What was the last TV show you watched?

[basbol13]

Green Acres. What an odd show that was, often managing to be dumb and brilliant at the same time.

I agree, I think it was a great show.
A little known fact about one of the stars of the show, Eddie Albert:
During the Battle of Tarawa, he earned a Bronze Star with Combat "V". He fought in the first wave of combat that lasted for three days. After most of the shooting was over, he was sent back to the site of the battle to salvage any equipment he could find. Because of coral reefs in the area, Marines weren't able to land directly on the beach and had to get off their boats 500 yards from shore. Enemy combatants started picking them off, and soon the waters were filled with over 100 wounded and many more dead. Albert disregarded his mission to grab equipment and began pulling marines to safety. He took 47 in total, and oversaw the rescue of 30 more.
He might have acted dumb and looked lost but in actuality was a man of high integrity.

 

[Touchofevil]

The character in the book is a ladies' man, and I thought the actor chosen was good for my "mind picture" of Uhtred. I was just kind of disappointed to find out the actor is German (I shouldn't be, as Uhtred is of course a Saxon!).

Check out the author's site on this series:

http://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-last-kingdom-series/

Cornwell is of course the author of the Sharpe series of books that made Sean Bean a star in the Sharpe's Rifles films (named after one of the books).

He did three books in a series called the Starbuck Chronicles, about a northerner who joins the Confederate Army during the Civil War. That is a series that demands further novels, and in any case would make a great series, particularly as the stories have not "ended" the character's adventures.

Thank you for the link!

 

[Touchofevil]

As did I (most of the Pittsburg game / some of the Packard one) and something I've noticed all year is the use of ridiculous statistics since computing power is so deep and cheap.

I didn't write this stuff down, so I'm sure I'm not accurate, but the point is the same. Why are we being told things like, the last time X team scored two field goals in the first quarter of a playoff game was in '96 and they went on to win / lose by blah, blah, blah.

That was twenty years ago - so none of the players (or, probably) coaches are the same. The game, its rules, its strategies have all changed.

Even if none of that was true, so what - a team scored two field goals in one quarter, or ran for X five time in a row in some other game - it could not be more meaningless.

And that is why I sometimes watch the game with the sound off. I enjoy stats more than most, but that is information worthy of blocking out.

 

[Touchofevil]

A couple of episodes of The Last Kingdom.

 

[Stearmen]

I agree, I think it was a great show.
A little known fact about one of the stars of the show, Eddie Albert:
During the Battle of Tarawa, he earned a Bronze Star with Combat "V". He fought in the first wave of combat that lasted for three days. After most of the shooting was over, he was sent back to the site of the battle to salvage any equipment he could find. Because of coral reefs in the area, Marines weren't able to land directly on the beach and had to get off their boats 500 yards from shore. Enemy combatants started picking them off, and soon the waters were filled with over 100 wounded and many more dead. Albert disregarded his mission to grab equipment and began pulling marines to safety. He took 47 in total, and oversaw the rescue of 30 more.
He might have acted dumb and looked lost but in actuality was a man of high integrity.

And as if that wasn't brave enough, his LCVP was full of 55 gallon drums of high octane fuel!

 

[Stearmen]

Green Acres. What an odd show that was, often managing to be dumb and brilliant at the same time.

That's why for decades now, it has been speculated that Hooterville is in Another dimension!

 

[Fading Fast]

First episode from season one of Amazon's "Breathless."

Seems like a solid period show set in the early '60s in a London hospital. I'm sure it's billed as a drama, but, so far, it's basically an upscaled soap. As we've noted before, these shows often get better as they go when the writers, directors and actors settle in. So while the first episode was good, I could see this one getting better.

The cars in it were incredible for fans of late '50s / early '60s British automobiles.

Here's what I don't get - this is a PBS / Masterpiece production that I don't remember ever popping up on my local PBS station where I keep a pretty sharp eye out for Masterpiece offerings. Was this show ever broadcast in the US?

Also, I found it on Amazon Prime - a streaming service that seems to exist simply for my girlfriend and me as no one else ever seems to see any of the original content shows ("Breathless" is not Amazon Prime original content) like "Fleabag" or "Good Girls Revolt" that I find on Prime and post about here. I don't know all the economics behind making TV shows, but if your total audience is made up of two people, my guess is you aren't making money.

 

[Benzadmiral]

one of the best shows ever. great chemistry. hilarious.

It was almost surreal. Check out Arnold the Pig, for example. I suspect the producers really pulled out all the stops to make their spinoff (of Beverly Hillbillies by way of Petticoat Junction) stand out on the crowded-with-rural-comedies CBS lineup of those days.

 

[Edward]

Green Acres. What an odd show that was, often managing to be dumb and brilliant at the same time.

I misread that as Grey Gardens at first! (GG itself is worth a view, a fascinating character study that I only became aware of because of RuPaul).

