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Palomine

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #90 on: September 12, 2014, 01:59:17 PM »
The most recent episode of Nova: "Vaccines - Calling the Shots" was excellent: it provides a concise and accessible overview about the purpose and process of vaccination, and serves to dispel some of the misinformation out there... misinformation with serious and sometimes even fatal health consequences. I think everyone should watch it, even if they don't have and never plan to have chi1dren of their own.

You can watch the show free online simply by going to pbs.org. I won't link to it since (or course) the episode includes chi1dren.

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Argyle

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #91 on: October 07, 2014, 01:56:39 PM »
I liked these (a lot):

Friday Night Lights--I dunno how or why I kept passing this up, but I finally got around to watching it on my Netflix cue a few weeks ago.  Two weeks later, I had steamrolled through all five seasons and started it watching it again.  No words really, other than to say I've never seen a negative review about it.  Incredible performances, even better story telling.  Totally addictive.

Rectify--quite possibly, next to Breaking Bad, the best acted, scripted, and directed show on television in the past several years.  What a coincidence--it is produced by most of the same team.  It's a shame it airs on Sundance and has only about six other viewers besides myself.

Mad Men--somehow, on the first go-around, I got stalled out around the beginning of season three and lost interest, and stopped watching.  Four years later, I decided to give the show another try from the beginning, and found the later episodes much more compelling this time.  I still think most of the strongest eps are in the first couple of seasons, but to its credit, it never fails to entertain.  Looking forward to the series conclusion next year.   Love that Megan. 

Fargo--BBT's "Malvo" is about as batshit crazy as it gets.  He's like a train wreck waiting to happen, and whether you like the premise of the series or not, there are some truly compelling moments of black comedy gold in this series.

True Detective--not as great as it's HBO fan boys make it out to be, but the two leads' acting is quite excellent, and the season long story arc is interesting enough to keep the viewer involved to the finish.



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pedonbio

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #92 on: October 07, 2014, 03:05:54 PM »
There have been some losses since this thread started; 30 Rock went out on top, but it went out, as did Craig Ferguson.

I finally came to appreciate Grimm and I eagerly look forward to its return... someday.

The Good Wife is still worth watching, but it has deteriorated severely from being a reasonably realistic portrayal of both the workings of a big-city law firm (regularly on the edge of bankruptcy) and the inner tensions of a political campaign. Unfortunately, it has become just another "Ain't We Cool" recitation of first-world idiocy. Well acted, though.

PBS has become my default network: Frontline, NOVA, American Experience, anything by Ken Burns.

I am torn about Turn, the AMC Revolutionary War drama. The foreground story is romantic nonsense, but the background is one of the very few historically accurate American portrayals: The vanity and backstabbing in the American officer corps; the ambiguity of an army fighting for the freedom to enslave others; Washington's contempt for the men under him; and the plain fact that, as British historians have long understood, it wasn't a revolution so much as the first American civil war.

But mostly I rely on radio, NPR and BBC.

Incidentally, AMC recently did a series of binge-watch weekends of Breaking Bad. Speaking for myself, a second watching magnifies the weaknesses and diminishes the strengths.

« Last Edit: October 07, 2014, 03:29:37 PM by pedonbio »
Someday, chi1dren, this entire fuck-up will be yours.

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Palomine

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #93 on: November 06, 2014, 10:46:41 PM »
"The Inspector General" (1949) with Danny Kaye. :)

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Palomine

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #94 on: November 15, 2014, 02:06:48 PM »
"Too Many Cooks" on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. No link as there are kidz in it.

The entire show is a series of opening credits/title sequences with varying casts/genres/tropes, all paying homage to well-wornknown television traditions. Trust me, if it's late at night when you watch it, you'll enjoy it. And there's even a brief bit or two of eye candy, though that's not the point of it.
« Last Edit: November 15, 2014, 02:11:22 PM by Palomine »

Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #95 on: November 16, 2014, 01:47:14 AM »
I'll break down my viewing habits on a day-by-day basis for when I watch these shows...

