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What TV are you watching and how would you rate it? [Revive from FRDB]

 
 
 
We Own this City 7/10

I think David Simon is an addict. He can't go for any protracted period of time without doing a show based in Baltimore. The miniseries is centred before, during and after Freddie Gray being killed. It points out the holes in the usual , "Cops are just doing their jobs" "Cut him some slack, he arrests bad gays" and "If you go after Police they'll just quit" bullshit rhetoric that comes up every time there is a debate of US Police corruption. My biggest problem with the miniseries is all the time jumps and switches of points of view. It's not bad, but it is spread rather thin and I think tries to cover too much over 6 episodes.

Worth watching, but it could have done without Simon's opinion on the War on Drugs. It's not that I disagree, but it distracts what the rest of the miniseries was about.
 
Speaking of Simon, started rewatching Season 3 of Homicide: Life on the Street. Talk about a show ahead of its time!
 
The Expanse 7/10

I'm through five seasons. Very good story. I was surprised by the accomplishment given the genre. It's imaginative and visually stimulating. So why don't I want to binge watch this show? Late in season four it hit me. With one exception, any of these characters could die in the next episode and I wouldn't bat an eye. There is zero emotional investment in these characters. I had not considered, I think this why I fell out with much of science fiction over the years. I initially blamed it on lazy props. Even in season one of this series, a Festool storage box, a Black and Decker hand drill with a step bit. But I learned to brush such trivial stuff aside. Then I blamed it on unimaginative stories and nonsensical characters. And deservedly so.
I think back to all the science fiction I've enjoyed as a kid/teen when stimulating my imagination was everything to me and what little I've enjoyed as an adult when empathy with the characters became more of what I craved in entertainment. I think this is why I can enjoy Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary so much more than Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time. While I find AT's story much more imaginative, I couldn't care less about any one character's survival.

Recently reading a thread in the Social Science section about books, folks started in about television and video games and whether either were of value and all I could think was, but how does it make you feel? Is this emotionally stimulating?
 
My problem with Season 5 and Season 6 was that the main antagonist was simplified to a maniacal simpleton. That drove me nuts. The character in the book mattered so much more. His flaws were better, his plan was better.

As far as emotional attachment, I liked all the characters, for the most part, as well as the greater class struggle that exists.
 
TV and credit cards said:
The Expanse 7/10

I'm through five seasons. Very good story. I was surprised by the accomplishment given the genre. It's imaginative and visually stimulating. So why don't I want to binge watch this show? Late in season four it hit me. With one exception, any of these characters could die in the next episode and I wouldn't bat an eye. There is zero emotional investment in these characters. I had not considered, I think this why I fell out with much of science fiction over the years. I initially blamed it on lazy props. Even in season one of this series, a Festool storage box, a Black and Decker hand drill with a step bit. But I learned to brush such trivial stuff aside. Then I blamed it on unimaginative stories and nonsensical characters. And deservedly so.
I think back to all the science fiction I've enjoyed as a kid/teen when stimulating my imagination was everything to me and what little I've enjoyed as an adult when empathy with the characters became more of what I craved in entertainment. I think this is why I can enjoy Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary so much more than Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time. While I find AT's story much more imaginative, I couldn't care less about any one character's survival.

Recently reading a thread in the Social Science section about books, folks started in about television and video games and whether either were of value and all I could think was, but how does it make you feel? Is this emotionally stimulating?
Click to expand...
I really liked the Expanse. I'd give it a 9/10 based on other TV shows. IOW, there are only a couple other shows that I liked more. BTW: love Project Hail Mary. One of my favorite books. But I don't think that it would translate well to TV because it's so difficult to develop characters in a tight timeline.
 
Harry Bosch said:
TV and credit cards said:
The Expanse 7/10

I'm through five seasons. Very good story. I was surprised by the accomplishment given the genre. It's imaginative and visually stimulating. So why don't I want to binge watch this show? Late in season four it hit me. With one exception, any of these characters could die in the next episode and I wouldn't bat an eye. There is zero emotional investment in these characters. I had not considered, I think this why I fell out with much of science fiction over the years. I initially blamed it on lazy props. Even in season one of this series, a Festool storage box, a Black and Decker hand drill with a step bit. But I learned to brush such trivial stuff aside. Then I blamed it on unimaginative stories and nonsensical characters. And deservedly so.
I think back to all the science fiction I've enjoyed as a kid/teen when stimulating my imagination was everything to me and what little I've enjoyed as an adult when empathy with the characters became more of what I craved in entertainment. I think this is why I can enjoy Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary so much more than Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time. While I find AT's story much more imaginative, I couldn't care less about any one character's survival.

