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Post by Jeremy on Jan 25, 2018 19:54:55 GMT -8
Well, the issue with the original XFL wasn't about safety concerns or indifference to the regular NFL (although given the declining ratings football has suffered in recent seasons, that may be to the reboot's advantage). The issue was that it was cheap, pandering, and really dull. People might be entertained by the idea of "extreme football," but they were thoroughly bored by the real product. (There's actually a whole book - Long Bomb, by Brett Forrest - devoted to chronicling how the series was one of TV's all-time biggest bombs.)
Then again, McMahon says the reboot will be nothing like the original. So who knows.
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Post by Jeremy on Jan 28, 2018 14:39:55 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. I just finished The End of the Forking World as well, and I think I'm in the same boat. This is a dark, twisted little series - a messed-up riff on You're the Worst - and it mostly works, thanks to good writing and strong performances from the two leads. Due to its brief running time, the story has little opportunity to meander (although the romantic subplot between the two police detectives feels pretty awkwardly tacked on), and it builds to a riveting climax. Still, I have to wonder - what is the deal with British sitcoms being so dark and disturbing? Granted, I don't watch a lot of them, but most of the ones that make a splash in the US seem to favor horror over humor. This is why I stay firmly on my side of the pond.
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Post by guttersnipe on Feb 2, 2018 12:11:36 GMT -8
Takes the stage in rare moment of TV knowledge
It might be worth mentioning that some of these cultural exports are coming via Channel 4, which was designed as and maintains an attitude of edgy alternativism to the BBC. If you catch any of the Beeb's sitcoms (or not indeed most of their programming), you may find them genteel to the point of being twee, and accordingly Channel 4 proudly pulls in the opposite direction. Whilst I've always championed 4 as a platform for underground talent (their late night schedules have often proven treasure troves), this position can sometimes conspire to be predictable, so that there's no longer any shock about joking about molestation, dead dogs or premature ejaculation. Fleabag was/is, something of an exception to the rule as it's BBC but screams 4 (in fact, a lot of its cast and crew have backgrounds on the hipper station). As such, I wouldn't call British comedy typically dark, though it's definitely there in the mix if you want to find it.
This discrepancy is also reflected in their movie choices - you're most likely to find a David Lean or Merchant-Ivory on the Beeb, and a Danny Boyle or Lars von Trier on Channel 4.
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Post by Jeremy on Feb 2, 2018 13:20:22 GMT -8
Interesting. So in American terms, it sounds like BBC is your broadcast network, while Channel 4 is your cable.
I'm sure there are plenty of light British sitcoms, but for some reason, the ones that have lately secured American distribution rights (Fleabag, End of the Fudging World) tend to lean towards the dark and morally twisted.
Of course, given that we're the ones who get to pick and choose, this may say more about our culture than yours.
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Post by guttersnipe on Feb 3, 2018 8:39:33 GMT -8
Yeah, it'd be worth me scouting out who's distributing these series, because if this country has done anything right, it's in creating a rich vein of comedy talent, and it'd be a shame if it was perceived as coming in only one flavour. It's kinda like how it's easy to assume all manga and anime is fantastical because the mecha, sorceress and tentacle rape stuff is what gets exported - there's plenty of grounded, shomingeki-type series, but they don't find purchase overseas.
Just with regards to Fleabag again, it's notable that this actually appeared on BBC Three. I won't harp on about the details of our broadcasting because it wouldn't mean much to you unless you had the remote to a British telly in your hands, but for decades the Beeb existed across just two channels, the imaginatively-named BBC One and Two (still the guaranteed first two channels you find when switching on a TV anywhere in the country). About fifteen years ago they created two sister channels in clear topical and tonal branches: whereas BBC Four is probably the most highbrow station you can find (mostly arts and history documentaries), Three attempted to compete with Channel 4 and some of its brethren by being more youth-orientated. Unfortunately the memos all seemed to read "trashy as possible", because it soon became quite the station to avoid, not least because its few good shows (Fleabag, Josh, Murder in Successville etc) were soon shifted over to One and Two. About two years ago its attempt at popularism crashed and burned and now only exists online, but I suppose the plus side of its social experiment is that the BBC proved they can go dark.
