Television Anyone recommend me any TV Shows?

[One Night Only]

The second I saw the trailer I knew I won't touch it with a 10 foot pole. Utter trash, and I think it is even going to get another season. Haven't a clue how such garbage gets renewed and some good stuff get cancelled. Guess it doesn't take a lot of money to make crap that's why.

Oh and enjoy the ban for Love Island. @esmufc07

I'm gonna make the Mrs was the first episode so I've got someone to moan with about how shit it is. It's amazingly shite. They cram allsorts of clichés into one episode the acting is beyond dreadful not one character felt real, story was wtf and didn't make feck all sense either.

 

[Massive Spanner]

Hacks on HBO max is really good. Jean Smart is great.

 

[SirAnderson]

Hacks on HBO max is really good. Jean Smart is great.

Thanks for the recommendation MS. Just finished it now. Would definitely recommend, love it!!

Jean Smart was brilliant. Reminded me a bit of Ballers, but with the focus on the stand up world of course.

8/10 for me, can't wait for the next season.
Now, on to the next.

 

[KirkDuyt]

The missus and I have just started watching super natural. Seems fun so far. Also, it had Amy Acker as a guest star. She's my dream woman.

 

[Shane88]

Started The Shield. Only 3 episodes in but Mackey is such a cnut.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Currently revisiting The League. Finally managed to track down good quality files since it got pulled from Netflix.

Great show, underrated, but I can really do without Taco, particularly the musical bits.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

Started The Shield. Only 3 episodes in but Mackey is such a cnut.

Yep He is.

 

[Skåre Willoch]

To all of you who have recommended Mr. Inbetween – thanks a lot! Started it yesterday, and binged the entire (sadly quite short) first season. GREAT stuff.

 

[SirAnderson]

Started The Shield. Only 3 episodes in but Mackey is such a cnut.

It's been over 10 years since I watched it, I need to give it a watch again, even though the ending is still so vivid in my mind and some of the big stuff that happened. I'm not usually one to rewatch stuff, but this is one of the series I would definitely rewatch. How far are you in now?

 

[Wibble]

Finished Mr Inbetween. Cracking little show.

Uses dialogue extremely well. There’s hardly ever a scene wasted and they also know when to use silence. Superb stuff. Great ending too.

I've now watched the final 20 mins of the last episode 5 or 6 times. Bloody brilliant.

 

[Wibble]

To all of you who have recommended Mr. Inbetween – thanks a lot! Started it yesterday, and binged the entire (sadly quite short) first season. GREAT stuff.

It gets better as well.

 

[Spielmacher]

I recently watched (finished) Mr. Inbetween and Succession and yesterday started Manifest.

Really goes to show what a big cliff of quality there is between great dramas and normal television, I didn't enjoy Manifest at all.

 

[Shane88]

It's been over 10 years since I watched it, I need to give it a watch again, even though the ending is still so vivid in my mind and some of the big stuff that happened. I'm not usually one to rewatch stuff, but this is one of the series I would definitely rewatch. How far are you in now?

Started the second season. Mackey just cooked a guy's face.

Great show but it has the most obnoxious intro sequence in TV history which is 200% louder than the rest of the show.

 

[Sir Matt]

Anyone else watching White Lotus? I'm three episodes in, and it's absolutely bizarre. Alexandra Daddario is gorgeous though.

 

[entropy]

Not sure what Mike White set out to achieve but White Lotus felt very incoherent and all over the place. The entire show felt kinda pointless. Waste of a great cast.

 

[justsomebloke]

Not sure what Mike White set out to achieve but White Lotus felt very incoherent and all over the place. The entire show felt kinda pointless. Waste of a great cast.

I totally disagree, I loved it. Not sure what "incoherent" is supposed to mean, but I suspect it's maybe that it's hard to be quite sure what to expect from it, and what it tries to be? It's not straightforward comedy, and it's not really drama either. It's just a story of a group of people who happen to spend the same week at luxury resort in Hawaii, and their foibles, troubles and relations. Which brings up plenty of amusing situations, but above all it's character driven and focused on human relations. All told with a level of perception and nuance you'd expect from a really good novel rather than a TV series. And that's it I guess, for characterisation. The story it tells and the way it tells it is instantly recognisable if you think of it as a novel. It's just unusual for a TV series.

