What was the last TV show you watched?

[MisterCairo]

More Gotham, season one. Great that memories of individual episodes faded just enough.

Great hearing the Sex Pistols' "New York" in the background in one scene.

 

[Worf]

I've never watched one minute of "Supernatural" but after all the hoopla I decided to find out something about a series that managed to last 15 years. After 5 episodes the "formula" is already apparent and beginning to wear thin. Troubled, ghostbuster brothers find some pattern of deaths that seem "odd", find a young hottie in trouble. They proceed to "solve" her problem and drive off into the sunset. There's also the "one armed man" piece of the story with the younger brother seeking to kill WHATEVER killed his mom and girlfriend. Please, correct me if I'm wrong. I have to assume that to last 15 season some changes had to be made. I know from the casting etc.. that this series was NOT aimed at my demographic, but I also know that many here love the show. Please give me a reason to continue down this rabbit hole or... not.

Worf

 

[MisterCairo]

I've never watched one minute of "Supernatural" but after all the hoopla I decided to find out something about a series that managed to last 15 years. After 5 episodes the "formula" is already apparent and beginning to wear thin. Troubled, ghostbuster brothers find some pattern of deaths that seem "odd", find a young hottie in trouble. They proceed to "solve" her problem and drive off into the sunset. There's also the "one armed man" piece of the story with the younger brother seeking to kill WHATEVER killed his mom and girlfriend. Please, correct me if I'm wrong. I have to assume that to last 15 season some changes had to be made. I know from the casting etc.. that this series was NOT aimed at my demographic, but I also know that many here love the show. Please give me a reason to continue down this rabbit hole or... not.

Worf

As a massive fan of the show, it pains me to say this, but you will not get this. I would find something else.

 

[MisterCairo]

Speaking of Supernatural, we have only three episodes left.

My wife and I had watched more of the final season live than we recalled, before starting from s 1 e 1 with the girls.

So we have now seen four episodes as a family for the first time ever.

The spoiler alerts were rampant, so I know both the ending tk come and, you guessed it, the violent divergence of thought from the fans (does any show end "well"???).

We are also down to four episodes of Parks and Recreation. What a fun ride this has been.

Secret Santa has bought the series on DVD so we will have it when the streamers get rid of it.

Fun fact - after A &E cancelled Longmire, Netflix bless them rescued it, and it became a Netflix original.

Netflix Canada on 16 November dropped it from their platform.

So anyone who says " why own disks, just stream it", can stuff it!

 

[belfastboy]

'The Defeated' on Netflix. 8 episode series set in post WW2 Berlin. It was OK, but just OK.

 

[Zombie_61]

As a massive fan of the show, it pains me to say this, but you will not get this. I would find something else.

I really wish someone had said this to me so I wouldn't have wasted my time trying to get through three seasons of Penny Dreadful back in 2014 and the first season of Stranger Things in 2016. In both cases I kept watching thinking and hoping each show would finally sink it's hooks into me. Didn't happen.

 

[belfastboy]

I really wish someone had said this to me so I wouldn't have wasted my time trying to get through three seasons of Penny Dreadful back in 2014 and the first season of Stranger Things in 2016. In both cases I kept watching thinking and hoping each show would finally sink it's hooks into me. Didn't happen.

We have so much TV choice these days we utilize a 15 minute rule for movies and a 1 episode rule for series. If it don't grab us in that time frame we bail!

 

[Zombie_61]

We have so much TV choice these days we utilize a 15 minute rule for movies and a 1 episode rule for series. If it don't grab us in that time frame we bail!

I've implemented (sort of) similar rules for myself after trying and failing to generate interest in a couple of other television shows years ago. Movies can be difficult, because I've seen a few movies over the years that I sat through not liking, then 5-10 minutes from the ending something happened that tied everything together and changed my attitude. Television is trickier these days because of the way it works--brief portions of a story that might take months to complete. I really preferred it when each episode was it's own story that was resolved within that 30 or 60 minute time frame. Still, if the first episode of a new show doesn't quite grab me but had something interesting about it, I might give the show a second chance by watching the next episode; by then I've usually decided whether or not it's something I need to watch.