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Post by Jeremy on Feb 3, 2018 18:16:22 GMT -8
I should point out that most of the imported Britcoms don't usually end up on the traditional American TV networks, but rather the streaming sites (which have more room for content and try to court a broader audience).
A cursory glance at the current Netfflix/Amazon/Hulu archives reveals a handful of modern UK sitcoms - Borderline, Drifters, W1A, Vicious, Bridget & Eamon, and Rovers. I confess I have no familiarity with any of these shows, but maybe some of them are more upbeat than the ones I've seen. All I can tell you is that I haven't heard any American critics talking about them.
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Quiara
Grade School
Posts: 775
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Post by Quiara on Feb 3, 2018 21:30:30 GMT -8
Who's ready for Altered Carbon!?!?!?
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Post by guttersnipe on Feb 4, 2018 10:18:07 GMT -8
Time for some deeply vague assistance: - Borderline (Sky) - haven't seen this, but I don't remember Sky's original broadcasting producing much of worth.
- Drifters (Channel 4) - seen this (!), and I'm rather fond of it. It has that C4 edgy feel through-and-through, but there's a ton of great dialogue and the comedic rapport of the main trio is fantastic. Sometimes a bit nasty for its own sake in the manner I mentioned before (the finale revolves around the girls trying to escape an aunt's funeral just to get to Glastonbury and doesn't betray a shred of sympathy for the deceased), but mostly on-point and pays off with some slow-burn gags. Phoebe Waller-Bridge penned a couple of episodes.
- W1A (BBC) - haven't seen this, though there's a faint interest. It's actually a spinoff, but I doubt familiarity with the original (Twenty Twelve) is necessary.
- Vicious (ITV) - I've only caught a bit of this, but it's one hell of a throwback; an uncomfortable blend of snide, caustic wordplay and stagey 70s production. Feels aeons older than it actually is.
- Bridget & Eamon (RTE) - This is actually Irish; we get very few Irish shows (even from the North), and this isn't one of them.
- Rovers (Sky) - and I haven't seen this either, though I do like some people involved.
It'd be more helpful if I compile a Britcom guide sometime, based on things I have actually watched.
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Post by Jeremy on Feb 4, 2018 10:47:28 GMT -8
Well, I've heard of Twenty Twelve at least, largely because I saw the promos back when it was airing on BBC America. And Drifters sounds kind of intriguing; I may check it out. Who's ready for Altered Carbon!?!?!? Sadly, not me. The premise sounds intriguing, but I'm burned out on Netflix dramas for the time being. Also, there's apparently waaay too much nudity on the show.
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Post by ThirdMan on Feb 10, 2018 17:26:06 GMT -8
Legion is back April 3rd (April 17th in the UK).
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Post by Jeremy on Feb 10, 2018 17:54:56 GMT -8
Given the amount of shows getting pushed off by the Olympics, April is going to be a TV deluge. Incidentally, am I the only one getting a Freaks and Geeks vibe from the Everything Sucks trailer? Or at least the "Geeks" portion?
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Post by Jeremy on Feb 14, 2018 10:26:12 GMT -8
Okay, this is madness.Not that I've ever been the biggest Murphy fan, but still. Wow.
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Post by ThirdMan on Feb 15, 2018 23:31:21 GMT -8
It's interesting that Season 3 of Twin Peaks showed up on some Top 10 of 2017 film lists, and yet, to my knowledge, Season 3 of The Leftovers, which got significantly better reviews overall, and had far fewer episodes, putting it closer to a film in length, didn't.
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Post by Jeremy on Feb 16, 2018 6:37:01 GMT -8
We discussed this back on the Best Shows of 2017 thread. The criteria for calling the new season of Twin Peaks a film make no sense. And even by those standards, The Leftovers S3 wouldn't be a film, since it's episodic and helmed by multiple directors. (Mimi Leder directs a lot of episodes, but she's not quite the accomplished filmmaker that David Lynch is.)
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Post by ThirdMan on Feb 16, 2018 9:36:06 GMT -8
I know a lot of folks consider Kieslowski's Decalogue ten films, and Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz a long film. And Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander and Scenes From a Marriage both had film and extended TV versions, where the latter versions were arguably better.
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