What is the last Television series you watched?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

It's just a ruder version of The Simpsons, it has no artistic value what so ever.

I just thought Ted looked really crude and juvenile. I know loads of people (fellas mainly) loved it, but isn't it all just a load of dick jokes? I don't mind that brand of humour in moderation, but I doubt I'd still be laughing after two hours of it.

The fact that Alex loved this is more evidence of his intellectual decline.

The mask has truly slipped.

[Jay 37,346]

Brooklyn 99 2x02 Chocolate Milk

Shame everything has completely reset - apart from the single joke to the Boyle/Gina hookups, this could have aired in Season 1 and you wouldn't be able to tell a difference at all. Great interactions this week with Jake and Terry, and Holt and Amy. I didn't buy that Rosa would agree to go to the Jamaican party with Boyle at all, that was a bit OTT, unless she secretly likes him. That reveal that he lives in his ex-wives basement was really pathetic.

[Jay 37,346]

Homeland 4x02 Trylon and Perisphere

Damn, the journey of emotionless robot Carrie continues. She has just zero connection to that kid of hers, eh? Quinn's breakdown was weird and out of character. Season seems fairly directionless so far. There's nothing here to hook you into the story like previous seasons have had by now - do we really care who Sandy's source was, or what's in Aayan's bag? Meh.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

American Horror Story Freak Show. It promised much and delivered more with so much left to reveal.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Would I like this show, Joe?

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

I heard it's laughable.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sorry.

[Jay 37,346]

Scarlett Johansson heading to TV with Edith Wharton adaptation

[Hurmm 91]

Just finished Fargo. Doesn't hold a candle to the film. That being said its still a good series, just not the top class series reviews seemed to suggest. For sure it has excellent production values and solid direction throughout, but by the end it has this by-the-numbers feel to it, which isn't something you can ever throw at the original film. Almost everything that the series does well, the film did equally well or bettered in a mere 100 minutes. Probably didn't help that I just came off watching True Detective a couple of weeks back too.

Billy Bob Thornton is excellent in this though.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Any Tim and Eric fans around here? It's a very love it or hate it experience. I happen to fall into the first category.

[Wojo 2,453]

Steffon is back, and he can't keep it together. Lol

[Red 75]

Any Tim and Eric fans around here? It's a very love it or hate it experience. I happen to fall into the first category.

I consider myself a pretty big fan of theirs, though not everything they do works for me. Most of it does and when it does its some of the funniest stuff in the world for me. This new series they've been doing is somewhat of a departure for them and I think has had varying degrees of success.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Those are my feelings exactly. Tim and Eric may be hit or miss, but when they hit, they hit well.

I've also just started American Horror Story. The story is a bit of a mess but it's undeniably entertaining. I'm excited to see where the show will go. Even with its glaring flaws, it still manages to be more interesting than most horror movies out today.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Which American Horror Story? Murder House, Asylum, Coven, or Freak Show?

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Murder House. I've gotten through five episodes and it's really entertaining.

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

Concluded Ever Decreasing Circles last week and onto virgin territory with the sitcom To the Manor Born. Can't beat Penelope Keith in full Margot Leadbetter mode or Peter Bowles in cad mode. Type of comedy the Beeb used to do so well.

[Jay 37,346]

OK at this point I think every movie ever made is being developed as a TV show

Resident Evil and Underworld Headed to Television

[KK 3,307]

Will Tolkien be heading to television soon too?

[Jay 37,346]

Saturday Night Live 40x03 Bill Hader / Hozier

Well, that was better than the abysmal first two episodes, but still far from worthwhile. A few laugh out loud moments - Hader is great - but many pointless and unfunny sketches. Meh.

Modern Family 6x03 The Cold

I guess there's really not much to say every week about this show. I enjoyed the Phil/Luke moments, as always. Not sure why they keep trying to force a Haley/Andy relationship.

[Jay 37,346]

Boardwalk Empire 5x05 King of Norway

LOL, the kid they got to play teenage (early 20s?) Nucky is hilarious - I mean, he looks and acts just like him, they they go and stick those fake teeth in just cause Buscemi has bad teeth - LOL! Flashbacks are still pointless though.

