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pedonbio

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #75 on: August 13, 2013, 08:40:13 PM »
I agree that Ferguson is the best there is, and I wish his semi-**92** audience would listen instead of laugh. But he comes on late, and I am usually browsing at the time. That, and he used to be on against "Outer Limits" reruns.
Someday, chi1dren, this entire fuck-up will be yours.

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TheZookie007

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #76 on: August 14, 2013, 03:15:08 AM »
I first discovered his talk show via YouTube (of course, I knew of his existence years before as "the British guy on The Drew Carey Show), and only then did I even bother about trying to watch him on TV. He has so many fantastic monologues, it's hard to choose just one to highlight. Is it his eulogies for his father and later on his mother (which included the time RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan took her out for chicken and waffles)? Is it his Peabody Award-winning episode when he interviewed Archbishop Desmond Tutu? Is it his post-Aurora CO monologue, or the post-Boston Marathon monologue, or the one on the fifth anniversary of 9/11? Or the time when he declared why he would never make fun of Britney Spears again? Or the week when he went to Scotland? Or the week when he went to France and, among other things, interviewed the French talk show host who'd totally jacked his opening credits sequence?

Fantastic moments of honesty, and humanity, and fall down on the ground laughter, and wit, and charm, that puts him light-years ahead of the competition.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2013, 03:31:58 AM by TheZookie007 »
AOC, HC, TW, BO, KH: FU. FUATH. 100x.

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gonZo

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #77 on: August 14, 2013, 12:45:43 PM »
Ferguson "Where do you do your show?"
Peter Sagal "Chicago."
Ferguson "Ah, do you like the deep dish?"
Peter Sagal "The pizza?"
Ferguson "No, the philosophical gossip."

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Argyle

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #78 on: August 14, 2013, 03:07:48 PM »
I've never watched a single episode of either The Wire nor of Breaking Bad...

That ought to be a crime.

Maybe not a felony, but definitely a misdemeanor.

I can't say I thought The Wire was un-missable, but BrBa is as smooth as the glass its protagonists cook.  And every bit as addictive.  To get ready for the premiere the other night, I marathoned the series again in about 9 days, watching 27 episodes this past weekend.  It may seem sureal, but it's so seemless you hardly notice you're watching a 'show'. 


Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #79 on: August 15, 2013, 12:28:03 AM »
That ought to be a crime.

Maybe not a felony, but definitely a misdemeanor.

I can't say I thought The Wire was un-missable, but BrBa is as smooth as the glass its protagonists cook.  And every bit as addictive.  To get ready for the premiere the other night, I marathoned the series again in about 9 days, watching 27 episodes this past weekend.  It may seem sureal, but it's so seemless you hardly notice you're watching a 'show'. 



Well then lock me up 'cuz I haven't watched even a minute of either show and have no intention of ever doing so.  I just have zero interest whatsoever in any part of their premises.  Gimme something fun/silly/fantastical any day of the week over super-intense hyper-real drama (regardless of how well-performed/structured/written it might be).
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gonZo

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #80 on: August 15, 2013, 07:25:05 AM »
Well then lock me up 'cuz I haven't watched even a minute of either show and have no intention of ever doing so.  I just have zero interest whatsoever in any part of their premises.  Gimme something fun/silly/fantastical any day of the week over super-intense hyper-real drama (regardless of how well-performed/structured/written it might be).

I hear you, and The Wire was super-intense hyper-real drama for the most part, but Breaking Bad is really funny at times. It's structured like a 5-season-long Fawlty Towers episode: a bad decision that grows to absurd proportions and beyond, exacerbated by covering lies, stupid mistakes, and more bad decisions. The bad decisions and lies are way more desperate than anything Basil Fawlty would attempt, so the consequences are more dire: instead of Manuel falling off a ladder, people die. But although violent/tragic/disturbing things happen in every episode, it's all in service of a story that's basically (sub)urban myth told with great wit and exuberance.

But even so... yeah, it still may not be your cup of tea.

Mod edit to agree w/everything gonZo says above and point out that Skyler (Walt's wife) rates highly on the MILF meter too. ;) -Pal

Mod edit to agree with Pal agreeing with me... I rewatched some older episodes leading up to the season premiere, and stumbled onto the one where Skyler attends her ex-boss's IRS audit in a low-cut dress and pretends to be a ditzy accountant. She's fairly prodigious in that scene. - gonZo
« Last Edit: August 15, 2013, 05:47:12 PM by gonZo »

Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #81 on: August 15, 2013, 10:43:39 PM »
Breaking Bad...: a bad decision that grows to absurd proportions and beyond, exacerbated by covering lies, stupid mistakes, and more bad decisions.

