Underestimating Middle-America Since 1950: Television Test Thread

[Reply #680 on:]

• I honestly expect Beamer to go out of his way to take the responsibilty to remind me to watch something nearly half a year later.

I actually would have.

Oh, really??? Sorry, I hope my comment/diatribe wasn't demeaning in any way. I guess I'm used to people not really listening most the time, so it didn't occur to me that you actually would go the extra mile to do that favor for me.

Well, I appreciate that you would have. That's a kind gesture. And for the record, I'll probably check the show out, anyways.

[Reply #681 on:]

On not contrary, I'll have to watch Other Space at some point, sounds pretty interesting.

[Reply #682 on:]

Yeah, it does. This is also the first Yahoo! original series I've heard of since they got the rights to Community.

[Reply #683 on:]

This is also the first Yahoo! original series I've heard of since they got the rights to Community.

Apparently they had another one called Sin City Saints, but reviews have been less than favourable so I doubt I'll be checking it out.

I honestly can't imagine Yahoo! Screen becoming all that prominent a streaming service, particularly when Netflix and Hulu are dominating the market so aggressively (their current strategies seem to be acquiring the rights to big name shows of the past, with Hulu just recently locking down Seinfeld for $180 million). Amazon also seem to have a decent dog in this fight, especially given the high level of critical acclaim they received for Transparent, but still, I imagine the race is still going to come down entirely to Netflix and Hulu at this point.

Either way, it's exciting as hell to witness this revolution in media production and distribution, and if we're getting quality shows like Orange is the New Black in the process, I'm certainly not complaining.

[Reply #684 on:]

I think Amazon are probably more of a force to be reckoned with than Hulu. Hulu has absolutely no international presence beyond being big in the USA whereas Amazon is only really second to Netflix in a lot of other countries.

Still, I think there's always going to be room for at least four streaming services - especially when the smallest one is supported by ad-revenue rather than subscriptions. That way, it can exist in harmony with the likes of Netflix.

[Reply #685 on:]

Amazon piques my interest because they stream a lot of Viacom content.


There's this really weird show on Fox right now. I think it's called Futurama. Has anyone heard of it?

[Reply #686 on:]

Futurella? Isn't that some obscure show set in the year 4000?

[Reply #687 on:]

So far I've watched the first four episodes of other space and have really liked what I saw, I totally lost it at the "green-dick shitheads" line

[Reply #688 on:]

Interesting twist at the end of The Last Man On Earth; will be interesting to see where season 2 takes us.

[Reply #689 on:]

Yeah, I was pretty sure I saw that actor in the flashback of the pilot

[Reply #690 on:]

Futurella? Isn't that some obscure show set in the year 4000?

Barbarella?  I don't recall that the time period in which the film was set was ever specified, but I've only seen bits and pieces of Jane Fonda it.


Watching the first four episodes of BBC's The Real History of Science Fiction.  Nothing groundbreaking, but it comes across as a bit more than yet another slick, over-produced broad scope sci-fi retrospective. And it's a chance to glimpse some of your favourite authors, actors, directors, and people involved in many sci-fi projects.

I very much enjoyed seeing Rutger Hauer.  But I'm still no closer to learning whether the bit of ad-libbing he did in his last line was spontaneous, or whether he'd thought it up beforehand.

The first ep came on in the background just as I was making my afternoon tea (nachos and tequila*) and I found myself listening intently, then dashing back into the living room to watch snippets.  And just watched all four episodes back-to-back


*I'd skipped both elevenses AND lunch!!

[Reply #691 on:]

Has anyone seen Big Time in Hollywood, FL yet? I'm a few episodes in and I'm really enjoying it so far. The storyline is surprisingly dark for a 20 minute comedy (probably even darker than, say, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and the insanity seems to amplify with every subsequent episode. I'd definitely recommend it.

[Reply #692 on:]

I watched the Late Show with David Letterman farewell today. It was really good.

I've never been a regular viewer of the program, but I definitely acknowledge its value. Still, it wasn't until I started reading some of those retrospective articles regarding the program floating around the web (One Two Three), as well as clips of other late night hosts talking about David Letterman himself (One Two Three), that I understood his influence on the world of late night comedy.

The final episode had plenty of nods to the past as well as a lot of fresh material, some of which is still making me laugh as I think about it now.

It's definitely worth a watch. Yes, the full hour.

[Reply #693 on:]

Over the past week, I binged my way through Heroes since I didn't really have anything better to do.

It's incredibly frustrating how... shit it became. I mean, most of the first season was amazing and about 3/4 of the way through it started losing its touch. By the time the show ended it was a convoluted mess of plot holes, ridiculous flip-flopping personalities, and constant plot-induced stupidity.

