed and we lost nearly everyone from all three branches of government. A few hours later, the new president is just outside the oval office contemplating life? FBI sets up HQ at bombing site while they're still finding bombs?

But that first scene, even knowing what was coming, was pretty intense.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 4:12 pm

The Sybian wrote:Anyone watching The Good Place? I'm enjoying it so far. extremely bizarre, but I'm really liking all of the characters and acting. It could really go in any direction, both story wise and be great or horrible. If I can enjoy a bizarre comedy from the pilot, I think that is a great sign. Plus I love Kristen Bell. She plays a very sweet, innocent seeming character who actually completely lacks any redeeming qualities. And who doesn't love Ted Danson?

You're right about this show - there have been so many high concept sitcoms that started well and then kind of fizzled out.

Here's hoping The Good Place stays good.

And about Ted Danson -

Post by **brian** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 4:35 pm

Think at this point you have to trust Mike Schur to not let the show go off the rails. His track record speaks for itself. The Office, Parks and Rec, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. At any of those shows' worst, they're still better than about 90 percent of the other half-hour comedies on TV.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Oct 11, 2016 4:48 pm

I am liking the Good Place, a lot.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 8:26 am

Brontoburglar wrote:
The Sybian wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:
The Sybian wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:I started watching Veep and halfway through the first season I love it.
I watched Season 1 when it first came out, then we got rid of HBO. Based on the love in the thread, I just went back and watched Season 2. Loved it, definitely going to watch them all.
I could have purchased the seasons for $24 each via Amazon or I could have subscribed to HBO for $17 a month and downloaded seasons 3-5. I did the latter, and am now in season 4. What a great show. I'll probably keep HBO and watch the Newsroom and then dump it.

ETA: The episode in season 3 where politics and the personal trainer collide was one of my favorite episodes of any show.
Pretty sure Newsroom is free on Amazon Prime. If you haven't seen The Wire, it is on the short list for best show ever.
I'll have to check -- I have this for the entire month so I might as well take advantage of it.

Finished (or caught up) to Veep yesterday. I think they could end it right there and it'd be just fine.

So I assume you mean you got to the end of season 5? Man. That season was tough. It wasn't really super funny, almost became a dramedy, but the arc was great. I dunno that I could handle it ending like that.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 12:14 pm

A_B wrote:
So I assume you mean you got to the end of season 5? Man. That season was tough. It wasn't really super funny, almost became a dramedy, but the arc was great. I dunno that I could handle it ending like that.

Yeah. It's back for 6, apparently! I saw tweets where they had started filming. So I am interested to see where they take it from there. I agree that 5 wasn't the strongest season (and I'm not sure how much I liked the Dr. House storyline).

Post by **brian** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 2:04 pm

Coming up on the 10th anniversary of the funniest episode of television in history featuring an animated genetically engineered dog raping a human man.

Post by **brian** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 2:08 pm

Tonight...YOU.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 2:33 pm

Designated Survivor - It's hanging on by a thread for the Nonlinears. It's pretty well crafted, but it's also getting kind of one note with Keifer.

The Good Place - I looooove Kristen Bell, and the Schnur angle played into my anticipation... Have to say, this just got axed from the DVR last week. There's a chance I'll come back to it without the missus. Sometimes my silly brand of humor doesn't mesh well with hers, and so a show we try to watch together gets caught up in that space where I know she's not enjoying it so I can't enjoy it... But, frankly, I think it's more that I find the show kind of annoying. And, I have to say, it's the tall pretty girl that I really can't stand. I know that's the point, but sometimes that backfires for me. Just can't deal with her.

Bull - Watched the pilot/first episode last night (we're a bit behind) and I think we'll stick with it. He's a good example of a likeable asshole.

Conviction - This is a show that I'm watching almost completely because the amount of true crime podcasts I listen to. The first couple of episodes hooked in M'lady, so... It'll stay in the rotation.