 

[MisterCairo]

I really wish someone had said this to me so I wouldn't have wasted my time trying to get through three seasons of Penny Dreadful back in 2014 and the first season of Stranger Things in 2016. In both cases I kept watching thinking and hoping each show would finally sink it's hooks into me. Didn't happen.

Funnily enough, I adore Penny Dreadful, and re-watched the entire series this past Hallowe'en. Also a big fan of Stranger Things!

Let me know if you're about to start watching something. I'll let you know if I like it, so you can avoid it!

 

[MisterCairo]

I've implemented (sort of) similar rules for myself after trying and failing to generate interest in a couple of other television shows years ago. Movies can be difficult, because I've seen a few movies over the years that I sat through not liking, then 5-10 minutes from the ending something happened that tied everything together and changed my attitude. Television is trickier these days because of the way it works--brief portions of a story that might take months to complete. I really preferred it when each episode was it's own story that was resolved within that 30 or 60 minute time frame. Still, if the first episode of a new show doesn't quite grab me but had something interesting about it, I might give the show a second chance by watching the next episode; by then I've usually decided whether or not it's something I need to watch.

I find I need to give a series at least three or four episodes, as they are usually introducing characters and main plot lines, and I find myself trying to learn who these folks are and what they are about. Some series, like Millennium (my favourite) and Peaky Blinders (second favourite) I know pretty much from the get go - "This speaks to me".

Others have the same effect in reverse - Black Sails, Narcos, The Sopranos (yes, you read that correctly) - "Nope, not for me". Most it takes a few. Like a new ale.

 

[Zombie_61]

...Some series, like Millennium (my favourite) and Peaky Blinders (second favourite) I know pretty much from the get go - "This speaks to me"...

We definitely have different tastes. I watched the first two or three episodes of Millennium just because I like Lance Henriksen, but ultimately decided it wasn't going on my "favorites" list any time soon. And Peaky Blinders...I want to like it, I really do. I've started watching it four different times, and each time I've had to give up before the end of the first season because I was so disinterested.

Others have the same effect in reverse - Black Sails, Narcos, The Sopranos (yes, you read that correctly) - "Nope, not for me". Most it takes a few. Like a new ale.

I never tried Narcos; no interest. But I agree about The Sopranos, just not my thing.

Black Sails. I liked some episodes far more than others. But...well, I like a good pirate movie, but most of the time they aren't even close to accurately representing how real pirate crews worked. In the movies the pirate "captain" makes all of the decisions and the men all know their jobs and do what they're supposed to do. In real life pirate crews were among the most democratic groups in human history. They voted on pretty much everything, including who was going to be "captain" at any given moment; if the current guy wasn't making them rich, he was out and replaced by the next guy they thought had good ideas. Piracy was relatively brief moments of excitement and terror (plundering a rich target ship, for example) amidst long stretches of sailors performing their duties to get the ship to wherever the crew decided it should go; feeding the crew; attending their medical needs; dividing up whatever "goods" they were able to steal, which in itself is misrepresented in movies because pirates mostly stole the supplies they needed to keep their ship afloat and operational.

That being said, for years I kept telling people that if anyone ever made an accurate pirate movie it would bore everyone to tears; Black Sails nearly proved me right.

 

[Edward]

More Gotham, season one. Great that memories of individual episodes faded just enough.

Great hearing the Sex Pistols' "New York" in the background in one scene.

I'd forgotten about that too. A nice touch: somebody was either hunting for a song that referenced New York or there was a fan working on the music side. A bit mean about the poor old Dolls, but a good song nonetheless! (Now, the New York Dolls are very much a band I can imagine playing bars in the Gotham of Gotham.)

I really wish someone had said this to me so I wouldn't have wasted my time trying to get through three seasons of Penny Dreadful back in 2014 and the first season of Stranger Things in 2016. In both cases I kept watching thinking and hoping each show would finally sink it's hooks into me. Didn't happen.

While I do like Stranger Things, for me it doesn't quite justify the level of hype there's been around it. That said, for me it's an entertaining TV show rather than a portal into an era for which I have a particular nostalgia, which I think is probably why it doesn't have the emotional pull for me that it might for those who do look back fondly on the eighties as an era, as opposed to a time period I just happen to have lived through.

