2016 TV Thread

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Is Bloodline worth watching? Love Kyle Chandler and it seemed to be up for some awards. But I've heard it's not that good from people with similar tastes.

Also are any of the Amazon shows worth the time. I like Man in the High Castle but haven't seen much else. Transparent wins awards but wondering if that's more because of the content it covers. The other shows didn't seem all that appealing although they have some new stuff up.

I've heard Catastrophe is fantastic, but haven't watched it myself.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Is Bloodline worth watching? Love Kyle Chandler and it seemed to be up for some awards. But I've heard it's not that good from people with similar tastes.

Also are any of the Amazon shows worth the time. I like Man in the High Castle but haven't seen much else. Transparent wins awards but wondering if that's more because of the content it covers. The other shows didn't seem all that appealing although they have some new stuff up.

The first season of Bloodlines was very good. I still haven't watched the second season.

[CrescentMoonie]

The Good Place is predictably terrible, but Kristen Bell so I'll still check in on it.

This is Us was actually well done and I liked the twist. Will probably be the only new thing that stays on my DVR.

Designated Survivor really surprised me. Good opening episode, but that's mostly for the concept and I doubt it keeps it up.

[ISiddiqui]

Interesting... I though The Good Place was fantastic. The best new show of the season. I thought This is Us was pablum and I won't be watching anymore of it.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Interesting... I though The Good Place was fantastic. The best new show of the season. I thought This is Us was pablum and I won't be watching anymore of it.

Didn't even try "This is Us", just too sappy. The Good Place was funnier than I expected. I will watch because of Kristen Bell, but it might not be as tortured a time as I expected. I doubt the show lasts, though (really dumb concept).

[ISiddiqui]

The concept is the only reason I'm watching. Kristen Bell and Ted Danson are fine, but I'm not watching a show just for them.

[ISiddiqui]

Well, Westworld was absolutely amazing! I'm sold. One of the best pilots for a show I've seen.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Well, Westworld was absolutely amazing! I'm sold. One of the best pilots for a show I've seen.

Yep, that was real solid. I'm a huge fan of the film, and I loved how they turned things on their heads re: the main couple of characters.

[larrymcg421]

So far I have really enjoyed...

This is Us - Fills the Parenthood hole in my heart. Definitely sappy, but well executed and (like Parenthood) builds much of it's drama on smaller moments.

The Good Place - Hilarious. Great concept and great cast. If anything, the show will get better as Mike Schur shows have the tendency to improve after the first few episodes.

Speechless - This show was a risky concept, but they found the right tone to make it work. Minnie Driver is hilarious.

Pitch - They handled this better than I expected in that they credibly created the scenario for a female pitcher to make it to the big leagues (she has a slow comparative fastball and has to rely on other pitches). I like the mixture of baseball stuff and her ability to handle the expectations.

Designated Survivor - Just figured this would be a fun and diverting suspense show, but I loved how the 2nd episode dealt with how many people would react to Muslims in that scenario. (Though I guess that means I'm "white knighting" them.)

Haven't seen Westworld yet, but really excited to check it out.

[RainMaker]

I wish more people would watch Halt and Catch Fire. It's perhaps the best show on TV at the moment.

[thealmighty]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I wish more people would watch Halt and Catch Fire. It's perhaps the best show on TV at the moment.

I do.

[ISiddiqui]

So do I. It's a fantastic show!

[Jas_lov]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I wish more people would watch Halt and Catch Fire. It's perhaps the best show on TV at the moment.

I am. The boardroom scene where they out voted Cameron was the best moment of the series. Hope it gets picked up again.

[CrescentMoonie]

Originally Posted by CrescentMoonie

The Good Place is predictably terrible, but Kristen Bell so I'll still check in on it.

This is Us was actually well done and I liked the twist. Will probably be the only new thing that stays on my DVR.

Designated Survivor really surprised me. Good opening episode, but that's mostly for the concept and I doubt it keeps it up.

Glad I stuck with The Good Place. It feels like they're finding the right tone for it now.

Designated Survivor took 3 episodes to become tedious.

