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PEEL - The Futurama Message Board    Off Topic    It's got a TV!    Television! Teacher, mother, secret lover: The TV Test Thread renewed « previous next »
Author Topic: Television! Teacher, mother, secret lover: The TV Test Thread renewed  (Read 22326 times)
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Beamer

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« on: 07-11-2015 15:14 »

So, it seemed like a good time to start a new television test thread on account of the previous one hitting 21 pages.

For those who don't know what this is: General tv discussion goes here (including shows with smaller followings on PEEL that don't have their own threads). I suppose it could also be used to discuss the tv test screen, though that has yet to happen thus far.



To recap: The previous thread ended with us discussing tv shows with horrible titles (and myself advocating for Better Off Ted, as should be done whenever possible). So, what are you watching?  :flirt:
UnrealLegend

Space Pope
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« Reply #1 on: 07-11-2015 15:35 »

The only show I'm watching at the moment is an animated science-fiction comedy called Futurama. It's from the same guy who made The Simpsons. Anyone heard of it? It's a pretty cool show. :cool:
Beamer

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« Reply #2 on: 07-11-2015 15:45 »
« Last Edit on: 07-11-2015 15:57 »

:rolleyes:

Anyway, my girlfriend and I recently began watching Hannibal. I was dubious at first, as I usually am with remakes/adaptations (a bad assumption on my own part, since it's actually a largely original re-imagining of the book Red Dragon, rather than a direct adaptation or something tailored from the films), but the amounts of high critical praise I'd seen convinced me to check it out, and I'm very glad I did. The show's just phenomenal - incredible performances, great writing, and quite possibly the best cinematography on tv right now (with Better Call Saul and Banshee ranked closely behind). The show turns graphic violence into a beautiful work of art, creating an atmosphere that's virtually unlike anything else on television right now.

Admittedly, it probably shouldn't have taken me so long to give the show a chance, as I'm a big fan of some of the other shows by its creator, Bryan Fuller (most notably Pushing Daisies, which is also noteworthy for its striking visuals, intriguing concept and poetic dialogue - though Pushing Daisies looks more like a live action Disney movie whereas Hannibal often feels like a nightmarish fever dream). At any rate, I thoroughly recommend it.

Full disclosure, though: The show was recently cancelled, though there are talks of it being shopped over to one of the online streaming services (a prospect that is, sadly, looking less likely, with the two main actors' contracts having expired, and Amazon and Netflix both passing on the series). On the plus side, at least a Bryan Fuller show finally made it past two seasons. :p
Boxy Robot

Starship Captain
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« Reply #3 on: 07-11-2015 16:05 »
« Last Edit on: 07-11-2015 16:09 »

This is going to sound a little weird, but does anyone have a non-violent TV drama recommendation?

I watch a lot of TV, but it's almost entirely limited to sitcoms and animated shows (besides 'Mad Men', 'Doctor Who' and 'Sherlock'). I am, however, incredibly squeamish which has really limited my options with drama show as, despite the critical acclaim, I just couldn't enjoy a show like 'Hannibal', 'Breaking Bad' or 'True Detective' if I was continually expecting some horrific image or scene of violence (stupid, right?).

I know I'm probably missing out of a lot of great entertainment, but are there any shows you guys would recommend that would suit my incredibly filtered television taste?
Beamer

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« Reply #4 on: 07-11-2015 16:39 »

Is it specifically just blood and gore that you're looking to avoid? Rectify has very infrequent violence and it's generally not graphic (ie. The first episode has a brief scene where someone dies from a gunshot to the head, but it's filmed from a very long distance so there's no blood or anything, and then there's pretty much nothing else of that nature until the end of the season), but deals with some very strong themes. It also happens to be one of the best damn dramas on tv right now, and I'd definitely give it a recommendation if you're into Mad Men - the shows have comparable pacing and a strong emphasis on atmosphere and characters.

Orange is the New Black is also one of the best shows around right now, but contains the occasional violent scene, as one may expect from its prison setting. Though, again, none of these scenes are particularly graphic/gruesome (at least that I can recall, anyway). I suppose it's a bit more of a dramedy than an outright drama, too.

If you're looking to avoid all violence completely, your options are far more limited... Masters of Sex isn't quite as great as the other two shows I've mentioned, but it's still well worth watching, and is pretty much devoid of any acts of violence - however, as you may have guessed from the title, there's a great deal of sex and nudity. Virtually none of which is presented in an arousing manner, though (most of the sex scenes involve people hooked up to wires and machines, as the show revolves around a scientific study on sexuality).