Recently reading a thread in the Social Science section about books, folks started in about television and video games and whether either were of value and all I could think was, but how does it make you feel? Is this emotionally stimulating?
Click to expand...
I really liked the Expanse. I'd give it a 9/10 based on other TV shows. IOW, there are only a couple other shows that I liked more. BTW: love Project Hail Mary. One of my favorite books. But I don't think that it would translate well to TV because it's so difficult to develop characters in a tight timeline.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised I was allow to buy it because of Amazon restrictions, especially seasons 4-6. I thought it would be locked up behind Prime. But the entire series is available on Apple TV+. I need to check if Apple has wiggled loose other Amazon series.
I always thought it was a poor business practice of forbidding non-Prime consumers the purchase of their streaming video content. I think they've finally come to their senses.
 
I’ll probably get kicked out of this thread for being too lowbrow, but I need to make this confession: I have been watching Survivor since it first aired like, 20 something years ago, and I’m still not sick of it. New season starts this week.
Last season was won by a guy who was at least 15 years older than any other player, and was unanimously named the winner after laying low for most of the season, rising to whatever occasion only as needed.
Okay, that’s it. Confession complete… anyone else courageous enough to endorse Teh Stoopid??
 
Elixir said:
I’ll probably get kicked out of this thread for being too lowbrow, but I need to make this confession: I have been watching Survivor since it first aired like, 20 something years ago, and I’m still not sick of it. New season starts this week.
Last season was won by a guy who was at least 15 years older than any other player, and was unanimously named the winner after laying low for most of the season, rising to whatever occasion only as needed.
Okay, that’s it. Confession complete… anyone else courageous enough to endorse Teh Stoopid??
Click to expand...
Yea, you're on ignore now. Loser. (Kidding!)
 
Elixir said:
I’ll probably get kicked out of this thread for being too lowbrow, but I need to make this confession: I have been watching Survivor since it first aired like, 20 something years ago, and I’m still not sick of it. New season starts this week.
Last season was won by a guy who was at least 15 years older than any other player, and was unanimously named the winner after laying low for most of the season, rising to whatever occasion only as needed.
Okay, that’s it. Confession complete… anyone else courageous enough to endorse Teh Stoopid??
Click to expand...
I also reported you post to the mods, but if I were honest, throughout reading it all I was thinking was how much I love Wipeout. I lack the courage you have.
 
We just finished watching all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H at dinner and the boys loved it.

Now we are watching The Orville at dinner. It's OK. Getting better. The first several episodes were really stupid.
 
crazyfingers said:
We just finished watching all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H at dinner and the boys loved it.

Now we are watching The Orville at dinner. It's OK. Getting better. The first several episodes were really stupid.
Click to expand...
Yea, Macfarlane was known for his comedies, so he probably had to sell the series as that kind of comedy at first. That fades away and it is essentially Star Trek The Next Generation without a stick up its butt. The last season was excellent, and I can't believe it hasn't been renewed yet.
 
I've heard about kids not being able to leave the dinner table until they finish their vegetables, but this is beyond the pale.
 
Shrinking 7/10

Funny. Typical. Nothing really new here. Widower dad with hot teen daughter. BBC badmouthed it for just that reason. I guess we're not suppose to like the "dead mom" theme, narrative, trope, whatever I'm suppose to call it anymore either.
It stars Jason Segel and Jessica Williams. I like Jessica Williams from her Daily Show days. They pretty much carry the show. It also has Luke Tennie living in the white people's pool house. You'd think they'd attack it for that but no. Just dead moms.
 
The Night Agent, 4/10; Ugh. Streaming on Netflix this political/action/drama is not very good. The acting is wooden, the characters are blah, the dialogue is dreadful and full of cliches. Two episodes was all I could take.
 
Sneaky Pete, 7/10 Streaming on Amazon and stars Bryan Cranston as a ruthless gangster and Giovanni Ribisi as a conman indebted to said gangster and is on the run and has taken on a new identity as a cover. This series does have a certain amount of "Breaking Bad" vibe about it which makes it somewhat predictable. Every time Ribisi gets close to success, some mishap sets him back. Overall it is quite entertaining.
 
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