The TV shows you've seen recently thread.

[toku]

He had to pass off 24 to a black guy so he could take on the one role he was destined for.

[Dickie Dee]

Ewan McGregor is the latest feature actor to topline an installment of FX’s Emmy-winning anthology series Fargo. McGregor will play the two central characters — brothers Emmit and Ray Stussy — in the upcoming third season, which is supposed to be set closer to present day than the first two installments.

 

[benjipwns]

Can't wait for the season 2 premier of APB where the guy is framed and must out smart the system he created while simultaneously trying to prove he's innocent.

Oh wait there won't be a S2

Then in season three he secretly uses the system to aid his run for Mayor.

And questions arise to if he's been altering the stats.

Season 4 he creates a new app that can scan a person's brain and determine the likelihood of them committing a crime. The app will be installed on guns that can tase or kill a suspect depending on the criminal probability.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

Season 5 takes place after a two year time skip. His app has become sentient and turned Chicago into a dystopian police state as the machine determines that the only way to eliminate crime is to eliminate human behaviors. It's also walled off the city from the rest of the world and has taken control of the power grid, airspace, etc. with the U.S. military sitting in the suburbs.

But he hires hacker vigilantes to help him fight back by hacking traffic lights and barriers. And by finding new allies and other persons of interests by scanning people with another app that unlocks their demographic information, personal background and bank accounts. Because there's actually two apps only nobody realizes it and one is secretly being controlled by a shadowy corporate-government cabal but you don't know which is which because both apps have no more lines left to cross morally and the police state app may actually be trying to prevent the cabals even more sinister actions.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Also, they disable half the graphics options so it looks worse than the E3 build.

[close]

[Stoney Mason]

Finished up the second season of Kimmy Schmidt. The first couple of episodes I wasn't so much into it but it grew on me as it went along. I preferred it over the first season. It's more about dealing with the after effects of a trauma rather than the initial high concept of the first season. I liked that it felt more personal in that way. I have no idea how it was received by critics or others.

[TVC15]

Preacher is promising. It's going to take a few episodes for me to make a call on it, as a comics fan.

[VomKriege]

Finished up the second season of Kimmy Schmidt. The first couple of episodes I wasn't so much into it but it grew on me as it went along. I preferred it over the first season. It's more about dealing with the after effects of a trauma rather than the initial high concept of the first season. I liked that it felt more personal in that way. I have no idea how it was received by critics or others.

Wouldn't go as far as saying it was better than S1, but it was pretty good and it did take a couple episodes to set in, just like last year. In the end it's just a sitcom (claiming some Friends lienage, even !), but a good one. Hope it doesn't get too reliant on 90's throwbacks...

[chronovore]

I'm going to watch it today but I'll probably hate it. I can't say when people adapt things they can't adapt, and of course change it so much that it's something entirely different. I would have been fine with it being it's own thing inspired by the comic. But as an adaption? Nah.

It's like if that Once Upon A Time garbage stayed a Fables adaption, I would have hated it even more.

I'm sadly happy to hear you call Once Upon a Time "garbage." I really wanted to like it, and I assumed it would be good, because it has run for so long, but it's just uninspired cliché drivel.

[TVC15]

Preacher was promising enough that I'll give it a few episodes. The plot was all over the place, but I thought they got the characters mostly right.

If you think Vinyl was better than it, you've gone full Hodor, dude.

[Madrun Badrun]

Up 2 season 4 of Star Trek Voyager.  My God, 7 of 9

[TVC15]

7 of 9's hotness was always way overrated.

[chronovore]

[toku]

teaser is like a year old and you gotta wait like another year to see it

[CajoleJuice]

HBO saying it might come out this year now because they realize they have no hit hour-long dramas after Game of Thrones is over. Although I guess some people watch The Leftovers?

[benjipwns]

7 of 9's hotness was always way overrated.

Something for which Barack Obama will always be grateful.

