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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 2, 2018 17:05:05 GMT -8
Some of the more enjoyable Netflix series are still fairly episodic in nature.
Re: the actors/characters on The Leftovers, I always liked Theroux and Coon. Eccleston was far more engaging in Season 3 than the previous two, and Brenneman, though annoying (along with the rest of the Guilty Remnant) in Season 1, was given better material as the show progressed. I could take or leave Scott Glenn's character, for the entire series.
I will say that paring down the cast in Season 3 did benefit the characters, but it also inadvertantly highlighted how the central conceit of the show was pretty thin. But at least said conceit got a proper resolution.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 2, 2018 17:51:40 GMT -8
Some of the more enjoyable Netflix series are still fairly episodic in nature. Those shows also tend to be half-hour comedies. (Or quasi-comedies, anyway.) The hourlong dramas tend to feel more bloated. I think there are a few streaming dramas that sustain interest pretty well. Orange is the New Black has enough story and scope each season to maintain interest (the latest season notwithstanding). A Series of Unfortunate Events works by hewing to the "episodic" structure of the books. And Amazon's Bosch - while not a particularly great show - at least has the sense to keep its episodes under 50 minutes. Netflix comedies, though, are indeed some of the best things on TV. Heck, I've got three of them in this year's Top 10. |
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Post by otherscott on Jan 3, 2018 7:03:05 GMT -8
It should be said that Orange is the New Black, at least until this latest season, which to me was the most disappointing season of anything that I can recall, was the only Netflix show that was actually episodic in nature. This is likely because it was only the third drama Netflix ever developed and it hadn't quite figured out its brand yet - now they are all complete serialization all the time.
I also think that The Handmaid's Tale is somewhat episodic, if we're including Hulu, at least along the same level as a typical HBO or FX show. There is a general plot and event that can ground each episode and make it identifiable. But Hulu doesn't really count because in general they do release their shows week by week.
I learned the other day that Amazon Prime now does streaming in Canada and has for a year. But I think they'd really need to improve either their catalogue or original content before I'd even consider getting it.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 3, 2018 7:40:28 GMT -8
I mostly subscribe to Amazon Prime for the non-TV related benefits. In terms of catalog, I keep up them for with the HBO library (although I believe they're losing that at the end of this year). And occasionally, they'll import something good like Fleabag.
Most of their original shows range from "Pretty good" to "Oh god please make it stop." And judging by their recent announcement to move to a bigger, broader, "create the next Game of Thrones" vision, I don't see them improving anytime soon.
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Post by otherscott on Jan 17, 2018 8:57:33 GMT -8
And you all thought I wouldn't do a top 10 for the year!
1. The Leftovers - pretty brilliant all around, I loved the combination or emotion, silliness, and just the uniqueness of each of the episodes
2. The Handmaid's Tale - I do have problems with the comparisons people make to modern day USA, lots of problems, but standing on it's own it is a fantastic show
3. Master of None - Very good first season, GREAT second season. People praise the thanksgiving episode but the one that hit me was the second last episode really climaxing the Dev storyline of the season.
4. American Vandal - I think this is as good a portrayal of high school as anything I've seen in a long time
5. Better Call Saul - If the show was made up solely of the Jimmy/ Chuck parts it would contend for the number 2 spot
6. Halt and Catch Fire - Obviously the whole final season is built around episodes 7 and 8, but I really like the way the finale brought things back around to the best relationship on the show.
7. Legion - This is a show that's become underrated at this stage somehow. There were some tremendous episodes and Aubry Plaza may have given my performance of the year.
8. The Good Place - I think enough has been said about this show, but Mike Schur is a genius even if I unfollowed him on twitter yesterday
9. Review - Only 3 episodes but man that finale hurt in all the right ways
10. The 100 - For people who are looking for a fun adventure show, you really can't do better right now. (Even if the show started a little slow this season.)
