maybe Rectify if you haven't seen it?
(not current, but recent)
― Number None, Thursday, 25 October 2018 21:49 (five years ago) link
Maybe the Leftovers - especially s2 & 3
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 26 October 2018 01:38 (five years ago) link
Thanks for the suggestions! I'm all caught up with The Good Place (and it's great), but Rectify and the Leftovers I will give a try.
― tangenttangent, Friday, 26 October 2018 07:02 (five years ago) link
yeah Leftovers s1 is a little patchy but the highs are high. s2 course-corrects on the stuff that doesn't work pretty much immediately.
― wayne trotsky (Simon H.), Friday, 26 October 2018 10:11 (five years ago) link
Rectify is AMAZING but a little less cute than Lodge 49
― Larry Elleison (rogermexico.), Friday, 26 October 2018 14:55 (five years ago) link
I haven't seen Lodge 49 yet, but Rectify is sublime. Not strictly current, but imo Enlightened fits your brief as well
― rob, Friday, 26 October 2018 15:00 (five years ago) link
a lot of time in the air lately and i have finally managed to watch UnREAL which is like..... the greatest show??!? feel pretty dumb for having missed this when it first came out. binged the first four eps of S1 and each of them is just so perfectly put together.
also been enjoying "i'm dying up here" though i'm not sure i'll stick with it. characters and milieu are fun but for all its ambition i'm not quite feeling the stakes
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Monday, 5 November 2018 10:05 (five years ago) link
everything in no particular order.
Best Television of 2018: Top Fourteen:Patriot Act (Netflix)Joe Pera Talks to You (Adult Swim)The Good Place (NBC)Desus and Mero (VICE)Sally4Ever (HBO/Sky)High Maintenance (HBO)Succession (HBO)Insecure (HBO)The Americans (FX)Atlanta (FX)Mr In-Between (FX)Lodge 49 (AMC)Better Call Saul (AMC)Killing Eve (BBC America)
Good to Great:Blueprint NYC (NYC Media - https://www1.nyc.gov/site/media/shows/blueprint.page )Great British Baking Show (Netflix)Venture Brothers (Adult Swim)Nanette (Netflix)Brockmire (IFC)Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)Conan (TBS)End of the Fucking World (Netflix)Corporate (Adult Swim)The Zoo (Animal Planet)Drunk History (Comedy Central)
Okay to Quite Good with Occasional Moments of 'Why Am I Watching This':Norm MacDonald has a Show (Netflix)Ink Master (Paramount)Silicon Valley (HBO)Making It [watched with a heavy thumb on fast forward] (NBC)Night Flight (IFC)Slutever (VICE)Full Frontal (TBS)
Constant Hum:POV (PBS)Nature (PBS)American Experience (PBS)Independent Lens (PBS)American Masters (PBS)PBS NewsHour (PBS)Frontline (PBS)Antiques Roadshow (PBS)NBA (Everywhere)Jeopardy (Syndicated)
Attempted in Good Faith and Rejected:Maniac (Netflix)Salt Fat Acid Heat (Netflix)Homecoming (Amazon)Pose (FX)Sweetbitter (Starz)The Chi (Showtime)
What Happened?Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX - Final episode - and the entire "Mac is ripped now" gag - was worthwhile; almost everything else was, for the first time in thirteen years, terrible)Baroness Von Sketch (IFC - First seven or so episodes in S1 were great, now completely unwatchable)The Detour (TBS - Nothing there)
Very promising based on two episodes, but need to see more:Hilda (Netflix)American Vandal (Netflix)The Bisexual (Hulu)Random Acts of Flyness (HBO)Top Chef (Bravo)
Sincere RIP:The Rundown with Robin Thede (BET)One Mississippi (Amazon)Nathan for You (Comedy Central)Difficult People (Hulu)The President Show (Comedy Central)Adventure Time (Cartoon Network - its time had absolutely come)
EIGHT MILLION SHOWS I HAVE NOT WATCHED BUT SINCERELY WANT TO TRY IN EARNEST:
Netflix:The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (will likely tackle before end of the year)The Haunting of Hill House (will likely tackle before end of the year)Sick NoteWild Wild CountryMy Next Guest Needs No IntroductionWanderlustBig MouthShe-RaBojack Horseman (latest season)Cupcake and DinoDear White People (either season)The Kominsky MethodEverything Sucks Bodyguard Mindhunter (late 2017)You (transferring form Lifetime shortly)
Amazon:The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel s2 (will likely tackle before end of the year)ForeverThe RomanoffsPicnic at Hanging Rock