They were always retreading the same story elements as well:

Claire wants a normal life!
She's also mad at her dad!
Nathan's turned evil but will redeem himself at the last minute!
Hiro's off wasting his time on some stupid shit instead of being useful!
Peter saw a horrible vision of the future which he has no choice but to stop!
His mother is hiding something!
Sylar's trying to be good for 47th time!

Ugh. Rant over.

[Reply #694 on:]

Hiro's off wasting his time on some stupid shit instead of being useful!

Heroes has a character named Hiro...?

Anyways, I've wondered in what ways Heroes infamously became terrible seemingly overnight. I think this is the first description I've seen of that. Do you know why it happened?

I'd be interested in one day finding out at what moment the show became bad and then watching through the series from the start until just before that moment.

[Reply #695 on:]

The first season is considered the best and I guess after that is the moment, but at the same time I don't think there's a drastic change in quality. It's pretty good altogether. I don't remember Heroes that well, but second season was probably the weakest.

[Reply #696 on:]

You see, I had thought the series only had two seasons. (Wikipedia says four, plus an upcoming miniseries and planned comic book.) Shows what I know.

[Reply #697 on:]

I didn't personally watch the series, though I've been subjected to much discussion on it, and the general consensus seems to be that the first season is good for the most part, and the rest of the show is pure crap.

It's quite perplexing to me that they're rebooting it, given that the series pretty much bombed in every way possible (ratings, critical acclaim, fan base) after its first year. I'm guessing it's the network's ill-conceived attempt to cash in on the current superhero fad. Because, you know, we totally need another supehero series on tv right now.

[Reply #698 on:]

I'm not sure that something that's been popular for the last half a century and shows no sign of losing its popularity any time soon can be considered a "fad".

[Reply #699 on:]

Yeah, but the recent surge in superhero media can be called a fad. We're not going to have a couple dozen Marvel and DC TV shows and movies every year forever.

[Reply #700 on:]

Precisely. This specific level of mainstream popularity can't sustain itself. I'm sure we'll still have superhero shows/movies for a very long time to come, but the sheer volume and frequency of it at the moment is the "fad" I'm referring to.

[Reply #701 on:]

Anyways, I've wondered in what ways Heroes infamously became terrible seemingly overnight. I think this is the first description I've seen of that. Do you know why it happened?

Well, there was the writer's strike during season 2 which resulted in said season becoming very rushed, however it never really recovered from that. They started adding ridiculous characters whilst constantly ditching old ones for no particular reason. And like I said before, they were constantly making the characters have convenient personality changes which was simply infuriating. In short, it seems like they simply lost the first season's magic. There wasn't anything wrong with the acting in my opinion; it was the shitty writing.

The first season is considered the best and I guess after that is the moment, but at the same time I don't think there's a drastic change in quality. It's pretty good altogether. I don't remember Heroes that well, but second season was probably the weakest.

I agree, although I think the third season is far worse than the second (Although "Fugitives", the latter half of season 3, was surprisingly decent).

I'd say the decline started near the end of season one; it had an incredibly strong start and middle (The episode "Company Man" being my favourite in the show) but it just sort of fizzled out by the end and remained on that level of mediocrity until mid-way through season two, which is when it started becoming awful.

It's quite perplexing to me that they're rebooting it, given that the series pretty much bombed in every way possible (ratings, critical acclaim, fan base) after its first year. I'm guessing it's the network's ill-conceived attempt to cash in on the current superhero fad. Because, you know, we totally need another supehero series on tv right now.

It's definitely got a lot of competition, so I guess we'll see. If they can keep it smallish and not bite off more than they can chew it has some potential. Also, Heroes isn't based on any existing property so there's much more room for unique stories.

[Reply #702 on:]

That's true, though the original run of Heroes was largely a product of its time. This was a series hot on the heels of shows like Lost and Prison Break - big budget serialised network dramas that blended various genres, boasted sizable casts and had some sort of central mythology/conspiracy driving the plot. Lost kept its quality impressively high for a very long time, with only the last of its six seasons being considerably disappointing, while Prison Break took a premise that, by its very design, should have only ran for 1 or 2 seasons at the most, and tried to capitalise accordingly, with disastrous results.

I'll concede that, if Heroes has indeed learned from its mistakes and takes a few pages from the more successful shows of this current era of television, the new series could very well be worth watching, but I'm still baffled by the very prospect of it. I mean, who the fuck is clamouring for a Heroes reboot anyway?

[Reply #703 on:]

I have no idea. It's a risky time for a reboot as well since, like you said, the superhero genre is huge at the moment and it'll tank spectacularly if it's anything less than excellent.

I'd much rather a high-quality live-action X-Men show, but that will probably never happen.

[Reply #704 on:]

I have no idea. It's a risky time for a reboot as well since, like you said, the superhero genre is huge at the moment and it'll tank spectacularly if it's anything less than excellent.

