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Post by Jeremy on Jun 15, 2018 8:25:25 GMT -8
For me, The Shield is still the gold standard of FX drama. Part of that may be due to its influence (none of the current FX shows would exist without it), but I'm continually impressed by how consistent it is, and just how great some of those later seasons are. Maybe I have a softer spot for cop dramas than most.
The jury's still out on Fargo - we'll see if Season Four can rebound from a somewhat tepid Season Three. But those first two seasons are among the best television that FX has ever produced.
Also, Atlanta S2 and Killing Eve are both worth checking out - among the stuff I've seen, they're probably my two favorite shows of 2018 so far.
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Post by otherscott on Jun 15, 2018 9:17:36 GMT -8
For me, The Shield is still the gold standard of FX drama. Part of that may be due to its influence (none of the current FX shows would exist without it), but I'm continually impressed by how consistent it is, and just how great some of those later seasons are. Maybe I have a softer spot for cop dramas than most. Without a doubt it has a lot of influence on future FX shows and the FX brand as a whole. The finale of The Americans had Shield fingerprints all over it - with basically the same emotional stakes for the main character(s). Somewhat tepid is kind to Fargo Season 3, there were points in that season around the middle where I outright thought the show was bad, not just disappointing. It makes S5 of The Americans look like Wire-level quality in comparison. That said, the first two seasons were good enough that I'm able to take one hiccup and call it a hiccup and not sink the show too much because of it. If it ends here, then it'll be a show with one great season, one pretty good season, and one heavily flawed season, which isn't all that special, but there's still hope for future seasons I think.
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Post by Jeremy on Jun 15, 2018 12:05:59 GMT -8
I came around to Fargo S3 by the end, even if it never grabbed me the way S2 did. It's a decently-produced season of TV, but the bar for the series had unfortunately been set too high.
In any case, S4 apparently won't air until 2020, so we can already start debating the show's place in "Best of the 2010s" lists.
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Post by ThirdMan on Jun 15, 2018 15:54:16 GMT -8
I had a great time with all three seasons of Fargo, though S2 is certainly the strongest of the bunch. Beyond McGregor, where I can understand the criticisms but am not too concerned about them (he's not really the lead), I think the primary divisive factor is probably Thewliss, who I thought was an effectively grotesque depiction of capitalism minus accountability. Really liked Coon, Winstead, and Stuhlbarg. I'd much rather watch S3 again than just about any cop procedural. For me, Noah Hawley FTW, with both of his shows: there's a level of eccentricity and visual/aural creativity going on that I'm not seeing much elsewhere.
I'll probably catch Killing Eve once it airs on (I believe) Bravo in Canada later this summer.
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Post by Jeremy on Jun 17, 2018 5:49:35 GMT -8
Thewlis was definitely the season's weak link for me - a broad and hammy performance of a one-dimensional character. (Note that I felt similarly about his performance in Wonder Woman. On the bright side, I just watched Anomalisa, and he's quite good in that, even if it's just a voice for an animated character.)
I'm hoping Season Four goes back to the more distant past - the show's oddball quirkiness seems to be more effective when there's some space between the characters and the modern world.
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