Oh, and Transparent is excellent, as well (it's also more of a dramedy than anything - I'd say the drama-to-comedy ratio is pretty much akin to Orange is the New Black). I absolutely loved the first season. Yeah, screw it, I'll make Transparent my recommendation. Ignore the first three paragraphs of this post! :p
Boxy Robot

Starship Captain
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« Reply #5 on: 07-11-2015 17:03 »
« Last Edit on: 07-11-2015 17:05 »

A little blood and gore doesn't put me off entirely, it's just when a show is centered around the theme of violence or heavily involves gruesome elements (such as the aforementioned 'Hannibal'). Having just read a brief description of 'Rectify', however, it does sound very interesting and I'd definitely be interested in watching to see if it gains my attention.

My mother watches 'Orange is the New Black' and she often talks about how much she enjoys it. From what I've seen of it, I'm not sure if it's my kind of show, which I know is incredibly close-minded of me, but I may get around to watching it one day as it's constantly described with equal enthusiasm as you talk about it, Beamer.

I know nothing about 'Masters of Sex' besides the fact that Michael Sheen is in it, and also Casey from 'Party Down'.

'Transparent' has interested me for a while but I haven't go around to watching it yet. I'm a huge fan of Jeffrey Tambor so I may check that out when I have the chance.

On a similar note; 'Veep' is one of my favourite shows at the moment, and I was wondering if anyone has watched 'The West Wing' and if maybe I should give that a go? I've seen individual clips and it's definitely different to something I'd usually watch, but it seems very engaging.
Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #6 on: 07-11-2015 17:49 »

Oh yes, definitely watch The West Wing. Pretty much everything about it is great: The script, the character development, the accurate portrayal of American politics, the production quality, etc. It also has a lot going on in terms of story and plot development; sometimes I would re-watch an episode just to be sure I caught everything. It's also one of those shows with so much detail put into it that repeated viewings are usually rewarding because you will notice things you didn't notice before. It is a character-based drama, so there is very little in the way of gore.

The show's main fault, as you may have read, is that it portrays all Democrats as halo-wearing angels and all Republicans as littled horned demons. I can understand this as a story-telling mechanism (us-vs-them creates conflict which drives stories), but it can get a little heavy-handed there.
JoshTheater

Space Pope
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« Reply #7 on: 07-11-2015 19:50 »



This looks even better than I was expecting.

Definitely not a recommendation for Boxy Robot though. :laff:
cyber_turnip

Urban Legend
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« Reply #8 on: 07-11-2015 22:33 »

I can't see what that video is because I need to update my flash plug-in or something, but I'm going to assume it's the incredible trailer for Ash vs. Evil Dead. That trailer has made the show my most-anticipated bit of anything since Futurama came back.
JoshTheater

Space Pope
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« Reply #9 on: 07-11-2015 22:59 »

Agreed, I'm very excited for it now. The humor seems dead-on, Bruce Campbell is clearly having a blast with it, and visually it looks excellent as well.
UnrealLegend

Space Pope
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« Reply #10 on: 07-12-2015 05:20 »

Regarding non-overly violent shows:

Firefly is a great one. I don't recall Orphan Black being too gory either, although I've only seen the first two seasons.
Beamer

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« Reply #11 on: 07-12-2015 06:52 »

Orphan Black's violence is very infrequent, but definitely not for the squirmish (particularly in the third season).

Though yeah, Firefly deserves a mention whenever possible. :)
winna

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« Reply #12 on: 07-12-2015 10:59 »

I can't see what that video is because I need to update my flash plug-in or something, but I'm going to assume it's the incredible trailer for Ash vs. Evil Dead. That trailer has made the show my most-anticipated bit of anything since Futurama came back.

What channel?
JoshTheater

Space Pope
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« Reply #13 on: 07-12-2015 19:21 »

Starz. Which I don't even think my cable package has? I could be wrong, though I'll probably be getting it through other methods either way. :shifty:
JoshTheater

Space Pope
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« Reply #14 on: 07-30-2015 04:58 »

Bump.

Season 2 of Review starts tomorrow, and now the Comedy Central website has all the episodes of season 1 up streaming for free. It's a funny show, so check it out if you can.
cartoonlover27

Professor
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« Reply #15 on: 08-04-2015 16:26 »

I've decided to come back to peel because I'm starting to have a better mindset and cutting myself off from my friends has not helped me.

I just started watching the new Cartoon Network show We Bare Bears and it's so good. Honestly, it's cute, it's clever. I highly recommend watching it. To me, it's better than Steven Universe and is the best thing Cartoon Network has done since Regular Show and Adventure Time.
Tachyon

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« Reply #16 on: 08-04-2015 22:20 »


I'll keep an eye out for it when I'm scanning for something to watch late at night.

