The TV Discussion Thread

[slqrick]

Pilot of Jessica Jones is incredible. Never would have thought Marvel would pull off a faithful adaptation of the Alias comic. Tennant as the villain was brilliant casting and I've always liked Ritter.

[Russ]

Just marathoned first season of Fargo, the acting and atmosphere were so fucking good.

Well then you're in for a treat, 'cause S2 is so much better than S1 in almost every conceivable way. Arguably the best show on TV in 2015.

[D_Davis]

W/ Bob and David was fantastic! But so short!

Definitely left me wanting more, which is a good thing.

[Thirdmango]

The Soup has been cancelled. Woe is me.

[Henry Gale]

The Soup has been cancelled. Woe is me.

Yeeeaah... Found out about this and Gravity Falls' ending back-to-back over the weekend. And because deaths tend to come in threes, my friends and I have already started to fear which other beloved show of ours is doomed.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Yeeeaah... Found out about this and Gravity Falls' ending back-to-back over the weekend. And because deaths tend to come in threes, my friends and I have already started to fear which other beloved show of ours is doomed.

Fox and Friends.

[D_Davis]

Finished up the first season of I, Zombie. Pretty cool. I like the premise - what if zobmies were more like vampires in that they could blend in with the normal world - and I like how fully it commits to its premise. The case of the week structure gets old pretty quickly, and that main detective dude is a complete non-entity as far as characters go, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's paced really well, shit hits the fan enough times to keep things exciting, and it's pretty entertaining.

[Peng]

Haven't had this kind of nervy laughs and mental screaming like the one from this week's Fargo in quite a while. And damn, Kirsten Dunst really out-Coens this character, if there is such a word.

[MadMan]

Wait Gravity Falls is dead? I just finished Season 1 and started Season 2 tonight. Argh.

[dreamdead]

Since we're one episode from the end of You're the Worst's second season, it bears mentioning that the show's decision to explore clinical depression has been one of the best things about it. While there typically remain three or four lines that house the vitriol that the show aspires to, Aya Cash's gradual descent has been something that has transformed an entertaining half hour into a complex study of character and need. Her final line to Jimmy this week was something that the show built up for weeks, and it's a marvel in humanism.

Wonderful doubling down on psychology throughout.

[number8]

The Leftovers is absolutely show of the year this year. Absolutely unbelievable finale to a fantastic season.

[Henry Gale]

Wait Gravity Falls is dead? I just finished Season 1 and started Season 2 tonight. Argh.

Well, it's ending on Hirsch's terms which he'd planned and agreed with Disney on from the very start of Season 2, and it's been a fairly extraordinary season as a result. Disney just didn't allow him to publicly say it was the final season until after Part 1 of the series finale had already aired.

The Leftovers is absolutely show of the year this year. Absolutely unbelievable finale to a fantastic season.

Next show I catch up with, I swear.

[number8]

Btw I don't think an ad campaign has ever turned me off of the show they're advertising more than the blitz of Vinyl TV spots I've been subjected to in the past 3 or so months. Every time I hear Bobby Cannavale shout about what rock n roll is all about I want to die.

[Henry Gale]

Btw I don't think an ad campaign has ever turned me off of the show they're advertising more than the blitz of Vinyl TV spots I've been subjected to in the past 3 or so months. Every time I hear Bobby Cannavale shout about what rock n roll is all about I want to die.

I have seen only one and all I remember is a lot of TV's getting smashed out of anger and Cannavale doing Leo "King of the World" / #TheBoysAreBack-style whooping in a convertible, and I was like "Oh yeeaaaah!!" [/but like, the Stones doing it, since Scorsese]

(Why am I posting so much about Entourage today..)

[Irish]

Critics scattered their "best television of 2015" lists around.

Disappointed by the lack of (1) BoJack Horseman (2) Rick & Morty (3) The Man in the High Castle and (4) unReal.

Too much (1) The Leftovers (2) Mad Men (3) Jane the Virgin.

:|

[Mara]

I understand WHY UnReal was overlooked, but damn that show was good.

Also being overlooked on MC that are totally worth it: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Casual.

The new show I was most looking forward to this year was Flesh and Bone and.... yeesh. Too bad we don't have a Matchie for Most Squandered Potential.

[Russ]

I'm thinking Fargo would beg to differ.

And I'm a fan of both (Fargo wins and it's not even close).

[Russ]

The Leftovers is absolutely show of the year this year. Absolutely unbelievable finale to a fantastic season.

I'm thinking Fargo would beg to differ.

And I'm a fan of both (Fargo wins and it's not even close).

[slqrick]

Just finished penultimate episode of the first season of The Leftovers, and holy shit does this show convey loss with maximal impact.

[number8]

The Affair is really good this season. The murder mystery which I hated in the first season actually led to something pretty interesting about their relationship. Well done finale.

[number8]

I'm thinking Fargo would beg to differ.

And I'm a fan of both (Fargo wins and it's not even close).

I'm 8 episodes in and so far I don't think this season is even as good as the first, let alone holding a candle to Leftovers. Bokeem Woodbine's character seems like a great big misfire attempt at creating a quirky Coenesque character, but really, his constant quoting just feels like a crutch at creating characterization rather than funny or intimidating.

It's also too much of a break from this universe's conceit of small-town-crime-gone-wrong-through-cosmic-coincidences-and-comic-mishaps. The season feels more like Justified than Fargo.

[Irish]

I'm 8 episodes in and so far I don't think this season is even as good as the first, let alone holding a candle to Leftovers.

Whoa. You gotta finish it out and post your reaction. I'm highly interested because every critic on twitter talked Fargo up constantly this year.

[Mr. McGibblets]

I love the feel of Fargo Season 2 and the acting is great, but the whole story felt a bit off to me. Like it's telling two stories, that of a gang war and that of the minor characters that get caught up in it. And the one about the gang war's just not that interesting.

[number8]

I love the feel of Fargo Season 2 and the acting is great, but the whole story felt a bit off to me. Like it's telling two stories, that of a gang war and that of the minor characters that get caught up in it. And the one about the gang war's just not that interesting.

Yup. Like I said, it's more Justified than Fargo. The criminals are all gangster movie archetypes and the cops are tough guys. It's well done, but that's a very far cry from the S1 characters. I just thought Fargo's supposed to offer something different from a gritty gangster thriller.

[Russ]

Man, I feel like we watched two different shows.

I don't see Bokeem Woodbine's character nor the members of the Gerhardt clan as stereotypical "gangster movie archetypes"; the KC Mafia's clan is more a statement on capitalism, much to Mike Milligan's eventual chagrin, and the familial ties and betrayals of the Gerhardt clan was fertile ground as a counterpoint to that worldview, quite the antithesis of the KC mob machinations. And yeah, I guess the cops are "tough guys", who care a lot about their terminally-ill spouses and dabble a bit in UFO culture, but actually, their "toughness" was nicely countered by their "tough guy" (but somewhat clueless/borderline incompetent) counterparts.

There are so many textured layers of rich symbolism and commentary, ripe for thoughtful discussion and evaluation. But it sounds like you're too hurriedly dismissive of your recent binge-watch. And also that you're unfairly criticizing it for being something different from what you expected.

If that's how you really feel, then great. It won't prevent me from purchasing the blu-ray on day one of its release. I can't wait to see it again.

And I do love The Leftovers, and would enjoy engaging in a discussion of the merits of Season 1 vs Season 2, if anyone is so inclined to start a Leftovers thread (And it has been renewed for a third and final season. Woo-hoo!).