The TV Discussion Thread

[Winston*]

I also watched Pan-Am. Didn't hate it, but I don't think its my thing. For me a show that's not aiming for depth needs to be funny, and this didn't even try to be.

[Mara]

Suddenly as I was getting ready for bed last night, something from Pan Am started bothering me. The fact is: no matter how much you try to Thelma-and-Louise it, ditching some poor bastard at the altar without a word and running out on your assembled wedding guests is a really crappy thing to do. That's it: you're a bad person.

[number8]

Sean Maher (Simon from Firefly) is gay, has a partner of nine years, and two kids.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/26/fi...-comes-out-ga/

The role for which Maher is probably most well-known is Dr. Simon Tam, a surgeon on the run after breaking his sister River (Summer Glau, who he’s pictured with here) out of a research facility, on the cult TV series Firefly and follow-up feature Serenity, both created by Joss Whedon. Maher remembers those projects as some of his best — even though his personal life was still off-limits during that time. “Looking back, on Firefly for instance, I do wish on day one I had told them because these are some of the most amazing people who are still like family to me,” Maher says. “I am so grateful for that show because they saved me. I was so unhappy and lonely and to come to work everyday with that group was wonderful. It really was all I had at that point in my life.”

RAIN OF TEARS.

[Mara]

Yeah, that was sad. And you know the Firefly people would have been totally cool with it.

I guess what surprises me the most are the children. I mean, you can not talk about your sexual orientation at work, easily. You can not talk about your partner, with more difficulty. But how can you go to work every day and not mention that you have kids? That's nuts.

[number8]

Yeah, that was sad. And you know the Firefly people would have been totally cool with it.

http://twitter.com/#!/NathanFillion/...18877410963458

http://twitter.com/#!/alan_tudyk/sta...65768668139520

http://twitter.com/#!/JewelStaite/st...83423361527810

http://twitter.com/#!/JaneEspenson/s...88348174860288

Adam Baldwin, not so much.

[Mara]

This is so nerdy, but, hey.

Talking to the mentally ill at work, particularly when they are actively psychotic or having some sort of episode, reminds me of the info dump method Topher perfected for imprinting dolls. A ton of mismatched, unconnected, and absurd information gets thrown at you, and it's amazing how easy it is for your brain to sort it into understandable form and fill in the gaps.

[[ETM]]

Adam Baldwin, not so much.

Yeah, I totally didn't expect him to be exactly like his conservative psycho character from "Chuck" in real life. He scares me.

[Mara]

Adam Baldwin, not so much.

Which is odd, because Jayne and Simon had some serious homoerotic chemistry on the show. Don't tell me you didn't notice.

[Mara]

Also, while we're on Whedon nerd quick, Maurissa Tancharoen's latest blog post almost made me cry. And is it just me, or is Joss Whedon really, really skinny in those pictures?

[[ETM]]

I noticed that too. It was like "Peter Jackson Alert!"

[Mara]

I noticed that too. It was like "Peter Jackson Alert!"

They both look great, but so much less huggable.

[[ETM]]

I think Jackson has actually put some of the weight back, judging from those production videos. But Whedon was never really overweight, which worries me.

[number8]

Yeah, I totally didn't expect him to be exactly like his conservative psycho character from "Chuck" in real life. He scares me.

He's fucking crazy, but to his credit, apparently he doesn't spread it around as much as his twitter feed would have you believe. He never talks about politics when he goes out and speak to fans at cons and stuff. One time during a Chuck panel at Wizard World, someone asked him a political question. He danced around the question, then apologized to the fan for not giving a straight answer. He explained that he knows that he harbors some really unpopular right-wing opinions, but he doesn't want that to get in the way between him and his fans or his Hollywood friends, so he doesn't like to talk about that stuff when he's making an appearance for something else. He keeps it to the internet, like most people, I guess.

[[ETM]]

I bet he brings his own framed photo of Reagan to the set.

[[ETM]]

The only thing worse than a premature cancelation of a show is when it returns with a season opener that is equal to crawling through mud, begging for scraps, loaded with unnecessary re-exposition and intrusive product placement. I think "Nikita" is pretty much done.

[Lucky]

Second episode of The New Girl reaffirmed what I feared. Zooey is cute, but she can't quite carry a show by herself. It was just more of the same from the pilot, and the singing already got annoying in that first episode. My interest is waning fast. The bitchslap was rewind-worthy, though. God bless DVR.

[Mara]

Second episode of The New Girl reaffirmed what I feared. Zooey is cute, but she can't quite carry a show by herself. It was just more of the same from the pilot, and the singing already got annoying in that first episode. My interest is waning fast. The bitchslap was rewind-worthy, though. God bless DVR.

Yeah. Quirky charm isn't quite enough to get this to fly. I don't hate it, but I don't think I'm willing to put any kind of investment into it.

[[ETM]]

I tried to watch the pilot three times. I just can't stand any of the males. The direction and their performances are borderline Youtube video quality. Zooey is just not enough.

[Mara]

Checked out Suburgatory and my feelings are mixed. The cast is great; with Alan Tudyk and Cheryl Hines both being big draws for me. I'm not familiar with the lead, but she was appealing. The writing felt like it had potential, reaching for "edgy" but landing firmly in "sarcastic."

But the last couple of minutes drifted into the maudlin and sentimental, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Alan Tudyk wore a swimsuit, though, so I'll probably stay tuned for at least a couple more episodes.

[MadMan]

After watching the season opener to Series 2 of Luther, I'm hooked. Before next week I hope to make my way through the first series, which is on Netflix and is only 6 episodes long. Gotta love British TV-according to Britta, the BBC gives you closure....

[[ETM]]

Gotta love British TV-according to Britta, the BBC gives you closure....

I love knowing what you're talking about.

[[ETM]]

Stan Lee to guest star on "Chuck".

They already announced Mark Hamill, Carrie-Anne Moss and Danny Pudi.

[MadMan]

I love knowing what you're talking about.

I love that you love that you know what I'm talking about ritch:

[Lazlo]

Soooo, did 201 of Luther air yesterday on BBCA because I missed it if so? Whatever I read when I put together my TV calendar for this fall said it doesn't start until next Wednesday.

[MadMan]

Yeah 2.1 of Luther aired last night. According to IMDB.com there are 4 episodes of Series 2 already out, but I guess BBC America is just bringing them over later on, I guess. In any case it gives me time to buzz through Series 1, I suppose.