And speaking of cool things, this little gem from Amazon was waiting patiently on my desk when I arrived this morning :) <3



To-date, I've seen only about half the eps, in random order.

I've decided to come back to peel because I'm starting to have a better mindset and cutting myself off from my friends has not helped me.

Welcome back.  Hope your mindset continues to improve :)

Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #17 on: 08-05-2015 06:37 »
« Last Edit on: 08-05-2015 21:40 »

I've decided to come back to peel because I'm starting to have a better mindset and cutting myself off from my friends has not helped me.

Happy to have you back. :)


[Cowboy Bebop]

I used to watch a lot of Adult Swim -- mostly for Futurama and pre-cancellation Family Guy, but occasionally I would catch other shows. So I've long been vaguely familiar with Cowboy Bebop, though I don't think I ever watched it. I was surprised to see the whole series on seemingly one disc, so I just looked it up on Wikipedia, and three things catch my eye:

Thing One: Wow, only 26 episodes from 1998-1999. It must be good to still be notable nearly twenty years later with only one season under its belt.

Thing Two: Neo-noir Space Western?!? Yes, please! :p

Thing Three: The description seems reminicent of the almighty Firefly. (Okay, so maybe "reminicent" isn't a fair word since Cowboy Bebop came first. Anyways...) How well do you think the shows compare, despite one being a Japanese anime and the other being an American live action drama?
cartoonlover27

Professor
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« Reply #18 on: 08-06-2015 03:21 »

Thanks for the love guys!

I've never watched cowboy bebop, but everyone seems to really love it a lot.
winna

Avatar Czar
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« Reply #19 on: 08-06-2015 06:36 »

I wouldn't say Bebop and Firefly are reasonably similar.  Firefly is a western set in space.  Cowboy Bebop is a genre by itself; it mixes music, technology, open frontier, government, and organized criminal activity as themes blended into a character driven story about individuals who are essentially ronin in a place and time that seems realistic to our own, almost within reach.

As for 26 episodes, that's pretty standard for anime shows, and it works well to tightly tell a long story with a well defined beginning and end.
Tachyon

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« Reply #20 on: 08-06-2015 08:56 »


I'm definitely looking forward to watching them in order, winna :)

Tweek

UberMod
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« Reply #21 on: 08-07-2015 16:57 »


Thing One: Wow, only 26 episodes from 1998-1999. It must be good to still be notable nearly twenty years later with only one season under its belt.


Lots of anime series are even shorter than that. It isn't because they were unsuccessful; it is because that is how long it takes to tell the story.

I thought Firefly had more in common with Outlaw Star than Cowboy Bebop... all three are good though :)
tyraniak

Urban Legend
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« Reply #22 on: 08-08-2015 00:21 »

Did anyone else catch Jon Stewart's last daily Show? I thought it was really cool that they had all the past correspondents, considering how many they had over the years
Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #23 on: 08-08-2015 01:36 »


Thing One: Wow, only 26 episodes from 1998-1999. It must be good to still be notable nearly twenty years later with only one season under its belt.


Lots of anime series are even shorter than that. It isn't because they were unsuccessful; it is because that is how long it takes to tell the story.

I did not know that. Do not all nationalities and genres of television overstay their welcome, aimlessly attempting to find any particular story to tell (with varying degrees of success)? :p


I thought Firefly had more in common with Outlaw Star than Cowboy Bebop... all three are good though :)

I have never heard of Outlaw Star.


Did anyone else catch Jon Stewart's last daily Show? I thought it was really cool that they had all the past correspondents, considering how many they had over the years

I am really hoping I can find some place to stream it, living abroad and all. I really want to see it.
Beamer

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« Reply #24 on: 08-08-2015 06:06 »

Yeah, I watched it. It felt like a very fitting finale - particularly Colbert's heartfelt thank  you to Jon Stewart, along with the whole speech about bullshit. Admittedly, I hadn't watched much of the show at all over the past 6 years or so, but it was always comforting knowing that Stewart was still doing his thing. Trevor Noah has some very big shoes to fill, to say the least.

Is Conan now the only host from the previous "era" of U.S. late night talk shows still on the air?
Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #25 on: 08-08-2015 06:24 »

For traditional network-style late night talk shows, yes.

However, Colbert is starting the Late Show next month. I think they'll both be around for a while.

Between when I left for the Peace Corps a couple years ago and when I return to the US in a couple months, not one of these shows will still be the same.
tyraniak

Urban Legend
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« Reply #26 on: 08-08-2015 17:55 »

Yeah, Conan has been doing his thing since late 93 and TBS has renewed his contract through 28, so that'll be 25 years at least.