Also, I found it on Amazon Prime - a streaming service that seems to exist simply for my girlfriend and me as no one else ever seems to see any of the original content shows ("Breathless" is not Amazon Prime original content) like "Fleabag" or "Good Girls Revolt" that I find on Prime and post about here. I don't know all the economics behind making TV shows, but if your total audience is made up of two people, my guess is you aren't making money.

Amazon certainly has a way to go to catch up with Netflix. We have Netflix at home. We dabbled for a month with Prime, but didn't want to commit to paying long term for two services, and we weren't impressed with Prime either. Far too much stuff on the UK version turns out to be bits that you have to pay extra for, and there's no way (at least on the 'free trial' month - maybe it's different if you don't unsunscriobe after that and just pay the fee?) to filter those out when searching, which we found annoying. We'll probably take a trial month at some point to binge Man in the High Castle (I'd rather just buy it on dvd, but it seems likely that they won't release it on that format if it's getting people to sign up to the streaming service). Whered the Amazon business model is clever is that they tie in free next day delivery to the service, which must lead to a lot of impulse-buying, you'd have thought.... thus raising the income from the streaming service much above the subscription fees alone.

 

[Fading Fast]

I misread that as Grey Gardens at first! (GG itself is worth a view, a fascinating character study that I only became aware of because of RuPaul).



Amazon certainly has a way to go to catch up with Netflix. We have Netflix at home. We dabbled for a month with Prime, but didn't want to commit to paying long term for two services, and we weren't impressed with Prime either. Far too much stuff on the UK version turns out to be bits that you have to pay extra for, and there's no way (at least on the 'free trial' month - maybe it's different if you don't unsunscriobe after that and just pay the fee?) to filter those out when searching, which we found annoying. We'll probably take a trial month at some point to binge Man in the High Castle (I'd rather just buy it on dvd, but it seems likely that they won't release it on that format if it's getting people to sign up to the streaming service). Whered the Amazon business model is clever is that they tie in free next day delivery to the service, which must lead to a lot of impulse-buying, you'd have thought.... thus raising the income from the streaming service much above the subscription fees alone.

We are not shoppers and buy well more than half of everything - all the household "stuff" you need day to day plus books, some gifts, etc. - from Amazon. Also, living in NYC, Amazon is almost always cheaper than the local stores (which are mainly chains now anyway).

Prime - in the US - is free shipping on most of the stuff (but not always next day) on Amazon. Hence, we subscribed to Prime years ago for the free shipping - and it pays for itself many times over for us. It's only been in about the last two years that we started paying attention to the video offerings which - since we already had a Prime membership for the shipping - were "free" to us.

Since, in essence, Prime Video costs us nothing, we like it and are surprised at some of the really good exclusive shows we find like "Man in the High Castle," "Fleabag," "Good Girls Revolt" and "Red Oaks." Also, since we don't buy DVDs anymore, that they have many things like "Breathless" for free - we can catch up on things we miss or want to see again.

To be sure, as you note, if the UK offering is different or you don't buy much from Amazon (so the free shipping isn't a big incentive), then the video offering - by itself - is weak versus Netflix. But again, since we get Prime for the shipping, the video (and, now, growing music streaming offering) is just an added free "bonus."

 

[Edward]

We are not shoppers and buy well more than half of everything - all the household "stuff" you need day to day plus books, some gifts, etc. - from Amazon. Also, living in NYC, Amazon is almost always cheaper than the local stores (which are mainly chains now anyway).

Prime - in the US - is free shipping on most of the stuff (but not always next day) on Amazon. Hence, we subscribed to Prime years ago for the free shipping - and it pays for itself many times over for us. It's only been in about the last two years that we started paying attention to the video offerings which - since we already had a Prime membership for the shipping - were "free" to us.

Since, in essence, Prime Video costs us nothing, we like it and are surprised at some of the really good exclusive shows we find like "Man in the High Castle," "Fleabag," "Good Girls Revolt" and "Red Oaks." Also, since we don't buy DVDs anymore, that they have many things like "Breathless" for free - we can catch up on things we miss or want to see again.

To be sure, as you note, if the UK offering is different or you don't buy much from Amazon (so the free shipping isn't a big incentive), then the video offering - by itself - is weak versus Netflix. But again, since we get Prime for the shipping, the video (and, now, growing music streaming offering) is just an added free "bonus."