 

[Zombie_61]

...While I do like Stranger Things, for me it doesn't quite justify the level of hype there's been around it. That said, for me it's an entertaining TV show rather than a portal into an era for which I have a particular nostalgia, which I think is probably why it doesn't have the emotional pull for me that it might for those who do look back fondly on the eighties as an era, as opposed to a time period I just happen to have lived through.

Except for thinking it was "entertaining", I agree. It's another show that I wanted to like, but ultimately felt they took far too long to tell a weak story. I made it through the eight episodes of Season 1, and seriously considered whether or not I wanted to try again with Season 2. By the time they announced the premiere of Season 2 my first thought was that I'd rather be doing anything other than watch more of the show, so I haven't seen it since.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I've been very underwhelmed by Stranger Things. I was already an adult when it takes place, so I'm completely immune to most of its nostalgia-for-80s-kids aspect. What's left is mostly a mess - not even fake Spielberg, it's fake J.J. Abrams imitating Spielberg - with an occasionally interesting idea or diverting performance.

Despite initial worries that its Victorian monster mashup was going to be a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen-level fiasco, I ended up really liking Penny Dreadful, but it peaked in the second season and its third season was a disappointing ending.

And Gotham... I began by hating it, since I didn't see it as a believable prequel to any existing version of Batman. But with its excellent production values, strong acting, and whacked-out storylines, it grew on me. I watched until a couple of episodes into the final season, when it just pushed me too far beyond believability (with Leslie Thompkins' fight club). I should stream the rest of it one of these days.

Speaking of DC characters, I'd been following most of the CW superhero shows - The Flash, Supergirl, Black Lightning, Batwoman - for years, but I got fed up and purged all of them last winter. In most cases, they started off strong (Supergirl in particular, which had a very sure take on the character as a paragon of goodness, which was a great relief after Henry Cavill's misbegotten emo Superman), but each went through so many gyrations and plotting/cast changes that they were entirely different shows after a season or two.

I don't think I'm actually watching any "TV series" at this point...

 

[Edward]

I've been very underwhelmed by Stranger Things. I was already an adult when it takes place, so I'm completely immune to most of its nostalgia-for-80s-kids aspect. What's left is mostly a mess - not even fake Spielberg, it's fake J.J. Abrams imitating Spielberg - with an occasionally interesting idea or diverting performance.

Despite initial worries that its Victorian monster mashup was going to be a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen-level fiasco, I ended up really liking Penny Dreadful, but it peaked in the second season and its third season was a disappointing ending.

And Gotham... I began by hating it, since I didn't see it as a believable prequel to any existing version of Batman. But with its excellent production values, strong acting, and whacked-out storylines, it grew on me. I watched until a couple of episodes into the final season, when it just pushed me too far beyond believability (with Leslie Thompkins' fight club). I should stream the rest of it one of these days.

Speaking of DC characters, I'd been following most of the CW superhero shows - The Flash, Supergirl, Black Lightning, Batwoman - for years, but I got fed up and purged all of them last winter. In most cases, they started off strong (Supergirl in particular, which had a very sure take on the character as a paragon of goodness, which was a great relief after Henry Cavill's misbegotten emo Superman), but each went through so many gyrations and plotting/cast changes that they were entirely different shows after a season or two.

I don't think I'm actually watching any "TV series" at this point...

Part of the problem seems to be platforms playing politics. I am told one reason Netflix cancels many good shows after only a season or two is that more, new shows pull in more new subscribers better than continuing successful shows. Can't speak to DC, but Disney are killing a lot of Marvel based shows by seeking to monopolise MArvel content on their own platform. That may backfire: I certainly won't be subscribing to Disney Plus even if they do take away stuff I was watching on Prime and Netflix.

Gotham works best seen as its own thing, a sort of darker Smallville. I'd like to see more done in that version of the DC universe. The only real misfire for me was that they didn't quite get to an actual Joker, though they came close. Their take on the Penguin and the Riddler - both characters I never liked particularly in any other version - really worked big time for me, I loved those.