Also in a recent Comedians in Cars getting Coffee, Colbert admitted he wanted to be done with the character and was happy that the Letterman deal fell in his lap, so I'm sure he'll have that show for a while too
Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #27 on: 08-09-2015 05:50 »

Correction: Does Jimmy Kimmel count as being a part of the previous era? He started in '03, about halfway between Carson's retirement ('92) and Letterman's retirement ('15)? If so, he's the only one left.

Correction: I assume Conan's contract was renewed through '18, not '28! :eek: :p
JoshTheater

Space Pope
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« Reply #28 on: 08-09-2015 06:29 »
« Last Edit on: 08-09-2015 06:33 »

Ya, I was gonna say to tyraniak, that there math ain't right!

That said, your assertion that Jimmy Kimmel could possibly be considered a "previous era" talk show host and your reasoning for it is pretty equally ridiculous. :p
Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #29 on: 08-09-2015 06:44 »
« Last Edit on: 08-09-2015 07:47 »

Well, I was trying to strike a balance between all of the conceivable measures of when these eras started, when these eras ended, and how much presence within an era is significant enough for one to be considered a part of it.

Lacking any formal or informal accord on the defined divisions of these eras, I decided to call the ends of these eras as the retirements of all of the most prominent hosts of a particular era. By that logic, one era ended with Carson's retirement and the next ended with Letterman's retirement. Of course, there is overlap and there are a multitude of other measures that could be argued; I just picked one that I thought would be fair enough.

Kimmel was around for over 50% of the previous era by the markers I set up. My question was whether that would be substantive enough. (I opine that it would.)

It's not like I asserted that James Corden should be considered a part of the previous era because his show started (30 days) before Letterman retired. :rolleyes:
Beamer

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« Reply #30 on: 08-09-2015 08:18 »

Yeah, I guess Kimmel counts. Though the world is generally much better if one just pretends he doesn't exist. :p

To be fair, he's still nowhere near as bad as Fallon. Just... ugh.
Spacedal11

Space Pope
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« Reply #31 on: 08-09-2015 09:36 »

Oh yeah Conan runs circles around Kimmel and Fallon. Although Kimmel has proven himself to be admirable at times, such as when the Leno/O'Brien Tonight Show fiasco was going down, he was brutally critical of Jay Leno and defended Conan.
tyraniak

Urban Legend
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« Reply #32 on: 08-09-2015 14:36 »

Yeah, his contract is through 2018, but I was typing on my smartphone, so I didn't notice the typo until now
DrThunder88

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« Reply #33 on: 08-09-2015 21:22 »

So, I had been watching Avatar: The Last Airbender over the last few weeks, and it was quite impressive.  It's definitely a kid show in some ways, but it still held its appeal to a more mature viewer.  Truth be told, it was a more mature viewer who enjoys stories about elemental wizards in a land quasi-inhabited by spirits.

The story was pretty tightly written and felt genuinely epic, perhaps a little rushed but epic overall.  I should say again that I watched the whole series over a period of two weeks, so the pacing could have something to do with that.  The characters were also very strong, and I found it easy to emotionally invest in at least some of their relationships throughout the series.  Even the relationships that missed more than hit for me made sense, and were just as well established as other elements of the plot.

The artwork too was beautiful and exquisitely designed.  Moreover, it was approachable, if that's a thing.  One of the reasons I never got into anime any further than to stop calling it "Japanimation" was that it seemed so radically different from what I'd grown up with.  Avatar's style, or maybe just the fact that it was originally produced in my native tongue, was not so foreign that it distracted from the experience.
Scrappylive

Liquid Emperor
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« Reply #34 on: 08-10-2015 07:46 »

Yeah, I guess Kimmel counts. Though the world is generally much better if one just pretends he doesn't exist. :p

To be fair, he's still nowhere near as bad as Fallon. Just... ugh.

Oh yeah Conan runs circles around Kimmel and Fallon. Although Kimmel has proven himself to be admirable at times, such as when the Leno/O'Brien Tonight Show fiasco was going down, he was brutally critical of Jay Leno and defended Conan.

But, but... Scrappy like the Jimmies... for... laugh-making!

What exactly do you dislike about them (especially Fallon)? I understand some of the criticisms I've heard about him: mainly that he seems over-excited and he praises all of his guests. I agree with the latter. He claims that every guest's movie/show/book/game will be Movie/Show/Book/Game of the Year.

