What was the last TV show you watched?

[Edward]

Dr. Who. A new Dr., not sure what number. Fun to see Spitfires in outer space!

That would have been Eleven (Matt Smith; I think he's still eleven in the canon, despite The War Doctor). Wasn't a bad episode, though if I recall correctly, it was a bit of a rushed ending, and I was disappointed they stuck with the Churchill myth rather that challenging it a little.

 

[rocketeer]

Van Gogh's Ear. Fascinating!

Having only a casual interest in Van Gogh, when I first read your post I thought, "Seriously? Someone made a documentary about that?" But *I found it online and watched it. Interesting, and well worth 55 minutes of someone's time if they have any interest at all in Van Gogh.


*The video "expires" January 10th, so watch it while you can.

I don't really have any interest in Van Gough( some, believe it or not pronounce it Van Go )but I always watch these odd documentaries. I thought this brilliant.
I also watched the Brief History of Graffiti. Fascinating, but I still class it as vandalism, and working for the railways, I know they would have no problem removing a Banksy scrawl from a train carriage.

 

[Fading Fast]

Two more episodes (2 and 3) of the new season of "The Man in the High Castle."
- Outstanding TV
- I have no idea how they are going to circle the square of these "competing / alternate history" outcomes (I never read the books), but the tension is building incredibly well
- The actor playing John Smith, Rufus Sewell, is on fire showing emotion through facial expressions and a range of emotion that is incredible
- Also, how his character is holding it all together with the intense pressure from his job, family and the "special" situation with his son is amazing - it would break almost anyone
- Last thought on him - how does a highly placed Nazi official have the name John Smith - how'd that happen?
- Kudos to Alexa Davalos - she is killing it as Julianna Crain
----Great move / scene when she went to the Nazis for asylum

 

[AmateisGal]

Two more episodes (2 and 3) of the new season of "The Man in the High Castle."
- Outstanding TV
- I have no idea how they are going to circle the square of these "competing / alternate history" outcomes (I never read the books), but the tension is building incredibly well
- The actor playing John Smith, Rufus Sewell, is on fire showing emotion through facial expressions and a range of emotion that is incredible
- Also, how his character is holding it all together with the intense pressure from his job, family and the "special" situation with his son is amazing - it would break almost anyone
- Last thought on him - how does a highly placed Nazi official have the name John Smith - how'd that happen?
- Kudos to Alexa Davalos - she is killing it as Julianna Crain
----Great move / scene when she went to the Nazis for asylum

I just finished episode 7 and holy cats...10 episodes is not enough for this show! It's just incredible.

Oh, and to answer your question about John Smith:

From Wikipedia:

Rufus Sewell as John Smith, an SS Obergruppenführer investigating the Resistance in New York. He is a natural-born American who previously served in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps and lives a comfortable suburban life with a wife and three children. It is implied that he embraced Nazism because he grew up in poverty as a result of the Great Depression.

 

[Fading Fast]

...Oh, and to answer your question about John Smith:

From Wikipedia:

Rufus Sewell as John Smith, an SS Obergruppenführer investigating the Resistance in New York. He is a natural-born American who previously served in the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps and lives a comfortable suburban life with a wife and three children. It is implied that he embraced Nazism because he grew up in poverty as a result of the Great Depression.

Thank you. One wonders if - especially with what he just did to the doctor - his loyalty to Germany won't come into question since he isn't "Aryan." I don't think I could survive one day of his life - he deals with more incredibly hard things in a day than most do in a lifetime.

Also, agreed on the 10 episode being way too few.

I don't understand the economics of this at all. It used to be that they wanted to make as many episodes of a show as they could so that they could sell the larger number into syndication for more money. Also, there is an economies of scale at work as once you've assembled the cast, crew, built the sets, etc., each additional episode is less expensive as the fixed costs get spread over a greater number of episodes.

Now, it almost seems that the strategy is the opposite, as if the goal is to make as few episodes a season as possible that will still keep the show viable. But that means less shows to sell later and a higher fixed cost per show. I don't get it, but it must make economic sense as so many shows are going that way.