So...Baltar's plot arc on Battlestar Galactica?  But no illusionary Tricia Helfers, real Mary McDonnells, post-apocalyptic reprecussions, robots, or spaceships?  Pass!   :P
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gonZo

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #82 on: August 15, 2013, 11:30:48 PM »
Actually nothing like that, but ok, it's your TV.  ;)

Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #83 on: August 18, 2013, 12:56:23 AM »
Actually nothing like that, but ok, it's your TV.  ;)

Heh, I keed, I keed.  Just fitting a general description of one character's plotarc to the general description you gave.  ;)

In animated series news: I enjoyed season 1 of the Avatar spinoff/continuation, looking forward to the arrival of season 2 in September.
Transformers Prime was cancelled, but I'm certain the writers knew in advance because of that epic series finale, but I understand there'll be a followup movie sometime soon (in the Fall, I've read) that I'll definitely watch, as for me the series has become a favored version among the various incarnations of the Transformers franchise.
TMNT had some gaps between new episodes which was annoying but it's worked out I think, as the first season only recently aired its finale (and it not only had the Technodrome, but a leader Krang Prime voiced by Roseanne Barr of all people) but the new season is slated to arrive in a month or so, and I'm certainly looking forward to that.  It's a great balance between good characters/plotting and the crazy-level action/adventure from both previous animated series.
A lot of people (myself included) were grumpy that Warner Brothers/Cartoon Network cancelled the Green Lantern animated series and Young Justice; however it seems that most of those people decided to then pre-hate the CGI Batman show that took their place as the latest DC animated series.  I chose to give it a chance, and it's been pretty good...there are some definite differences from previous Batman shows, like making Alfred younger and a tough former-CIA operative, as well as including Tatsu (aka DC heroine "Katana") for Bruce to work with.  And they've decided to not only make it a Batman early in his career, but are holding off on his known rogues, sticking to C-listers that haven't ever been in an animated series before.  While some of the "look" takes getting used to, the fight choreography is great (definitely a point where making the show CGI improves things) and there's definitely some good long-term plotting, with Tatsu noticing the strangeness of Bruce (she hasn't figured out he's Batman yet but will surely get there), introducing the League of Assassins (not Ra's & Talia yet, just a high-level operative & Lady Shiva's voice) and at least one strong recurring "evil mirror" foe to Batman in Anarky.  So you can probably tell that I'm enjoying it, and would recommend it as long as you don't mind the divergences from the more well-known Batman material.
On a similar note, there were plenty of people ready to disparage the new Teen Titans Go series on the basis that it simply wasn't the original series; I gave it a shot and...well, I'd disparage it for other reasons, namely that in the service of "situational comedy" scenarios, they turned the likeable cast of characters into a group of people who hang around together and periodically act like jerks (or very nearly so) to each other.  And at the end of the 10-12 minute sketch, they all die, or have a laugh, or whatever, because the time is over and who cares, the stuff that just happened will never be referred to ever again in any way.  I'd like to think I gave it a fair shake, but after a half-dozen episodes or so I'm just not interested anymore.
In contrast, Adventure Time uses its 10-12 minutes to build, showcase, or explore characters, places, or storylines that just-so-happen to exist in a weird-but-wondrous world.  Though a few episodes do meander heavily into weirdness and then just end, there are definite continuing plot threads, the series is still overall fun to watch, and I've enjoyed it greatly.  Also fun: finding sexy fanart of the various, innovatively-designed characters (both main characters and the more obscure ones).

