What was the last TV show you watched?

[Acchimp]

My wife and I watch M*A*S*H reruns on MeTV and whichever other channels air them, and even though I've been watching the show since the days when they were still making new episodes I still enjoy it a lot. But as the years have passed I've noticed Wayne Rogers wasn't a particularly good actor. Mind you, I've only ever seen him in M*A*S*H and his "don't blink or you'll miss him" role in the movie Cool Hand Luke (1967), but...well, I much prefer Mike Farrell and his character B.J. Hunnicutt--far more believable as an actor, and much better chemistry between Mr. Farrell and Alan Alda from the moment their characters are on-screen together.

I couldn’t really get into the show after falling in love with the Altman film, which is way more National Lampoon than war drama. I do love Alan Alda in the West Wing, but Donald Sutherland is who I think of as Hawkeye.

 

[Zombie_61]

Odd, I am the opposite. I never liked Hunnicutt as a character, too clean cut and goody goody. Acting levels between the two I'd say would be comparable - good enough.

The major character changes in MASH were my jump the shark moments. And I was only a kid at the time...

Initially I wasn't a big fan of the character changes simply because the chemistry between the actors often changes as well, and not necessarily for the better. I liked B.J. though, and the fact that he was a "goody goody" devoted husband and father; it would have been too easy to write him as just another lecherous cot-hopping alcoholic.

I couldn’t really get into the show after falling in love with the Altman film, which is way more National Lampoon than war drama. I do love Alan Alda in the West Wing, but Donald Sutherland is who I think of as Hawkeye.

I like the movie despite Altman having directed it; I don't like his "style". Or that's the conclusion I've come to after having seen five movies he's directed and walking away unsatisfied--he was the only common element. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Acchimp]

Initially I wasn't a big fan of the character changes simply because the chemistry between the actors often changes as well, and not necessarily for the better. I liked B.J. though, and the fact that he was a "goody goody" devoted husband and father; it would have been too easy to write him as just another lecherous cot-hopping alcoholic.

I like the movie despite Altman having directed it; I don't like his "style". Or that's the conclusion I've come to after having seen five movies he's directed and walking away unsatisfied--he was the only common element. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Fair, he’s not for everyone and the talking over each other schtick can get annoying, but it still felt new because of it. No one else does things quite the same way as him and sometimes for good reason but it’s always a rager with Altman. Though another film of his turned TV show, Nashville, I liked okay. The movie is still better, but the shows not half bad to start at least.

 

[Worf]

"The Boys - Diabolical" - While we wait for Season 3 of The Boys (satisfied) Amazon decided to throw us a bone in the form of this animated anthology. Various tales of The Boys universe are detailed in 8 animated shorts each depicted by a different animated studio. We found only 3 of the 8 actually entertaining. The rest veered from stupid to gross and everything in-between. A way to waste an evening if you've nothing else to do.

Worf

 

[Edward]

View attachment 406122

JInkies, those jeans look uncomfortable - they must be, what, five? six? inches south of her actual waist!

Odd, I am the opposite. I never liked Hunnicutt as a character, too clean cut and goody goody. Acting levels between the two I'd say would be comparable - good enough.

The major character changes in MASH were my jump the shark moments. And I was only a kid at the time...

It's interesting how people differ on these. I actually liked both "eras" (Frank and Sherman being the big dividers - 1-3 and 4-11) and the character changes. BJ worked for me because of the contrast he offered to Hawkeye. I liked the original pairing, but I enjoyed hoe they formed such a friendship despite the contrast between them, BJ and Pierce. Frank went at the right time, I think: there wasn't much more they could do with the character without it sinking into repetitive plotlines. Charles was a tremendous character; I liked how he provided a challenge to Hawkeye. Whereas Frank had been hopeless, Charles was a genuine rival, both as a wit and as a surgeon, that really mixed it up and made it interesting. The ending of his first episode, in which he turned the tables on Hawkeye's rubber snake gag, set the tone: he was no easy dupe like Frank as he was smart. Charles' Achilles heel was, of course, his pomposity. He did have a great character arc - and his own personal tragedy in the end. I enjoyed how his relationship with Hawkeye subtly shifted with time. Potter, of course, was an interesting choice. He I think gave it a military figure with heart, more immediately sympathetic than Margaret and the others. A big part of why the show managed to be simultaneously anti-war and yet never anti-military, imo. In many ways it's a show I cannot imagine being made now.