Eli and Van Alden getting caught by the feds and blackmailed into taking down Capone was good, as the reveal they have his accountant too. Capone's fucked! Too bad the show skipped over just about the whole time he was in power. How did Nucky know exactly that Torrio was in league with Lucky and Lansky? Or did he just guess? And how did Chalky find Narcisse's brothel? Even Nucky didn't know where he was. Strange way to end the episode. Is the viewer supposed to care about a girl Chalky cheated on his wife with 7 years ago?

[Jay 37,346]

Downton Abbey 5x03

Maggie Smith completely stole this episode. Her interaction with her butler that saw Mary with that guy in the hotel was great (speaking of which, why where they stupid enough to leave the hotel at the same time?), but then when all the stuff with the Russian guy happened she was just fantastic. Maggie Smith rocks!

[nightscape94 965]

Tim and Eric may be hit or miss, but when they hit, they hit well.

I enjoy them in moderation. Their style of humor is so bizarre and out-there that I can't really take them in long doses. The Dr. Steve Brule wine bit gets me every time though.

[Jay 37,346]

Brooklyn 99 2x03 The Jimmy Jab Games

Very funny stuff across the board this week, both with the Holt/Terry/Closer subplot and the Jimmy Jab Games subplot. Boyle and Hitchcock, Jake and Amy, all good stuff. Not sure why Gina is still boning Boyle, though. I guess to built up to an eventual reveal where Rosa is jealous or something.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Cosmos Episode 1

While it starts off promisingly enough with great visuals and thought provoking concepts, the episodes disappointingly spirals into a tirade against the Catholic Church. I definitely don't approve of their actions but I'd rather not have 1/3 of the episode dedicated to it.

6/10

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Cosmos Episode 1

While it starts off promisingly enough with great visuals and thought provoking concepts, the episodes disappointingly spirals into a tirade against the Catholic Church. I definitely don't approve of their actions but I'd rather not have 1/3 of the episode dedicated to it.

6/10

The new one? Eh it's good but you're better off devoting your time to the original.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Yeah. I watched it mostly for Silvestri's score, which was actually pretty out of place.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Freak Show is great. John Carroll Lynch as Twisty is the most frightening thing ever on television. Pennywise is scared of him.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

American Horror Story S01E08 "Rubber Man"

I think I hate Kate Mara.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

(part 1 of my pre-Interstellar viewings)

Cosmos - A Personal Voyage

The only proper way to begin a marathon leading up to a film about science, the universe, humanity….

On the technical front, obviously masterful. The magnum opus, labor of love of a remarkable man. Between the poetic writing and structure, the entirely palatable effects, and the eclectic choice of music - classical, electronic, pop/jazz selections (Sagan would probably have been a JWFan member) - and most of all, the indefinable atmosphere, lending a sense of intimacy (indeed a "personal voyage") to remarkably grand proceedings.

I've seen this series more times than I can remember. It never becomes any less profound. I've come to realize that my regular, more or less bi-annual watching of this is the closest thing I have to some form of religious devotion. I find myself reliably refreshed after it: intellectually, spiritually, whatever you want to call it. I can think of a ton of common pieces of "required reading" for high school classes that could readily be thrown to the trash in favor of viewing this or reading its novelization. Seems a good requirement to qualify as a worthwhile human being.

[Jay 37,346]

Homeland 4x03 Shalwar Kameez

Hey, a new opening credit sequence! Might take a while to get used to, at first look it was quite jarring and odd. When Carrie was sneaking aware to her surprise contact or whatever, I knew it was going to be that Indian analyst girl because they showed her in the opening credits Quinn's story is completely boring to me - he wants to leave the CIA, ok he's back, he's annoyed again, ok he's back. And I don't like that the writers have invented an unrequited love for Carrie out of basically nowhere (OK he kinda was up to something when he was supposed to kill her but didn't a season or 2 ago, but still...) I actually liked the scenes where the analyst girl and then Carrie tried to turn Aayan.