Sunday--
Once Upon A Time: I've mentioned over in VCR Alerts that this season's villain (a Snow Queen antagonist, building off the inclusion of characters from "Frozen") is played by Elizabeth Mitchell, in a sparkly cleavage-baring dress.  In addition to the eye candy, the Snow Queen is proving to be one of the better antagonists, matching series baddie Rumpelstiltskin in ambitious/deranged plotting.  It's come across rathe well, and hopefully she (and the other inclusions from Frozen) will stick around for the long haul.

Monday--
Gotham: This is basically a crime drama/procedural with a heavy dose of mafia manipulations, all in the setting that will eventually give rise to Batman and his rogue's gallery.  The actors for Gordon and Bullock have settled in to a good rapport, and the guy playing Penguin is killing it (as the character does, both literally and figuratively).  Also, Jada Pinkett Smith looks darn good in outfits that look close to the sort of outlandish fare found in comics (even though her character is a brand-new one), and the guy playing Alfred is the son of Doctor Who's Third Doctor, and doing a great job too.  I don't think a fondness for Batman is necessary to enjoy the show, but obviously it helps.
Sleepy Hollow: Continues with its outlandish original premise, and it's fantastic to watch.  There's great chemistry between the two lead characters, and they both have great dialogue that helps to lighten the otherwise "serious"/dark tone the show has (fighting against the forces of the Biblical apocalypse).  Also, the actress playing Abbie is simply gorgeous.

Tuesday--
The Flash: Of all the shows set in comics/superhero universes, this one is the most straightforwardly superhero-y, with Barry Allen gaining his superspeed in the first episode and coping with the sudden existence of other superhumans (or ordinary humans with super-tech).  In true Flash fashion, it's much more optimistic/upbeat than the current trend of "dark/angst" sensibilities, which I find refreshingly enjoyable.  There's a couple of crossover moments with "Arrow" which airs on the same network, but I don't watch that series and didn't really have any problem (I expect there'll be more cropping up over time, depending on how much cross-promotion they want).  In the meantime, they're doing a great job of building their own part of the DC world, with nifty little tidbits/Easter Eggs for coming potential material.
Agents of SHIELD: I think they hamstrung themselves a bit in the first season, as there was a major (and awesome) shift with the big plot-twist that came in play from the Captain America: Winter Soldier movie.  All the episodes leading up to that (which was the majority of the season) were kinda spinning wheels, while the ones after (the last few of the season) were where the show finally kicked into gear.  Now that that's done, SHIELD's gotten significantly better, though there are some concerns that Avengers 2 comes out near its season's end, so it's possible they may stretch or strain the show in order to make a bigger impact thru the movie (but the the series' detriment).  At any rate, I still find it enjoyable and it's great to watch Ming-Na Wen's Melinda May in action.  She's 50, but looks fantastic, as in the recent episode where she fought an enemy agent in nothing but a slip.  And they've also recently added Adrienne Palicki (of the aborted mess of a Wonder Woman pilot), who's also quite attractive and kicks butt handily too.

Wednesday & Thursday are out for me at the moment, at least until Parks & Rec comes back (I believe it'll be its final season).

Friday--
Grimm: The recent additions of runaway Grimm Teresa and creepy-ally Hexenbiest Elizabeth have both improved the prospects for the coming season (in my estimation).  Teresa's a good character and may end up being a catalyst for Sgt. Wu to join the team, while Elizabeth is already more interesting than Adalind (who's yet again stuck in a storyline off in Europe).  The writers do have a tendency to drag out these personal plotlines for little discernable purpose, but they have a few more than normal this time around so I'm willing to give them leeway as long as they do come together and get resolved in a good/memorable/entertaining way.