I'd recommend it to anyone. Just take it as it is.

 

[justsomebloke]

Which: Bosch or the wire?

The answer is obvious: Both!

I'd probably consider them the two best crime-related series of this century.

 

[justsomebloke]

Also the best intro ever aside from maybe True Detective S1. That shouldn’t matter much, but I still love it.

You are so right about the True Detective S1 intro. That's a fecking work of art, that is.

 

[Massive Spanner]

I've watched the first five episodes of The White Lotus and I think it's superb.

I totally disagree, I loved it. Not sure what "incoherent" is supposed to mean, but I suspect it's maybe that it's hard to be quite sure what to expect from it, and what it tries to be? It's not straightforward comedy, and it's not really drama either. It's just a story of a group of people who happen to spend the same week at luxury resort in Hawaii, and their foibles, troubles and relations. Which brings up plenty of amusing situations, but above all it's character driven and focused on human relations. All told with a level of perception and nuance you'd expect from a really good novel rather than a TV series. And that's it I guess, for characterisation. The story it tells and the way it tells it is instantly recognisable if you think of it as a novel. It's just unusual for a TV series.

I'd recommend it to anyone. Just take it as it is.

Yeah, great summary. If you're expecting some big overarching plot or mystery or "in", it's not really for you. It's a show about complex characters getting put into weird and difficult situations with each other, first and foremost.

Also Alexandra Daddario and Sydney Sweeney in the same show, what's not to like?

 

[Widow]

You are so right about the True Detective S1 intro. That's a fecking work of art, that is.

Absolutely but leave it there. 2 & 3 will only disappoint you, sadly.

Edit: Saw you was talking about the intro and not the actual show, apologies.

The intro music is still my ring tone. I go between that and wayward son from Supernatural, love the shows and intro music.

 

[justsomebloke]

Absolutely but leave it there. 2 & 3 will only disappoint you, sadly.

Edit: Saw you was talking about the intro and not the actual show, apologies.

The intro music is still my ring tone. I go between that and wayward son from Supernatural, love the shows and intro music.

It's a fantastic song. When I first heard it, I just assumed it was a re-recording of some Johnny Cash classic or something, it seemed impossible that I hadn't heard it many times before - it's just an instant classic. And the visuals of the intro too.

(And yeah, series 2 and 3 are definitely not of the same quality, from the little I've seen of them).

 

[The Cat]

Two episodes of Breaking Bad left for tonight - made it at last!

Really enjoyed how it ramped up.

 

[entropy]

I totally disagree, I loved it. Not sure what "incoherent" is supposed to mean, but I suspect it's maybe that it's hard to be quite sure what to expect from it, and what it tries to be? It's not straightforward comedy, and it's not really drama either. It's just a story of a group of people who happen to spend the same week at luxury resort in Hawaii, and their foibles, troubles and relations. Which brings up plenty of amusing situations, but above all it's character driven and focused on human relations. All told with a level of perception and nuance you'd expect from a really good novel rather than a TV series. And that's it I guess, for characterisation. The story it tells and the way it tells it is instantly recognisable if you think of it as a novel. It's just unusual for a TV series.

I'd recommend it to anyone. Just take it as it is.

It's a really forgettable show but that’s just my take. What might seem weird to the audience felt a lot like just poor writing to me? I also think a lot of the jokes felt superficial and what a 50 yr old thinks millennials talk like(Ivy League asshole, jealous teenagers with illegal drugs, can’t live without their phones, etc). This interview was revealing and asks some good questions about the show and the finale.

https://www.vulture.com/article/the-white-lotus-finale-mike-white-interview-departures-ending.html

 

[justsomebloke]

It's a really forgettable show but that’s just my take. What might seem weird to the audience felt a lot like just poor writing to me? I also think a lot of the jokes felt superficial and what a 50 yr old thinks millennials talk like(Ivy League asshole, jealous teenagers with illegal drugs, can’t live without their phones, etc). This interview was revealing and asks some good questions about the show and the finale.

https://www.vulture.com/article/the-white-lotus-finale-mike-white-interview-departures-ending.html

It's quite revealing especially in the sense of being a complete spoiler for anyone who hasn't watched it through, so anyone who hasn't, don't read it.

