The TV thread

Great show on Apple TV is Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet.

I doubt many have stumbled upon this. It is well worth seeking out.

Created by Rob McElhenney, Megan Ganz, and Charlie Day for It's Always Sunny, and starring McElhenney as the head of a video game company that has made the world's most popular game -- think World of Warcraft. It's all about the interactions between the creatives at the company. Very funny. There is one great episode where Nazis start taking over the game and all these knights and lords (it's a medieval game) are running around making a Hitler salute and digging penis-shaped swastikas into the ground. The last episode is influenced by the pandemic and is basically an all-Zoom episode, and you can really tell how much the cast enjoyed making the show at the end. Also with F. Murray Abraham as a grandiose, washed-up science fiction writer prone to speeches that show off his acting chops if nothing else.

Well worth seeking out. I watched it on my Firestick.

 

Didn't realize I had HBO Max. Should have realized it since I pay for HBO, but I digress. Started Search Party last night and it's pretty intriguing. Will probably power through a bunch of it this weekend.

 

Got Apple TV+ for Greyhound and now started "The Morning Show". Carrell is pretty convincing as the old guy spouting lame-ass defenses for boorish, predatory behavior that led to the MeToo movement (really, preying on subordinates for "consensual" sex is okay??). Very much like Succession, I'm intrigued by the various power plays by those who have leverage. Aniston and Crudup are strong. Not so sure about Witherspoon, unlike Pretty Little Lies, she looks dour as a brunette with sharp facial features and the bulldog personality.

 

“Dog fuck if I know?”

I need to work that into my vernacular.

 

Emmy nominations are out - even with expanded slots there were many omissions. The bipolar brother from Ozark? The girl and Merrit Weaver from Unbelievable? Glad Succession got its due and I wouldn't want to pick from that talented cast of Mrs. America, best thing I saw all year.

 

As a Mrs. Maisel fan, thought it was strange that Wanda Sykes got a guest star nomination for all of 3 minutes worth of work. A couple of good scenes, but not enough for me.

Would have liked Ramy to get a best comedy nod.

 

The Oscars voting block always gets more shit for being white and old, but man, the Emmys always have some real big whoppers as well. I think the worst this year was no Rhea Seehorn for Better Call Saul. As usual, if you're a "movie star," you got a nod - The Morning Show getting four acting noms is nuts, considering I haven't seen anyone saying they -love- the show. I feel like Big Little Lies S2 and Little Fires Everywhere kind of came and went with a thud, but they sucked up a bunch of oxygen, between Reece, Streep, Laura Dern and Kerry Washington. All incredible actresses, but I don't think any of this is showing up as their best work.

Still though, plenty of good stuff. Great to see Schitt's Creek get rewarded, and I feel like the "best of the best" shows in drama and comedy did get nominated. (Like, I think you can argue that Handmaid's, The Crown, Stranger Things, etc. have slipped a bit, but I'm not sure what obviously replaces them, especially given the fuckery going on with drama series vs. limited drama series and so on.)

 

Agreed - Brad Pitt gets a nom for four-minute thing on SNL? Glad Eddie Murphy's turn as guest host earn one. But while there was great work done by movie actors on the small screen (Cate Blanchett in Mrs. America, I found Little Fires Everywhere really kind of dumb, the TV equivalent of that Brad Paisely- LL Cool J collaboration a few years back.

 

If Dan Levy doesn't win, we riot!

 

Anyone have a "go to" TV writer/reviewer/columnist they particularly like? My standbys Tim Goodman and Lisa DeMoraes don't appear to be affiliated anywhere anymore.

 

I listen to The Watch, which is a Ringer podcast that started on Grantland with Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan. I like their chemistry, but they're more dabblers than reviewers now - Like, they'll talk about a show or two a week, along with other things that interest them, like early 2000s New York rock bands and industry stuff like the struggles at Quibi.

Actual reviewers, I think Alan Sepinwall is the closest thing to an Ebert that TV reviewing has right now. (Although, I still think he's mostly doing prestige shows and stuff like that, as opposed to checking out the fall slate from CBS.)

 

I hope they give Schitt's Creek everything. That show was ignored for far too long.

The only other shows I watch that were even nominated were This Is Us, Big Little Lies (but I was not a fan of the second season), The Good Place, Mrs. Maisel and Little Fires Everywhere. Mrs. America is on my list to watch.