In other series-replacement-hate news, Avengers Assemble (replacing the awesome-yet-canceled Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes) has been airing, and it's clear that it's been tooled to be compatible with Ultimate Spider-Man.  USM is...not horrible, and I'm still watching it, but it's not impressed me as much as Spectacular Spider-Man did (which was canceled largely to make way for USM).  USM has put a lot of irons in the fire, which does give them a lot of freedom for Spidey to get involved in all sorts of hijinks and adventures across the Marvel universe and with almost any villain or hero, but as a result it doesn't have any clear direction or plot arc for Spidey or any of the ostensible "main cast".  Heck, there wasn't any backstory on any of Spidey's teammates until recently this (second) season; a single "highlight" episode for each of them this late in the game is not great, so there could still be some improvement.  Anyway, getting back to Avengers...it's not as cluttered with premises as USM so already it's on better footing, but it's still early yet.  The recent episode introducing Hyperion was definitely an interesting one, and in the meantime I'm liking both Falcon and Cap, so I'll stick with it for a while.  Still wish A:EMH coulda continued, though.
Oh, and I also found that they recently began a new Hulk series; between his appearances on USM & role as regular team member on Avengers, giving him his own show basically puts him on equal footing with that old joke about how well-traveled Wolverine must be: he's somehow on EVERY team in addition to having his own adventures all at the same time.  Anyway, the 2-part premiere had lots of punching and some huge high-tech vehicles (not sure where they came from, but whatevs) against...Annihilus?!  Since when has he been anyone's problem other than the F4 (or more recently, the Nova Corps)?  Weird choice, and on top of that it was just 2 episodes of action/punching sequences with a "reality mockumentary format" framing device.  I was actually kinda bored, which is sad because She-Hulk showed up and will apparently be a regular cast member.  I'll give it my usual "pilots are rarely the same quality of the series proper" pass, but it better improve because not even Shulkie could keep me watching otherwise.
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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #84 on: September 17, 2013, 01:38:03 AM »
A quick update on animated series...
Korra's back, and looking interesting as they explore the Spirit world (which even in the original Avatar wasn't highlighted much).  Batman's finally teamed with Katana, and it looks like it's going to be fun.  I haven't seen Avengers/Spidey lately, but the Hulk series is just about ready to drop off my list despite an Eliza Dushku-voiced Shulkie.

In live-action-show news, the new Fall season is starting up between this week and next (as near as I can tell, anyway).  There's lots to check out, but I'm going to put in an initial thumbs-up to the first one out the gate, Fox's Sleepy Hollow.  It's got a fairly outlandish premise played straight with moments of levity and action backed up by good performances by the main leads.  I was always planning on checking out for my usual 6-week trial run, but tonight's premiere was definitely entertaining, so I'm expecting to enjoy the series very much.  Anyone else catch it?

And for that matter, what's coming out in the next couple of weeks that y'all are planning on watching?
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3deroticer

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #85 on: January 07, 2014, 01:20:41 AM »
I was just recently on GRIMM as a guard of the barn execution scene
"Yesterday, Reince Priebus called this whole story a 'nothing burger,'" he said. "Well these emails have turned it into an all-you-can-prosecute buffet."

Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #86 on: January 08, 2014, 01:02:29 AM »
I was just recently on GRIMM as a guard of the barn execution scene

Seriously?!  That's pretty cool!  I enjoy Grimm, though bits of some overarching plots have kinda dragged in places...it's still well worth watching.  Only problem for me is sharing the TV with someone who *loves* Shark Tank, which has the same timeslot on ABC...so I usually have to catch up on Grimm via streaming/tapes.

In other dark-fantasy news, Sleepy Hollow continued to be awesome-bonkers-crazy-fun; they're only having a 13-episode season, but Fox has already renewed them for a second season (of the same length, I believe).  I'm sticking with it, and not only for the delightfully attractive Nicole Beharie (but having her as a lead character certainly doesn't hurt).

In regular-fantasy news, both Once Upon A Time and the Wonderland spinoff are on a big hiatus until March (or so, I think).  Wonderland's okay but I've gotten kinda bored with it...the Red Queen is a hottie with plush lips and a figure that's absolutely incredible in a corset (which seem to be built in to several of her outfits), but the storyline has dragged and the characters haven't been all that engaging.  Original OUAT managed to do a great job with the Neverland storyline, shook up the status quo cast-wise (I don't know if the character that died in the last episode will ever come back, which would be too bad even though it's an appropriate exit for the character), and have set up a big twist/change for the back half of the season.  So I'm definitely keeping up with OUAT, but might be setting aside the spinoff.

In the meantime, Agents of SHIELD is back and the mysteries continue...I'm still invested, but the excitement from the premiere has died down significantly.  As a fan of sci-fi and superheroes, I'm continuing with them but I can't say that'd be enough for anyone who isn't into that genre.
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pedonbio

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #87 on: January 08, 2014, 02:07:00 AM »
I was just recently on GRIMM as a guard of the barn execution scene

Congratulations, 3d. I can't even get a callback.