[benjipwns]

More FOX ones:

IN ASSOCIATION WITH MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL:

PITCH is the dramatic and inspirational story of a young pitcher who becomes the first woman to play Major League Baseball.

A beautiful, tough and gifted athlete, GINNY BAKER (Kylie Bunbury, “Under The Dome”) is vaulted into instant fame when she’s called up by the San Diego Padres to make her Major League debut. Like any rookie, Ginny must prove herself to her teammates. Foremost among them is MIKE LAWSON (Mark-Paul Gosselaar, “Franklin & Bash,” “NYPD Blue”), the team’s ruggedly handsome star catcher. There’s instant chemistry between them, although neither dares admit it. After all, Mike is captain of the team and a few of his players don’t even want Ginny on the field. One of the players watching Ginny’s back is center fielder BLIP SANDERS (Mo McRae, “Sons of Anarchy”), an old friend from the minor leagues. Guiding her is her agent/confidante AMELIA SLATER (Ali Larter, “Legends,” “Heroes”). Amelia saw Ginny’s star potential early on and left her previous job as a Hollywood publicist to concentrate on the young phenom. Although groomed for this moment by her demanding father, BILL BAKER (guest star Michael Beach, “Sons of Anarchy”), the end of Ginny’s improbable journey is the beginning of an almost impossible one: representing her gender as she embarks on a successful baseball career under the glare of the white-hot media spotlight. It’s a goal hard enough for anyone to achieve – except this player is also a woman, who happens to be the most important historical figure in sports since Jackie Robinson. This season, Ginny Baker will be the other woman trying to break into one of the oldest, most exclusive men’s clubs in the country.

Featuring the voice of Jason Sudeikis (THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, “Horrible Bosses,” “We’re the Millers”), SON OF ZORN is a new hybrid live-action/animated comedy about an animated warrior from a faraway island in the Pacific Ocean – where everything and everyone is animated – who returns to Orange County, CA, to win back his live-action ex-wife and teenage son. ZORN (Sudeikis), the Defender of Zephyria, Conqueror of the tribes of Agon, decapitator of the dark herdsmen of Grith, has fought in countless epic battles throughout his life, but may find the greatest challenge of all when travels back to suburbia to reconnect with his family.

Once there, Zorn finds himself estranged from his son, ALANGULON or just “Alan” (Johnny Pemberton, “21 Jump Street”), a 17-year-old with a mellow, P.C. attitude; and Alan’s mother, Zorn’s ex-wife, EDIE (Cheryl Hines, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), a former wild child now living the life of an upper middle class mom. Zorn’s efforts to win them back are complicated by the fact that Edie is now engaged to CRAIG (Tim Meadows, “Saturday Night Live”), an online psychology professor and a stable presence in their lives. Nevertheless, to be a good dad, Zorn commits to remaining in Orange County for the long haul, renting an apartment and even working in the exciting field of industrial soap sales under his boss, LINDA (Artemis Pebdani, “Scandal,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), who likes his passion, but just wants him to rein it in at the office. As he adjusts to life in the suburbs, Zorn is the classic fish out of water, navigating his way through fatherhood, divorce and a boring office job. Sure, as an overlord of pain, he defeated glombeasts, wolf-bats and bloodthirsty arachnobots, but now he’ll go toe-to-toe with a new set of enemies: meter maids, dress codes and the DMV.

Star: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2snL9QUIZI

Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee Lee Daniels – creator and executive producer of broadcast’s No. 1 series, EMPIRE – partners with Tom Donaghy (“The Whole Truth”) to pull back the curtain on music’s gritty and dark reality in STAR. Featuring a soundtrack of original music and stunning music performances, STAR follows three talented singers, desperate for a new start and with ambitions of stardom, as they navigate the cut-throat music business on their road to success.