I didn't think the writing was poor, rather the contrary. But then of course I've no idea what American millennials are supposed to talk like.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

started watching The Newsroom. Only 4 episodes in. It’s really good.

 

[BBer13]

started watching The Newsroom. Only 4 episodes in. It’s really good.

Very good show, hardly ever gets spoken about either. Think the person who made the show also did West Wing, another great show.

 

[decorativeed]

Party Down is on Hulu. Rewatched both seasons again. Directed by Paul Rudd with Adam Scott leading. Cringeworthy in a good way.

I was recommended this and thought the first episode was shite. No laughs at all, so I didn't bother watching any more.

Then I saw an article that was banging on about how it was one of the best comedies of the century (so far), and have gone back to it. It's fecking great.

 

[entropy]

It's quite revealing especially in the sense of being a complete spoiler for anyone who hasn't watched it through, so anyone who hasn't, don't read it.

I didn't think the writing was poor, rather the contrary. But then of course I've no idea what American millennials are supposed to talk like.

I did mention it talks about the finale. Anyway, there are a lot of revealing points in the interview, some of which are that the creator didn't have a writers' room. Mike White also seems to think that Shane really loves Rachel, when in reality he is just a controlling douchebag. My point in bringing up how millennials talk is that the show doesn't go much beyond the generalizations I mentioned. There isn't much we get to know about these characters beyond these tropes. To answer your earlier question about what felt 'incoherent' I guess there are plenty of instances but how about this

Spoiler

We spend the entire show with Alexandra Daddario;s character realizing she made a mistake marrying this ivy league douche bag. But somehow she ends up with him at the end? that too right after he stabs someone to death. That was a yikes for me.

 

[Shane88]

3 seasons into The Shield, it gets better and better.

 

[justsomebloke]

I did mention it talks about the finale. Anyway, there are a lot of revealing points in the interview, some of which are that the creator didn't have a writers' room. Mike White also seems to think that Shane really loves Rachel, when in reality he is just a controlling douchebag. My point in bringing up how millennials talk is that the show doesn't go much beyond the generalizations I mentioned. There isn't much we get to know about these characters beyond these tropes. To answer your earlier question about what felt 'incoherent' I guess there are plenty of instances but how about this

Spoiler

We spend the entire show with Alexandra Daddario;s character realizing she made a mistake marrying this ivy league douche bag. But somehow she ends up with him at the end? that too right after he stabs someone to death. That was a yikes for me.

Well, I find it surprising that you can watch that and see only tropes and generalizations in the characters, but to each his own I guess.

How exactly do you know what Shane is or isn't? Not only is he a fictional character, he's also Mike White's fictional character.

Also, you are in effect criticizing White for seeing him as a more complex character, after first complaining that the characters aren't complex enough?

I too was disappointed with that part of the ending you discuss, in the sense that it was an obviously unwise choice by the character that put her in a different light than before. But I really don't think it's an actual defect that the story ends differently than I would have preferred. It's the writer's story.

Spoiler: SPOILER

I can see how you could call that incoherent, but I'm not sure I agree. Surprising, yes. But perhaps not entirely implausible. You assume by that point that Rachel has crossed some divide in herself and found the strength and conviction to face up to the fact that she's married an asshole, and set herself up for a life of conforming to expectations set by people to whom she is invisible, and that the only reasonable course of action is to walk away. But, this is still the person with a sufficient lack of perception and judgment to marry Shane in the first place, and who really doesn't see herself as a strong person, and she buckles. And instead of the brave liberational release that's been built up for perhaps the only character almost consistently portrayed sympathetically throughout the series, we get the disastrous cowering acceptance of the unacceptable - taking the simplest path, and the worst one. Not a bad twist really, even if it's an unpleasant one.

 

[The Cat]

Please don't. It's a complex show that requires absolute focus. Otherwise you will be here soon enough posting you couldn't get into it.