[Jay 37,346]

Boardwalk Empire 5x06 Devil You Know

The week shit hits the fan! Jesus, killing off two characters that have been around since episode 1 in one episode, pretty nuts. Also, did anyone notice the show started with four Michaels in the main cast (the actors playing Jimmy, Rothstein, Van Alden and Chalky) and now they are all gone. Nucky's daliance with the two con women was entertaining (was the guy Nucky fought with in on the scam?), and the flashbacks continue to be useless and predictable (I predicted right away the theif under the boardwalk would be Gillian).

The sequence this week with Van Alden and Eli trying to steal the ledger from Capone was one of the best little bits the show has done. Loved the way the tension kept shifting, with you thinking they'd get away, then captured again, then thinking they're safe again, etc. Loved how the agent guy got handed the ledger he was after!

The Chalky / Narcisse confrontation was stupid from beginning to end. I haven't cared for anything about Chalky's storyline this entire season, and Narcisse being back was kinda pointless too. The way those storylines wrapped up just kinda made no sense.

Two more eps to go!

[Jay 37,346]

Modern Family 6x04 Marco Polo

A weird episode where each of the 3 main storylines where radically different in tone. The Cam/Mitchell storyline was typical fare they've treaded plenty of times. The Manny dating storyline was really good, with a really sweet ending. Then the Dunpheys storyline was odd as fuck, it's like the show left reality for the absurd more than usual. Funny, though. Great to see Ted from Scrubs on TV again!

[Trent B 337]

While on the road trip my friend Joe introduced Dawn and I to The Blacklist (James Spader) and I gotta say it's a great show! Dawn and I finished season 1 the other night and now caught up with Season 2. We're going to watch last night's episode some point today.

[Jay 37,346]

How do you two watch shows together if you live in different states?

[Quintus 5,399]

Someone recommended that to me, I'll have to have a look at it.

[Jay 37,346]

Brooklyn 99 2x04 Halloween II

Very good. It was obvious all along that there was more to the watch swap than was shown, but it wasn't obvious that Holt had the upper hand until the end. Even then, I was kind of expecting Jake to be even ahead of Holt and have the ultimate upper hand, but it's nice that Holt won this year, meaning anything could happen next year. The subplot about Gina's dance squad seemed underdeveloped and tacked on.

[Trent B 337]

How do you two watch shows together if you live in different states?

She's visiting until November 1st.

[Jay 37,346]

Awesome, congratulations!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

(part 3 of my pre-Interstellar viewings)

From The Earth To The Moon

First time I've revisited this in its entirety since it first aired, probably. It's wonderful of course. A huge ensemble cast, different dramatic architecture in each episode, multiple directors and composers, but still entirely unified in its purpose. In particular I love the last part, which intercuts between appropriately bittersweet but also hopeful (an as yet mostly unfulfilled hope) focus on the final Apollo mission which also recapitulates the overarching scientific and philosophical content of the series, and a sort of mini-love letter to the art of cinema, the magic of storytelling, and human ingenuity and imagination in the form of a dramatization of Georges Méliès' production of La Voyage dans la Lune. Just wonderful stuff all around. The music desperately needs a release, again in particular the final part's score, which is my favorite of Michael Kamen's output despite being an unlikely choice.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Loved Dandy's Michael Myers costume on Freakshow last night. Brilliant little love letter.

[Jay 37,346]

Arrested Development Season 4

Finally watched the last 3 episodes last night with my friend (whom I started watching the new season together with a year and a half ago!)

Overall, a massive disappointment. It was so obvious they couldn't get the cast together - Buster's episode in particular was so disconnected from everything else. There was a whole scene where he talked with his mother, and it was blatantly obvious they filmed each half of the conversation separately with stand-ins! The structure of the season also forces you to watch them all in order and remember everything that happened - something my friend and I surely didn't after having a year+ gap in the middle. None of these episodes are really set up for casual viewing whatsoever, unlike any episode from the original seasons.

But structural issues aside, what about the plot? Well, there were certainly lots of interesting ideas, and they took most of the characters in realistic directions they would have gone in the 10 years since their initial stories ended, I guess. It's all just so buried in the middle of so much other stuff. The episodes have 5x the Ron Howard narration as before because they need it - so much information flies fast and furious and there is so many references to other events you need the narrator to not be completely lost, which isn't exactly great for comedy television.