Meet STAR (newcomer Jude Demorest), a tough-as-nails young woman, who came up in the foster care system and decides one day to take control of her destiny. Star tracks down her sister, SIMONE (newcomer Brittany O’Grady), and her Instagram bestie, ALEXANDRA (newcomer Ryan Destiny), and together, the trio journeys to Atlanta to become music superstars. Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award, Grammy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Queen Latifah (“Bessie,” “Bringing Down The House”) plays CARLOTTA, a surrogate mother to the young crew. Emmy Award nominee Benjamin Bratt (“24: Live Another Day,” “Law & Order”) rounds out the cast as JAHIL, a down-on-his-luck talent agent looking to revitalize his career, who’s taken a certain shining to Star. The series will also feature guest star and Grammy Award winner Lenny Kravitz (“Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” “The Hunger Games”). Reality soon dawns on the girls’ fantasies, and they start to learn that ambition often comes at a cost. And sometimes that cost is too high.

Prison Break: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9T-9fZn_oA

PRISON BREAK is back and ready for its biggest escape yet.

From USA:

Shooter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZa8EaVjhZM

SHOOTER is USA Network’s new conspiracy thriller based on the best-selling novel “Point of Impact” by Stephen Hunter, and the 2007 Paramount film starring Mark Wahlberg. Starring Ryan Phillippe (“Secrets and Lies”), the series follows the courageous journey of Bob Lee Swagger, a highly-decorated ex-marine sniper who is coaxed back into action after he learns about a plot to kill the President. When Swagger’s former commanding officer Isaac Johnson (Omar Epps, “House”) solicits his expertise in a clandestine operation, Swagger re-emerges from exile only to discover that he is inextricably involved in a disastrous operation with ties to his past.

[TVC15]

Do I have to watch s1 of Leftovers to watch s2? Because s1 is really fuckin bad so far, and I know that s2 is a reboot or something like that.

[VomKriege]

Watched the first couple of episodes of The Americans, since the show's been praised pretty high by some people. The production value & image quality is a bit average to be honest and I fear the family soap opera aspect. Otherwise the writing seems OK (especially when you consider that cartoonish stuff like the movie Salt could still get produced a few years ago. BTW Keri Russell makes for a better, hotter Soviet spy than Jolie) and a semi-believable TV spy drama is fresh in its own right. Guess I'll keep watching for now.

That Fleetwood Mac track used in the pilot's intro was cool tho.

[TVC15]

It took me a bit to get into The Americans, but now it's one of my favorites. The first few episodes wallowed too much in the period piece aspects of the show too much for me, I think. It's also cool that they have a negotiated end date so they could plan the ending out well. All the seasons have been very strong so far.

Current season might be the best so far. There's only been one less than great episode.

[chronovore]

PREACHER. Cassidy is spot-on, writing and actor-wise. I love the actress playing Tulip; she was also enjoyable in Agents of SHIELD. Jesse doesn't look quite right, but the dude can act. The bar fight scene was awesome, the one in the plane was stupid. I can't tell if it's a cartoon or serious, which was a problem the comic had -- but it was a comic, so the dissonance was not as dramatic. I loved the Tom Cruise throwaway news report.

[toku]

PREACHER. Cassidy is spot-on, writing and actor-wise. I love the actress playing Tulip; she was also enjoyable in Agents of SHIELD. Jesse doesn't look quite right, but the dude can act. The bar fight scene was awesome, the one in the plane was stupid. I can't tell if it's a cartoon or serious, which was a problem the comic had -- but it was a comic, so the dissonance was not as dramatic. I loved the Tom Cruise throwaway news report.

Joseph Gilgun is great and he's pretty much always a bright spot in anything he's in. Cassidy is kinda perfect casting for him since a lot of his best stuff is basically just "fucking mental irish or british man"

[Bebpo]

Watched the first ep of Preacher.  I've had the comic sitting around here forever in my backlog but never read it.  The first ep was definitely interest-catching, but at the same time I have no idea what the fuck is going on or what the show is going to be about, which I do think is a problem for a new show premiere.  Like by the end of the ep I was like "yup, this is too weird for a normal audience and is gonna get cancelled, might as well read the comic".  I'll keep watching it though, but hopefully by the end of the 2nd ep there's some coherence.