I couldn’t really get into the show after falling in love with the Altman film, which is way more National Lampoon than war drama. I do love Alan Alda in the West Wing, but Donald Sutherland is who I think of as Hawkeye.

I know what you mean - I came to them in reverse. I can appreciate the film for what it is now, though I can never love it the way I do the show, probably in part because of having discovered the latter first. (Interestingly, the TV show was planned before the film, but for various reasons the film got made first.) Sutherland's take on the character was an interesting one. Alda did have the benefit of having much longer to develop him, though I do think they made some clever changes in the TV show. Hawkeye being single rather than an adulterer was I'm sure down to simply making him more sympathetic for television family viewing, but all the same I think it made him much more interesting. Not least when he used an imaginary wife as an excuse to break up with "two perfectly good nurses". Afraid of commitment? I also enjoyed how, especially as Alda took more creative control, they explored the direction of him being a sadder character, less of a hit with the ladies, and how he coped losing that mojo and being alone. Dirk Benedict wanted to do something similar with Starbuck as an older man in the revived Battlestar Galactica, but the producers choose to reboot completely and leave the original behind. That would have been interesting to see.

"The Boys - Apocalypse" - While we wait for Season 3 of The Boys (satisfied) Amazon decided to throw us a bone in the form of this animated anthology. Various tales of The Boys universe are detailed in 8 animated shorts each depicted by a different animated studio. We found only 3 of the 8 actually entertaining. The rest veered from stupid to gross and everything in-between. A way to waste an evening if you've nothing else to do.

Worf

Have you caught Guardians of Justice yet? Seems quite a fun blend of Watchmen, Justice League, and the Boys...

 

[Zombie_61]

JInkies, those jeans look uncomfortable - they must be, what, five? six? inches south of her actual waist!

Well they're clearly not regulation, so...

...Frank went at the right time, I think: there wasn't much more they could do with the character without it sinking into repetitive plotlines...

That's exactly why Larry Linville left the show--the writers were already recycling gags and he was growing tired of doing the same things repeatedly. Linville was quoted as saying, "I felt I had done everything possible with the character," of Frank Burns, and he even stopped watching "dailies" after the writers took Hot Lips away from Burns because he was tired of seeing his character be the butt of so many jokes.

Charles was a tremendous character; I liked how he provided a challenge to Hawkeye. Whereas Frank had been hopeless, Charles was a genuine rival, both as a wit and as a surgeon, that really mixed it up and made it interesting. The ending of his first episode, in which he turned the tables on Hawkeye's rubber snake gag, set the tone: he was no easy dupe like Frank as he was smart. Charles' Achilles heel was, of course, his pomposity...

I agree; Major Charles Emerson Winchester III was everything Frank Burns wasn't--intelligent, witty, cultured, clever, skilled as a surgeon, but far too pompous for his own good and not smart enough to admit when he was wrong. He was a challenge for Hawkeye and B.J. instead of being simply a target.

 

[MisterCairo]

JInkies, those jeans look uncomfortable - they must be, what, five? six? inches south of her actual waist!

They look fantastic to me, and in almost the perfect position relative to her waist...

 

[MisterCairo]

far too pompous for his own good and not smart enough to admit when he was wrong.

Precisely why I never liked the character.

 

[Zombie_61]

Precisely why I never liked the character.

I have little to no tolerance for people like that in real life, but when they're played for humor as Winchester regularly was it somehow makes them more bearable.

 

[Edward]

Well they're clearly not regulation, so...

