The All-New TT: Television Time Mini Reviews

[Paul le Fou]

I am a Virgo starts out fairly simple; the first episode is just kind of about this kid being a giant and integrating into society. But it already hints at more and crazier stuff coming down the line. After Sorry to Bother You I'm definitely interested in wherever Boots Riley is going with this.

 

[Kirin]

After Sorry to Bother You I'm definitely interested in wherever Boots Riley is going with this.

Ooh, I am intrigued. And for once the new thing is on a service I already have, so we'll definitely be checking this out.

 

[Rascally Badger]

I finished up I'm A Virgo last night. It is excellent. It turns into something of a superhero show, with the only truly original take on the idea I've seen in some time. It also still has time for Riley to get into the opposite of 'bad politics'. Great show.

Another thing on Amazon Prime that I would really recommend is Deadloch. It is basically funny Broadchurch, written by the women behind the Katering Show. Its really good.

 

[YangusKhan]

I've been watching Cheers due to... watching Frasier and seeing the episode where Ted Danson cameos. Turns out a hugely popular, Emmy-awarded sitcom is pretty entertaining. I am probably binging it too quickly; even though I'm still in season 1, the formula is starting to crack and I'm just hankering for it to start adding more characters. Also it's starting to bother me the way the Coach character is treated; he functions pretty much the same way Betty White's character does in Golden Girls (ie. they're constantly misinterpreting everything).

Still, the one more serious episode where Sam almost relapses and drinks a beer was extremely good. I know Ted Danson is a good actor, and it's scenes like that one which really show off his range.

 

[zonetrope]

Cheers is wonderful. The Lilith years are the best, because she's one of the all-time great sitcom characters, but on the other hand, you can basically say that about the entire cast.

 

[FelixSH]

Lilith is great, I love her. I enjoyed Cheers, especially the first half, but the whole show is worth watching. Frasier and Lilith are wonderful, individually and together, and the thing I miss mostly in Frasier, the show, is having him and Lilith be a couple.

-------------------------

I started watching Parks & Recreation. Feels like a better The Office, it's immediately obvious that the show is made by the same guy. The main character, whose name I haven't put to memory yet, is basically Michael. Except that she isn't in a position of power, which makes her more enjoyable. She also seems to be more intelligent and simply having her shit more together than him, even though she has her own hangups. I enjoy her a lot. But not just her, the whole show is fun. Just at the beginning of S2, though, so looking forward to how it will develop.

 

[Kirin]

Leslie Knope is the name you’re looking for. And yeah, I bounce off The Office every time I try it, but Parks & Rec is great. I think mostly it comes down to liking the characters a lot more, enough to get me over my general distaste for the show format.

 

[jpfriction]

Parks and Rec figured out early that being an office clone was a non-starter and went all in on Leslie being basically the anti Michael. Everyone loves her and she is great at her job.

 

[WisteriaHysteria]

The thing I'm not a big fan of, of Parks & Recs as well as The Office (thought the Office is a much worse offender in this regard) is that both shows have this Office (UK) foundation where most of the characters are just complete assholes. Which isn't inherently a problem by itself. But after a while, the show pivots and starts acting like they're not, and like they're good people. And like you are or should be rooting for them. Some times, there's effort put into showing a transformation from jerk to not. But most of the time, it's completely unearned and I'm just left feeling like, "These guys are still jerks tho." It's really jarring. Parks & Recs did this pivot a lot earlier than The Office did, so it's a little easier to sweep under the rug. But it's still weird. Both shows are thoroughly hilarious from moment-to-moment, but I never fell in love with either because I just couldn't let that feeling go. Which might be a me-problem more than the show's problem. But it's the whole HBO's Entourage problem all over again and I'm not a fan of that kind of flanderization many shows tend to go through as they go on for too long.

 

[karzac]

I think with Parks especially you kinda just have to think of the first season - or at least the first couple episodes - as not really existing.