Saturday--
Doctor Who: Okay, mentioning it is a bit of a cheat since the finale was last week, but they really did have a phenomenal season this year.  The "soldier" (and "officer") theme, Missy's appearance and plotting with an afterlife were all much more relevant and tied together better than just about any previous season since the show returned.  Capaldi and Coleman both did a great job with their respective characters (I thought) this season, but it seems we won't have them as a duo anymore, which is almost a shame but ultimately okay as I'm definitely interested to see who might get paired off with the more "blunt" sensibility of the Twelfth Doctor.  Also, a Christmas special with an actual Santa Claus sounds just bonkers enough to be fun.  ;)
Legend of Korra: I catch this up on Saturday evening (rather than whenever it "airs").  I managed to give the first Avatar series a shot some time back, found it to be really quite awesome, and have thus been following LoK more recently.  It's in its final season and going very well, with great moments for all the main characters as the end comes.
TMNT: I'm also watching this on Saturday rather than its regular airdate, and they've been a bit annoying (as in previous seasons) with spreading out the season's schedule.  However, by the same token it's almost kinda brilliant since the show isn't away for more than a month or so at a time, even in between seasons, which makes it feel more strongly continuous even with the big cliffhangers.  I also have to give them respect for managing to incorporate elements from both the previous animated series and the original live-action movie in creating a vision for the show that both feels familiar while also being completely distinct.  I mean, I didn't see the twist with Irma coming AT ALL, and it was ridiculously great.  I'm a little concerned that the current season has seemingly stalled with the team in upstate NY (borrowed from the first movie), but that may just be my anxiety to see what-all else has been happening in NYC, b/c there were multiple cliffhangers going on and I'm eager to see the resolution of the others.

I think that pretty well covers all the major series I'm invested in currently.  I do catch some other shows from time to time, but not with any serious commitment and can't recall them at the moment.
be seeing you...

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Palomine

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #96 on: November 16, 2014, 11:04:10 AM »
Can't believe it's been most of a year since my last round-up. Here's a quick/semi-current summary of my current Tivo Season Pass activity:

SUNDAY (best night for TV): The Walking Dead, Call the Midwife, Inspector George Gently, Masterpiece Mystery, Masterpiece Contemporary, Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown, The Simpsons, Brooklyn 99, Mr. Pickles, Scott and Bailey, Black Dynamite, Ghost in the Shell (most other anime I've been watching online lately).

MONDAY: Gotham, The Blacklist, Fast N' Loud, Bob's Burgers.

TUESDAY: Adventure Time, Moone Boy, Spy, The Mindy Project, Sons of Anarchy.

WEDNESDAY: South Park.

THURSDAY: Big Bang Theory.

FRIDAY: Nothing at all.

SATURDAY: New Scandinavian Cooking, Cook's Country and/or America's Test Kitchen, Autoline, Motorweek, Hell On Wheels, A Craftsman's Legacy, Father Brown.

WHENEVER: New episodes of Nova, Frontline.

WHEN THEY RETURN: Mad Men, Venture Bros., Justified, Doc Martin, Archer, The Bridge, Longmire, Bates Motel. Downton Abbey, Halt and Catch Fire.

Faves are in boldface ...the others I'll record and maybe watch or maybe not.
« Last Edit: November 16, 2014, 11:19:04 AM by Palomine »

Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #97 on: November 16, 2014, 10:51:44 PM »
Hm, it's been a while since I watched Venture Brothers...I'll have to see if I can catch up and when it'll return.  Ditto Adventure Time, I don't think I've spotted a new episode in quite some time.  FYI, I think I read somewhere recently that "The Bridge" was cancelled.

What are your thoughts on Gotham?
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Palomine

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #98 on: November 17, 2014, 11:08:25 AM »
I'll be honest: I'm not that wild about Gotham (hence no boldface). I've watched it since the beginning and do so now mostly out of habit and the hope that it might get better. I'll be the first to admit that it has good art direction, production values, etc... and I'm charmed by the use of retro cellphones and CRT displays, but the characters and their dialog feel hacky and cliche to me: it's all formulaic plotting and development, just with (yet another) new wrapper. I also thought that the lead actor Ben McKenzie was much more interesting (less one-dimensional) on the now-cancelled Southland than he is as James Gordon on Gotham. Robin Taylor (Penguin on Gotham) does stand out from the cast as being especially entertaining to watch though. :)

I hadn't heard that The Bridge was cancelled, but it doesn't surprise me... shows that I like with slower plots and fewer car chases and shootouts don't tend to do well in the ratings and get cancelled quickly (i.e.: Rubicon). The exception of course are shows like that that aren't U.S. productions. Last night I watched a new show called "The Game" on BBC America... it's about UK/Soviet espionage in the early 70s and is set in London. It was pretty good, but I'm sure if it were on NBC, it'd never get a second season. I still a bit stunned that AMC's Halt and Catch Fire got renewed: not only is it not action-filled, it deals with a niche subject. I'd credit its renewal to the way Mackenzie Davis looks in a tank top, but realistically, I don't think that explains it.