I started watching Breaking Bad regularly in the last season. Anybody who thinks it wasn't comedic missed the episode about home repair on meth.

And Craig Ferguson gets dearer all the time: "I woke up soaked in my own urine. At least I think it was mine; I didn't have it tested."
Someday, chi1dren, this entire fuck-up will be yours.

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3deroticer

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #88 on: January 09, 2014, 06:11:43 AM »
Both of you have great taste in shows and I am excited to hear about OUAT renewal, and I am hoping for a chance to be in GRIMM again. It was fun and exhausting to just stand in place for hours the same scene 40 times from 3 different angles. Because GRIMM care that much to get it right!
"Yesterday, Reince Priebus called this whole story a 'nothing burger,'" he said. "Well these emails have turned it into an all-you-can-prosecute buffet."

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Palomine

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #89 on: January 10, 2014, 01:00:35 AM »
TV Time! :D

I'll admit to not watching (or in some cases, even barely trying) some of the shows mentioned by others here. Grimm and Sleepy Hollow to name a couple... their premises and commercials just put me off them completely, which is probably unfair. Be that as it may, I have tried some other shows and even liked a few... here are recent selections from my TiVo Season Pass Manager in no particular order, along with my impressions thus far:

Cartoon Network:

Fooly Cooly - I don't pretend to understand all of it, but I like it. Music, action and suggestive dialog. Edited July, 2014: FLCL is no longer on, but it's one of the few series I've bothered to save to DVD from the DVR, since it's A) good and B) probably requires re-watching to appreciate it fully.

Adventure Time - to some, the admission that I enjoy A.T. will be enough to discredit my other opinions. That's fine. Yes, onstensibly it's a kid's cartoon, but sometimes it's so much more and occasionally, the single sweetest show on television. Cultural critics of considerable note such as Anthony Bourdain and Craig Ferguson happen to share my opinion. :P

Space Dandy - I recorded the first episode in best quality thinking there might be something worth capping/sharing; a reasonable assumption given that the words 'boobs' and 'boobies' are uttered at least a dozen times in the first minute and half of the first episode. Sadly, it's disappointing. Fairly terrible as entertainment (plot, character, all those little things) with mediocre animation and while there are some clothed jiggling bosoms to be had, they're generally poorly rendered and all look pretty much the same, even those belonging to aliens ...talk about a lack of imagination! :(  >:( I've only seen the first episode and will stick it out a bit more, but my expectations are low. Edited June, 2014: I've given up Space Dandy for the most part by now... despite the semi-regular visits he makes to Boobies and the occasional other female characters (see my post in VCR Alerts re: a brief BE sequence). Edited July, 2014: though I DVR/watch SD, it's more out of a low-level curiosity to see the fanservice T&A (which is also usually on/of a "low-level"). Mostly, there are the bikini-clad waitresses at "Boobies" and a recurring female character (Scarlet) who, while drawn with traditional anime-inspired figures, really aren't that interesting: there's cleavage, sometimes a bit of jiggle or bounce, on rare occasion a bit of under-boob... but for the most part it's pretty tame and not particularly interesting or well-drawn. Still, I'll keep watching for now since it doesn't conflict with anything else schedule-wise.

Black Lagoon - I've started watching this and enjoy it, even though it sometimes tries too hard to be a John Woo movie. I do like Revy, the foul-mouthed main female character. Edited July, 2014: I'm enjoying this show quite a bit.. in fact, it's probably my favorite Saturday-night offering on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim right now. It's atmospheric, well-directed and the animation isn't bad (but like most anime, still fairy "budget"). And while most of the fanservice consists of Revy jumping around, there is the once-every-couple-of-episodes bit of under-boob or squeezing from her or the nun from the Ripoff Church. I'd watch it even if there were nothing salacious at all... it's really pretty good. :)

Attack on Titan - Due to its interesting premise, I watch this too, even though it suffers from many of same things that turn me off to anime: y0ung characters, silly expository dialog, hyper-melodrama, etc... Almost no T&A to speak of, unless you're into generic, full-clothed semi-teenage-looking female characters who, truth be told, don't look that different from the male characters most of the time. I haven't googled, but I think someone told me there is/was or will be a movie made of AoT.

