What TV SHOWS are you watching?

Shrinking was really good. Has the Ted Lasso vibe of struggling people being there for each other and making it better without the whimsy. Perhaps the shared influence of Brett Goldstein as a producer and writer?

Great character work. Feel like I should have hated a lot more of them, but between the writing and performances, I was pretty happy anytime any member of the cast appeared on screen.

Shrinking was really entertaining.

Binged Maniac with a flu and can't put my finger on why it didn't impress me more. It has Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Sally Field and tons more talent, the world it happens in is really interesting, great set design, brilliant and weird moments but it's also very long without significant payoff?
Enjoyable nonetheless.

DarthJoJo wrote: Shrinking was really good. Has the Ted Lasso vibe of struggling people being there for each other and making it better without the whimsy. Perhaps the shared influence of Brett Goldstein as a producer and writer?

Great character work. Feel like I should have hated a lot more of them, but between the writing and performances, I was pretty happy anytime any member of the cast appeared on screen.

Both of these are Bill Lawrence showrunner shows (see also scrubs) so that's the main tie.

Nodens wrote: Binged Maniac with a flu and can't put my finger on why it didn't impress me more. It has Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Sally Field and tons more talent, the world it happens in is really interesting, great set design, brilliant and weird moments but it's also very long without significant payoff?
Enjoyable nonetheless.

I liked that one. But then pretty much forgot about it until this post.

Finished Tokyo Vice recently, and it was great. The first season was interesting and did a great job of setting things up, and the second season delivered everything promised by the first, with rapidly escalating intensity. In theory, there could be a third season, but I don't think there is any way to top the second season and this probably a good place to stop. Now I need to read the real Jake Adelstein's book that inspired the show. I doubt that it will be as tightly plotted and exciting as the show, but the reality is probably also interesting and likely more complex.

I am in the process of rewatching Community, one YouTube clip at a time.

There was a show that I thought started out kind of ok and formulaic, but in its best seasons took some great risks and was so very creative.

I'm with Nodens on Maniac. I tried the first couple episdoes and am finding it simply uncompelling. There are some moments of interest, but nothing that makes me feel like I have to get back to it to see where the story is going.

Similarly, I was pretty underwhelmed by Fallout. I never played the games, so I don't have the nostalgia vibes that many others have. I'll watch anything that's post-apoc, so that's a selling point, but there were simply too many moments that felt staged throughout the entire series. The story was quite predictable and the "big reveals" in the last episode were likewise.

It wasn't bad and I'll probably at least look in on a second season. But I was expecting a lot more, especially in the wry humor department, that never really landed.

I mostly agree with Maniac. I saw it back when it came out, so I can't remember everything, but I recall it being pretty compelling but not quite able to go anywhere meaningful. It really had some neat setting elements and a solid premise, but then it kind of meandered.

I'm enjoying Fallout. I think it's a solid show that is a little overhyped. Walton Goggins and Ella Purnell are doing the heavy lifting. I think what's excellent about it, is that they really walked the tightrope of nailing the kitschy and wacky humor while still retaining a serious tone. It's one of the defining traits of the feel of the video games and it's a very difficult thing to do in a show. This feat alone is responsible for much of the praise, and I think it's something that is perhaps unimpressive (or irrelevant) if you're not a fan of the video games.

I agree with Charlie, Fallout is most impressive in how it's easy to say "yeah, that's what a Fallout tv show looks like".

I started season 3 of Warrior. I'll be sad when I'm done, but I also just saw that June 27 is season 3 of The Bear!