Below Deck - Manzo'd with Children (or whatever this iteration is called.) - Fuck you guys. These shows are incredible.

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:01 pm

brian wrote:Tonight...YOU.

Wow, I'd never seen that one. Talk about your trigger warnings! Did they actually air that?

Post by **brian** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 3:34 pm

Oh yeah. It's the creator's favorite episode.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 4:05 pm

Atlanta's pretty dope and I feel pretty racist for calling it dope.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 7:07 pm

brian wrote:Oh yeah. It's the creator's favorite episode.

I still love Foreigner Belt. And the one where the Mooninites try to pay a bill.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 9:41 pm

brian wrote:Oh yeah. It's the creator's favorite episode.

I forgot how funny that show was. A classic.

Post by **brian** » Fri Nov 04, 2016 11:30 am

Workaholics hanging it up after this upcoming season.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 7:54 am

That French Guy wrote:
brian wrote:Black Mirror is now available on Netflix streaming. Don't know if we ever had any discussion about it, but it's an incredible show. Only 6 episodes, but each one is pretty brilliant. It's a British anthology series, basically an updated, technophile version of The Twilight Zone.
Seconded. Awesome show.

I've seen two episodes and one - "Nosedive" - was amazing and the other - "Hated In The Nation" - was legendarily good, better than any movie I've seen in a while.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Nov 10, 2016 11:20 am

Showed the kids Silver Spoons. Man, 80's sitcoms are dreadful. Hilarious seeing Jason Bateman, though. He was completely on the verge of cracking up several times while about to make snarky jokes.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Nov 11, 2016 7:37 am

The Sybian wrote:Showed the kids Silver Spoons. Man, 80's sitcoms are dreadful. Hilarious seeing Jason Bateman, though. He was completely on the verge of cracking up several times while about to make snarky jokes.

That was one of the great gifts of Seinfeld - it showed that there was a different way to get laughs.

Man, just google "80s Sitcoms" and try to find a couple of series that you would even consider watching full episodes of.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Fri Nov 11, 2016 11:21 am

Pruitt wrote:
The Sybian wrote:Showed the kids Silver Spoons. Man, 80's sitcoms are dreadful. Hilarious seeing Jason Bateman, though. He was completely on the verge of cracking up several times while about to make snarky jokes.
That was one of the great gifts of Seinfeld - it showed that there was a different way to get laughs.

Man, just google "80s Sitcoms" and try to find a couple of series that you would even consider watching full episodes of.

I have a feeling Night Court might hold up well and Cheers is still funny, but most of it is so bad.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Nov 11, 2016 1:03 pm

Yeah, Cheers still works. But the template, the comedic timing displayed on most of those shows, the jokes.

"Statement"

"Comment"

"Punchline"

L-Jam3 · Post by **L-Jam3** » Fri Nov 11, 2016 1:06 pm

Pruitt wrote:"Statement"

"Comment"

"Punchline"

I think you just described every CBS "comedy" since Murphy Brown.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Fri Nov 11, 2016 1:35 pm

Anyone else watching Stan Against Evil?

It's almost as if Perry Cox retired from the hospital and moved to a small New England town to become a sheriff. Loving it so far.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 10:03 am

I quit "SNL" for the 5th time recently, but tuned in to see Chappelle.

The monologue was great, and the first skit where he and Chris Rock watch election results with a bunch of white liberals was good.

But the rest of the show was appalling. And one skit - the breast feeding adults - was not only seemingly unrehearsed, it was a ripoff of a "Little Britain" skit from 5 or 6 years ago.

There are 33 writers listed on the show. And Chappelle and his writers would have written the monologue. 3 or 4 writers work solely on "Weekend Update," so the rest of them are responsible for 5 or 6 skits a week.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 10:22 am

Pruitt wrote:I quit "SNL" for the 5th time recently, but tuned in to see Chappelle.

The monologue was great, and the first skit where he and Chris Rock watch election results with a bunch of white liberals was good.