Venture Bros. - not every episode is gold, but a solid two out of three are entertaining and one out of five is almost epic. Fanservice comes from Dr. Girlfriend, Molotov Cocktease and assorted other occasional female characters... drawn with impressive figures and not afraid to show cleavage or a bit of bounce, but nothing that 3 seconds of googling couldn't improve upon, if visual stimulation is the goal. Still, a consistently entertaining show... the characters have interesting back-stories and the whole thing is written and put together with humor and panache. Extra points for the once-in-a-while montage-over-music sequences, which are sometimes done better than those in major live-action films.

Bob's Burgers - not as consistently funny as Archer, but still mostly enjoyable. Plus, I'll watch almost anything involving Kristen Schaal.

Rick and Morty - not as good as I'd hoped, but I'm sticking it out for a bit, due in part to the Doc Brown-like character and the brief bits of adult humor. Female characters have the requisite body-parts and are occasionally immodestly clad and bouncing a bit, but I'd be surprised if anyone over the age of 13 watched this show with a box of tissues at the ready. ;)

PBS:

Masterpiece Mystery - home to Sherlock, the third, all-too-brief season of which is about to begin, so I've been re-watching the six earlier episodes of what is, IMHO, probably the best mystery/drama on television (bearing in mind that I don't get HBO or any other such channels).

America's Test Kitchen From Cook's Country and Cook's Country from America's Test Kitchen  - I have absolutely no idea why these two shows have different names, but they're two of the few cooking shows that I record and watch regularly.

Essential Pépin - another cooking show that I enjoy. Jacques Pépin can cook and his daughter Claudine has a certain something I appreciate (and it's not food related).

Motorweek and Autoline - informational shows about cars and the auto industry.

Raw to Ready - one of those 'How it's Made' type shows, but they trace stuff back to the actual elements used (that's elements as in the 'Periodic Table of the Elements' elements btw).

Nova and Frontline - because I'm curious about things and both shows are consistently well done.

Foyle's War and Scott and Bailey - two Brit cop shows, one set in WW2 England and the other contemporary.

Doc Martin - Martin Clunes is an uncommonly gifted actor and the entire ensemble cast is a pleasure to watch.

Downton Abbey - yes, I watch it. So sue me. ;)

Discovery:

Fast N' Loud - the only car-oriented 'reality/documentary' show that I watch. I like the people on the show and they work on interesting cars, often displaying the common sense, restraint and good taste that the guys on other car 'enhancement'/restoration shows only think they have (i.e.: anything featuring Paul Teutul Sr. or Jr, shows shot in Vegas, etc...).

Survivorman - unlike just about every other survival-type show (Dual Survival, anything with Bear Grylls, the various shows set in Alaska, etc...) this show is shot without a support crew present.

Alaska the Last Frontier - less annoying and more interesting than some similar shows, plus oh-so-pretty and petite Jewel Kilcher hefts five-gallon jugs of water while pregnant and wearing a tank top.

AMC:

The Walking Dead - yes, I've sometimes been getting a bit of that 'jumped the shark' vibe from it, but I'm not through with it yet.

Mad Men - very enjoyable once you catch up on who's who and what they're up to. Plus (of course) it regularly features Christina Hendricks in 1960s attire, which is reason enough to watch.

Halt and Catch Fire - a drama about the early days of personal computing... the creation of PC clones to be specific (a thing so ubiquitous now we don't even call them that anymore). Some might find the subject matter a bit dry (though I'm interested in it since I was peripherally involved with early PCs during the late 70s and into the 80s ...I've got a romantic nostalgia for hardware and software from that time) so there's no knowing whether the show will get the kaibosh before a second season (like AMC's short-lived Rubicon) or whether it'll unexpectedly go on to greatness, like AMC's Breaking Bad. This edit added 6jun14.

FX:

Archer - come on, who doesn't like Archer for Pete's sake? I mean, it's Archer!

Justified - aside from the sad but true fact that my life would surely be easier were I were even half as tall, dark and handsome as Timothy Olyphant, this remains a solid, watchable show with reasonably well developed characters (both the good guys and the bad guys, who are even more fun).

Sons of Anarchy - my interest in this series has been waning over the past season and a half, but I still usually watch it, mostly out of habit I suppose.

