TV news and views

[benji]

Medical Police isn't as great as the early seasons of Childrens Hospital, few things are, but it's better than the latter seasons. The plot is better than some of the shows it's making fun of and the twists are nowhere near as stupid as those kinds of shows can do while some of the action is legitimately better. I think the worst part is they actually did some location shooting rather than blatantly shooting in Los Angeles while claiming it's somewhere else in the world. Also I despise that Fred Melamed is playing yet another professor of Lola Spratt's but they didn't even mention it when the original show was so good about going out of its way to call attention to this type of thing and "explain" it with something stupid. They ignore that but still have Malin Akerman and Jon Hamm playing the same character as if anybody new to the franchise will understand this.

[Eric Cartman]

Poker Face S2 is still pretty good, but its beginning to get a liiiiiitttttttle full of itself - like, spending a whole episode referencing Michael Manns Heat, while having a film nerd character talk about Heat and showing diegetic clips from Heat relevant to whats happening in the story

Its also structurally a little weird - the first few episodes seem like they actually belong as tail end episodes for the first season, as they fairly definitively conclude last seasons ongoing plotline and then very firmly move on, and the last few episodes seem like they wanted to be an old school TV movie (as Columbo was) rather than a series of linked episodes. Also, ends on a fake out cliffhanger for reasons? Has an ongoing Steve Buscemi VA cameo, that then never pays off? Very weird structural shenanigans.

Also, yeah, I get it, you wanted to make a show like Columbo - don't fucking put a photo of Columbo in an opener as a wink to what you're doing, I fucking get it. It also doesn't do the Columbo thing as well as Elsbeth does it, because it really seems like they wrote themselves into a corner (and theres a pretty big plot point that seems to be directly addressing this near the end of the season) with the main character being a literal superpowered human lie detector (Karl Pilkington should get royalties, because they're literally Bullshit Man) as the 'catching the culprit in a lie' isn't nearly as satisfying when Charlie just goes "bullshit" as Columbos "one more thing..." conclusions did.

Having said that, where its basically a crime anthology vignette show its really good - then deux ex charlina shows up at the end, and they get arrested, wrapping things up in a neat bow to move onto next week.
Just kind of weird where the weakest element of the show is fundamentally the narrative hook of the main protagonist.

[benji]

I'm watching Chuck (mostly because Prime suggested it and I've always heard vague praise of it) and I think Chuck is easily the worst character by far, like the titular Doug on Doug. He's full of himself yet constantly whining about everything and blaming others while listening to absolutely nobody. Keep waiting for an episode that doesn't involve him at all. 

edit: Forgot to mention all the unnecessary bad green screens. Maybe it was less obvious back in SD. The awful CGI explosions would have been even then though.

[chronovore]

I fell away from Chuck but may go back. Unfortunately the Zachary Levi revealed himself to be a douchecanoe, and so did Adam Baldwin. It does have Matt Bomer in it from the midway point, so that's cool. A quick google image search reveals Yvonne Strahovsky is a clearly an immortal. The show is fun, dumb but fun, I should remember it for when I'm folding laundry. 

I wish Poker Face was available here. Weird narrative missteps or not, I want more Rian Johnson in my life. 

Lately my jag is catching up on Blake's 7, for which "LTTP" doesn't really cover the amount of time this has been available, and I've slept on it.

[chronovore]

I also really enjoyed Station 11 which is a very obviously adapted from a book show with its time jumps, multiple character focus, and fairly contrived conveniences (surefire signs of 'based on the novel by' origins) but a really, really entertaining and thoughtful little post apocalytic drama about a travelling theatre troupe in a post pandemic society. Its good!

I just encountered the novel for the first time recently; should I pick it up? Have you read it?

[benji]

I fell away from Chuck but may go back. Unfortunately the Zachary Levi revealed himself to be a douchecanoe, and so did Adam Baldwin. It does have Matt Bomer in it from the midway point, so that's cool. A quick google image search reveals Yvonne Strahovsky is a clearly an immortal. The show is fun, dumb but fun, I should remember it for when I'm folding laundry. 

It does seem better if you don't watch it too closely while doing something else.  

My decided headcanon is that Bomer's character is also Neal Caffrey and when he leaves it's because he's now pretending to be a FBI asset for the events of White Collar.

[Polident]

Make the White Collar movie! And a Burn Notice one for taking so long.

[benji]

I think it's actually supposed to be a new series. I don't know why everything referred to it as a reboot, it's supposed to pick up after the original series.

