General Television Thread

[Berober]

Yeah, was on TV tonight along with For A Few Paintballs More, which means... DVD can finally be sold for region2!

[Benjamin]

I wish I could get the Community DVDs. They're impossible to find in Malaysia, yet if I buy them online they're massively overpriced.

[Nick Adams]

So I watched The New Normal, and as somebody else put it, Ryan Murphy show is Ryan Murphy show. Bigoted older women, non-traditional individuals, normal person trying to navigate the waters of bitter relational disappointment - it'd be nice if they weren't using archetypes. On the plus side, one of the leads was the original Elder Kevin Price in The Book of Mormon, so Murphy yet again has cast Broadway talent. So far, it translates well enough to the screen.

[Your Mom]

Caught up on some Hell on Wheels. Anson Mount!

[Jimmy]

There is a lot of talk about doing a TV movie.

Please let that talk end up being more than talk.

[Baddar]

Ugh, Raising Hope has been shit this season.

[Josh]

Has anyone else seen this week's Louie yet? Fan. Fucking. Tastic.

The one and only show where you'll get cameos from Chris Rock, Jay Leno, AND David Goddamn Lynch.

[LL!]

Has anyone else seen this week's Louie yet? Fan. Fucking. Tastic.

The one and only show where you'll get cameos from Chris Rock, Jay Leno, AND David Goddamn Lynch.

Yes.

[Benji]

I can't decide if The Newsroom is too far up it's own arse, or it's at that point where it feels like it shouldn't feel good, but still does.

[Nick Adams]

More likely the latter. Though the character Jeff Daniels plays actually strikes me as unrealistic. An even-handed Republican on cable news? I call shenanigans.

[LL!]

So, I watched the first episode of Homeland the other day and wasn't really feeling it. How many more episodes should I watch in order to give the show a proper try?

[GoGo Yubari]

The problem I always have with answering questions like this is that with shows like this, the absolute best episode is usually halfway in. If you think you can make it to episode seven, "The Weekend," do that. If you don't like that there's no point in still going. Otherwise I can't think of what would be the exact right episode to go to.

[Benji]

More likely the latter. Though the character Jeff Daniels plays actually strikes me as unrealistic. An even-handed Republican on cable news? I call shenanigans.

They say even handed, but I'm to episode four and I've yet recall seeing him specifically criticise any lying/hypocritical democrats. They can say unbiased all they like, but until they actually criticise both sides I'm just going to roll my eyes. I think that's the problem I have with it thus far, it's all talk and not quite enough action on the charge of taking on both sides of political idiocy.

So, I watched the first episode of Homeland the other day and wasn't really feeling it. How many more episodes should I watch in order to give the show a proper try?

I'd say GoGo is probably right, episode seven is a good judge, but episode nine (Crossfire) is the one that absolutely sold the series for me.

[MalaCloudy Black]

I don't know why I find it fascinating, but yeah, The Newsroom is pretty far up its own ass. It's sanctimonious, preachy, and really obvious that Sorkin has no actual interest in being "unbiased", he just wants to throw shots at Republicans (not that I'm complaining).

[Benji]

I am, because it makes liberal leaning people look almost as bad as their conservative opposition if they don't look at both sides of the corrupt coin.

[GoGo Yubari]

I think this is the point where I make my unnecessary "still glad I'm not watching that" non-contribution.

Also I caught a decent amount of the Ben and Kate pilot on the flight to Baltimore and it was pretty charming. I could see myself giving it a proper shot.

[Benji]

It's not bad at all, it's the usual Sorkin fair with a little extra dose of the usual Sorkin problems.

If Ben & Kate is not a LOST spin-off where Charlie is their pool boy, I'm not sure I want to know what it is.

[Josh]

RE: Newsroom: I have no real beef with the politics of the show, and rarely see the need to criticize "both sides", etc. However, my problem with the show is a more basic problem of storytelling. He tells instead of showing at least 80% of the time, if not a lot more. On top of that, these supposed Don Quixotes of the news industry win nearly all the time. Something should blow up in their face a little more often and make the lessons a little more hard-learned. I don't care if they're right - it's not interesting when the protagonists become so predictable in their victories.

Now, all of that said? I still watched the entire first season, having made those realizations well before the end. And I intend to keep watching, for now. It's a deeply flawed show, but it does appeal to some superficial interests of mine. That, and my roommate's pretty over the moon about it (and Sorkin in general), so watching it is an opportunity to keep the bonds of the apartment in good shape.

However, if the relationship stuff ever overtakes the news/politics/any other plots, I'm fucking done. I have so very little interest in the Jim/Maggie/Don/Will/Mac/sooner-or-late-everyone love rhombus.

So, yeah. I cannot defend Newsroom at all, yet I do like it. Kind of at a minimum level, but I like it.

And what's this Ben & Kate thing? Does Sorkin have yet another new show?

[Benji]

RE: Newsroom: I have no real beef with the politics of the show, and rarely see the need to criticize "both sides", etc. However, my problem with the show is a more basic problem of storytelling. He tells instead of showing at least 80% of the time, if not a lot more. On top of that, these supposed Don Quixotes of the news industry win nearly all the time. Something should blow up in their face a little more often and make the lessons a little more hard-learned. I don't care if they're right - it's not interesting when the protagonists become so predictable in their victories.

Now, all of that said? I still watched the entire first season, having made those realizations well before the end. And I intend to keep watching, for now. It's a deeply flawed show, but it does appeal to some superficial interests of mine. That, and my roommate's pretty over the moon about it (and Sorkin in general), so watching it is an opportunity to keep the bonds of the apartment in good shape.

However, if the relationship stuff ever overtakes the news/politics/any other plots, I'm fucking done. I have so very little interest in the Jim/Maggie/Don/Will/Mac/sooner-or-late-everyone love rhombus.

So, yeah. I cannot defend Newsroom at all, yet I do like it. Kind of at a minimum level, but I like it.

And what's this Ben & Kate thing? Does Sorkin have yet another new show?

I wouldn't see the need to criticise both sides if they didn't boast about a lack of bias. Studio 60 was incredibly biased, never claimed to be unbiased, yet still made a vague attempt to give the other side of arguments most of the time, and it was outstanding. The rest of your notes are bang on the nose.

[livid]

Ben and Kate is a new comedy on Fox. The trailers and the fact that two Community writers/producers are working on it has given me the optimism to check it out.