What TV SHOWS are you watching?

Painting terrain and watching these IFC Documentary Now! things with Fred Armisen and Bill Hader. Now, y'all know I'm not big on comedy...but these things are HILARIOUS. They are dead-on parodies of real documentaries- Grey Gardens, Last Waltz, Thin Blue Line, The Kid Stays in the Picture, Stop Making Sense, Salesman, etc.

They are stunningly well crafted to minute period details. And hosted by Helen Mirren. But the thing is, I can't imagine anyone really enjoying these if you don't know the original, real documentaries they are goofing on.

I've started binge watching The Newsroom . It's supposed to suck, but all of that earnest Sorkin idealism is a great alternative to the sewage-filled clown car Uber we're currently riding in, and I think Allison Ping likes me. I am staying up too late to watch one more episode, and it is leaving me with almost-migraines the next day.

cranberries wrote: I've started binge watching The Newsroom . It's supposed to suck, but all of that earnest Sorkin idealism is a great alternative to the sewage-filled clown car Uber we're currently riding in, and I think Allison Ping likes me. I am staying up too late to watch one more episode, and it is leaving me with almost-migraines the next day.

I am moderately liberal and a cynical follower of political news, and I can only tolerate small doses of Aaron Sorkin shows.

Enjoyed "session" two of Jack Irish. Session one was the first two made-for-tv movies, and session two is just the third tv movie. It's basically a solid noir private eye kind of show set in Melbourne, Australia and starring Guy Pearce. But the PI is actually an inactive defense attorney. He once defended various accused criminals, until one killed his wife in a murder-suicide. The series starts after he has been grieving for years and is finally sort of moving on with his life, learning to make wood cabinets and helping local criminals win at the local horse racing track. He also hangs out at a local pub where the regulars are elderly fans of his deceased father, the star of a pro football (soccer) team that was previously based in Melbourne. Once in a while, he gets involved with a mess involving one or another of his former clients, possibly out of a sense of obligation for the crap work that he did after his wife died and before he stopped working as a lawyer.

Aside from good acting by Pearce and quite a few of the other actors, what makes Jack Irish different and enjoyable from other PI shows is the unique feel of the show. There is a fair amount of plot getting covered at a decent pace, but somehow the scenes often have a relaxed and congenial vibe. Jack has been through some traumatic events in the past, so now he takes things in stride without drama unless things get really dangerous. But things do get really dangerous, every episode. The closest analogue might be early episodes of The Rockford Files, only with less humor and higher stakes. The theme song is perfect for the show: Red Right Hand, by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The music is maybe a touch slower than mid-tempo, and has a cool but menacing vibe, and is punctuated by dramatic flourishes.

This third installment upped the ante. More (quantity) attractive women, more plot, and an ending that surprised me with a bigger budget than expected. I haven't read any of the Jack Irish books, but I definitely recommend the show to any fan of PI stories.

Wife and I started watching Fortitude on Amazon. It is an interesting show so far, 5 shows in. Stanley Tucci has joined the cast and will keep us watching for now.

David S Pumpkins is going to be making a spooky appearance tonight on SNL. I didn't watch a new live show last week with Jimmy Fallon but I'll sure as shoot watch a repeat with Tom Hanks tonight

The first episode of the new season of Fargo was pretty enjoyable. Once again, idiot criminals being idiots.

Finally getting around to watching Jessica Jones after watching the first episode probably a year ago. The first episode was good, but didn't really enthrall me in any way or make me feel I needed to see more. I'm now on episode 9 and hooked. I didn't know David Tennant was in it, he's sooo good as the bad guy.

On a note of what show I will be watching ... just learned one of my wife's good friends is going to executive produce and be the head writer for an adaptation of the Wheel of Time series. I read a good chunk of the series when I was in high school, don't really remember much about it other than the books where long, but thought that was exciting news.

hotseatgames wrote: The first episode of the new season of Fargo was pretty enjoyable. Once again, idiot criminals being idiots.

That and Mary Elizabeth Winstead's ass. Exquisite. Damn, I feel like an old lech saying that, but it's true.

I am wondering if there's anything really new this season is going to bring, but it's an enjoyable formula, regardless. I was probably in the minority that liked season 2 better than 1, overall, because it felt more like its own thing. This season seems a bit more like season 1 (and the film), though not as strong out of the gate. Still, I like some of the things they're setting up. Should be a fun ride.

Fargo, Better Call Saul, Leftovers. A wealth of quality shows all in full swing again.

Pics or it didn't happen

Black Barney wrote: Pics or it didn't happen

Sorry, but my pics of that have been spank banked, and banks are closed on Sundays.

I've been watching lots of the MST3K reboot. It's mostly good, although they have picked some surprising watchable movies for the new season. The riffing, at its worst, can sometimes consist of just making a reference without actually making a joke, which is disappointing. I think that's often a reflection of a boring movie, whereas the old show would just kind of be silent.

Still fun to watch. I am halfway through and enjoying it quite a bit.

Rick and Morty, y'all. Hilarious and brilliant. Took me about 5 minutes or so into the pilot to kind of get my bearings... but man, once it hits it doesn't let up. Supposed to be vaguely a Back to the Future homage, with an old weird science guy (Rick/Doc) going on adventures with his grandson, Morty (Marty). That's about where the BTTF similarities end, but from that basic framework they have an amazing comedic universe to explore. It is almost non-stop with clever comedy and sci-fi strangeness, and some of the best non-sequitur humor I've seen (the line "no relation" in the pilot had me rolling). I'm two eps in and will easily catch up in a few days. Available on Hulu.

The second episode of Fargo 3 was great. Not a whole lot happened, plot-wise, but it just had that kind of tone and wit that makes this show and that world so fun to watch. The first episode was just okay by comparison, mostly introducing characters and setting up the season's premise. But this one really hit the mark, and now I'm super excited for the rest.

I watched the premier of American Gods. I did not read the book so I was going in cold. At this point the plot is incomprehensible. But hey, a guy gets swallowed whole by a woman's vagina.

hotseatgames wrote: I watched the premier of American Gods. I did not read the book so I was going in cold. At this point the plot is incomprehensible. But hey, a guy gets swallowed whole by a woman's vagina.

I have read the book (although it's been many years), and I wondered how accessible that pilot episode was to non-book-readers. That had to have been just total gibberish! Albeit, very beautifully shot and directed gibberish! I liked it. I thought it was really weird (in a good way), and the cast seems great. Man, I love seeing Ian McShane on TV again in a good, meaty role like this.

I also watched the first season of Into the Badlands, which is kind of garbage. The fight scenes are a ton of fun, and they go a long ways to hide the poor writing, wooden acting, and shitty world-building