NBC don't exactly have a good track record with... Well, pretty much anything on their network right now, critically or commercially (save from maybe Hannibal, which has garnered a huge amount of critical acclaim but still flounders in the ratings), so I think it'd have to be pretty fucking excellent to last beyond a single season.

[Reply #705 on:]

I just finished the first two seasons of Orphan Black.

It's a pretty awesome show, and the lead actress does a phenomenal job playing so many different characters. Definitely has my personal seal of recommendation.

[Reply #706 on:]

Yeah, Orphan Black is fantastic. I'm watching the third season week-to-week right now and it's most definitely retained its quality thus far.

Though we should probably take this to the Orphan Black thread.

[Reply #707 on:]

I watched the first season of Review (the American version) and loved it. Andy Daly is a tremendously funny human being, and the show is very dark. I recommend giving it until the third episode, if you don't like it after that then it's definitely not your thing.

I also watched the first season of Other Space. I enjoyed it, but certain episodes much more than others. It definitely feels like a web series; the writing and acting are mostly competent, but it's not as well executed as it could have been with better directing. At times I laughed hard, at certain points I cringed...but overall it worked for me. The finale was kind of disappointingly predictable, though, and didn't set up a whole lot to be excited for next season.

[Reply #708 on:]

I actually think the low budget of Other Space added a lot of charm to the show. I agree that the finale was a bit disappointing (especially given how great some of the episodes leading up to it were), but I'd still love to have more of it.

I don't believe a second season has been confirmed (or denied) yet, though.

[Reply #709 on:]

I have also watched Other Space now. It's pretty good and I like the humor. It had some interesting plot points, just missed potential with finale and overall storyline. I would like to see more, if there's going to be second season.

[Reply #710 on:]

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is gearing up for its premiere on September 8th. A couple days ago, they launched the Late Show with Stephen Colbert official website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, podcast, and mobile app (Colbr). Then yesterday they announced the band leader will be Jon Batiste.

I'm really looking forward to this. I've been a fan of Stephen Colbert for about a decade and I love late night TV. The addition of Jon Batiste has me doubly excited.

[Reply #711 on:]

Does anyone watch Veep? I'm finishing up the first season and I love it.

[Reply #712 on:]

I do, I do.

If you haven't already, you should really check out The Thick of It. Veep is essentially an American remake of it - or, arguably, it's a sequel to it, set in America. They're made by the same people, anyway. The Thick of It is better purely for the inclusion of Malcolm Tucker, but Veep is good, too - and the current season has been getting interesting so you've got a lot to look forward to.

[Reply #713 on:]

Season 2 is finished. I'm really hoping season 3 starts with Will savagely murdering Congressman Furlong.

[Reply #714 on:]

There's actually a lot less of Will and Furlong in season 3, if I recall correctly. Or more? I dunno.

Either way, Veep is hilarious, and has some of the sharpest dialogue (and most understated performances) of any comedy out there right now. You should also check out Silicon Valley if you haven't already - the show that HBO begins pairing it up with in its timeslot from season 3 onwards.

[Reply #715 on:]

About a week ago, I started House of Cards.

I'm beginning to consider watching a layer of paint dry instead, because that will probably be more interesting.

[Reply #716 on:]

Oh man, I'm so into Silicon Valley right now. Either season 2 has been considerably better than the first or I just didn't remember how good season 1 was accurately.

[Reply #717 on:]

I felt season 1 had a bit of a shaky start but really hit its stride around the mid point, and the show's been on fire since. At least in the comedy department, anyway. I'll concede that Season 2 has been a tad more engaging, though, largely in part to the increasingly high stakes.

About a week ago, I started House of Cards.

I'm beginning to consider watching a layer of paint dry instead, because that will probably be more interesting.

I actually just finished season 3 of this, and I still have some very conflicted feelings about House of Cards in general. Though, having said that, I'd never call it "boring." Pulpy, shallow and dumb, sure, but I at least found it to be consistently entertaining.

[Reply #718 on:]

Pulpy, sure. Dumb? No. I honestly think it's a very intelligent, well-researched, cleverly plotted show, despite having some narrative flaws. But we've already had this discussion on Facebook.

I've also been thoroughly enjoying the new season of Silicon Valley. It's formulaic as hell but still a lot of fun.

[Reply #719 on:]

About a week ago, I started House of Cards.

I'm beginning to consider watching a layer of paint dry instead, because that will probably be more interesting.

Since I spent this past weekend doing nothing but watching Veep, I was wondering to myself how in the world I made myself watch the entire first season of House of Cards. Veep is so much more my kind of show where as House of Cards is kind of trashy. But it did introduce me to Corey Stoll who made a really reprehensible character somehow likeable.