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TV Tuesdays Free Talk
Have you watched any TV shows recently you want to discuss? Any shows you want to recommend or are hyped about? Feel free to discuss anything here.
Please just try to provide fair warning of spoilers if you can.
Does anyone else here watch Jeopardy ?
I really like it for several reasons:
It provides a daily routine for me, it comes on at the same time everyday. It is short and gets straight to the point (only 30min long).
Philosophically, I think it has a lot of layers. Is it showing me what it thinks is common knowledge vs esoteric ? Are these categories intentionally chosen for the political climate ?
I’m sad that finding old episodes of jeopardy seems to be really hard, and some believe some episodes are lost forever(the original source material), but I also like that not having access to current re-runs allows me to force myself to be present and commit to watching it when it airs live.
I also just like answering questions.
I was in the same ritual but replaced it with Countdown from the UK while they sorted out stupid Blossom, who had no business hosting.
Anyway, its really nice to have these quiet shows to watch and play along with.
I think Jeopardy was really great when they were cycling through guest hosts. Not all of them were great, but if they kept that going, they'd eventually have a strong roster of hosts who could do a day of filming.
Good stuff:
Severance has been a bit of a departure from the first season, but last week's episode was one of the best of the series. I have no idea what the hell is going on, but I still enjoy being along for the ride. However, between this season of Severance and the second seasons of Silo and Shrinking, I'm a little bit worried that Apple TV+ might be the new Showtime. Great first seasons with rapidly diminishing returns going forward. Not ready to make that call just yet, but it's definitely on my radar.
White Lotus had its first filler-y episode of the season, but it is still the best thing on tv, imo. The first two episodes did an incredible job of showing who the characters were and making them interesting without a wasted second. We're not even half way through the season and I'm already thinking about how much I'm going to miss it when it's gone.
I watched the first episode of Zero Day last night. I doubt it will be in the running for an Emmy, but it's very watchable.
Slop City:
The new Love is Blind season finally answers the question: "What if we had a reality dating show where most of the people weren't completely insane?" The answer: It's kind of sweet, but pretty boring.
Deal or No Deal Island is a really fun revival of an early-00s classic. It's competition-based, so there are challenges, alliances, backstabbing, etc., but every week ends with a version of the classic game where the goal is not only to win as much money as possible, but also make a good deal and sell the case to the banker for more than its value.
Traitors is a classic (according to my gf's media twitter). Normally I root for the traitors, but this season I hate everybody but Alan Cumming. It's still a fun mindless watch. If you want some mindless reality tv, be it dating or competition, the Cock is still the place to go.
I need to go back to work.
have you watched the Traitors UK? It isnt a bunch of washed up d-list celebs like the North American ones and is pretty great and wholesome.
I love Traitors UK. And I love Traitors US/NA. It's kinda like watching college vs. the pros. Same sport, different game - each with their own charm. One thing I like about the North American one is that the money isn't really life-changing for the d-listers so I don't feel bad for anyone who gets killed.
haha that money aspect kills me. i always wish they’d game it and split it or something, but that would make for terrible tv.
Daredevil: Born Again started tonight. I only watched the first episode, but it seems good. It isn't as tight as the original Netflix one when it comes to filming fights, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. I like the pace.
Severance had a killer episode last week and the theory chat hasn't really stopped since. Its fun to have a series like this. It isn't at LOST levels, but I'll take what I can get. I appreciate that Stiller and Scott are doing a podcast for the show and aren't half-assing it. Its an excellent companion and I hope more series follow suit. Kara Swisher did a great one for Succession.
Same sort of deal with White Lotus with theories, but to a far lesser extent. I like how it opens up with the crime, much like Damages. There seem to be a lot of moving parts and I'm hoping they start coming together quick. Every season has a stand-out actor and this season's is clearly Aimee Lou Wood for me. Excellent performance that really brings a lot of balance not only to her own scenes, but the overall season.