I'd say that's a fair assessment. For my sins, I do buy a lot of stuff through Amazon, but it's rare enough that I need anything in a hurry from them - I think there was only one occasion I opted for a paid-for delivery method in the last decade. That said, absolutely, if the next day delivery thing is a big bonus for you at the flat rate they charge for Prime for the year, the TV bit as a bonus is a no-brainer. And doubtless as it picks up on membership their original offerings will begin to take off too - I've notice just in the year we've had Netflix at home the number of quality, original series on it (as well as stuff that wed wouldn't otherwise see on UK TV) has gone up- markedly. The film serviced is a big plus too. The DVD rental market in the UK collapsed and disappeared about five or so years ago when the big supermarkets were selling pretty much any film that was at least six months old on DVD for under a fiver. I went from years of only buying a very few, select DVDs to buying stuff just to watch it, given it was a fraction of the cost of the cinema. Now I'm back to buying DVDs only very infrequently again, for stuff I want specifically to "own", as Netflix has filled that gap for us. If movies are your primary interest, too, Amazon do seem to be pumping the budget into getting the up to date ones a bit faster than Netflix.

 

[MisterCairo]

I've now watched three episodes of a series set in Belfast starring the brilliant and lovely Gillian Anderson, called The Fall. She's a senior detective called in from the Met in London to assist with a murder enquiry. Really well done and looking forward to watching the remainder of the three series so far:

 

[green papaya]

a documentary about the development and the use of the Atomic Bomb against Japan during WWII

 

[Stearmen]

The Real Mad Men Of Advertising. I am so glad I had to take that course on commercial propaganda in high school! Looking around my house, I am not very brand loyal.

 

[MisterCairo]

Another two episodes of The Fall with Gillian Anderson.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper. I enjoyed this. What a truly screwed up childhood and then equally touched adult life. If she isn't extraordinary in any other way, and she probably isn't, it's the idea that she was cursed and then blessed. A childhood you wouldn't wish upon anyone, and then coming into position and situations where you can fumble and trip and never fall down and always end up with a full, unbroken delicate crystal goblet in your hand. Weird. Nothing about her life seems real, and she knows it. No wonder she lacks any grounding, and she knows that too. On the surface, she could strike me as selfish, but within context, it's a lot more than just that. Some think wealth and privilege automatically make people ineligible for empathy. I don't agree.

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

Taboo. new FX series. The setting is the early 1800s and the corruption, power, and brutality of the East India Company (not sure how accurate this is attempting to be, but it at least borrows from trade monopolies etc). Looks to be a powerhouse of a cast, with actors from Game of Thrones (Oona Chaplin is Jennifer Love Hewitt's doppelganger), The Paradise, a couple other programs I can't place at the moment, and Tom Hardy. A strong mystical element. Beautiful production and sets. Movie quality, which I guess is to be expected as Ridley Scott is one of the executive producers. Once again, the audio stinks for everyone who doesn't have 27 speakers and the latest technology. It's a rather strange situation, so the writing is going to have to be really good (always). Not a greatly exciting first episode, but I remain curious.

 

[Fading Fast]

... (Oona Chaplin is Jennifer Love Hewitt's doppelgänger),....

Hadn't heard of her, but the name caught my attention and I checked - she is the granddaughter of Charlie Chapman. I'm really happy about that as it is great to see a family tradition like that continue. I've always given Drew Barrymore more leeway and forgiveness because of her great acting family tree. And good call, definitely echoes JLH's looks.

... Beautiful production and sets. Movie quality, which I guess is to be expected as Ridley Scott is one of the executive producers. Once again, the audio stinks for everyone who doesn't have 27 speakers and the latest technology. It's a rather strange situation, so the writing is going to have to be really good (always). Not a greatly exciting first episode, but I remain curious.

1. So many of these shows are gorgeously filmed with exquisite period sets that, as you said, are movie quality. What is amazing is that these reasonably small networks can afford to make these shows. I still think a "crash" is coming as there seems to be way too many shows for the audience size - and these shows are not cheap to make.

2. "the audio stinks for everyone who doesn't have 27 speakers and the latest technology" LOL. We got so frustrated at not being able to hear these shows that after saying I'd never waste the money, we bought a Sonos sound bar and two speakers (all in, just less than a $1000 - %#$*&!!!!). While I bitterly resent that I needed to spend the money, it is worth it as we can now hear most of the shows. So you don't need more, but after doing a decent amount of research, it's hard to do it well for much less. Since we are not "need the new thing" people, I'm hoping to get ten or more years out of this stuff, so in the end, it really won't be that expensive and it is nice to actually hear what the actors are saying.

 

[Worf]

"Gay of Thrones" - A GoT parody episode recap show on Amazon Prime. This is the brainchild of the "Funny or Die" folks. Hit or miss but mostly hit. A THOUSAND times better than HBO's official recap show "After the Thrones" which looks and feels like something that fell out of 70's Public Access television with the production values to match. "Gay of Thrones" has some real guests as well, I've just seen Theon Greyjoy as well as Mr. Martin himself ripping on his own overlong books. Hilarious.

Worf

 

[Ernest P Shackleton]

That After the Thrones is awful. The structure, the hosts, the feel. Whoever had final approval on that deserves a spanking.