Yah, Adventure Time and Venture Bros. are both on break, both both are expected back AFAIK (added later: I think there are new eps of AT airing Thanksgiving week). There was an episode of AT called Ghost Fly recently... I never saw it before and am not sure whether it was "new" new and released during the break, or an older/recent one that I just missed. I don't think you need to worry about 'catching up' ...most AT episodes are generally self-contained... there are some long story arcs that develop over time (with character's backstories, etc...) but the average episode can still be enjoyed even if you've missed a bunch that preceded it.

PS: as I've done more than once elsewhere in the forum, I'm compelled to mention it when I see a reference to or mention of Cartoon Network's excellent Adventure Time someplace in the media. It came up when Michael Sheen visited Craig Ferguson's late-night CBS talk show, where it won high praise (as usual) from Craig. Short clip here, if you don't want to take my word for it ;): http://www.bearchive.com/~behavior/pal/SharedClips/CraigFergusonTellsMichaelSheenAboutAdventureTimeULdOTFtv.mov

Craig and Michael Sheen chat about Adventure Time
« Last Edit: February 24, 2015, 09:35:25 PM by Palomine »

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pedonbio

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #99 on: November 17, 2014, 02:47:10 PM »
Well, among my two predecessors each has a program I follow: Grimm for exactly the reasons number3fac gave--And, yes, I wish the writers would just forget the whole European end of the plot line-- and Nova/Frontline.

In addition I follow The Good Wife, though more for the comedy now that it has become a first-world-problems show. I suppose that it's really just nostalgia; as a chi1d I wanted to be Eli Gold. Unfortunately, my Peter Florrick went to prison and did not make a comeback.
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 #100 on: November 22, 2014, 08:31:00 PM »
I was just recently on GRIMM as a guard of the barn execution scene

I know it took me almost a year to see this, but congratulations! Does that mean you have a SAG/AFTRA card now?
AOC, HC, TW, BO, KH: FU. FUATH. 100x.

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TheZookie007

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #101 on: November 22, 2014, 08:41:28 PM »

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.


Absolutely!
AOC, HC, TW, BO, KH: FU. FUATH. 100x.

Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #102 on: December 02, 2014, 11:19:07 PM »
Okay, so tonight's Flash was a crossover between Flash and Arrow, which continues tomorrow night over on Arrow.  In true comics fashion, it kicked off with a plot where the heroes have to fight each other; and since they'd previously established that they're on good terms, it meant dealing with a rage-inducing villain.  Which turned out better than it sounds, since the villain was really the most minor part of the episode and the majority was about the heroes working together, antagonizing, then getting back together.  And the fight scenes were definitely good...like a TV-scaled preview of what the coming Batman VS Superman movie might do, so kinda exciting!  Now I'm gonna have to tune in to Arrow (for the first time) tomorrow night, because from info during the Flash episode (plus the previews) make it clear it's gonna be about Captain Boomerang.  Captain.  Boomerang.  I can't not watch!   ;D
be seeing you...

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pedonbio

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #103 on: March 16, 2015, 11:39:08 PM »
I decided to revive this thread to call attention to an absolutely fantastic series on AMC: "Better Call Saul".

It started as a spin-off of "Breaking Bad". I started watching because it because, truthfully, it was the most realistic lawyer show I had ever seen.

And then it got to Episode 6, "Five-O", which was mostly a flashback about Mike, the parking lot attendant.

It was by far the best thing that has ever been on television.
Someday, chi1dren, this entire fuck-up will be yours.

