The TV Discussion Thread

[EyesWideOpen]

Tina Fey's new NBC show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is instead getting picked up by Netflix and is getting a guaranteed second season.

[Mara]

I'm seeing The Tempest on stage on Friday in DC. I was looking at the poster and thought the actor playing Prospero looked familiar. I couldn't place him exactly, but I had this feeling he was a very respected Shakespearean actor.

It took me a minute to realize it is the guy who played Henry Breedlove in Slings & Arrows. Ha!

[number8]

This is kind of a funny news story.

http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/tv-c...ng-1201351905/

[Spinal]

My son was on the most recent episode of Grimm. If you watch the show, he's the choir boy on the far left when their eyes start to glow.

[Dead & Messed Up]

This is kind of a funny news story.

http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/tv-c...ng-1201351905/

Kind of spiteful and self-righteous and wrong, too. The Walking Dead did suck for a while.

[Mara]

My son was on the most recent episode of Grimm. If you watch the show, he's the choir boy on the far left when their eyes start to glow.

Cool. Did he get to go to LA or was it local?

[Mara]

Happy Rosa on Brooklyn 99 melted my heart. It turns out I love these characters.

[number8]

Cool. Did he get to go to LA or was it local?

Grimm is shot on location in Portland.

[Spinal]

Grimm is shot on location in Portland.

Indeed. There were even some telltale Voodoo Doughnuts being carried by one of the shapeshifters in this episode.

[Thirdmango]

I watched the first season and all of the second season of The 100 on CW. I love it. It's really fun and sorta a CW version of a mix of lost and Battlestar.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Wrote a big fat thing about The Walking Dead.

Basically trying to explain why I didn't like it, why I didn't like the comic, why I kinda like it now, but why I'm still not thrilled by the whole thing.

[dreamdead]

Orphan Black season 3 preview:

[Lucky]

The most recent episode of American Horror Story, "Orphans", was surprisingly affecting. Jessica Lange pulled a tearjerker scene out of nowhere during the Asylum finale, but this one had the episode to back it up. One of the best standalone episodes this series has produced. I don't know how I feel about them tying seasons together like that, though.

If this season can land on its feet during the final stretch of episodes this will be a success comparable to the first season.

[EyesWideOpen]

The most recent episode of American Horror Story, "Orphans", was surprisingly affecting. Jessica Lange pulled a tearjerker scene out of nowhere during the Asylum finale, but this one had the episode to back it up. One of the best standalone episodes this series has produced. I don't know how I feel about them tying seasons together like that, though.

If this season can land on its feet during the final stretch of episodes this will be a success comparable to the first season.

This was probably my least favorite episode of the series. Everything with the Lange character felt completely unearned. The show keeps trying to tell us how much she cares for her "monsters" but then shows us differently in every single episode.

[Lucky]

This was probably my least favorite episode of the series. Everything with the Lange character felt completely unearned. The show keeps trying to tell us how much she cares for her "monsters" but then shows us differently in every single episode.

She's certainly a flawed person, but she genuinely cares when it doesn't hinder her personal agenda. She couldn't care for Pepper while she was away in Hollywood--and we learn she makes it in the end. I don't think she's the focus of the ep, anyway. Lange was key in that scene I mentioned, but even if you don't buy her sentiment Pepper's life story is affecting on its own.

[EyesWideOpen]

I was going to go back and rewatch through the early seasons of South Park but after 3 episodes I don't think I can do it. They don't hold up for me at all. So instead I saw this show pop up on Hulu that looked interesting called Sunam Girls High School Detectives (my first Korean drama) and watched the first episode and it was pretty good. It was soap opera-y and had some goofy anime sound effects but good characters and story so I'll definitely keep watching.

[Grouchy]

I quit watching American Horror Story this season because it's just not any good anymore.

But if Jessica Lange is acting at the top of her lungs I might finish it.

[Mara]

A desperate need to finish some Christmas crocheting over the last few weeks led to me marathoning Call the Midwife on Netflix. It's a very charming, interesting period piece, if not exactly world-shattering. (You will, however, become very passionate on the subject of birth control.)

It's based on the memoirs of a woman who worked in the poverty-stricken East End of London in the late 50's as a nurse and midwife while living at an Anglican convent. Needless to say, the show is very focused on women and their lives, especially on pregnancy and childbirth. It keeps a somewhat lyrical tone; focusing heavily on non-judgment, compassion, and service. It sometimes feels anachronistic how non-judgmental it is: would nuns in the 50's really be this blasé about incest, bigamy, adultery, interracial relationships, etc.? But it also doesn't slip into the soap opera nonsense that lots of the BBC period pieces often do. The emotions feel sincere.

Also, Miranda Hart is a treasure and I love everything she does.

[Mara]

This "crocheting while watching period dramas" thing is working for me, so I watched Death Comes to Pemberly while resuming my new nephew's blanket.

It was really dumb.

But I like Anna Maxwell Martin and Matthew Rhys a lot, so there's that.

The characters of Elizabeth and Darcy didn't really carry over from the book, but they got Lydia down-- spoiled, thoughtless, shallow Lydia. Jenna Coleman was doing a great job with the part (it made me want to see her tackle P&P) but then she astonishingly managed to humanize the character towards the end in a way that I found really surprising.

Not worth seeking out overall, though.

[Mara]

The last episode of Benched (which continues to be very good) had as guest stars: Jim Rash, Erinn Hayes, Molly Shannon, and Nat Faxon.

That is... many good guest stars.

[EyesWideOpen]

Watched the Hello Ladies special last night. I liked the series but it didn't feel like it really ever found it's footing but it was good to see a wrap-up of the story. I wish they would do this with more shows that get cancelled.

[Lucky]

Transparent is fantastic. Has anyone else seen this?

[number8]

Binged the entire season the day it went up. It's the best of the year.

[Mara]

I've heard amazing things.

[Lucky]

I've heard amazing things.

Yes. You must. And I'm still waiting for you to watch Enlightened.