HBO:My Brilliant FriendSharp ObjectsBarryZen Diaries of Garry ShandlingWestworld (season 1 ending was a disaster but i suppose i should watch season 2?)The TaleMosaic
Starz:Counterpart (will likely tackle before end of the year)America to Me
Showtime:Escape at Dannemora (will likely tackle before end of the year)Patrick MelroseKidding
General Cable Backlog:The Shivering Truth (Adult Swim) (will likely tackle before end of the year)Little Drummer Girl (AMC)Nightflyers (Syfy)Kentucky Ayuhasca (Vice)Doctor Who (BBC)
Looking Forward to Newly Returning in ‘19:Desus and Mero - ShowtimeBlack Monday - ShowtimeSMILF - ShowtimeVeep - HBOGame of Thrones - HBORick and Morty - Adult SwimAt Home with Amy Sedaris - TruBetter Things - FX
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 16:34 (five years ago) link
ulysses your list of bests corresponds v closely with mine. I'd swap Succession and Venture Bros' tiers, maybe.
― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 16:37 (five years ago) link
anything on yours that didn't make mine anywhere that i should know about? particularly interested in great UK/Aussie/English-speaking/subtitled TV from this year that didn't make it stateside.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 16:39 (five years ago) link
Forks what is joe pera and corporate? Would I like them?
― Mordy, Wednesday, 12 December 2018 16:41 (five years ago) link
corporate is comedy central not adult swim
― na (NA), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 16:44 (five years ago) link
Joe Pera is spectacular and kind and absolutely necessary and you should watch it now without knowing anything about it. Just be a bit patient.https://www.adultswim.com/videos/joe-pera-talks-with-you/start here:https://www.adultswim.com/videos/joe-pera-talks-with-you/joe-pera-reads-you-the-church-announcements/
Corporate is mean-spirited and arch and nihilistic and less necessary but well-filmed/acted and generally worth it:http://www.cc.com/shows/corporate
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 16:46 (five years ago) link
anything on yours that didn't make mine anywhere that i should know about? particularly interested in great UK/Aussie/English-speaking/subtitled TV from this year that didn't make it stateside
honestly nothing comes to mind. there was so much "meh" this year. I did enjoy Hill House a lot but that's already on yer to-watch list.
― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 16:47 (five years ago) link
Joe Pera is on a tier of its own imo. Atlanta was really hit and miss for me in s2.
― Celtoes Adidas (Spottie), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 16:51 (five years ago) link
Joe Pera Talks with You
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 12 December 2018 16:51 (five years ago) link
REALLY make time for Big Mouth. It is the best.
― DJI, Wednesday, 12 December 2018 18:57 (five years ago) link
start here:https://www.adultswim.com/videos/joe-pera-talks-with-you/joe-pera-reads-you-the-church-announcements/
Holy shit this is messing with my head - I've never heard of this show before, but I saw the church in the first shot and though 'that looks like every old church I know in my home town'. Turns out it's set in a town 100 miles from where I grew up in Upper Michigan and seems to be based on the life of a type of dude I know dozens of - quiet nerdy Yooper guys who are into geology and shit.
― joygoat, Wednesday, 12 December 2018 19:36 (five years ago) link
i really tried with joe pera :(
― illegal economic migration (Tracer Hand), Thursday, 13 December 2018 01:43 (five years ago) link
not for everyone! but for anyone it is for, it's deeply deeply beloved.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Thursday, 13 December 2018 03:35 (five years ago) link
I loved a lot of Killing Eve, especially Jodie Comer--funniest psychopath since Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs; I thought at first Sandra Oh's mannerisms would drive me up the wall, but I came to like her a lot, too--but not the ending. It was such a blatant "we have to do something to set up a second season" mish-mash. Found the music fascinating. Didn't know any of it--it felt like one long version of "Some Velvet Morning" at times.