The best DC show, though, by a country mile for me is Pennyworth. That's a universe I want to see much more of over time, I love its alt-history richness, and there's so much more to explore in that outside of Alfred's story.

 

[Worf]

As a massive fan of the show, it pains me to say this, but you will not get this. I would find something else.

Well that was succinct and to the point.

Worf

 

[Edward]

The finale of Drag Race UK Season Three - what a let down. I love Mama Ru, but the winner chosen shouldn't even have been top three, let alone beaten either of the other two who were my pick for finalists right from the off, and shone through the whole series. I suspect this will be a season where those with the long-term careers are not the winner!

Also picked up on the Netflix series Sex Education with Gillian Anderson. Very interesting, particularly given it was designed to have an educative component, which it manages without being either patronising or the usual, aching misfire when a TV show is written for a younger audience by older folks who think they are down with the kids. Especially nice to see a friendship between a young, gay man and a young, straight man which is genuine and is what it is without there ever being a suggestion one is in the closet or whatever. Feels like television catching up with the real world there.

I feel the need of a new TV show I can really get into that's set pre-1960, but not stumbling across anything on the streamers let. Very keen to see Babylon Berlin, less keen to pay more on top of my regular subscription for Amazon Prime to see it.

 

[AmateisGal]

Speaking of Supernatural, we have only three episodes left.

My wife and I had watched more of the final season live than we recalled, before starting from s 1 e 1 with the girls.

So we have now seen four episodes as a family for the first time ever.

The spoiler alerts were rampant, so I know both the ending tk come and, you guessed it, the violent divergence of thought from the fans (does any show end "well"???).

We are also down to four episodes of Parks and Recreation. What a fun ride this has been.

Secret Santa has bought the series on DVD so we will have it when the streamers get rid of it.

Fun fact - after A &E cancelled Longmire, Netflix bless them rescued it, and it became a Netflix original.

Netflix Canada on 16 November dropped it from their platform.

So anyone who says " why own disks, just stream it", can stuff it!

I am STILL mad at the Supernatural finale. It was horrible.

 

[AmateisGal]

The Great British Baking Show finale for this season. I love this show. In fact, if I'm in need of some comfort viewing, I'll put on an old season.

 

[MisterCairo]

Well that was succinct and to the point.

Worf

I am that most unique of lawyers - BLUF (bottom line up front).

To answer some of the questions, the fifteen-year story arc is simultaneously just that, one overarching story arc, along the way with one or multiple-season mini-arcs, along with what my wife and I call the "one offs" which we love, episodes that deal with one "hunt" with no link of importance to the overall story.

Unless it's an anthology series, with each season being its own thing, any series will become repetitive to a point. Friends was ten years of six friends hanging out in a coffee shop, mayhem ensues. MASH was a three-year war spread out over, what was it, twelve seasons and a film, looking at a small mobile hospital unit in Korea. Mayhem ensues.

The Sopranos, which many consider the greatest tv series of all, is about a Mafia don and his family. Mayhem ensues.

I can say that no, not every episode has the two Winchester brothers rescuing the hottie from a monster, but that does happen. Yes, finding out what killed their mother and girlfriend is an arc, for a while. It is part of a much larger story line, that evolves over time.

I, like many fans, have issues with how that played out, over the course of specific seasons (here's looking at you, season seven), and over the course of the last season, which is where AmateisGal, myself and many others have had issues. That is, how the writers and show runners "resolved" the overarching issue at play.

Regardless, what we have loved over the series is the characters, the many relationships established, most if not all of the main story lines, and the many funny and creative one-offs over the years. With over 300 episodes, there will be lesser ones along with the greater ones. Name one show where that is not the case.

But my BLUF is this - something speaks to you, or it does not. I could suggest watching perhaps season one (twenty odd episodes), to get some kind of sense, but that is nearly 20 hours of your life you'll never get back if you don't "get it".

Or, over 300 episodes you'll own on the special edition complete series collectors blu-ray, complete with Dean Winchester standee, and custom-made Dean Winchester photo collage on canvass for your wife's 50th birthday in your walk-in closet.

your call...