That's exactly why Larry Linville left the show--the writers were already recycling gags and he was growing tired of doing the same things repeatedly. Linville was quoted as saying, "I felt I had done everything possible with the character," of Frank Burns, and he even stopped watching "dailies" after the writers took Hot Lips away from Burns because he was tired of seeing his character be the butt of so many jokes.


I agree; Major Charles Emerson Winchester III was everything Frank Burns wasn't--intelligent, witty, cultured, clever, skilled as a surgeon, but far too pompous for his own good and not smart enough to admit when he was wrong. He was a challenge for Hawkeye and B.J. instead of being simply a target.

I remember reading that it was effectively Larry L's decision rather than the writers, but I think it was better for the show for exactly those reasons as it turns out.

It's interesting I think how in a long-running show you get these variations. We might have seen a different pairing than Hawkeye and Trapper when the shoe first opened if Hawkeye had been the defined character he became later on. As I recall, there were also two other officers in the pilot; Dr Spearchucker Jones was dropped after two episodes if memory serves, and Ugly John was gone by episode seven in series 1. It's interesting how the dynamics of a show change as it figures itself out.

I have little to no tolerance for people like that in real life, but when they're played for humor as Winchester regularly was it somehow makes them more bearable.

I came to quite like Charles over time for all his foibles; maybe I just fear there's a little bit of him in me...

 

[Frunobulax]

I agree; Major Charles Emerson Winchester III was everything Frank Burns wasn't--intelligent, witty, cultured, clever, skilled as a surgeon, but far too pompous for his own good and not smart enough to admit when he was wrong. He was a challenge for Hawkeye and B.J. instead of being simply a target.

I agree, but only at the introduction of his character, which became more refined over time. Winchester had to be humanized after a point or everybody would have hated him. It was fun watching him be pompous and squirm when his balloon was popped, but after a time, he came to recognize some of his own pomposity, gave credit to Hawkeye for his talents, and other things that humanized him (my favorite is Radar having his mother send his Christmas hat).

Near the end, Frank became more sympathetic, as well. Losing Hot Lips to marriage and his subsequent mental unraveling made him more sympathetic.

 

[Edward]

I agree, but only at the introduction of his character, which became more refined over time. Winchester had to be humanized after a point or everybody would have hated him. It was fun watching him be pompous and squirm when his balloon was popped, but after a time, he came to recognize some of his own pomposity, gave credit to Hawkeye for his talents, and other things that humanized him (my favorite is Radar having his mother send his Christmas hat).

Near the end, Frank became more sympathetic, as well. Losing Hot Lips to marriage and his subsequent mental unraveling made him more sympathetic.

One of the great things about such a long-running show is there's room for character development like that over time too. Winchester's plotline in the final episode was one of the most poignant.

 

[MisterCairo]

On season four of Community. This is the season where they'd removed Dan Harmon as show runner, and is regarded as a departure from its earlier quality.

So far, our assessment is the first two episodes were not great, but it has improved considerably in later episodes. We are nearing the point in production where Chevy Chase leaves as production concludes. He is absent from two episodes only this season though.

 

[Frunobulax]

One of the great things about such a long-running show is there's room for character development like that over time too. Winchester's plotline in the final episode was one of the most poignant.

I have found that most of the comedies I truly enjoy and stick with at least turn into ensemble productions with more complex characters. Take "The Big Bang Theory," as an example. I found the first couple of seasons more trite focusing mainly on Leonard and Penny, but once Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch joined the cast things got pretty good.

Similarly, this year I stumbled upon a show called "B Positive." I didn't watch the first season because it looked silly, but caught a few eps this season and I'm hooked. But the reason I'm hooked is because the premise changed. One of the main characters bought a nursing home and the residents include Linda Lavin, Ben Vereen, Jim Beaver, Hector Elizondo, and Jane Seymour. Now it's a bit more complex and they mine the talents of those folks pretty well.

 

[Edward]

I have found that most of the comedies I truly enjoy and stick with at least turn into ensemble productions with more complex characters. Take "The Big Bang Theory," as an example. I found the first couple of seasons more trite focusing mainly on Leonard and Penny, but once Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch joined the cast things got pretty good.