Fox:

Raising Hope - only mildly funny, but in my book both Martha Plimpton and Shannon Woodward qualify as hot chicks.

The Simpsons - I stopped watching it completely for several years, more out of fatigue than anything else. I recently started again and just try to take whatever entertainment I can from it.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - truth be told it's not that funny, but Andre Braugher has a great stone face and the girls are cute and that seems to be sustaining my interest, at least for now.

The Mindy Project - moderately amusing most of the time and Mindy Kaling is both funny and adorable in that irresistible 'I so want to be your boyfriend' kind of way.

History:

Top Gear - yes, the American version sucks compared to the original British one in every respect, but there's four and a half minutes of actual automotive information in each hour-long episode, so I sit through it when I can.

Comedy Central:

South Park - yes, some episodes seem like a stretch humor-wise, but Cartman is still often funny and I can't help but enjoy it when they make fun of **28** since they usually deserve it.

The Daily Show and The Colbert Report - I don't watch them religiously, but usually catch them two or three times a week.

Tosh.0 - yeah, it's mostly just a clip show, but it saves me from having to sit through the same clips when I run across them online.

CNN:

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown - the best food/travel/culture/history show hosted by an often depressed and cynical skilled chef/former drug addict ever made. Consistently enjoyable and fascinating, it's beautifully shot and edited too. By a wide margin, the single most watchable thing on the entire network, his travels from Sicily to Detroit, the Congo to LA's Koreatown and many other places are always fascinating, informative and at times, moving. He doesn't just go around eating things... he talks with locals and reviews history/influences to educate his viewers. Personally, I also find his grumpy/bemused persona to be refreshing... he'd be wasted judging some forgettable and meaningless cooking reality/competition show on Food Network (which I think he has done already). Really, I'm not kidding: Parts Unknown is one of the best non-fiction shows on television... period.

NBC:

The Blacklist - I haven't watched it yet but am recording it to watch later based on recommendations from two pals, who both speak very highly of it.

E!:

Chelsea Lately - the panel guests usually have better jokes (and presumably less writing support) than Chelsea Handler herself, but I find her slightly-haggard, hard-**94** look kind of appealing. And while her endowments aren't half as big as the hype would have you assume, she's still got a decent natural rack.

---

On hiatus (or perhaps cancelled by now) but I'm still interested: Longmire (A&E), The Bridge (FX), Bates Motel (A&E), Ugly Americans (Comedy Central), Hell on Wheels (AMC), Low Winter Sun (AMC).

Cancelled and now missed: The Killing (AMC), Southland (TNT), Rubicon (AMC), Futurama (CartoonNetwork).

Not recent at all but I catch these in reruns now and then for nostalgia reasons: Cowboy Bebop (Cartoon Network), Make (PBS), 30 Rock (NBC), Stargate (SyFy, all three shows).

Not on yet, but I'll try: Chozen (FX) (UPDATE: not that entertaining, I don't usually watch it), Helix (SyFy) (UPDATE: full of silly plot twists and over-acting... instead of making something original, the show creators seem to have barfed up yet another bad clone of Lost and X-Files... I watch only if I happen to run across it, just to reassure myself that it's as disappointing as it is).

A&E UPDATE added 3mar14: I watched the season premieres of Bates Motel and Those Who Kill (both on A&E). Like A&E's Longmire, all three shows look good (are slickly produced with competent work by the cast and crew) but are perhaps three quarters of a notch below the overall quality level of the popular basic-cable dramas on AMC (Mad Men and Walking Dead). Bates and Those (and Longmire) are all fine for the most part, reasonably entertaining and all, but there tend to be more 'convenient' plot developments and outright unrealistic happenings on these shows, perhaps to make them more digestible to a wider target demo. Bates Motel's Vera Farmiga is still gorgeous (and effective from an acting POV) as Norman Bates' more-than-a-little bizarre mother. Those Who Kill features Chloe Sevigny as a PA police detective chasing a serial killer in tonight's premiere. I have to admit that aside from the hubbub surrounding her on-screen blowjob in the indie film Brown Bunny I don't really know much about her. I will say that she seems to be a decent actress (though everyone on Those is burdened by slightly hackneyed dialog) and is quite pretty in that sad/serious sort of way.
« Last Edit: July 13, 2014, 11:36:04 AM by Palomine »