But the rest of the show was appalling. And one skit - the breast feeding adults - was not only seemingly unrehearsed, it was a ripoff of a "Little Britain" skit from 5 or 6 years ago.

There are 33 writers listed on the show. And Chappelle and his writers would have written the monologue. 3 or 4 writers work solely on "Weekend Update," so the rest of them are responsible for 5 or 6 skits a week.

I found it strange that Chappelle was wearing a jacket in the monologue that had his name on it and the C logo on his right arm. Kept throwing me off. Wonder if that was a quiet tribute to his old team as Chappelle show.

He also just looked a bit heavier than he used to. Ever since he quit Comedy Central there seems to be way less joy in his comedy, acting, and interviews.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 10:24 am

I enjoyed The Walking Dead thing. I still love SNL. My entire life it's been one or two good skits, three or four bad ones, and one that's typically hilarious to me because it's just so off the wall. The current weekend update guys are my favorite in a long time.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 12:04 pm

Pruitt wrote:Yeah, Cheers still works. But the template, the comedic timing displayed on most of those shows, the jokes.

"Statement"

"Comment"

"Punchline"

Just watched an episode of Cheers, and was surprised about how bland and uninteresting the writing was. Funnier than most of the stuff out at the time, but painfully formulaic. Basically 2 minutes of forced, tedious plot to get to the next one-liner, most of which were obvious. The live audience and laugh tracks are so horrendous. I guess some shows still use them, but I haven't watched any in a long, long time.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 12:22 pm

The Sybian wrote:
Pruitt wrote:Yeah, Cheers still works. But the template, the comedic timing displayed on most of those shows, the jokes.

"Statement"

"Comment"

"Punchline"
Just watched an episode of Cheers, and was surprised about how bland and uninteresting the writing was. Funnier than most of the stuff out at the time, but painfully formulaic. Basically 2 minutes of forced, tedious plot to get to the next one-liner, most of which were obvious. The live audience and laugh tracks are so horrendous. I guess some shows still use them, but I haven't watched any in a long, long time.

As an old guy who watched Cheers in its original run, I thought it got worse every time they changed a character. I liked it early on, then quit watching not long after Shelly Long left.

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 12:27 pm

It's not like they chose to replace Coach.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 12:28 pm

sancarlos wrote:
The Sybian wrote:
Pruitt wrote:Yeah, Cheers still works. But the template, the comedic timing displayed on most of those shows, the jokes.

"Statement"

"Comment"

"Punchline"
Just watched an episode of Cheers, and was surprised about how bland and uninteresting the writing was. Funnier than most of the stuff out at the time, but painfully formulaic. Basically 2 minutes of forced, tedious plot to get to the next one-liner, most of which were obvious. The live audience and laugh tracks are so horrendous. I guess some shows still use them, but I haven't watched any in a long, long time.
As an old guy who watched Cheers in its original run, I thought it got worse every time they changed a character. I liked it early on, then quit watching not long after Shelly Long left.

I watched them in the original run, but I'm sure half of it was over my head.

Post by **brian** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 12:54 pm

Cheers wasn't a "bad" show by any stretch of the imagination, but it didn't/doesn't age very well.

I go back from time to time and watch older shows and it's pretty amazing which shows hold up over time and which ones don't. Some of it has to do with shows that are more rooted in current popular culture, trends in television at the time (multi-camera vs. single camera, etc.) and the like, but sometimes it just seems kinda random. Here's an incomplete list based solely on personal opinion.

Shows that have aged very well:

Seinfeld (maybe the best of any sitcom in history. I expect people will still be watching Seinfeld 50 years from now).
MASH
Mary Tyler Moore
All In The Family
Arrested Development

Shows that have not aged well:

Friends
Cheers/Frasier
Everybody Loves Raymond

(I'm pretty much limiting it to critically-acclaimed or really popular shows. Obviously a show that stunk for 5 years in the mid-90s will not have aged well.)