The TV thread

I'm not sure if it is genius, a slap in the face to fans, or both to post a teaser that pokes fun at people being impatient for Season 2.

 

If the producers really wanted to be mean, they could've recast the Hyde character with Josh Meyers (ducking).

I've just seen the first one so far, it was OK. We'll see how it goes without the original gang (I presume) not there to give us our dose of nostalgia (EDIT: Oh yeah, Fez will be making an appearance). Kurtwood and Debra Jo, however, are still in top form, so it's got that going for them.

Really liked the Kutcher-Kunis cameos, as well as making their son the main love interest.

I thing I was puzzled by was the portrayal of Donna. It seemed like she was really shoved into the background and like they gave the character a lobotomy at some point. Also, I remember her and Kitty had a pretty good relationship in the original series, and now it's all this awkward in-law tension between them. I guess they really needed to emphasize the relationship between Dad Eric and daughter Leia, and keep Mom Donna out of the way.

 

I've seen the first four or five now, and while they don't really address the kind of weird Kitty-Donna thing, it's not that hard to imagine some sort of falling out because they had a grandchild and moved away.

Also, I thought the show was excellent. It's not really breaking new ground, but it really did feel like a new generation of the original show to me. The young leads are interesting echoes of the original characters without being one-to-one replacements.

My biggest complaint about the show so far is a logistical one - The end of the first episode features a trailer hinting at all of the future episodes. In doing so, they reveal a bunch of the guest spots, which ruined part of the fun for me. I recommend skipping to episode two when that pops up.

 

Also - Debra Jo Rupp should probably get an Emmy nomination. I realize the chances are almost nil, because even beyond this just being a conventional sitcom, the category gets crowded with non-comedies. But she and Kurtwood Smith are so damn good in their roles.

 

George Santos may be America's best doctor ... but 30 broken bones and not a single cast? Seems odd.

 

Hadn't seen this mentioned, but it looks like Season 7 of "Rick and Morty" might be delayed a bit, after one of its creators (and the voice of both Rick and Morty) was arrested and charged with felony domestic assault.
This story seems to be flying under the radar a bit. It's from an incident that happened a couple of years ago and has slow-walked its way through the justice system.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t...e-charges-hulu-adult-swim-20th-tv-1235299052/

 

I think it was initially missed - not entirely sure why - but it's been pretty high profile as of late. It was probably missed because practically everything about the case is under seal. He's also been accused of grooming under 18 fans via the Internet, which also seems not great.

 

Yeah, it's popped some headlines the past week or two since he got arrested, but that was the first I'd ever heard of it. And there doesn't seem to be the same level of outrage compared to others in the MeToo era. It sort of came and went.

 

My assumption would be that because the R&M fan base can already be somewhat... insular, this probably isn't making mainstream news in the way something else would. I mean, I know plenty of people who are completely sane fans of the show, but it definitely has a lunatic fringe.

 

Finished S2 of "White Lotus" last night. I wondered why of all the people in S1, Stiffler's Mom the only one who carried over from S1 to S2. All in all, I was kinda surprised it was an R-rated show.

Spoiler

And while she is so annoying, I was sad with the ending. She didn't deserve that.

 

90's is on my list because Kitty and Red were fun in the original.

I want to see The Last of Us, but the darkest I'll go right now is picking up where I left off on What We Do In The Shadows.

There's been a lot of catching up/background viewing going on.

Corner Gas is perennial comfort viewing.

The Crown feels like a leisurely, though not particularly nuanced stroll through 20th century UK history. Right now, it's a delight to watch Olivia Coleman and Gillian Anderson spar.


I am relieved to be out of episodes of Call The Midwife. Some of it echoes situations I encountered doing undergrad field work. Ugly crying is off the table for a while.

No more Blockbuster? Feh!

Guilty pleasure viewing is Dale! Dale! Dale! (Pinata Masters) Recced for fans of Making It and GBBO.

Not feeling it:
Night Court v.2. It feels like one of those fan videos people made in the 90s and oughts. And a laugh track? No.

Grace and Frankie. I made two running starts at this and tried to stick with it because Dolly Parton was supposed to join the cast. Seeing affluent white women abusing cashiers, clerks, and other assorted working class folks is just not cute. It seemed to happen at least every other episode. The rationale seems to be that Tomlin and Fonda's characters are just too fabulous and free to think about the people around them. I had to bail.

 

I run up on this as I fell down the youtube. It's awfully good.