What TV SHOWS are you watching?

Smug sums up my feelings about Sherlock.

I very much enjoyed Sherlock season 1&2, because the ratio good-stuff/mediocre-stuff was roughly 2/1. But season 3 was just godawful. It was so poorly written that no amount of personal charisma or British quirkiness could save it, and the latter I found to be particularly irritating.

I unequivocally love all of Sherlock, except for the Baskervilles episode. But I will agree that season 3 was a bit over-the-top in some ways. I do think that the wedding episode was brilliant and among the best (though my favorite is still the Irene Adler one from season 2).

Irene Adler is my favorite, too. I think it also brilliantly captured the spirit and dynamics of the original story it was based on (Baskerville being the weakest)

I finally took on more than I could handle in terms of binge-watching. I checked out the Wiseguy series dvd set from the library, and there is no possible way that I could watch all 3.5 seasons in a week, even with a 3-day weekend. So I did it my way. I watched the majority of each of the best story arcs, plus a couple of strong standalone episodes. Otherwise, I left the show on in the background while doing other stuff and only watched occasional scenes. Most episodes began with a spoiling preview of the episode, which would have been annoying under other circumstances, but allowed me to skip over some weak episodes completely. I still have several episodes from season four, but won't have time for them all before returning the set tomorrow night.

Wiseguy is about a federal agent who infiltrates organized crime, and it was was my favorite tv show on the air during the first season. But that was in the late '80s, which was a cultural wasteland compared to the mid-'80s or the early '90s. So the show hasn't aged entirely well. Women of that time period were mostly doing terrible things to their hair, and star Ken Wahl was an early adopter of the mullet, though not until after two great story arcs in the first season. Even so, Wahl really rocked the Italian-American '50s greaser look, like a bigger and better-looking Fonzie. He also frequently dazzled in a suit and tie, or even tuxedo. The writing was ambitious but just okay, though Stephen Cannell (better known for The Rockford Files and 21 Jump Street) does have a knack for tough guy repartee. However, the show had a knack for getting some great acting out of at least one actor per story arc, usually the main villain. Kevin Spacey in particular had a breakthrough role on this show.

Two standalone episodes impressed me. One episode featured the star playing his character's own deceased father in period piece scenes filmed in black and white, with good attention to details of the early '60s. The other episode brought back a surviving bad guy from the first story arc, now enduring a hateful life in the witness protection program.

One major disappointment with Wiseguy was the recurring absence of the star. He suffered some kind of real-life leg injury early in the second season, and the showrunners turned that into a plot point. But after one more episode of him limping around on crutches, they brought in a very bland replacement character. The new guy looked, sounded, and acted like an accountant, and it just didn't work. In the third season, they dumped the star off into a minor role in a b-plot and brought in a first season character to feature in the main storyline. Halfway through the short fourth season, there is still no sign of the star, and other characters attended his funeral even though they have no proof that he is even dead. Also, the fourth season of the show was blatantly trying to grab old fans of Miami Vice, and featured a former Miami D.A. now fighting organized crime alongside the same agency featured in the first three seasons.

A particular disappointment with this boxed set is the absence of one of the best story arcs. It featured a fictional record company (who could forget a name like Dead Dog Records), a real star (Blondie), a delightful villain (Tim Curry), and some great plot twists. Unfortunately, tv shows of that time were uninterested in paying for music rights that would carry over to vhs or dvd or any other kind of format. So there is no legal way to re-watch that story arc, just low-quality bootlegs by fans of the show.

Late Christmas presents from my sister included season one of Ash Vs. Evil Dead. I actually wasn't a big fan of the Evil Dead movies, though Army of Darkness was okay. But I do like Bruce Campbell, so I went into this with an open mind. The first episode veered wildly from entertaining to annoying, but never boring. I watched two more episodes last night, and enjoyed both of them. The gore and effects are somewhat cheesy, but there are plenty of good lines, and the best ones sometimes operate on more than one level. Lucy Lawless looks great for her age, and though her acting range has expanded over the years, here she is sticking to a more limited spectrum going from disdain to simmering rage. This isn't great television, but it's fun.

Game of Thrones. The Red Wedding is on, even as I type this.

Sarah & Duck is my go to choice for falling asleep while watching tv. A British children's show with 2 seasons on Netflix that will charm your ass off with their innocence. It's not just some goofy kids show where the characters act retarded. It's a show with a lot of heart and clever animation where there are subtle quirks that might fly over the heads of most kids. And not enough can be said about duck itself. For a monosylaballic (sic) animal companion, they manage to make him quite expressive.

If I was forced to compare this show to another and give it an analogue, I would say that this could be the ASMR version of Adventure Time without the implied backstory. Just a child and its companion (along with a creepy disembodied adult male voice) having adventures.

I think if you have young kids or would like a more innocent change of pace from the usual fare, then I believe this could be a nice diversion.

I watched the first couple episodes of Mark Hamill's Pop Culture Quest. He's a fun host and the first two episodes are free online. I think you have to sign up for ComicCon's website to see more. In the first 15 minute episode he visits DC Comics.

I watched the Doctor Who spinoff, Class. It takes place at the school that Clara worked at and has been in Who episodes in the past. Due to space/time stuff they get monsters of the week now. It was okay. I don't think it'll bring in any new fans.