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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 21, 2021 21:17:18 GMT -5
I've watched all of The Sopranos twice. And I'm honestly itching to watch it again. I liked the last season, though I agree it did not have the dark humor of the show in its entirety. This is the second time around for The Wire. And season five is just off the rails. So many characters acting out of character. It's particularly egregious with Lester Freeman. And I just give zero damns about the entire newspaper angle. My gut tells me if I ever watch The Wire again I'll stop after Season Three.
Agreed about season 5 of The Wire, but I didn't find season four too bad. To be honest I don't rate the series as a whole quite as highly as a lot of people do: I think it was really good, one of the better shows of its time - and its time is possibly the best ever for US tv dramas - but probably wouldn't put it up there with my all-time favourites.
The Sopranos I still haven't seen, and it's been so long now that I'll probably put it off until when I'm filling in some late-1990s/early-2000s comics and other reading that I missed at the time, which I should hopefully be doing within the next couple of years.
My most recent classic tv watching has been finishing up the first season of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, which gets better and better; and The Quatermass Experiment - well, the first two episodes, which are all that remain, sad to say. Luckily, there are synopses available of the remaing four episodes, so at least I was able to find out how the story developed and ended.
There is also the movie version, aka The Creeping Unknown. Brian Donlevy plays Prof Quatermass, but everyone else is from the UK. It was pretty decent. Quatermass 2 also features him and has a really good story. Quatermass and the Pit had Andrew Kier, who was also in the second Dr Who movie. I liked that stuff, but never saw any of the original tv stuff, since it wasn't shown here. You can definitely see its influence on early Dr Who. |
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Post by berkley on Oct 22, 2021 22:51:13 GMT -5
Agreed about season 5 of The Wire, but I didn't find season four too bad. To be honest I don't rate the series as a whole quite as highly as a lot of people do: I think it was really good, one of the better shows of its time - and its time is possibly the best ever for US tv dramas - but probably wouldn't put it up there with my all-time favourites.
The Sopranos I still haven't seen, and it's been so long now that I'll probably put it off until when I'm filling in some late-1990s/early-2000s comics and other reading that I missed at the time, which I should hopefully be doing within the next couple of years.
My most recent classic tv watching has been finishing up the first season of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, which gets better and better; and The Quatermass Experiment - well, the first two episodes, which are all that remain, sad to say. Luckily, there are synopses available of the remaing four episodes, so at least I was able to find out how the story developed and ended.
There is also the movie version, aka The Creeping Unknown. Brian Donlevy plays Prof Quatermass, but everyone else is from the UK. It was pretty decent. Quatermass 2 also features him and has a really good story. Quatermass and the Pit had Andrew Kier, who was also in the second Dr Who movie. I liked that stuff, but never saw any of the original tv stuff, since it wasn't shown here. You can definitely see its influence on early Dr Who.
I've seen Quatermass and the Pit, but not the other movies or, until now, any of the tv series. I'll probably watch the other tv shows in the coming months. Apparently Nigel Kneale didn't like Donleavy's attitude - thought he was phoning in his performance for an easy paycheque. But I might watch them anyway at some point. For now, I'll probably stick to the tv version.Definitely agree about the influence on Doctor Who.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 23, 2021 0:01:34 GMT -5
There is also the movie version, aka The Creeping Unknown. Brian Donlevy plays Prof Quatermass, but everyone else is from the UK. It was pretty decent. Quatermass 2 also features him and has a really good story. Quatermass and the Pit had Andrew Kier, who was also in the second Dr Who movie. I liked that stuff, but never saw any of the original tv stuff, since it wasn't shown here. You can definitely see its influence on early Dr Who.
I've seen Quatermass and the Pit, but not the other movies or, until now, any of the tv series. I'll probably watch the other tv shows in the coming months. Apparently Nigel Kneale didn't like Donleavy's attitude - thought he was phoning in his performance for an easy paycheque. But I might watch them anyway at some point. For now, I'll probably stick to the tv version.Definitely agree about the influence on Doctor Who.