[Eric Cartman]

I fell away from Chuck but may go back. Unfortunately the Zachary Levi revealed himself to be a douchecanoe, and so did Adam Baldwin. It does have Matt Bomer in it from the midway point, so that's cool. A quick google image search reveals Yvonne Strahovsky is a clearly an immortal. The show is fun, dumb but fun, I should remember it for when I'm folding laundry. 

Chuck is breezy fun, but its formula gets exposed fairly quickly.
It also (mild spoilers I guess?) was part of a whole bunch of shows at the time where everything that happened was entirely because of the protagonists parents, which says something about the psychological zeitgeist of the time I guess.

I wish Poker Face was available here. Weird narrative missteps or not, I want more Rian Johnson in my life.

 

The rapid enshittification of streaming services globally is depressing - when I first subscribed to netflix, it had an extensive back catalogue of shows from multiple production companies (ABC / CBS / FOX) and timely movie releases, as well as backing a lot of their own tv shows that would get passed by the networks (so some really great stuff like Glow) but nowadays pretty much has nothing more than 10 years old, gets nothing new from anyone that has their own streaming service (ie all of them) and it mostly pours its production budgets into reality tv slop while cancelling promising shows more ruthlessly than any of the networks did back in the day. Or sniping shit that would have been free on the BBC or Channel 4 from production companies that built their craft on the UK dime.

If I want access to Star Trek in the UK for example, I need subs to Amazon Prime, Netflix AND Paramount+ - there was also a lengthy period where I couldn't watch any new star trek stuff because they cancelled all their existing deals, but didn't bother releasing P+.

If only there was some tried and tested solution

Lately my jag is catching up on Blake's 7, for which "LTTP" doesn't really cover the amount of time this has been available, and I've slept on it.

Blakes 7 is mostly great, but hoo-boy those production values are a steep initial hurdle to get over

It was commissioned to replace a regular ass sitcom, and the BBC didn't much like sci-fi so they didn't give them any more budget than it would take to film a 30 minute sitcom set in contemporary earth, for an hour long grand space opera

It also gets crazy because they wrapped everything up for a series 3 finale, but the BBC commissioner watched it at home, and liked it so much he rang the office and made the voice over announcer promise a series 4 during the end credits as it aired

I just encountered the novel for the first time recently; should I pick it up? Have you read it?

I haven't, but the TV show is really good - it has a lot of noticable 'book tropes' though (main characters being authors, some characters overlapping other characters but referred to differently by different people so you don't realise its the same person - a trick you cant do if you can actually see the person involved, lots of literary references, lots of 'this chapter is retelling these events but from this characters perspective') type POV jumps, etc).

I'd have to assume the book is better, because, well, generally thats a truism.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

hannah from dexter is the only saving grace for chuck

[Rendle]

I also really enjoyed Station 11 which is a very obviously adapted from a book show with its time jumps, multiple character focus, and fairly contrived conveniences (surefire signs of 'based on the novel by' origins) but a really, really entertaining and thoughtful little post apocalytic drama about a travelling theatre troupe in a post pandemic society. Its good!

I just encountered the novel for the first time recently; should I pick it up? Have you read it?

I've read the book. They're different enough that I enjoyed both.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

Watched superman again.

I think it's better the second time around.

[benji]

My decided headcanon is that Bomer's character is also Neal Caffrey and when he leaves it's because he's now pretending to be a FBI asset for the events of White Collar.

Later on Peter Burke (aka Bizarro Jerry) is on the series as an agent who faked his death and wiped his existence. HEADCANON CONFIRMED.

[Nintex]

[benji]

Jury Duty is okay. Kind of upset that when James Marsden was asking everyone what they recognized him from nobody gave my answer and said he was Criss Cross. I actually wonder what his reaction to that would be because he had lines for obvious stuff like X-Men and Sonic.  

I would have been a bad pick for other reasons, especially as foreman because of the fact that they made their decision based entirely around stuff disallowed by the judge. But I imagine they picked the guy because he wasn't too skeptical about anything or at least didn't voice it. Some of the stuff the plaintiff and defendants did was less plausible than Tim Heidecker in his trial.

I'd watch a second season where there's more than one real person. I think everyone being actors knowing the conclusion they have to get to prevented anything actually happening. They said they did 30 hours of scripted testimony but they really only showed like 20 minutes of it, that was some of the best stuff although even that was focused on the jury people. They definitely should have shown way more of the guy giving a completely incomprehensible explanation of the machines in the factory, none of which was relevant to the case nor the questions the plaintiffs lawyer was asking about it all.