[TVC15]

The comic is pretty much must read material for comics fans.

[VomKriege]

Started watching Flaked. I can't find who spoke of that earlier but yeah, it's yet another show where Will Arnett is a self centered doofus asshole. It's decent so far but all characters being insufferable douches may be a problem for me.

[Purrp Skirrp]

Baskets was a good binge. The tone is depressing and there's a dream like quality to it, kind of surreal and absurdist while still feeling grounded and emotionally genuine. I mean Louie Anderson as the mom is fucking ridiculous, yet the character is so poignant and believable. By the end of episode 4 I was invested. Good stuff, glad there will be another season.

[Phoenix Dark]

IN

[VomKriege]

everyone seems to think s2 is better. i only watched a few episodes and it seemed about the same to me, and i just haven't cared enough to continue. i haven't been watching much recently though.

I actually started watching it because I caught a bit of a recent episode involving Iran-Contra. It had a lot of thematic elements I can engage with at a personal level right now, and was more... fair I guess is the word I'm looking for... in the treatment of its subject matter than I expected from a Fox channel in the 2010s.

(Holy gravedigging Batman, but I found this through the Google search...)

Yeah it seems the stuff borrowed from history is actually pretty fair and balanced, the show creator is a former spook or so I've heard, except for the part about Afghanistan which is totally catered to today's (mis)conceptions (Mujihadeens as clearly proto-Talibans, etc...). I'm only at the tail end of the first season but I agree it is pretty surprising considering the premise which as I said is pretty outlandish and pulpy (maybe not the sleeper part, but the amount of wetwork they do and how spectacular all their operations are). It's not free from a bit of a stock family drama and action tropes but the core dynamic of meshed secrecy and intimacy works really well. Noah Emmerich is really stealing the show too (even if Matthew Rhys makes for a great fake all american dad and is pretty funny in disguise).

Also I may be totes tripping but I am the only one who get the feeling that the intro is a strident version of the Persuaders (graphics but music too) ? The Granny handler also reminded of Mother in the classic Avengers (The surreal british spy extravaganza, not the CGIed superhero flick) but I'll admit it is a tenuous association.

[toku]

I need to dig back, but a few eps into s2 and I lost all interest. Loved the first season though and I'm still hearing great things about the show.

[Madrun Badrun]

The last episode of voyager was dumb, like the rest of the show.

[Dickie Dee]

Into season 3 of The Americans now, have binged on it like crazy in the past few weeks. Been hearing low-key buzz that it's the best show on TV and I can see why, really loving it.

One thing that always gets me though is how Philip and Elizabeth look and dress like a normal modern day couple but whenever they go undercover suddenly they're Johnny and Suzy 80's

[TVC15]

The newest season was so hot. I do think it might be the best show going right now. It keeps getting better and better.

[VomKriege]

Into season 3 of The Americans now, have binged on it like crazy in the past few weeks. Been hearing low-key buzz that it's the best show on TV and I can see why, really loving it.

I've been tempted by Rob Zacny, definitely a bit of good mouth to ear going on.

[chronovore]

https://medium.com/hbo-cinemax-pr/hit-hbo-comedy-series-curb-your-enthusiasm-starring-larry-david-to-return-for-its-ninth-season-4203b46e2674#.xehgfu7ez

Curb Your Enthusiasm is coming back. Not sure how I feel; the 8th season was not as funny as 7th, and 7th had clearly been designed as the perfect endpoint for the show.

Of course I'll watch it anyway...

[brob]

been watching garth marenghi's darkplace on youtube n it's still as glorious as i remember 

[Tasty]

Reports from Annecy indicate the 10-episode revival will be set 50 years after the events of Season 4, and have a darker, “more adult” tone than the previous episodes.

Jack is back, and he looks fucking pissed.

