The TV thread

Curb Your Enthusiasm is still damn funny (and cringey!!)

 

I've been binge-watching Designated Survivor. The first season was pretty good aside from some cringe-worthy moments, but season two seems to be going downhill. It seems like they tried going in more of a West Wing direction, complete with a walk-and-talk, and they don't have the actors or the writers to pull it off. I'm not sure if I'm ready to start the real deal again yet, but someone did share this on Facebook today.

 

If it helps - there are only three seasons at it does have its moments. They really blew the premise though with a couple of things a) the unaccountable FBI agent who never called in for back-up or gave anyone any idea what she was up to. Which considering the case she was working on was kinda surprising and b) the idea of rebuilding government, the idea of re-booting how DC operates by literally destroying establishment politics. There was very little of it.

 

Not that I won't happily watch Maggie Q, but that series certainly spends a lot of time following her into seemingly abandoned places. The way her character operates is definitely one of the major problems.

Early in the second season, they have a walk-and-talk which is clearly a reference to The West Wing. That scene served only to remind me how far below that show Designated Survivor falls in terms of quality. I see they list Kal Penn as a consultant as well as his acting role. Sometimes I wonder if he was the only consultant they used. How long did he even work in the Obama administration? Wasn't it something like six months?

I don't know who the writers were on Designated Survivor, but Aaron Sorkin has nothing to worry about. Pitting that cast against The West Wing would be like sending a bunch of high school players against an NFL team. To be fair, that's a high bar.

I don't hate it and I'll probably finish it just because it is only three seasons, but the early parts of the second season are testing my patience a bit.

 

Penn worked in community outreach for the Obama Admin. I'm guessing he helped a little bit, but so much of the show rang false to me - how things happened (or didn't), particularly that Keifer's character seemed so alone. No party pooh-bahs or elder statesmen (with one exception) reaching out to offer support. He didn't even seem to have a mentor. And he didn't seem to have many friends or family members around (with limited exceptions). I realize there are budget limitations, but you have to assume anyone who would watch DS either is pretty familiar with how the WH operates and has seen an episode of West Wing or at least watches the news.

 

We started Terriers. Three episodes in and I’m already disappointed that it was one and done.

 

It is SUCH a good show! The guys from The Watch / Hollywood Prospectus, Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan, have stumped for it for years. I checked it out one summer when I was out of "new" shows, and it really was a great watch. Perfect if you want like, a 90s or 00s take on detective / noir stuff, and without spoiling, the first season does work with its ending. (i.e. Not a cliffhanger.)

 

Donal Logue is one of those actors who makes anything bad - watchable. Anything watchable - good. And anything good - great. See also - Copper.

 

He's in a couple episodes of Stumptown, because of course he is - it's perfect casting. He also played a sleazy cop in Gotham, and L&O: Special Victims Unit. He's also the good guy in Knights of Prosperity, a one-and-done sitcom with Sofia Vergara that had a better premise than execution. (It was based on a British show, "Let's Rob Mick Jagger," I think.)

 

If Stumptown gets renewed, having Artie and Dex merge their firms would help the show a lot. They still seem to be toying with the recipe a lot, but trying to make Dex seem more complicated than she really is hasn't worked. Playing off Logue's Artie - the Saul Goodman of PIs - just works.

 

He really was the perfect Harvey Bullock (the sleazy cop on Gotham). I never really got into the show, but I loved that particular bit of casting from day one.

 

The Zen of Steven (?)