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Post by Jeremy on Jan 3, 2018 7:43:52 GMT -8
Lots of promising TV ahead this year. And here's a fresh new space to talk about it.
First question: Is there any chance that Versace will make nearly as big a splash as OJ Simpson?
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Post by otherscott on Jan 3, 2018 7:55:28 GMT -8
I would say the chances of that are 0% Jeremy. American Crime Story was a phenomenon and later seasons just won't be able to live up to that regardless of quality.
It's like asking, is there any chance a Serial season could have the same impact of the first one?
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 3, 2018 8:06:42 GMT -8
I think the other issue is that, regardless of the show's quality, American viewers don't have the same connection to the Gianni Versace murder as they do to the OJ Simpson investigation.
Regardless, I might still give the new season a look, if reception is strong.
Some other upcoming new shows that look promising: Black Lightning, Lost in Space, Good Girls, The Alienist, Krypton, Castle Rock, Rise. The Roseanne revival might also be worth checking out.
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Post by otherscott on Jan 3, 2018 8:12:16 GMT -8
Have you followed or watched all of Runaways, Jeremy. That seems like something I was interested in but I never really had the time to go and pick it up and watch it.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 3, 2018 8:32:51 GMT -8
I'm a few episodes behind, but yes, I'm enjoying Runaways. One of the better Marvel shows to debut in recent years - and probably more entertaining than any of the ones on Netflix.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 16, 2018 19:35:45 GMT -8
The premiere of Black Lightning is pretty good... sort of. The story is awfully beat-for-beat predictable, and the tone doesn't vary far from that of Arrow. The one area where the show distinguishes itself (so far) is in social commentary. The racial themes permeate the story without overtaking it - apart from an early scene involving a pair of stupid cops, the show looks like it's interested in exploring interracial concepts that are largely unplumbed on the broadcast networks.
Cress Williams - an actor I never thought much of prior to this - is pretty good in the lead role. Ditto James Remar as his mentor. The rest of the cast fills out the peripheral roles you'd expect in a premise pilot, and will hopefully be more developed down the line.
Not bad, not great. I'll stick with it for the obligatory few episodes to see if the show starts living up to its potential.
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Post by otherscott on Jan 17, 2018 9:19:13 GMT -8
So just finished End of the F***ing World and it was pretty good - I think it didn't quite meet my expectations I had, but that's mostly because I had them set up somewhere around American Vandal level and I don't think it's that level of depth, especially with how the story plays out. Still a very nice show and recommended because it's only like 3.5 hours long.
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Post by Jay on Jan 25, 2018 8:18:27 GMT -8
I don't know where we'd toss content about upcoming series or the curious phenomenon that is "revive everything because nostalgia," but man, CBS is bringing back Murphy Brown of all things. It's curious because it was a very important show in its time but not one I think people had been actively thinking about or revisiting. For my own part, my mom watched the show regularly and we sort of regarded it as one of the early "representation" entries, made famous for Dan Quayle railing against the show for portraying a single mother. Being raised by a single mother myself, I thought it was neat.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 25, 2018 9:05:52 GMT -8
Murphy Brown was the very definition of a "TV show of the moment." It was popular and widely discussed during the '90s (even, as you say, getting the attention of the Vice-President), but it basically disappeared off the face of the earth afterwards - it isn't streaming anywhere, there have barely been any DVD releases, and even syndicated repeats have been rare.
The reason is that Murphy Brown was always very up-to-the-minute with its humor, and a lot of its political jokes don't hold up nowadays. The show just feels really dated in a way that other popular '90s sitcoms (Seinfeld, Frasier) do not.
I have no idea why CBS would want to revive it. I mean, except for the fact that lazy political humor is all the rage these days.
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Post by Jay on Jan 25, 2018 12:06:35 GMT -8
It also in part makes me think of the types of television my household gravitated towards, which in some cases worked at the time but not later and in some cases was never really working. I still need to burn through my mom's collection of Northern Exposure DVDs.
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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 25, 2018 12:34:01 GMT -8
Jeremy, you should really take 40 minutes to watch last night's X-Files episode (penned by Darin Morgan), "The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat". It stands alone just fine, and it's deliciously absurd. The two leads are pretty much treating this season (outside of the couple of lousy mythology eps) as a lark, and it's actually been quite fun overall, but particularly last night. The whole episode is very meta, and sizes up The X-Files' place (or lack thereof) in the current culture quite well. It's also incredibly silly, in the best way possible (not unlike the Storyteller episode of BtVS).
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 25, 2018 13:35:50 GMT -8
Yeah, I've heard good things about the latest episode. Not following the season, but maybe I'll check it out.
Also, while we're on the subject of TV revivals, the One Day at a Time reboot is returning tomorrow. The multi-cam setup may not sound too appealing, but it's really a fun and heartwarming show. Glad to have it back.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 25, 2018 14:52:57 GMT -8
Okay, now XFL is coming back. Wow. One of the most infamous disasters in TV history is getting a revival season.
This is madness. Is there anything they won't bring back?
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Post by ThirdMan on Jan 25, 2018 16:07:06 GMT -8
That's Vince McMahon's giant ego at work. He just won't let it go. But oh well, it's his money he's throwing away.
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Post by otherscott on Jan 25, 2018 19:28:05 GMT -8
I’ve been watching One Day At A Time! It’s super corny at times and never once have I thought “Schneider is adding anything of value to this show”, but the leads are so good. Justina Machado has the charisma and that rare ability to be the straight person and the comedic relief that Amy Poehler did in Parks and Rec to really give the show a strong centre, and Rita Moreno is just incredible.
In terms of the XFL, I kinda think it might do better this time. The NFL has taken a lot of measures to protect player safety and I can see some football “traditionalists” wanting to watch it as an alternative to what they consider the watered down League. Think of it as possibly football for those who are nostalgic about the league having heavy hitting.
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