[seagrams hotsauce]

Good God the new OINTB is awful

[toku]

[Bebpo]

Well Preacher's been kind of ehhhhh after 4eps.  It's just stretching everything incredibly slow.  Will take 10+ tv episodes to cover like 4-5 issues in the comic book and they're dragging out stuff unnecessarily.  Also changing everyone's storylines/backstory which could be ok or not, but won't know until things happen which takes ages here.  At this rate there's no way the show is making it past season 2 at best unless the 2nd half of S1 dramatically picks up.

[TVC15]

I'm iffy on Preacher now. I'm going to wait until the season is over to marathon it and figure out whether it's worthwhile.

[toku]

I think they're happy just making it be some weird supernatural character drama and aren't interested in hitting most of the beats of the comic.

[chronovore]

PREACHER is one of the few current TV shows being streamed week-by-week on Amazon Japan's streaming service, so I'm still in.

[Tasty]

Good God the new OINTB is awful

Completely forgot about it despite multiple reminders in the last week.

Kinda dreading it now...

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Good God the new OINTB is awful

Awful in general or awful compared to past seasons?  That show has always been terrible.

[Yeti]

I just heard this was the last season of Penny Dreadful.

[Syph]

Just finished The Good Wife.
What an inconsistent final (two) season(s). Overall the show was good but Alicia was one of my least favourite characters. Eli Gold GOAT.
First seasons were quite good but if I hadn't been so far into the show on account of watching it someone else's bed I probably wouldn't have finished it.

Now to catch up on Silicon Valley season 3!

[CatsCatsCats]

Comedy Bang Bang new season has been hilarious

Also cracked my shit up watching the new episode of Check it Out

[D3RANG3D]

Watched the HBO animated Spawn series, was way better than I thought it would be.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

It's definitely a time capsule of 90's edgy though. 

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Fucking Todd Mcfarlane, as a Crypt Keeper wannabe in this. 

[close]

[Phoenix Dark]

I remember sneaking to watch it at my grandma's house when I was a kid. Lots of nice cleavage and g-strings

[D3RANG3D]

Yeah it has a lot of that, the indie comic shtick of hey lot's of sex/nudity cuz why not?

[toku]

They've been teasing a follow animated series to it for almost as long as it's been off the air.

[chronovore]

I just heard this was the last season of Penny Dreadful.

I'm kind of happy that it will have a chance to end with closure.

[toku]

I just heard this was the last season of Penny Dreadful.

I'm kind of happy that it will have a chance to end with closure.

Kinda didn't though. Showrunner is doing the rounds talking like this was planned from the start of the season but they leave a lot on the table or quickly just nip things. Still a big fan of the show, and even this last season but it still felt he got 6 or 7 ep/scripts deep when someone at showtime told him they were pulling the plug this season.

It's a definite end though but the pace at which shit happens in the last 3 episodes compared to the rest of the season, and the rest of the show makes me feel like there was at least another half season in the show.

[Yeti]

Yeah the ending in the last two episodes just felt very rushed, and the ending was very abrupt.

[Bebpo]

I've been watching Mr. Robot S1 now that it's on Amazon Prime streaming.  Loved the pilot, and the show is very well directed and the main guy sells the whole thing.  Great music too.  Story seems like every plotline is getting worse than the last, and what started as good plot writing now seems to have moments of out of character writing just to create DRAMA subplots, but it's still addictingly entertaining and they've got me hooked in at this point.  On ep7 now, probably finish it up in the next day or two.  Definitely will wait for S2 to finish before watching since it's a "need next ep" type show.

[D3RANG3D]

Watching Bob Ross.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Helping me sleep. 

[close]

[chronovore]

I'm also working through Mr. Robot and trying to parcel out my enjoyment of it. I had already guessed the big twist before having it spoiled for me. It's pretty damned intriguing though.

I have had to curtail my viewing of it because the dude-on-dude sex scene followed by the pregnant bondage scene has convinced me I shouldn't watch it with my 11-year-old in attendance.