 

[belfastboy]

Finished the Icelandic series "Trapped" on Netflix. 10 epsiodes, one story line. It held up well, good plot, good understated acting worthwhile TV watching.

 

[AmateisGal]

Thank you. One wonders if - especially with what he just did to the doctor - his loyalty to Germany won't come into question since he isn't "Aryan." I don't think I could survive one day of his life - he deals with more incredibly hard things in a day than most do in a lifetime.

Also, agreed on the 10 episode being way too few.

I don't understand the economics of this at all. It used to be that they wanted to make as many episodes of a show as they could so that they could sell the larger number into syndication for more money. Also, there is an economies of scale at work as once you've assembled the cast, crew, built the sets, etc., each additional episode is less expensive as the fixed costs get spread over a greater number of episodes.

Now, it almost seems that the strategy is the opposite, as if the goal is to make as few episodes a season as possible that will still keep the show viable. But that means less shows to sell later and a higher fixed cost per show. I don't get it, but it must make economic sense as so many shows are going that way.

I wouldn't have a clue as to the economics portion of this (numbers are *not* my friend). One thing I *love* is not having to watch commercials. I also enjoy hat I don't have to wait for each new episode: I can control when I watch it (and even where to a certain extent - my bed or the couch? ha!).

RE: Smith...
Such a wonderfully complex character to play. I really hope Rufus Sewell gets an Emmy nod for this. He's a guy you hate one minute, yet feel sorry for the next. What a meaty part for an actor.

 

[Worf]

Season 2 of the original "Outer Limits". Interesting in that though it only aired 1.5 seasons I've seen Shatner once, Nimoy twice and Scotty once already and I've just started season 2. One thing about Television back then, you got 32 episodes a year NOT 10 or 12 like some series today and most of the hour episodes clocked in at no less than 52 minutes of material. Today, particularly on cable stations like FX you're lucky if you get 40 minutes of content. Thank the Lord for HULU and DVR's.

Worf

 

[Fading Fast]

I wouldn't have a clue as to the economics portion of this (numbers are *not* my friend). One thing I *love* is not having to watch commercials. I also enjoy hat I don't have to wait for each new episode: I can control when I watch it (and even where to a certain extent - my bed or the couch? ha!).

RE: Smith...
Such a wonderfully complex character to play. I really hope Rufus Sewell gets an Emmy nod for this. He's a guy you hate one minute, yet feel sorry for the next. What a meaty part for an actor.

Yes, awesome no commercials
Yes, awesome all the episodes available at once and on demand
And a super yes to Sewell's performance and Emmy nod - I've rooted for and against him so much that I am ashamed of myself. I so wanted him to kill Heydrich when they were in the woods "hunting."
Also, the Japanese Trade Minister and the Inspector Kido are fantastic characters played by very talented actors.

 

[AmateisGal]

Yes, awesome no commercials
Yes, awesome all the episodes available at once and on demand
And a super yes to Sewell's performance and Emmy nod - I've rooted for and against him so much that I am ashamed of myself. I so wanted him to kill Heydrich when they were in the woods "hunting."
Also, the Japanese Trade Minister and the Inspector Kido are fantastic characters played by very talented actors.

Joel la Fuente (Inspector Kido) is fantastic. I swear, he looks like he could burn through your soul with his eyes.

 

[Touchofevil]

An episode of The Durrells in Corfu
and
Monday Night Football

 

[Stearmen]

The Librarians And The Tears Of A Clown. For those that have missed this series, TNT channel, will show the entire 2016 season this Friday!

 

[Fading Fast]

An episode of The Durrells in Corfu
and
Monday Night Football

"The Durrells in Corfu" was a hot mess, but I liked it anyway. Visually very pretty setting / style and, once it established some of characters' backstories, they actually had some meaningful moments. That said, it was pretty sloppy overall, but as noted, I still enjoyed it.

 

[MisterCairo]

Chopped Canada, the "celebrity" edition.

