The TV thread

I enjoyed season 2 quite a bit. Its not nearly as good as the first one of course. Season three has a phenomenal lead performance by Mahershala Ali....and little else to recommend.

 

Bad Sisters on Apple+ is a really enjoyable dark comedy. It is set in Ireland and centers on sisters trying to kill their asshole brother-in-law. The writers did a great job making him unlikeable so it’s easy to root for the sisters.

 

I thought Dorff was good in season 3 as well, but the whole thing felt a little derivative of season 1.

Season 2 doesn’t hold up to 1, but so far I appreciate that it’s a completely different kettle of fish. I like series like this and Fargo that don’t worry too much about connective tissue and “Easter eggs” between seasons.

 

I agree with much of that. Those were all great moments in the show. Kirby Howell-Baptiste was amazing as Death. The only problem is that we just didn't get enough of her. I agree that the casting was great in some places and lacking in others. I wasn't a huge fan of Coleman as Constantine. As a fan of Lucifer, which was based on Gaiman's version of the devil in Sandman, I just didn't like Gwendoline Christie's version of the character. I know they were never going to use Tom Ellis and she does bring a certain menace to the character that he probably couldn't, but it just didn't work well for me.

 

You're right, Dorff was good.

 

I think that’s the first time anyone has praised Stephen Dorff.

 

I remember Gwendoline Christie from her work with Terry Gilliam. She's great. The awful design was what what took me out of
the story. Gaiman has used cute, easily underestimated beings who reveal power in Sandman and a few other books.

Someone mentioned that some of the changes were actually due to DC/Warner exerting control over images, characters, etc. that are considered theirs and the idea of pithing the DC universe out of this version of Sandman. Having said that, they did use Mazikeen as she was drawn but not how she was scripted in the OG Sandman and the Lucifer spinoff. Maybe that was because Gaiman created her. It could have been an "apologize later if needed" thing. I'm disappointed if that was the intellectual property hill they chose to die on instead of John Constantine.

Another workaround DC's ownership might have been their choice to cast Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death. She's wonderful in the part, and I hope they include some of her standalone stories as bonus episodes. Death's original appearance is probably more iconic than Dream's. Putting Netflix's version in whiteface with the original eye makeup would be a cringeworthy bit of fan service now.

Among my former colleagues, there wasn't anyone who was sold on Netflix and Neil Gaiman's choice to promote it with tryhard "Hello fellow kids!" charts with pronouns. It was like those people who have to tell you how smart, nice, woke, whatever they are. Be woke and modernize a 30+ year old property? Just do it and let your long established and new audience figure it out. The explanations and defensive stance took away from the anticipation most of us felt.

 

NBC is considering dropping 10 pm programming.

https://people.com/tv/nbc-considering-cutting-hour-primetime-schedule-reports/

 

I could see them leaving Fridays and Saturdays, since they're barely giving an effort as is on those night, unless there is a sporting event they have rights to. But Sunday and Thursday still have to be significant ad nights for them.

 

I don't know how affiliates will react. An issue in the Leno-Conan debacle was Leno's show was hurting the 11 pm news, which supposedly hurt Conan on The Tonight Show.

What will affiliates put in the slot? Another hour of news or some syndicated shit?

 

There is far too much local news already. Hours and hours a day and most of it garbage

 

News at 10 tends to be popular with CW and FOX affiliates, who historically haven't had network content for those hours. The Tonight Show and other content is taped, so that can just be aired at 10:30 or 11 anyway.