What was the last TV show you watched?

[AmateisGal]

It is in my Netflix to watch list.

They are VERY good. Really enjoying them!

 

[Doctor Strange]

The first episode of TNT's adaptation of The Alienist. I'd read the book years ago and don't recall it very well... but so far, something seems off about this adaptation. The story moves too fast with sledgehammer reveals (for a book that was largely about a more measured and cerebral investigation), it has a really heavy handed score that continually pushes too hard, and so far it's doing a poor job of establishing its characters. Despite making clear that its straight-from-central-casting 1890s Irish cops don't understand or trust these new-fangled ideas - forensics, psychology, a woman in the police department! - it's coming off as pretty much your standard serial killer procedural... cosplaying in derbies and frock coats.

At least the costumes and sets are good. And wow, that gorgeous proto-fedora Luke Evans wears!

 

[HanauMan]

Enjoying Babylon 5. The Shadows are finally creeping out of the woodworks!

 

[Worf]

"The Flash" - I for one and loving this season. No competing "speedster" hence no "wash, rinse and repeat" story line. Barry's not having a good time of it and for once his speed can't help him. The introduction of Digby as "The Elongated Man" (I'd preferred "Plastic Man" myself) has been a fun ride. I'm personally SICK of all the "drama" going on in the "Arrow" and am 2 seconds from putting it down. Lies and betrayals, betrayals and lies... sheeya can't you come up with SOMETHING different? Hell, I don't even mind Iris this year.

Worf

 

[Doctor Strange]

Don't get wrong, I still really enjoy The Flash, but I'm not seeing a great return to form this season. I agree that it's a nice change not having another speedster big bad - that definitely got old - but I'm not loving DeVoe either. At this point, there have been so many changes to the timeline, and turnover in the ever-increasing cast, that it's monotonous in other ways. And I'm really sick of every episode having someone in Team Flash make a stirring speech about how they have to work together and shouldn't hide things from one other any more... and in the same episode (and pretty much all of them) somebody is hiding an important piece of info that complicates everything!

I think Supergirl is the more interesting show, and I like that it puts its (now semi-gutsy) political stance to represent and fight for the downtrodden and disenfranchised right up front. At a time when this country is so confused internally about immigration, having storylines explicitly about the rights of (space) aliens to live here shows a concern for dealing with reality via metaphor that you don't see on the other superhero shows. As she now says right at the start of this season's new opening narration, "I am a refugee on this planet."

I don't watch Arrow or Legends, so no comment on them.

Hey Worf, how do you feel about Black Lightning so far?

 

[HanauMan]

Just watched two more vintage episodes of Frasier. A tad dated but still as funny as it was when it first came out. Both Frasier and Seinfeld really defined the 1990s for me, comedy wise.

 

[Fading Fast]

Just watched two more vintage episodes of Frasier. A tad dated but still as funny as it was when it first came out. Both Frasier and Seinfeld really defined the 1990s for me, comedy wise.

One of my favorite scenes from the show is when Niles is all set for a date, except for one small wrinkle.

It's right out of silent film even Vaudeville.

While I think she'd hate the show, bourgeoise and all that, I bet even our Lizzie would appreciate this scene for its nod to entertainment history and talented execution:

 

[LizzieMaine]

Always enjoyed that show, actually -- Fraiser and Niles are a very sharp parody of a type of person I run into very often in real life, and Niles, especially, cracks me up. And Bulldog, at the radio station, is an absolute dead ringer in every possible way for a morning man I worked with years ago. A very well-observed, well-written series.

 

[Fading Fast]

Always enjoyed that show, actually -- Fraiser and Niles are a very sharp parody of a type of person I run into very often in real life, and Niles, especially, cracks me up. And Bulldog, at the radio station, is an absolute dead ringer in every possible way for a morning man I worked with years ago. A very well-observed, well-written series.

I'm happy to stand corrected - very glad you enjoyed it. I thought it was the best thing TV had on at the time and Niles was its best character.