However, I enjoy the upbeat vibe and am happy to see someone who seems like a genuinely good and happy person to be behind the desk. I also really enjoy the variety show elements and the games he plays with the guests. Plus, The Roots are awesome and multi-talented and can play along with any segment the show employs. And, of course, the show makes me laugh, which is very important to me.
Beamer

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« Reply #35 on: 08-10-2015 11:32 »

Fallon has no skills as a comedic performer whatsoever. The guy can't even keep a straight face while telling the most basic fucking joke imaginable, and his show consists entirely of celebrity ass-kissing. The comedic sketches and various bits that traditionally fill the space between the monologue and the first interview now consist entirely of "let's make a famous person do something silly!" with no actual joke beyond that. I'd call him a disgrace to the entire talk show circuit, though then again, Leno was equally terrible, and I never much cared for Letterman either (granted, however, I did not get the opportunity to watch Letterman in his prime, which I've heard was actually very funny television).

As for Kimmel, there's not much I can actually say beyond "Well, he's just not that funny." Sure, he produces the occasional good one-liner and/or skit, but he still ranks pretty low on my list, if only for how superior his contemporaries are in comparison. Hell, Conan O'Brien is one of the funniest people on television, in my opinion - did you see any of the stuff he did during the writers' strike? The fact that he can turn absolutely nothingness into genuine hilarity is a testament to his ability as a performer and a host, and frankly, there's just no good reason as to why anyone would watch Kimmel over him (or over Stewart and Colbert when they were on, for that matter).

I've got nothing against The Roots though, for whatever that's worth. :p
JoshTheater

Space Pope
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« Reply #36 on: 08-10-2015 17:39 »

In a month, this whole discussion will probably be moot. I honestly think Colbert's show is going to be far superior to any that's come before, and yes, I mean any.
Spacedal11

Space Pope
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« Reply #37 on: 08-11-2015 05:25 »
« Last Edit on: 08-11-2015 05:31 »

Basically I agree with much of what Beamer said, but in a not so angry way. :)

I've actually seen Jimmy Fallon live, when he was still doing Late Night. It was very interesting to watch the show work, and he seemed very professional about it and genuinely thankful to be there. I also think Late Night erred on the side of less present obnoxiousness with the sketches and celebrity bits because weirder things were allowed to happen on that show (see: all of Conan's run). But now that he's on the Tonight Show, those things are sensationalized because it is The Tonight Show, the cornerstone of aesthetically pleasing and safe entertainment for all of the average TV viewers. I am most notably irritated by both Fallon and Kimmel's constant ass-kissing with celebrities and lording it over the audience with how cool they are because they know/are neighbors with/go to parties with these famous people. Like there's something really unprofessional about it that feels like your buddy on facebook telling you about that ONE TIME he met some movie star at the airport. I do think Fallon is a horrendous interviewer, which makes it okay that he does the sketches and games because dude cannot hold a good conversation without laughing at the dust in the air. Kimmel is better at that I guess but I don't bother watching either of them unless there's something specific I want to see (I admit the Celebrities Reading Mean Tweets on Kimmel is pretty amusing).

I also did not grow up with David Letterman and have sought out his much earlier TV work on YouTube, which is stuff of legends apparently but ultimately am not a fan of. I grew up with Conan O'Brien and I greatly appreciate his stuff. I think he's the only one who has mastered the art of talk show work and why he has lasted so long but I think John Stewart and Stephen Colbert are completely different and have brought something new to the late night programming. I'm very excited about the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but I still am not expecting to be the same kind of thing as Conan's show. And judging from the stuff Colbert's been doing lately to promote it, I think I'm right to assume that.

Beamer

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« Reply #38 on: 08-11-2015 05:50 »

I'm sure Colbert's version of The Late Show will be great, but I still think he's best suited to political satire. I must admit, it breaks my heart a little to see him go from having his own Comedy Central series - where he had pretty much full creative control - to a mainstream celebrity-whoring talk show on CBS, which will undoubtedly come with a slew of major network restrictions. :hmpf:
cartoonlover27

Professor
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« Reply #39 on: 08-12-2015 04:03 »
« Last Edit on: 08-12-2015 04:04 »

I used to love Fallon but I grew up a little and realized 80% of his stuff isn't funny. A few of his reoccurring sketches are funny, but mostly it's unfunny.

On an unrelated note, I've been watching cartoons nonstop.

Tonight I'm on a Regular Show kick  :p I've been watching a bunch of Cartoon Network cartoons mostly. Besides the awful Teen Titans Go, most of the cartoons on that channel are really funny, and genuinely good quality. (Adventure Time, Regular Show, We Bare Bears, etc.)
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