And my list of top 5 episodes
1. "Chicanery" - Better Call Saul
2. "Goodwill" - Halt and Catch Fire
3. "Certified" - The Leftovers
4. "It's a Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt World" - The Leftovers
5. "Amarsi Un Poe" - Master of None
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 17, 2018 9:38:26 GMT -8
No Bojack? Wow. It's interesting how well our tastes match up this year, give or take a couple choices. I almost put Review in my own Top 10, but the 3-episode order felt a little too brief to grant it that high an award. It'll have to settle for its Honorable Mention status. Also, I'm currently several seasons behind on The 100. One of many CW shows I'm trying futilely to keep up with. 8. The Good Place - I think enough has been said about this show, but Mike Schur is a genius even if I unfollowed him on twitter yesterday I have Schur muted on Twitter, so I understand. Guy is great at comedy writing, less great at social media. |
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Post by otherscott on Jan 17, 2018 10:43:55 GMT -8
Part of me deciding to do this last minute is that I was bound to not take every show into consideration - I just forgot about Bojack.
But you know what, I'll stand by my list. Bojack is still a great show but I don't think this was its best year and I want The 100 to get some recognition for being in my mind the best show of its type that exists at this moment.
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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 17, 2018 11:06:12 GMT -8
Jeremy, why would you need to mute Schur on Twitter? Why not just not...follow....him?
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 17, 2018 11:34:54 GMT -8
Because people I do follow on Twitter have a tendency to retweet Schur's comments a lot (presumably because he's a TV writer, and most people I know through social media are TV fans). I was fine with it at first, but eventually, Schur's comments began to irritate me, particularly given that nastiness and popularity seem to have a positive incremental relationship on Twitter.
I greatly enjoy his shows on their own merits, but it helps if I don't have to be constantly reminded that some of my favorite TV writers can be social-media jerks.
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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 17, 2018 11:38:07 GMT -8
Ah, OK. I guess the few folks I follow on Twitter are more film-related, because I never happen upon Schur's tweets.
That said, I did mute the word "Trump" many month ago, but his name still pops up in my feed from time-to-time. Not sure what that's about. |
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Post by Incandescence 112 on Jan 17, 2018 13:42:44 GMT -8
Ah, OK. I guess the few folks I follow on Twitter are more film-related, because I never happen upon Schur's tweets.
That said, I did mute the word "Trump" many month ago, but his name still pops up in my feed from time-to-time. Not sure what that's about. I checked his Twitter out of curiosity, and I don't see anything too bad. I mean, he hasn't willed anyone to get killed by a rhino lately. He's quite vulgar and outspoken in condemning the right-that doesn't make him a social media jerk to me. |
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Post by otherscott on Jan 17, 2018 13:51:08 GMT -8
Well the last straw for me yesterday was him retweeting a bunch of Republican members and bashing them for posting positive things about Martin Luther King Jr given how racist their policies were. It just felt hateful and using Martin Luther King who was someone who fought for equality and using it as an anti Republican soapbox- which just increases the dividing lines that MLK tried to break down.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 17, 2018 14:42:34 GMT -8
I checked his Twitter out of curiosity, and I don't see anything too bad. I mean, he hasn't willed anyone to get killed by a rhino lately. He's quite vulgar and outspoken in condemning the right-that doesn't make him a social media jerk to me. Kinda does to me. The comments he makes may not be as bad as some of Joss' worst tweets, but they can be pretty obnoxious. And they cast Parks and Rec (perhaps the most ardently anti-Republican sitcom of the past decade) in a pretty cynical light. Stop trying to ruin Parks and Rec, Schur. I won't let you. |
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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 17, 2018 16:14:50 GMT -8
Flamepillar, obviously I agree with you on this. I don't really care if people are somewhat aggressive in criticizing others for racist comments, rhetoric or policies. If our culture is too delicate or passive in shooting down that stuff, it could end up normalizing it even further. Sometimes being polite can be too ineffectual.
I do somewhat agree with Scott, though, that using MLK as a platform for it may not be the best approach.
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Quiara
Grade School
Posts: 775
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Post by Quiara on Jan 17, 2018 17:45:17 GMT -8
And they cast Parks and Rec (perhaps the most ardently anti-Republican sitcom of the past decade) in a pretty cynical light. Parks and Rec? Anti-Republican? (Tim Allen confused grunt noise) |
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