The pace of all the episodes was sluggish, they all felt like they were longer than the old episodes, cause they were. So many jokes go on for 2-3 times longer than they should have, or would have before. Another thing the new episodes really point out is that is REALLY works best as an ensemble show: What I mean is, the episodes that Tobias and Buster where the center of were among the weakest ones. They are GREAT side characters, who have shorter stories, and pop in and be crazy in normal eps. But as the featured character, it really just didn't work! GOB to an extent too. Really Michael, George Michael, Maeby, and George and Lucille were the best at carrying their own episodes.

The final 3 episodes were especially disappointing. We had been told it would wrap up everything nicely, that all the craziness would make sense, etc. Well, it didn't! A lot of characters barely appeared in the final three - Tobias, Lindsay, George, and Oscar especially, so I guess everything about them was already wrapped up before, which didn't seem to be the case at the time. And the whole thing ends with George Michael punching Michael, and no resolution to them both dating Rebel... ok?

Bah. A missed opportunity. Maybe Season 5 will be better if they actually wait till all 9 cast members can work together again!

[Quintus 5,399]

We didn't even finish it, it was bloomin' awful. But those earlier seasons are still top tier and unspoiled.

[KK 3,307]

Not awful, but not too good either. Had its moments though.

But like Jason said, I hope they get everything together for the next season, or movie, or whatever they're doing.

[Not Mr. Big 4,639]

Orange vs. Black S01 E01

I don't think this is my kind of show. A lot of it revolves around awkward situations (I nearly fainted during the cafeteria scene)

I might continue American Horror Story. It's dumb, convoluted and a lot of fun to watch.

[A24 4,331]

John Williams and Damian Lewis to star in Showtime's new series Billions:

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=124402

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Orange vs. Black S01 E01

I don't think this is my kind of show. A lot of it revolves around awkward situations (I nearly fainted during the cafeteria scene)

I might continue American Horror Story. It's dumb, convoluted and a lot of fun to watch.

it really comes into its own in Asylum which up until Freak Show was the most disturbing series on tv, though X - Files ep. HOME is quite horrific.

Sarah Paulson is one of the best actresses on tv.

[Jay 37,346]

Homeland 4x04 Iron In The Fire

Still not used to the new opening credits! It feels like someone parodying the original opening credits more than a natural evolution of them after the Brody era was over. Weird. Decent episode, the reveal that the uncle was still alive was a good one. Still not caring about Quinn's story. Carrie banging Aaya was pretty fucked up. Hopefully she isn't preggers again! The detour into the guy who sold America's secrets is kinda odd. Saul scenes were good as always.

[Jay 37,346]

Saturday Night Live 40x04 Jim Carrey / Iggy Azalea

Best ep of the season by far. They finally seem to have figured out how to direct and edit again, as there was only one big camera mistake (cutting to a wide shot that revealed Carrey and Killam crawling to their next location instead of sticking with wide shots). Only Carrey's monologue song was a real dud; Most of the skits were genuinely funny, mostly bolstered by Carrey's balls to the wall performances. The return of Drunk Uncle was welcome as well.

[Jay 37,346]

Boardwalk Empire 5x07 Friendless Child

Loved the opening montage of the weeks of mob war that took place in between episodes. It was very cinematic. The entire Bugsy Siegel capture was a very good scene, starting with the husband showing up as he's leaving from banging his wife. The standoff between Nucky's crew and L&L's crew seemed somehow limp, especially with Nucky basically giving up everything he has in 2 seconds for the return of Eli's son. RIP Mickey Doyle, you just couldn't keep your big mouth shut at the right time! The murder of Maranzano was confusing since they showed it right after Ness agreed to led the feds take down Capone, but I suppose that was deliberate? Flashbacks continue to tell us nothing we didn't already know, and the ending with Gillian was kind of groan inducing. I don't like that they are trying to turn her into one of the most important characters in the show. It's odd that Nucky would even contemplate trying to go save her after she tried to have him killed throughout season 2. One episode to go!