Instead I'm burning through Burn Notice, now only 4 episodes left in s6, and then it's on to the final season. I'm excited to see where it goes. Sure, it's just an updated version of The A-Team, but it works for me. And I loved the A-Team.

I just heard this was the last season of Penny Dreadful.

I'm kind of happy that it will have a chance to end with closure.

Kinda didn't though. Showrunner is doing the rounds talking like this was planned from the start of the season but they leave a lot on the table or quickly just nip things. Still a big fan of the show, and even this last season but it still felt he got 6 or 7 ep/scripts deep when someone at showtime told him they were pulling the plug this season.

It's a definite end though but the pace at which shit happens in the last 3 episodes compared to the rest of the season, and the rest of the show makes me feel like there was at least another half season in the show.

Yeah the ending in the last two episodes just felt very rushed, and the ending was very abrupt.

Huh. I'm sad to hear that. I'm still muddling my way through s2 and haven't even touched s3 yet. Actually, s3 hasn't even shown up on iTunes yet, and it's the only place other than The Internet Store which offers it in Japan AFAIK.

[Bebpo]

Finished Mr. Robot S1.  Last few eps were really good just like the first few.  My only real issue is his blond childhood best friend's subplot is one of those terrible actors/actresses in terrible subplots that just wastes episode time everytime it rears its head.  Without her character the show would be even better.  But was still a good watch.  Will be interesting to see if they can keep it up for S2 because there were parts of S1 that were a bit stupid and unrealistic to move the plot and S2 potentially could be great and it could get more and more contrived. 

Btw, the

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Fight club nod of the piano remix of The Pixies - where is my mind playing as pretty much the identical scene rolls out at the end of ep9 was great fanservice.  It was already heavily Fight Club influenced, but to acknowledge it by playing the Fight Club song at that moment was a cool tribute.

[close]

[Phoenix Dark]

I sincerely disagree about the blonde friend.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

She may have been annoying initially but as her character was fleshed out I thought she became a lot more interesting. Very interesting seeing her become colder and more corporate, culminating in the shoe scene. Very well done.

[close]

[fistfulofmetal]

After finishing the new Netflix Voltron (which is really great). I needed some more mech in my life.

Started watching Robotech. It's rough but its satiating me for now.

[Bebpo]

I sincerely disagree about the blonde friend.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

She may have been annoying initially but as her character was fleshed out I thought she became a lot more interesting. Very interesting seeing her become colder and more corporate, culminating in the shoe scene. Very well done.

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

The problem is I think you're supposed to hate her character.  At least I do.  Straight from like 4eps in or so when she's like "omg they have my bank accounts I have to go sabotage my workplace and get everyone fired right now!!" She always acted like a baby, only cared about how things affected her, was still clinging ridiculously to revenge for her deceased mom to the point she just throws her job and everything away to lie and get the CEO guy off just to try to get her case back on.  The scene where she shows up at the law firm and is like I NEED TO WORK HERE and the lawyer is like "uh, no" and she's all BUT I THREW MY WHOLE LIFE AWAY WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT ANYTHING AND NOW THIS IS ALL I HAVEeeeeeeeee.  Omg, I haven't hated a character as much as her in a show in a while!  She's selfish, has the IQ of an ant, and frankly I found her the most evil character in the entire show, and so yeah her ending up at Evil Corp was pretty easy to see coming and just a boring subplot for an awful human being character.  I get as a viewer I'm probably supposed to hate her as they may be building her up as the main evil corporate souless antagonist at the end of the show, but it's just not enjoyable to watch her scenes because every action she takes is so frustrating.

I mean the Swedish guy might be a sociopathic (now psychopathic) murder, but at least he's interesting as hell.  Very richly layered and his performance is incredible.

[close]

[TVC15]

Only like 2 weeks until more Mr. Robot! I'm excited. And a little concerned to see if they can pull off a second season. Some parts of S1 are a little creaky, and something about the season makes me think there may have been a little luck involved in achieving its quality. I'd love to be proven wrong.