Canada needs to stop exporting its good celebrities...

 

[Benzadmiral]

Season 2 of the original "Outer Limits". Interesting in that though it only aired 1.5 seasons I've seen Shatner once, Nimoy twice and Scotty once already and I've just started season 2. One thing about Television back then, you got 32 episodes a year NOT 10 or 12 like some series today and most of the hour episodes clocked in at no less than 52 minutes of material. Today, particularly on cable stations like FX you're lucky if you get 40 minutes of content. Thank the Lord for HULU and DVR's.

Worf

Season Two, which was more SF than monsters, featured the Harlan Ellison classics "Demon With a Glass Hand," w/ Robert Culp, and "Soldier," with Michael Ansara, plus Lloyd Nolan as -- get this -- a philologist. It's concepts from these two which Ellison cited as having been stolen without credit by James Cameron for The Terminator.

 

[Benzadmiral]

An early episode of Robert Culp's Trackdown featuring William Talman. His character here is a far cry from the polished, sarcastic, and wily Hamilton Burger on Perry Mason: a ruthless criminal and killer who shows his one good quality when he ultimately gives his life to save his 11-year-old son.

 

[Fading Fast]

Another episode from season II of "Good Girls Revolt."

First, I must thank Amazon for making a show that only my girlfriend and I watch. I can't image how much money Amazon loses making a show that, literally, only two people on earth watch. Thank you Amazon (I'd mail you ten or twenty bucks, but I doubt that would change the economics for you).

And that is a shame as, after a ho-hum first season, the show has taken off in season II with characters becoming real and complex, plot lines gaining momentum and the feel and vibe of the very early 1970s coming alive.

While later in time than Fedora Lounge's sweet spot, this show still has plenty of FL eye candy and a great widow into a time I remember well when both styles - "traditional pre-cultural revolution of the late '60s" style and "early '70s how ugly can we make (well) everything" style - coexisted.

Having grown up in the middle of all this, I remember quiet kids becoming "hippie-ish" seemingly overnight, women all of a sudden dressing in loud short skirts (yup, for some reason, I noticed much more female leg being shown) and, much more broadly, it feeling like big changes were happening to everything (hard to define it when you're ten and it's just happened - and hasn't been analyzed for four subsequent decades).

Hopefully, Amazon is willing to make this show for just my girlfriend and me for a third season.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

"The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses," on PBS. Just watched Shakespeare's "Henry VI, part II," which is actually parts II and III combined. Interesting to watch one of the seldom-performed Shakespeare plays. Cast is excellent. Benedict Cumberbatch is Richard of Gloucester. Next up will be "Richard III,"a much more familiar play, with Cumberbatch continuing the role.

 

[Worf]

Season Two, which was more SF than monsters, featured the Harlan Ellison classics "Demon With a Glass Hand," w/ Robert Culp, and "Soldier," with Michael Ansara, plus Lloyd Nolan as -- get this -- a philologist. It's concepts from these two which Ellison cited as having been stolen without credit by James Cameron for The Terminator.

Ellison was/is one of my favorite Sci/Fi authors. His "Dangerous Visions" anthology stays in my reading rotation ALL the time. I just watched "Demon With a Glass Hand" last night. The change between season's one and two can probably be laid at the feet of the change in Producer's. Season 2 definitely has is bereft of BEM's (Bug Eyed Monsters) which could be why the show was cancelled. Season 2 also has better writing and better stories. They also keep shortening the intro as well, still it's one of the iconic openings in all television history.

"For the next hour we will control all that you see and hear..."

Worf

 

[Benzadmiral]

"The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses," on PBS. Just watched Shakespeare's "Henry VI, part II," which is actually parts II and III combined. Interesting to watch one of the seldom-performed Shakespeare plays. Cast is excellent. Benedict Cumberbatch is Richard of Gloucester. Next up will be "Richard III,"a much more familiar play, with Cumberbatch continuing the role.

"Why strew'st thou sugar on that bottled spider?"