― clemenza, Monday, 31 December 2018 12:54 (five years ago) link
I want to rewatch all of Killing Eve again soon. Maybe right before the next season comes out. Sandra Oh is usually the best thing in everything she is in.
― Yerac, Monday, 31 December 2018 13:24 (five years ago) link
I loved Oksana's supervisor: "These drinks is vicious." The ongoing by-play between the two of them was the highlight of the show for me.
― clemenza, Monday, 31 December 2018 13:56 (five years ago) link
I watched the first episode, then half of the second, then bailed out. But then I came back a week or so later and made it to the end. There was some really good stuff in it - Sandra Oh was fantastic, as mentioned, and it was good to see Kim Bodnia from The Bridge again (as Jodie Comer's handler), but yeah, the ending sucked, and the whole "Russia is a dank hellhole where everyone will betray you at a moment's notice" thing was a total cliché. (As was the whole "sexy young woman is super-assassin" thing.) But the woman who played Comer's former teacher was great. A mixed bag at best.
― grawlix (unperson), Monday, 31 December 2018 13:56 (five years ago) link
We should've had a Killing Eve thread. Maybe when the next series comes out. i liked the ending. It was fun.
― Yerac, Monday, 31 December 2018 14:01 (five years ago) link
On ep 6 of Escape at Dannemora, which I expected nothing from but is actually pretty great, like top 10 material (assuming it sticks the landing)
― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 04:18 (five years ago) link
I felt it was a bit overextended for the material but enjoyable. Great performances and Stiller's direction was surprisingly restrained
― Number None, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 09:05 (five years ago) link
yeah I don't know that the last ep needed to be movie-length but I actually appreciated the uh shall we say unsentimental detour of ep 6
― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 12:27 (five years ago) link
oh, and I suspect many ilxors will appreciate the use of year-specific pop music
― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 13:12 (five years ago) link
I'm at episode four and am enjoying it. I really like the slow pace of it. And the acting is mostly very good.
― Uptown VONC (Le Bateau Ivre), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 13:30 (five years ago) link
Dano really surprised me, more restrained than I've ever seen him
― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 13:36 (five years ago) link
I liked the show, but also felt it could have been about half as long. Would have liked to see more of the escape fallout in the prison, though.Spoilers....
Episode 6 was necessary but fucking brutal and disgusting. A little suspicious that the guy who died is painted as a monstrous sociopath and the guy who survived is treated as a reluctant, tragic genius who got roped into this escape plan. Also, I couldn't tell if Tilly's husband was supposed to be mentally-handicapped, or just sort of bumbling.
― DJI, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 16:38 (five years ago) link
lodge 49 is up on hulu now and is great (through the two episodes i've watched at least). main character is like if the dude from the big lebowski was dealing with trauma and depression (he's even called "dud" so that maybe intentional).
― na (NA), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 16:43 (five years ago) link
I've raved about it already, probably my favorite new series of last year
― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 17:28 (five years ago) link
A little suspicious that the guy who died is painted as a monstrous sociopath and the guy who survived is treated as a reluctant, tragic genius who got roped into this escape plan.
he shot that cop and then ran him over with a car. his "i didn't kill that cop" is based on him not delivering the coup de grace. also the show quite clearly shows that sweat did all the work with the escape - bar the discovery of the fact that the catwalk was not patrolled.
― ( ͡☉ ͜ʖ ͡☉) (jim in vancouver), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 17:33 (five years ago) link
def did not think of Sweat as a "genius" or all that sympathetic, just a resourceful guy who wanted out
― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 17:34 (five years ago) link
lodge 49 spins out a bit at the end but is absolutely worth the time and i am excited to see what they do with a second season.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 17:42 (five years ago) link
Just wonder how much of the story of the escape is based on Sweat's testimony, because he comes off as a human being whereas Matt is just straight psycho.
― DJI, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 17:44 (five years ago) link
Vulture has a rundown on the real people involved (spoilers, obviously)
https://www.vulture.com/2018/12/escape-at-dannemora-true-story.html
I'd love to know more about how the series was written/developed.
― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 20:35 (five years ago) link
This is about the ex-inmate who was a consultant
https://theoutline.com/post/6612/escape-from-dannemora-clinton-correctional-facility-prison-break
― Number None, Wednesday, 16 January 2019 20:37 (five years ago) link
ooh, thanks for that.
― resident hack (Simon H.), Wednesday, 16 January 2019 20:44 (five years ago) link
So right now I'm kinda shifting into fulltime NBA but otherwise:
* America To Memissed this when it came out but streaming it through a Starz subscription and I can't recommend it enough. one of the cinematographers is Bing Liu, the kid who did Minding the Gap and my love for that led me here. Immensely honest and deeply revealing portrait of race, gender and class in an upscale Illinois high school filmed over the course of a year. Super real, super entertaining and brilliantly shot. Get a tester sub to Starz and binge it, you'll thank me.* High Maintenanceonly getting better * Broad Citythey clearly are working to make the last season memorable and it shows; this is the best it's been in years.* Russian Dollbinged and loved; check out the thread on ILE for context* Patriot Actthe best political comedy show on television right now and it's not even close. Minhaj is getting better with his tics, too!* Late Show with Colbertthe only nightly monologue (and bumper comedy bit) that matters; wish he wasn't such a generally terrible interviewer tho'. Meyers is the inverse here; worth watching for the interviews and skipping the comedy.* Drunk Historyfeels a little stuck in a rut but still consistently fun* The Zooif you don't love the plucky stories of marmots, gorillas, snow leopards and giraffes i dunno what to tell ya. lotta hometown flavor too.* The Other TwoMaybe the second best currently running sitcom, hope they can maintain the quality (and deep sadness) for future seasons* Firing Linesurprisingly watchable reboot with a notably less right leaning approach: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/firing-line/* Top ChefI like it when they cook
Need to get caught up on and/or excited to see them back now/shortly:At Home with Amy SedarisSluteverCorporateJeopardy (All-star competition is on!)Deadly Class (first episode was promising but hour long comic dramas are a tough sell for my time)Planet Earth: DynastiesBetter Things
Tried/Denied:Miracle Workers (looks like somebody saw The Good Place and thought it would be easy. it's not.)You're the Worst (tried again for last season's sake, still as bad as i remember it became)
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Thursday, 21 February 2019 18:13 (five years ago) link
PEN15 is (surprisingly) good
the conceit of having the two adult actors play as kids actually works amazingly well. It's not quite Freaks and Geeks level, but it's in that wheelhouse
― Number None, Thursday, 21 February 2019 18:21 (five years ago) link
You're the Worst (tried again for last season's sake, still as bad as i remember it became)
Feel the same. The 3rd season was my high point, with the "Twenty Two" episode that focused on Edgar. Last season was hit or miss and this season just hasn't worked for me. Maybe a bit like Californication, in "how many chances does someone deserve?".
Deadly Class, binged all the comics from my library, so enjoying that.
The Magicians is my current DVR must-have.
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Thursday, 21 February 2019 18:27 (five years ago) link
oh shit, yeah! I forgot PEN15! It's up and down in terms of quality from episode to episode but when it's good (racism episode, masturbation episode) it is VERY good. I'm three eps away from finishing.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Thursday, 21 February 2019 18:33 (five years ago) link
And let's also add in the new Desus and Mero on Showtime... and maybe SMILF? First two eps were a step down from last season but Rosie O'Donnell is worth the price of admission.
Currently curious about Good Trouble and Shrill.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 8 March 2019 16:47 (five years ago) link
PEN15 ends strongly; well worth watching.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 8 March 2019 16:48 (five years ago) link
The Widow, on Amazon Prime, is really good. It's basically a noir story (everyone is betraying everyone else) set in Congo and Rwanda.
― grawlix (unperson), Friday, 8 March 2019 16:51 (five years ago) link
CORPORATE
― na (NA), Friday, 8 March 2019 16:54 (five years ago) link
oh yeah, i knew i was forgetting something! Corporate got A LOT better this season; basically the best thing on Comedy Central.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Friday, 8 March 2019 16:56 (five years ago) link