Meanwhile, Gotham is insanely fun this season. The Mad Hatter and Alice storyline is excellent so far.

[ISiddiqui]

Speaking of Halt and Catch Fire:

AMC has renewed Halt and Catch Fire for a fourth and final season - The Verge

Renewed for a 4th and Final season. Remember that tonight is Ep9 and 10 (season finale) of the current season.

[ISiddiqui]

Whoa.... Halt and Catch Fire just ran off a string of 3 episodes in a row that were so incredible, I can't remember there being a string of 3 eps in a row of that quality aside from Breaking Bad.

[Chief Rum]

I finally watched the second episode of Westworld last night. The first episode didn't really capture my interest the way I thought it would. Not so with the second. Excellent show, especially the scenes with Ed Harris--he's a brilliant bad guy.

[nol]

I'm on the Westworld bandwagon too. My only worry at this point is that it might be something like Lost where there's a huge letdown down the road.

I haven't actually seen Lost - had a lot of friends telling me I'd love it at first, but by the time I seriously started thinking about watching it, the consensus among them was that it'd be a frustrating waste of time because of how it ended. For all I know, I might have actually loved the show, but that wasn't a chance I was willing to take. I'd probably be more optimistic about Westworld since it's not network TV, but it's not too often I start watching a show like this early in its run.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by nol

I'm on the Westworld bandwagon too. My only worry at this point is that it might be something like Lost where there's a huge letdown down the road.

I haven't actually seen Lost - had a lot of friends telling me I'd love it at first, but by the time I seriously started thinking about watching it, the consensus among them was that it'd be a frustrating waste of time because of how it ended. For all I know, I might have actually loved the show, but that wasn't a chance I was willing to take. I'd probably be more optimistic about Westworld since it's not network TV, but it's not too often I start watching a show like this early in its run.

I've enjoyed the first two episodes of Westworld. Some great stuff.

As for Lost... It was an amazing show. The ending was a letdown, but, for the large, the journey was more than worth it. The show had some amazing individual episodes, some fantastic characters, and some really great ideas and concepts.

It gets a bum rap in retrospect because of the ending, but it was remarkable, especially given that it came out during the glut shitty reality TV shows. So many network shows tried to copy it and utterly failed, where it succeeded. Even with the subpar and unsatisfactory ending, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys quality TV.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by nol

I'm on the Westworld bandwagon too. My only worry at this point is that it might be something like Lost where there's a huge letdown down the road.

I haven't actually seen Lost - had a lot of friends telling me I'd love it at first, but by the time I seriously started thinking about watching it, the consensus among them was that it'd be a frustrating waste of time because of how it ended. For all I know, I might have actually loved the show, but that wasn't a chance I was willing to take. I'd probably be more optimistic about Westworld since it's not network TV, but it's not too often I start watching a show like this early in its run.

I watched it a couple years ago. It's worth it. The ending isn't as terrible as people say. Not satisfying but doesn't ruin the whole series for me.

[CrescentMoonie]

The first two seasons of Lost are about as good as TV gets. The third season is good. Seasons 4-6 are complete dreck.

[RainMaker]

I guess the biggest reason I'd have for not watching Lost is it's like 100 hours of content and there is just so much good TV out there right now.

[chesapeake]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I watched it a couple years ago. It's worth it. The ending isn't as terrible as people say. Not satisfying but doesn't ruin the whole series for me.

It is all about expectations. Someone watching it for the first time now will be mentally prepared for the eventual disappointment. It won't hurt nearly as much. Those who agonized over the show for six years got burned so badly that the scars will last a lifetime.

OK, so there's a little hyperbole there. But not a lot. The more you love someone, the more it hurts when they let you down.

[Draft Dodger]

the ending of Lost is a lot better than the middle of lost, IMO

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

the ending of Lost is a lot better than the middle of lost, IMO

This is a good point. I actually quit watching the show sometime during season 3 or 4. My brother told me that it had gotten good again after several episodes, so I jumped back in. I've never seen those 5-7 episodes or so - the ones where Jack's tats are explained and with the Brazilian dude who played The God King Xeres in 300 and his girlfriend.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Whoa.... Halt and Catch Fire just ran off a string of 3 episodes in a row that were so incredible, I can't remember there being a string of 3 eps in a row of that quality aside from Breaking Bad.