Lastly, if you aren't watching Common Side Effects, its a great time to tuck in. The episodes fly by and its just an enjoyable experience. I love Martha Kelly, too. Excellent casting. I think we're hitting a pivotable part of the series, so taking a few days to breeze through the first half of the season will pay off.
Yes! I just watched all available episodes after reading about it here and I love it! I love the unforced quirkiness between the two detectives and Agent Harrington is one of my favorites because I still haven't figured her out and maybe never will. The voice acting is superb and understated and really adds to the realism if you can use that word in animation.
I’m waiting for the season to end, but I’m super excited to check out Common Side Effects. Has some of the same talent behind Scavengers Reign and that show was fantastic
its really neat. I hope they keep cranking stuff out. Its also great having Mike Judge in the mix.
Finally got a chance to watch the first season of Severence. What a show. Great cinematography, really mysterious writing, and a great cast. I'll be honest, I went into the show thinking I wouldn't like it but it really proved me wrong after 3-4 episodes. In a manner similar to Andor, the show started off pretty slow but after that it picks up and starts running. Definitely recommend watching, I look forward to season 2 finishing so I can binge it as well haha.
I recently watched season 1 of Severance and loved it. I really enjoy Adam Scott as an actor, especially his hilarious role in Stepbrothers. It reminded me that almost 20 years ago I watched him in a dry comedy called Party Down that I remember enjoying and always meant to rewatch.
After Severance I started Only Murders In The Building. It's been a fun enough ride that manages to pull me back in just as I'm considering dropping it.
Only Murders has Jane Lynch in it. She's an actor I'm always happy to see. Usually in smaller or quirky roles, I enjoy her style of humor. Trying to recall which iconic role she was in, I took to IMDB and realised (not only that it was The 40 Year Old Virgin I was thinking of, but) she was also in Party Down, and that they apparently released a season 3 in 2023, almost 20 years later?!?
So yeah, after Only Murders I'll be re/watching Party Down, and by then Severance season 2 should be complete and ready.
Party Down came out 16 years ago in 2009, a few years later than I thought. Given that, it was actually 14 years between season 2 and 3. Apologies.
Do you have thoughts on my comment otherwise? Or were you just offended by my mistaken characterization of 14 years as 'almost 20'? Jeez I also don't use spell check, hopefully I didn't misspell anything... Tough crowd.
I've watched the first half of this season of Reacher. I think it's better than season 2, not quite as good as season 1. However, if you like Reacher because of Alan Ritchson in skivvies, then this is the best season of Reacher. They've added Anthony Michael Hall to the cast, which is tons of fun. While I don't think he's one of the greats, he has a quality about him which causes his scenes to be enjoyable. Also the addition of Olivier Richters is interesting; Ritchson as Reacher is absolutely dwarfed by Richters who is something like 218cm (7'2") . He is enormous. I can't wait to see how their physical conflict is resolved.
Disney+ Double Feature for free on YouTube:
Dr. Mike from YouTube sad that The Pitt (HBO) might be the most realistic medical drama he ever saw. I immediately stopped the reaction and started downloading it. I appreciate realism in general and it is very hard to find, so I didn't want any spoilers. The show feels very real, but maybe too real for me at times. I am reminded of the times I was at the hospital assisting relatives in their last moments. So I did skip a few scenes that hit too hard.
That said, some less realistic tropes are still there, like patients who immediately open up about their personal issues the second they see a doctor, and doctors who constantly overshare about their traumas to both patients and colleagues. I give it a pass because it is hard to do exposition in that kind of show in a timely manner. It's kitsch and a little cringe inducing, but being realistic about that stuff would make for a very slow narrative.
The Pitt is being sued by the estate of Michael Crichton for copyright infringement of ER (the medical drama from 1994). I watched ER. The claim is insane -- by that measure any realistic emergency room drama would be at fault. It does feature Noah Wyle (who's aging like fine wine by the way...) as the lead and executive producer, as well as two other producers from ER. Great show.