 

[Kirin]

Yeah I do vaguely remember almost bouncing off the beginning but everyone saying “no wait hang on a bit”…

 

[FelixSH]

So it develops quite a bit? I liked it pretty much from the start.

Only had to get over this documentary style it has. Could really do without that, but elsewise, it worked for me pretty fast.

 

[jpfriction]

The documentary conceit is pretty much completely ignored after the first season in parks and rec save for the talking head segments.

The office occasionally remembered it in later seasons, seldom for any good reason (less said about Pam & the cameraman the better).

 

[Lakupo]

The Office US tried to hew pretty close to the UK original at first, but at some point they realized that isn't sustainable creatively and culturally. The UK series reached an end because you can't suffer these people any longer--and semi-jerks aren't much fun anyway (gotta be full jerks like Always Sunny). But I'm cool with that, television is a living medium after all, things change over time for a variety of reasons. The Office had to change to be successful. The weird thing to me is that they tried to do it again with Parks and Rec and then had to memory hole that first season. What did they expect the second time?

Totally been meaning to post this for a bit, but my husband and I finished Silo a couple of weeks ago. Don't want to give too much away, but excellent stuff, really built up and maintained tension well, great practical sets and really good performances. Looking forward to the next season.

 

[WisteriaHysteria]

I actually like the first seasons of Office and Parks & Recs? So it's a little harder for me to memory hole them. I agree with your assessment Lakupo about how they probably had to pivot. It's just still... *weird* to me. Because the later seasons definitely forget how big-a jerks all these characters are, and we're meant to smile and clap along with these people, but... I remember lol

 

[lincolnic]

I didn't mind the first season of Parks & Rec, but it gets exponentially better the more it goes on, so it's hard to really remember much of the first season in comparison.

 

[zonetrope]

I like friendlier Parks & Rec, but it could definitely go too far. I found the whole final season to be a mawkish, suffocating group hug, and these days it's kind of hard to watch the show's vision of 2017 compared with the one we actually got.

 

[John]

What We Do In The Shadows did a Pride episode, and the ending was so bonkers I had to write this up. Spoilers for this season, and also James Wan's Malignant.


Nadja's a 500yo Greek Romani Vampire who is paired up with Lazlo, a 300yo lothario Vampire. Somehow along the way, Nadja discovered that when she was turned into a vampire, her human soul was converted into a ghost, and was living a ghost life out there in ghost world. Through reasons that I don't remember, that ghost ended up inhabiting a doll that looks like Nadja, similar to Chucky, but slightly less malevolent. This doll occasionally has adventures, and it turns out that when Nadja was turned, she was a virgin, which means that her ghost also is a virgin. This makes Ghost Nadja sad, but then they figure out a way to do a Freaky Friday and put Ghost Nadja's spirit into Nadja's physical form, while Nadja tries out the doll for a bit. This is all so Ghost Nadja can go get laid (with the consent of Vampire Nadja).

Shenanigans ensue, no sex is happening due to Ghost Nadja being 500 years old and her come-on lines are a bit out of touch. Vampire Nadja says she's done with this, and wants to swap back, but didn't know that she would need consent from Ghost to do so, and OG Nadja's not going until she gets some. They find a loophole, Colin Robinson (an Energy Vampire who feeds by being the most boring and frustrating being ever) says he'll put his spirit into Nadja's body also, and try to convince Ghost to go back to the Doll. This transfer "works", but it had never been done before, and has some side effects. Eventually, Colin Robinson grows an entire face on the back of Nadja's head, ala Malignant or Harry Potter, and they all participate in a Pride rally celebrating their polycule.

The episode ends with Lazlo fucking Ghost Nadja and Colin Robinson, both inhabiting Vampire Nadja's body, as Vampire Nadja in the doll form sits and watches. Everyone gives consent, everyone's happy, it's just an unusual foursome of a ghost and different forms of vampires (two of which are the same physical person) having sex while a documentary crew films them.