Well I made it at last.

Was worth it, it just kept getting better and better.

 

[TheGame]

Onto season two of Dexter. Enjoying it so far.

 

[entropy]

Well, I find it surprising that you can watch that and see only tropes and generalizations in the characters, but to each his own I guess.

How exactly do you know what Shane is or isn't? Not only is he a fictional character, he's also Mike White's fictional character.

Well for starters,,,

Spoiler

-he treats the hotel staff like shit
-brings his mom on his honeymoon
-doesn't respect Rachel's profession and wants her to quit
-has his mom lecture her to do the same thing because he suspects she is having second doubts about the marriage
-refuses to listen to his wife and is obsessed with picking a fight with Armond
-obviously a gun nut
-threatens her by saying she is "choosing an evil path" when she tells him she isn't happy(downright abusive behaviour)
-stabs the hotel manager

Also, you are in effect criticizing White for seeing him as a more complex character, after first complaining that the characters aren't complex enough?

Spoiler

I have no issue accepting that his characters are complex. But there has to be some proof or instances which prove that, right? just saying they are complex is one thing. But is there any instance where Shane isn't an asshole or does something that is endearing? Or is there any instance where we see Rachel actually considering being happily married to him? just off the top of my head, I can't think of a single instance where any of this happens? this is why I struggle to see these characters as complex

To address your final point

Spoiler

of course, it isn't implausible. Anything is possible. But for it to be believable, we need to see some instances that hint towards that. There has to be some instance where she realizes "oh well, that's ok. I guess I am just married to a rich asshole". But we never ever see that. In fact, even towards the end, when she finds the courage to come clean to him about how unhappy she is, he acts like an abusive pos threatening her by saying "she is choosing an evil path". And the next thing we know, she is saying "I am happy now". Like, how did that happen? or what changed? we do not get any answers.

 

[Wibble]

Please don't. It's a complex show that requires absolute focus. Otherwise you will be here soon enough posting you couldn't get into it.

Is it? I was hooked and entertained from episode 1. And of course it just gets better and better after series 1 with the last episode of series 4 possibly being the best TV ever.

 

[Wibble]

Finished Mr Inbetween. Cracking little show.

Uses dialogue extremely well. There’s hardly ever a scene wasted and they also know when to use silence. Superb stuff. Great ending too.

I've now watched the last 20 mins 6 or 7 times. The shootout was brilliant. The conversation with Freddy was brilliant as there are far more obvious but less satisfying ways that could have gone, and the final long scene must be the tensest bit of telly in some time. And the very end

 

[Wibble]

I'm up to episode 7 now I think I've cracked it

Excellent. You won't regret it.

 

[George Owen]

Is it? I was hooked and entertained from episode 1. And of course it just gets better and better after series 1 with the last episode of series 4 possibly being the best TV ever.

I think so. Above average for sure.

Anyway, why would you be watching something else alongside? The GOAT deserves exclusive attention.

Well I made it at last.

Was worth it, it just kept getting better and better.

Glad to hear.

The good news is that subsequent views are just as pleasuring, if not even more.

 

[Wibble]

Anyway, why would you be watching something else alongside? The GOAT deserves exclusive attention.

I like to binge good stuff but I have to moderate my inclinations as too much of one program, no matter how good, can turn my wife off it and then it is really hard to get her back.

 

[George Owen]

I like to binge good stuff but I have to moderate my inclinations as too much of one program, no matter how good, can turn my wife off it and then it is really hard to get her back.

fair enough.

ps. Rewatching True Detective now. After finishing the first 2 seasons, my first impressions is that season 2 is better than how I remembered it, and season 1 a bit worse than how I remembered it. I didn't have recollection of a season 3, hopefully it's good.

 

[Wibble]

fair enough.

ps. Rewatching True Detective now. After finishing the first 2 seasons, my first impressions is that season 2 is better than how I remembered it, and season 1 a bit worse than how I remembered it. I didn't have recollection of a season 3, hopefully it's good.

Probably fair enough. I seem to remember Season 1 was the GOAT until it fell off a cliff at the end.