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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.
So in the wake of some really crappy life circumstances (living in the US, beloved pet deaths, family member deaths and illnesses, my own illness, and more), I noticed Star Trek Strange New Worlds was about to start a new season. On a whim I thought I'd go back and rewatch the first two seasons.
Well. The optimism, kindness, and hope in that show are so ridiculously comforting. The idea that there can be a better future and that humanity can rise beyond pettiness and self-interest feels almost radical to me at this point. I grew up watching Star Trek (all of them), so it's not like any of that was new to me, but it felt new. Really looking forward to season 3.
Also wondering if folks have recommendations for other shows with similar themes and focus. Lately the only other thing I seem to watch are K-dramas, because they often have an undercurrent of valuing kindness and empathy. I'm just really tired of shows that focus on people being awful to each other.
I did watch Reservation Dogs, when it came out. I agree it is beautifully done. Not comforting but it felt really honest and respectful of the characters. I hope to see more of this kind of show, but probably won't happen until the andti-DEI nonsense calms down.
I tried watching man on the inside, but it felt contrived to me, like I could see the "acting" happening. Dunno maybe I'll try again--does it get better after the first episode?
Actually its not the viewers but the financiers and cable companies that worry me.
Thanks for letting me know about Man on the Inside, I'll give it another shot!
Working our way through Reservation Dogs right now, and it is really great. Might end up with a "skoden" tatoo.
Have you watched the Good Place? Without spoilers it's a show that led to the creator basically self teaching a philosophy degree. And while it's not all sunshine and rainbows - for plot reasons - it's IMO genuinely charming and by the end I cried at this silly sitcom.
If you (or anyone) hasn't seen it, avoid all spoilers if you can, each episode in the first season in particular ends with a bit of a cliffhanger/twist and while they're enjoyable regardless it's better if you go in fresh.
Derry Girls is about Irish (Catholic) teenage girls (mostly) in Northern Ireland during the troubles and the overarching theme is that despite the world around them and all the difficulties and missteps of being teenagers, they're still friends and still making it, even when there's a bomb threat.
The cartoon Hilda is just very sweet and cozy, a young girl moves from the woods with all its faerie-like creatures to the city and has to make new friends.
Doctor Who, the modern stuff at least, has an underlying theme that people are important because they're people and humanity is (at least probably) worth saving because we could be so much more.
I don't think I was able to watch the last season due to channel changes but One Day At A Time was a really empathetic sitcom about a single Cuban American veteran/nurse/Mom with two kids (and Rita Moreno as her mom) dealing with life. I enjoyed it a lot
I also really enjoy watching Great British Bake Off, Glow Up, Great Pottery Throwdown - basically those sorts of cozy British reality shows genuinely hit this note for me. As well as School of Chocolate.
I started The Good Place and can't remember why I stopped--that's a good idea, thanks!
Totally adored Derry Girls. I would love to watch Dr. Who, especially with Ncuti Gatwa, but I can't afford the Disney upgrade.
Thanks for One Day at a Time--that one was tempting me for a while and then I forgot. I love Rita Moreno, but am wary of remakes--sounds like I should give it a try! (Deleted this post and moved to the proper place)
I'm not sure if all of Doctor Who is on Disney now, or just the newest seasons, but it's on HBO Max for checks fifteen days? Oh dear. Some are on Pluto too. It may be worth checking for the pre-Ncuti seasons elsewhere, basically.
I didn't know One Day at a Time was a remake when I first watched it! I think it's absolutely wonderful though
My number one all time feel good kindness show is Community. The Tick is also really good for that kind of thing too. Surprisingly, so was peacemaker. These are all shows about found families finding each other.
Oh, that's a great suggestion! The original Tick cartoon is one of my all time favorites. We have an old VHS tape with most of the episodes. I should pull that out. I loved community, too--it's been a long time, might try a rewatch. Thanks for the suggestions!
Finished up my cheap 3 month Apple TV+ deal with 'Criminal Record'. This got great reviews but I was just ok with it. It was a little too slow burn all the way through and I just didn't engage with it. At times I felt like it relied on the leads' acting skills(Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi) to propel the story. The end had a little too much 'here's a bunch of new info to tie it up' for me. Entertaining enough to get me through 8 episodes but I doubt I'd watch a second season.
I figured 12 years was enough time to wait to watch Breaking Bad (2008) so I finally started watching season 1. I do have a rough idea of the story as my dad has rewatched the show countless times and I've seen clips on YouTube. Still, I'm enjoying the show, finally piecing together the missing details between the clips I've watched.
You mean 17 years?
As u/LookAtTheName mentioned, I was counting from the series ending in 2013 so 12 years from then but yes, 17 years since the first season began airing!