Possibly in comparison to the British actors involved; but I think that was more down to a difference in style. Donlevy was older, not in his physical prime, and was noted more for playing older authority figures, like a general, in the Frank Sinatra film, Never So Few (one of Steve McQueen's early roles). I don't think he was ideal; but, I also don't think he was that bad. What do I know, though; I'm quite partial to Peter Cushing's Doctor Who (and feel Roberta Tovey was a way better Susan than Carole Ann Ford), which the rank & file Whovians tend to hate. |
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Post by Batflunkie on Oct 23, 2021 10:03:01 GMT -5
Been watching Season 3 of the Simpsons on Disney Plus. I don't think that there's been a single bad episode so far, it's just amazingly consistent and funny as hell
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 23, 2021 17:46:30 GMT -5
Been watching Season 3 of the Simpsons on Disney Plus. I don't think that there's been a single bad episode so far, it's just amazingly consistent and funny as hell 3-5 are pretty much gold, , for my tastes; and then they are strong for another 2-3 seasons. Then, for me, it started getting really spotty. Somewhere around season12 (give or take a season or two) I was working when it was on and would forget to set my VCR and I soon found I wasn't too upset about it. Pretty much phased right out of it. I know there are some who felt it peaked with 3 and that was it. |
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Post by Batflunkie on Oct 23, 2021 17:51:20 GMT -5
Been watching Season 3 of the Simpsons on Disney Plus. I don't think that there's been a single bad episode so far, it's just amazingly consistent and funny as hell 3-5 are pretty much gold, , for my tastes; and then they are strong for another 2-3 seasons. Then, for me, it started getting really spotty. Somewhere around season12 (give or take a season or two) I was working when it was on and would forget to set my VCR and I soon found I wasn't too upset about it. Pretty much phased right out of it. I know there are some who felt it peaked with 3 and that was it. General conscientious is that it was good up until season 8. I thought it was good up until season 12. You ever given Dead Homer Society's "Zombie Simpsons" a read through? |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 23, 2021 19:09:39 GMT -5
3-5 are pretty much gold, , for my tastes; and then they are strong for another 2-3 seasons. Then, for me, it started getting really spotty. Somewhere around season12 (give or take a season or two) I was working when it was on and would forget to set my VCR and I soon found I wasn't too upset about it. Pretty much phased right out of it. I know there are some who felt it peaked with 3 and that was it. General conscientious is that it was good up until season 8. I thought it was good up until season 12. You ever given Dead Homer Society's "Zombie Simpsons" a read through? No, can't say I have. Had the episode guide books and then read the Unofficial History, which cast a lot of aspersions on Matt Groening, as having much at all to do with story content and threw some shade at James L Brooks and Richard Sakai (who was described as Brooks' hatchet man). Lot of praise for Sam Simon and I must say, the years he was directly involved are the best. I'm pretty much a fan for that first decade; but, I do think they just started recycling the same storylines and gags and spent more time on couch gags and opening jokes, before getting to the main plot. It got to be that you'd be a third of the way into an episode before the plot kicked in. I don't mind a bunch of gags; but then the plots got to be letdowns, so it started to feel like SNL, where they frontload the best material in the first third and then the rest just flops on the floor. I think, like most satire, once they became the mainstream, they lost their ability to truly attack the powers that be. Happened to SNL (though every once in a while, they find the edge, again), happened to Monty Python (though more that everyone started itching to do other things and they were less focused). By contrast, I thought the comics were brilliant, as the series was starting to wane. Radioactive Man always hit the right tone for whatever was going on in the comics industry, either behind the scenes or in the style of the stories of the day. Hard to believe Bart & Lisa are older now than some parents! |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 10, 2021 17:22:51 GMT -5
Maybe doesn't quite fit here, but I'm going to put it here anyway.
So I was casting about for something to watch. Tried the first couple issues of The Americans and it was okay but didn't make me feel like I wanted to keep going.
So I decided to go with Better Call Saul, partly because I've been feeling like re-watching Breaking Bad. I'd watched the first season with my youngest son, but never kept going. And...damn it's good. And the law in it is shockingly on point for a TV show. There have been a few quibbles, but honestly very few. And man...Chuck McGill has to be one of the great douchebags in television history.
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Post by berkley on Nov 10, 2021 17:55:20 GMT -5
Maybe doesn't quite fit here, but I'm going to put it here anyway. So I was casting about for something to watch. Tried the first couple issues of The Americans and it was okay but didn't make me feel like I wanted to keep going. So I decided to go with Better Call Saul, partly because I've been feeling like re-watching Breaking Bad. I'd watched the first season with my youngest son, but never kept going. And...damn it's good. And the law in it is shockingly on point for a TV show. There have been a few quibbles, but honestly very few. And man...Chuck McGill has to be one of the great douchebags in television history. I think it's even better than Breaking Bad, which is saying a lot, as that was one of the best shows of its time. I'm a little behind, having seen only the first three seasons so far, I'll ave to start catching up soon. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 10, 2021 18:19:21 GMT -5
I've been re-watching the British detective series Touch of Frost, with David Jason. Great series, but I can never get past hearing Danger Mouse telling someone he's nicked!   |
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Post by berkley on Nov 10, 2021 20:46:08 GMT -5
Best shows of the early 90s, anyone? I'm looking for ideas since I'll be reading comics and books from that era intermittantly over the next few months. So far I have:
A Bit of Fry and Laurie
Red Dwarf
Absolutely Fabulous
North of 60
Those are a few that I haven't seen much of up to now, which is mostly what I want to concentrate on, though I'll probably re-watch the first year or two of the X-Files when I get to that point. Right now I'm especially looking for things from 1990-93, since I have a few books from then to get through and it'll take me some time. Ab Fab and N of 60 both began in 1992, so I'd like to find something more from 1990-91.