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Palomine

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Re: What do you watch on TV? (by way of the Emmys)
« Reply #104 on: April 01, 2015, 02:35:15 PM »
TV Time update: April 2015

Basic cable w/lots of local PBS stations that're heavy on European-sourced dramas and Asian content + a beloved Tivo series 2 (upgraded to a relatively modest 160MB) = lots of churn. What I watch occasionally (in plain text) to often (in italics) to always (in bold):

Watching:

12 Monkeys (yawn), Archer, Beck, The Big Bang Theory (mostly for the eye candy), The Blacklist, Broad City, Burkow and Konig (German cops, a bit formulaic but watchable), Call the Midwife, Crime Scene Cleaner (entertaining), Dig (very formulaic and a bit heavy on man-ass, but set in Israel, so at least there's that), China, IL (Pony so cute!), Father Brown, Fast N' Loud, Helix (yawn), iZombie (like Buffy, but with a cute girl zombie protagonist), The Jack and Triumph Show, Justified, Kill la Kill (yawn and not as much eye candy as you'd think), The Last Man on Earth (how is it that January Jones and Kristen Schaal are so different yet both so delicious?), Look of a Killer (Scandanavian cheese), Lunch On!, Motorweek, Nazi Mega Weapons, New Scandinavian Cooking, New Tricks, Off the Air (often delightfully freaky), Orphan Black, QI, Scott & Bailey, Secrets of the Dead, The Simpsons, Tatort (more predictable German cops), Tosh.0,  The Venture Bros., Vera, Your Japanese Kitchen Mini.

Am recording/have recorded but haven't watched the current/recent season yet:

The Americans, Bates Motel, Better Call Saul, Broadchurch, Downton Abbey, Fargo, Vikings.

Will watch if/when the next seasons begin airing here:

Adventure Time, America's Test Kitchen, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Blood on the Docks (northern French cops), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (mostly for the eye candy, since the show's often unfunny), Cook's Country, Doc Martin, The Game (Brit cold war espionage), Gotham (not nearly good enough to qualify as a guilty pleasure), Halt & Catch Fire, Hell On Wheels, Inspector George Gently, Mad Men, The Mindy Project, Orphan Black (haven't seen it yet), Sherlock (if there's gonna be a series 4), South Park, Spiral (French cops, not bad... plus leggy redhead Audrey Fleurot sloshing around in dresses),  The Strain, Top Gear (UK version of course... if they come back from Clarkson's latest bout of asshatery), Tyrant, The Walking Dead.

Favorites shortlist (what I'd try to watch even w/o a DVR): Adventure Time, The Americans, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Archer, The Blacklist, Justified, Mad Men, Orphan Black, Sherlock, Top Gear, The Venture Bros., Vikings, The Walking Dead.
Better Call Saul and Broadchurch would probably be on this shortlist too but I haven't seen them yet. :)


UPDATE - late April 2015: after plowing through a second season of Helix (on SyFy) I've resolved that I won't be back for a third, even if it returns. The show tries to be Lost, X-Files and a half-dozen other derivatives, but fails miserably on pretty much every count. Similarly, I sat through the first season of SyFy's 12 Monkeys... crossing my fingers and hoping it'd improve, but there's too much other stuff on that's already better written, better acted, etc... to waste more hours, so it too has lost me as a viewer.

Also, these shows seem to be over (at least AFAICT locally) so I won't be watching these anymore either: Beck, Burkow and Konig, Crime Scene Cleaner, Justified, Look of a Killer, Nazi Mega Weapons, QI, Blood on the Docks, Doc Martin, Inspector George Gently, Spiral, and Top Gear (UK).

I did finally get around to watching all of FX's Fargo... it was good! :)

I'll probably give up on TNT's Dig before too long, and I think I've seen most eps of Adult Swim's China, IL (I keep planning to post some caps of Pony) too.

I watched the first few eps from season one of BBC's Orphan Black and enjoyed them, and I'm recording the current season (four?) but I worry that I've missed too many eps in between. I also did watch all of this season's Vikings on History Channel and enjoyed it.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2015, 10:44:25 AM by Palomine »