[Eric Cartman]

I don't know if it was Covid, Writers Strike, ran out of funding, or that the guy they picked to pin the show around was just kind of obliviously 'yes, and'ing everything that happened without much reaction, but the whole thing just seems to wrap up incredibly quickly

[Potato]

Two episodes in to Alien Earth.

Enjoying the concept, but fuck me can they please stop overpowering the fucking aliens?

[D3RANG3D]

I binged Wednesday season 2, and it was much better than the first season!

[Potato]

Just like Alien Romulus, Alien Earth is completely ruined by plot holes so big you could fly a spaceship through them. 

I know we're supposed to suspend our disbelief, but a crew sent out to space to collect hazardous biological samples should have a basic understanding of biohazard controls. Masks, biohazard suits, sample jars that don't smash or can't be opened from within would be a start. 

They also need to stop defying the laws of physics. The aliens might be perfect weapons, but they can't create matter out of nothing, so a freshly hatched alien needs to feed on something significant to create the mass it needs to grow.

[Rendle]

Just watched the documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish. (Don't google it if you intend to watch it, there are tons of articles with headlines that are spoilers). You should absolutely watch it right now if you can. For a true crime documentary where there's no killing or violence I felt such unadulterated anger towards the perpetrator, I wanted to smash their face in every time they were on screen. And then somehow towards the end it gets even worse, just truly disgusting in a way that's hard to put into words.

[Polident]

Dexter Resurrection

I’ve an episode left so I don’t know if it’s a one off or not. But it’s pretty great.

[Potato]

Alien Earth continues to have the most idiotically stupid characters in any show on television. 

Still, it's unrivalled for atmosphere so I'm continuing to watch.

[Polident]

The Terminal List 

I don’t know why. For some reason I thought I watched the first episode before and dropped it. But I was thinking of the movie The Tomorrow War. 

Anyway, all the military guys call one another “brother” and the brotherhood and such. So a character shows up and it is brother this and that. Oh, it’s a former military guy? But then he looks into the camera and says “well, I am your brother” and I’m 70% certain it means biological brother. I need to keep watching to unravel the mystery.

[HeavenIsAPlaceOnEarth]

The Terminal List 

I don’t know why. For some reason I thought I watched the first episode before and dropped it. But I was thinking of the movie The Tomorrow War. 

Anyway, all the military guys call one another “brother” and the brotherhood and such. So a character shows up and it is brother this and that. Oh, it’s a former military guy? But then he looks into the camera and says “well, I am your brother” and I’m 70% certain it means biological brother. I need to keep watching to unravel the mystery.

I just rewatched this. Can confirm that there are no biological brothers.

Hope this helps!

[Polident]

The Terminal List 

I don’t know why. For some reason I thought I watched the first episode before and dropped it. But I was thinking of the movie The Tomorrow War. 

Anyway, all the military guys call one another “brother” and the brotherhood and such. So a character shows up and it is brother this and that. Oh, it’s a former military guy? But then he looks into the camera and says “well, I am your brother” and I’m 70% certain it means biological brother. I need to keep watching to unravel the mystery.

I just rewatched this. Can confirm that there are no biological brothers.

Hope this helps!

[NVRNDR]

Black Rabbit was really good, Jude Law and Jason Bateman put on great performances.

[Potato]

Watching episode 7 and FFS Alien Earth's writers just have utter contempt for the audience now.

[Snoopy]

I started watching Mad Men. Finished the first season and started the 2nd. I still don’t know if I like it or not. It’s well made. It’s got writers and directors from The Sopranos. A good cast. Tons of awards. It has a lot going for it but a lot of the time it doesn’t hold my attention. It seems to be one of those shows that coasts along for a bunch of episodes then speeds up near the end.

[Besticus Maximus]

Madmen is absolutely incredible, stick it out, it's not about the plot

[Eric Cartman]

Black Rabbit was really good, Jude Law and Jason Bateman put on great performances.

its on my watch list, but its after Dept Q and Black Doves, and they're both getting shunted down because MUHFUCKING SLOW HORSES IS BACK, SON.

I'm currently slowly making my way through Billions, which I never caught for whatever reason, and its pretty fucking great.
Its pretty compelling how its basically one big beef between two dudes, and it wavers your sympathy between the two, because Damian Lewis is a charismatic prick who is 100% morally in the wrong almost all of the time, and Paul Giamatti has the righteous virtue of legitmately doing what hes doing for the greater good, but is often just a massive cunt about it.
The whole vibe is very The Prestige-ish, despite having nothing in common other than its two mens lifework being actively trying to destroy the other,

Mad Men is really good, but its still ultimately a character driven period drama - if thats not your thing, thats not your thing