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Post by brutalis on Nov 10, 2021 21:32:02 GMT -5
Best shows of the early 90s, anyone? I'm looking for ideas since I'll be reading comics and books from that era intermittantly over the next few months. So far I have: A Bit of Fry and Laurie Red Dwarf Absolutely Fabulous North of 60 Those are a few that I haven't seen much of up to now, which is mostly what I want to concentrate on, though I'll probably re-watch the first year or two of the X-Files when I get to that point. Right now I'm especially looking for things from 1990-93, since I have a few books from then to get through and it'll take me some time. Ab Fab and N of 60 both began in 1992, so I'd like to find something more from 1990-91. Hmmmmmmm. Comedy comes to mind: Home Improvement, The Nanny, Murphy Brown, Mr. Bean. I really jumped onto Law and Order when it premiered. Lovejoy mysteries began in 1986 but I didn't see it until the early 90's (note it ran until 94) on cable. |
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Post by berkley on Nov 10, 2021 23:05:58 GMT -5
Best shows of the early 90s, anyone? I'm looking for ideas since I'll be reading comics and books from that era intermittantly over the next few months. So far I have: A Bit of Fry and Laurie Red Dwarf Absolutely Fabulous North of 60 Those are a few that I haven't seen much of up to now, which is mostly what I want to concentrate on, though I'll probably re-watch the first year or two of the X-Files when I get to that point. Right now I'm especially looking for things from 1990-93, since I have a few books from then to get through and it'll take me some time. Ab Fab and N of 60 both began in 1992, so I'd like to find something more from 1990-91. Hmmmmmmm. Comedy comes to mind: Home Improvement, The Nanny, Murphy Brown, Mr. Bean. I really jumped onto Law and Order when it premiered. Lovejoy mysteries began in 1986 but I didn't see it until the early 90's (note it ran until 94) on cable.
Thanks for the suggestions. I've seen Mr. Bean, so probably will put off re-watching that for the time being. Lovejoy opens up some possibilities, though - there are a bunch of British detective series from that era that I've never gotten round to trying. I'll put it on my list.
The only American comedy show I really liked from that time was Seinfeld, which I don't think I'll re-watch yet, though I'd probably get into it once I started. I was also a big fan of the Canadian show Kids in the Hall, but again, don't want to get into re-watching it yet or it would probably take up all my viewing time!
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 11, 2021 0:06:22 GMT -5
I’m not unconvinced that the 90s is the worst decade ever for prime-time television. The early 90s may have been particularly egregious. At least in the US. I’ll defer to others about other countries.
The Simpsons, The X-Files, Quantum Leap and Twin Peaks are probably the only shows from the period that I can come up with off the top of my head that I’m remotely interested in.
Now by the end of the decade HBO was turning it up with Oz and The Sopranos.
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Post by berkley on Nov 11, 2021 0:46:39 GMT -5
I’m not unconvinced that the 90s is the worst decade ever for prime-time television. The early 90s may have been particularly egregious. At least in the US. I’ll defer to others about other countries. The Simpsons, The X-Files, Quantum Leap and Twin Peaks are probably the only shows from the period that I can come up with off the top of my head that I’m remotely interested in. Now by the end of the decade HBO was turning it up with Oz and The Sopranos. I'm not big on the 80s either, but yeah, the 90s was a bad time in my memory as well for US tv. And the few bright spots - e.g. Twin Peaks - I'm not ready to re-watch just now, so I suspect I'll be mostly looking at some of the UK stuff I missed at the time. I am considering the Simpsons, though, because I only ever watched it sporadically, and missed way more episodes than I saw each year.
Very much looking forward to the late 90s, when there were a bunch of well-regarded things I missed, including the Sopranos. Even Oz, which I saw a fair bit of, I missed the first several episodes, so I'll watch that from the beginning and carry on until I get tired of it (I recall feeling it got a bit repetive towards the end).
Getting back to the early 90s, I'm also looking forward to the X-Files, because I remember not discovering that show until about half-way through the first season, and I never did go back to see those first 10 or 12 episodes, or however many it was.
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