 

[zonetrope]

This WWDitS season has definitely been a creative bounce back from a pretty middling season 4, and I think that whole scenario sums it up nicely. I'm also glad they finally added Kristen Schaal to the opening credits.

 

[Kirin]

Yeah WWDITS is back to being on fire this season for sure. Annoyingly, Prime was missing episode 3 even after episode 4 landed on it, so we had to free trial Hulu to catch up. Very weird.

 

[lincolnic]

I recently became aware that not only was there a new season of Painting with John, but that it's the third season, meaning there was also a second season nobody even told me about! So I'm a couple of episodes into that now. It's pretty different from Fishing with John, but if you liked that (or John Lurie's oddball stories and weirdo improv bits in general), man is this ever a show for you. It's impossible to describe but I love it.

 

[YangusKhan]

This WWDitS season has definitely been a creative bounce back from a pretty middling season 4, and I think that whole scenario sums it up nicely. I'm also glad they finally added Kristen Schaal to the opening credits.

Yeah WWDITS is back to being on fire this season for sure. Annoyingly, Prime was missing episode 3 even after episode 4 landed on it, so we had to free trial Hulu to catch up. Very weird.

Any time they get to go nuts with Energy Vampire Lore, I am here for it.

 

[Rascally Badger]

The Council of the Energy Vampires had me rolling.

 

[Kirin]

Ok, as a big ‘ol nerd forum with a TV thread someone has fallen down on the job here because I had no idea that a second season of Good Omens was even a thing one could ever expect to exist, much less a thing that does exist and is in fact already out in full (on Prime at least). And yes it’s true that the original series covered the entire book so this is obviously all new original content do not steal and of course done without any input from dearly departed Pterry, but it does have Gaiman producing and co-writing, and of course Michael Sheen and David Tennant being constantly wonderful and it seems more John Hamm this time as well and anyway I’m two episodes in and trying to draw it out instead of binging it immediately because it’s still delightful.

 

[Paul le Fou]

I saw that it was out, but I'm a bit leery of it because of the whole "sequel series to completed work" aspect, so I've been waiting for impressions from other people to start rolling in. I suppose I could look up reviews too, but psh, who's got time for that??

 

[Rascally Badger]

I binged it this weekend. Its good. More low stakes than the first season, but same chemistry between the leads. I'd say this season is more of a hang out show than something with real narrative momentum. It also leaves some hooks for a potential third season that hopefully it gets the chance to follow up on. If you liked the first season, I expect you will at least enjoy this follow up.

Also, the third season of The Righteous Gemstones wrapped up last night. Excellent show. I don't know how this show full of expressly despicable people gets me to actually kind of care about the. Also, I would watch a full season of Baby Billy's Bible Bonkers.

 

[zonetrope]

Righteous Gemstones falls into the same zone as Barry, where it's a pretty broad comedy premise that is more expensive, ambitious, creative, and violent than you ever would have imagined.

 

[YangusKhan]

Righteous Gemstones falls into the same zone as Barry, where it's a pretty broad comedy premise that is more expensive, ambitious, creative, and violent than you ever would have imagined.

... now you have my attention.

 

[Rascally Badger]

If you are not familiar, The Righteous Gemstones follows a family of televangelists, the Gemstones, as the patriarch prepares to retire, but he is unsure if his feckless children are capable of taking over the family business. Starring John Goodman as Eli Gemstone and Danny McBride as his oldest son Jesse. Also, an incredibly deep bench of supporting players. Most notably Walton Goggins as Uncle Baby Billy. He sings and dances:

 

[lincolnic]

And yes it’s true that the original series covered the entire book so this is obviously all new original content do not steal and of course done without any input from dearly departed Pterry

I'm a bit leery of it because of the whole "sequel series to completed work" aspect

I remember Gaiman saying in an interview that the new season is based on discussions he and Pratchett had regarding what they'd want to do in a sequel, but I have no idea where that interview was, so take it with a grain of salt.