 

[Touchofevil]

So busy lately with work, but I was able to escape for a bit with another episode of Call the Midwife.

 

[1mach1]

[emoji14]

 

[Benzadmiral]

Another 1964 episode of The Fugitive. Kimble this time out is a "kennel man" at a breeder of champion Irish setters. He suspects that one of the dogs may have hip dysplasia . . . but if he reveals this to the honest owner, the potential lucrative sale of the kennel will be off. And the owner's son, and especially the son's eye-on-the-main-chance wife, want desperately for the sale to go through -- enough to find out who Kimble is, and threaten him with exposure. Fascinating as usual, and quite exciting at the climax.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Part of the Fox series Lucifer. When it first premiered, I predicted unseen that the lead character would have facial stubble, would wear no tie (if he even wore a suit), and would leave the tails of his shirt flapping around below his suit coat. Correct on each count. That said, I enjoyed what I saw last night, and have since discovered to my delight that the Lucifer character was spun off from some comics work (Sandman) that Neil Gaiman did in the '90s.

The other male character, Marcus, was played by an actor who rang my memory bell, he looked so familiar, but I couldn't place him. IMDb took care of that: Tom Welling, the former Clark Kent of Smallville.

 

[Seb Lucas]

I watched season one of Lucifer and tried season two but gave up. I found the dialogue, stories and performances camp and flaccid. It might have been great but the material is tricky to pull off. If Tom Kapinos had been able to incorporate some of the snap and scandal he brought to early Californication episodes this might have worked better.

 

[Fading Fast]

"Victoria" Season 2, Episode 1, Part 1

• Overall, it's good enough to watch, but something is off in this show and it's, IMHO, gotten worse with this episode (hopefully, it won't continue the entire season)

• Many of the characters and story lines are too modern in thinking and actions
  • Victoria was a strong, independent queen, but unless she was 150+ years ahead of her time, I doubt she was saying all these very modern sounding ideas about women's rights, being active before and after childbirth, running the military, etc.
  • It's not that I don't agree with the ideas (I do, with passion), but I doubt Victoria was saying full sentences lifted out of today's identity politics argot
  • And what's with the inability of Buckingham Palace to hire a good chef - do they really have to go pleading, hat in hand, to the old chef to come back? Is there really not a long list of extremely talented chefs that the Palace could choose from?

• Still worth the watch, but the modernism that's slipping in is hurting its credibility

 

[Doctor Strange]

I'm periodically working my way through the episodes of Black Mirror, and I watched the extra-long holiday special "White Christmas". This is a particularly good one, with a great performance by Jon Hamm(!) and suitably creepy future technology and well-handled story twists.

 

[Worf]

Welcome to the Club Bub! Not always "consistent" but some of the episodes of that series has given me some pretty bad dreams. I personally think it's one of the best things on right now.

Worf

PS, haven't seen "Black Lightning" yet. Not sure if I will. Sounds a bit too '70's for me.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I've already liked a bunch of other Black Mirror eps - Be Right Back, San Junipero, USS Callister - but like many anthologies, it's an uneven series. At its best, it's very good, but not every episode is a winner.

No, Black Lightning is very of the moment. And it's appropriately schizo for the moment we're in. That is, its hero is the most noble, upstanding guy possible - a high school principal - and there are a wide range of minority and gay characters who are mostly rendered with care and nuance. But the city it depicts is a gang-violence nightmare with people getting shot everywhere constantly by over-the-top, one-dimensional baddies... you know, like something right out of Trump's inauguration speech.

Anyway, it's no Luke Cage, but it's worth a look.

 

[3fingers]

The first episode of Babylon Berlin. Hard to say. I'll watch another one or two and decide whether to continue.

 

[1967Cougar390]

Sneaky Pete on Netflix is very good. The second season is getting ready to air soon. One of my favorite shows right now is A Crime to Remember.

Steven