Similarly, this year I stumbled upon a show called "B Positive." I didn't watch the first season because it looked silly, but caught a few eps this season and I'm hooked. But the reason I'm hooked is because the premise changed. One of the main characters bought a nursing home and the residents include Linda Lavin, Ben Vereen, Jim Beaver, Hector Elizondo, and Jane Seymour. Now it's a bit more complex and they mine the talents of those folks pretty well.

Be Positive sounds interesting - I don't think it's made it over here as of yet, will look out for it. Yes, TBBT definitely got better as they widened the circle. In truth, I think the Leonard / Penny relationship was its main flaw in the end; by the time the characters married, I simply wasn't convinced they would last. A shame they didn't explore that as a plotline, really, though therein lies the problem where creative writing and financial success have a habit of clashing. Overall, though, I enjoyed the show - and after a lull around Season 9 or so, I actually thought it rather picked up again on the home strait. The satire on academia was always especially well pitched. I've been surprisingly engaged by the Young Sheldon spin-off too, something I didn't think would work but have been pleased to have been proven wrong.

 

[Frunobulax]

Be Positive sounds interesting - I don't think it's made it over here as of yet, will look out for it. Yes, TBBT definitely got better as they widened the circle. In truth, I think the Leonard / Penny relationship was its main flaw in the end; by the time the characters married, I simply wasn't convinced they would last. A shame they didn't explore that as a plotline, really, though therein lies the problem where creative writing and financial success have a habit of clashing. Overall, though, I enjoyed the show - and after a lull around Season 9 or so, I actually thought it rather picked up again on the home strait. The satire on academia was always especially well pitched. I've been surprisingly engaged by the Young Sheldon spin-off too, something I didn't think would work but have been pleased to have been proven wrong.

I pretty much like Young Sheldon more than I like TBBT.

 

[Zombie_61]

I pretty much like Young Sheldon more than I like TBBT.

Oh, well you're just wrong. Or maybe not. But I've tried to watch Young Sheldon with an open mind and so far I just don't see the appeal. The jokes are predictable, and although most of the cast is quite good none of them compare to little Raegan Revord whose standout performances as sister Missy Cooper is the only real reason to watch. *shrug* No "bazinga" here, I honestly don't know why the show is so popular.

 

[Acchimp]

On season four of Community. This is the season where they'd removed Dan Harmon as show runner, and is regarded as a departure from its earlier quality.

So far, our assessment is the first two episodes were not great, but it has improved considerably in later episodes. We are nearing the point in production where Chevy Chase leaves as production concludes. He is absent from two episodes only this season though.

I’m glad you like it. It’s not unwatchable, but I can’t get past the imitation of its own style. The laugh track and puppets were a level of camp that I feel didn’t get self-aware enough to reel itself in and ground the characters.
Let me know how you feel about the character arcs, Chevy’s departure came with a lot of changes as well. Other developments felt sudden to me, but it’s bold and more power to you for taking it for what it is.

 

[Edward]

Oh, well you're just wrong. Or maybe not. But I've tried to watch Young Sheldon with an open mind and so far I just don't see the appeal. The jokes are predictable, and although most of the cast is quite good none of them compare to little Raegan Revord whose standout performances as sister Missy Cooper is the only real reason to watch. *shrug* No "bazinga" here, I honestly don't know why the show is so popular.

It's a very different animal for sure. I wasn't so struck at first, but it won me over when I started viewing it less as a sitcom in the same mould as TBBT, more a whimsical, surrealist version of The Wonder Years. Missy is absolutely a stand out - that kid has a real gift for comedy. MeeMaw cracks me up every time too.

 

[Frunobulax]

Oh, well you're just wrong. Or maybe not. But I've tried to watch Young Sheldon with an open mind and so far I just don't see the appeal. The jokes are predictable, and although most of the cast is quite good none of them compare to little Raegan Revord whose standout performances as sister Missy Cooper is the only real reason to watch. *shrug* No "bazinga" here, I honestly don't know why the show is so popular.