Agreed. I really do enjoy this show, but the subject might be too nerdy for a larger audience.

[ISiddiqui]

At least the critics are paying attention - AV Club, Hitfix (Alan Sepinwall), Vox (Todd VanDerWerff) have been absolutely glowing. Maybe it'll get some Emmy or Golden Globe love?

[Chief Rum]

I remember I watched a few episodes of the first or second season last year, and I did enjoy it. Although I didn't think the episodes I saw were representative of anything amazing-- it just looked like a good character drama based around the rise of the computer industry in the 80s.

That's not a bad spot to be in, but I guess it elevated even more from there?

[Chief Rum]

Watched the third episode of Westworld tonight, and it was again excellent. Actually, every episode has gotten better than the last. I am looking forward to next week.

There were some actually pretty tense stuff going on in this one.

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Watched the third episode of Westworld tonight, and it was again excellent. Actually, every episode has gotten better than the last. I am looking forward to next week.

There were some actually pretty tense stuff going on in this one.

Can't believe Westworld doesn't have its own thread. I finally caught up and must say this show has been excellent. The past two weeks have been fantastic and I can say I definitely did not see the most recent plot twist coming.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by kingfc22

Can't believe Westworld doesn't have its own thread. I finally caught up and must say this show has been excellent. The past two weeks have been fantastic and I can say I definitely did not see the most recent plot twist coming.

I thought about starting one but I wasn't sure who else was watching. I probably should just start it.

It really has been terrific. I'm a big TWD fan, so when it came back, I was watching Westworld and then TWD (save the best for last).

I now watch TWD first (and I still love TWD).

[Honolulu_Blue]

I've been loving Westworld.

[thesloppy]

I love Westworld too, but I think the Lost comparison is apt, as they've got so many hanging threads going right now that at least part of the enjoyment is dependent on the viewer giving the show the benefit of the doubt that all of these mysteries have definite & satisfying conclusions.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I love Westworld too, but I think the Lost comparison is apt, as they've got so many hanging threads going right now that at least part of the enjoyment is dependent on the viewer giving the show the benefit of the doubt that all of these mysteries have definite & satisfying conclusions.

For me, that's a bridge we'll cross when we get to it. A lot of good shows don't end particularly satisfying. So I wouldn't make any assumptions here one way or the other. I'll just enjoy the journey.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

A lot of good shows don't end particularly satisfying.

That's certainly true, and I am totally enjoying the show so far. Personally, I hope the show keeps most of the focus on the "in game" plots, as the behind-the-scenes stuff is obviously integral to the plot and some of it is interesting, but the job-politics stuff is some of the weaker stuff in my opinion. Hopkins is interesting as a shady agent of mystery, but so far the scenes that extensively focus on his character are some of the most boring, and usually just consist of him stopping time & doling out exposition. Also, the "real-world" business stuff actually tests my disbelief more than the massive gameworld, with the suggestions that this tech is ONLY used for amusement park purposes, and the company who finances it wants to fire the ONLY human who knows how to code the whole thing? There are obvious answers to those issues, though not necessarily very believable ones, the "gameworld" is so much more disconnected from reality that I'm less likely to question things.

Similarly, I enjoy the plot-line with Maev and the techs a lot, but it's also inching closer and closer to aping "Ex Machina" every week, and it doesn't seem to be deeply connected to any of the other plots (yet). I'm hoping she points her mischief inward toward the game-world, rather than stretching the plot into even more settings.

...but again, I AM enjoying the show, I just looooove to nitpick.

[EagleFan]

Anyone watch The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime? I heard good things about it. Hopefully they can capture their magic from the past.

[Chief Rum]

Another episode of Westworld where my mind is blowing. Just a very enthralling series.

Season finale is Sunday.

[CrescentMoonie]

If you're not watching Speechless, you might want to give it a shot. I'm a fan of anything that allows normalization of special needs be they physical or mental and it's genuinely funny.