The TV thread

I haven't watched a minute of Killing Eve, but based on the commercials for it, it seems the only mode of communication is screaming.

 

It's almost scary. I'm glad you enjoyed the show. The book is a mess.

 

Saw all 10. It was a decent enough way to kill a Saturday afternoon. I just expected something more clever and high brow from that team.

 

They do scream, but there's also a lot of soft, British talking. It is a pretty cool spy vs. spy concept with two bad ass women. Jodie Comer plays psychopath pretty well. It isn't perfect and they go to a couple of wells too much, but it's still good. YMMV, however.

 

With all the cop shows on TV - why one hasn't done one where a supporting character kills someone and ignites a riot is beyond me. It would be even better if it was someone seen as a "nice guy" who just has a bad day at the office and kills someone.

 

I mean, it's a plot point in a 2005 or so episode of The Wire. It's not really something network TV is going to handle well though, because it would essentially require giving grey nuance to a character the audience likes, and typically creating a character the audience likes is the hardest thing for a network show. (The Dick Wolf shows refuse to touch it - I think Chicago PD and L&O: SVU have both have episodes where half the episode is about a cop potentially killing an innocent person, but don't worry, because it turns out they were actually a bad person in the second half.)

That being said, and this might be more appropriate for the politics thread, but - Network TV is probably part of the problem when it comes to mainstream viewpoints on police, fire, ambulance and CSI forces. Like, the most realistic view of how journalism and politics work, in my experience as a small town and state government reporter, were Veep and Parks & Recreation - Definitely not The Newsroom or House of Cards. When it comes to police work, The Wire is excellent at showing the warts, but I imagine the day-to-day reality is closer to Reno 911 than the Dick Wolf stuff.

 

Wouldn't it be more effective if it was a character the audience liked? We so easily demonize (justly) cops who kill innocent civilians, but nobody starts their shift think this is on the agenda. You clock in - one minute you're handling a routine call, an hour later video of the arrest has gone viral, a day later the city you swore to serve and protect is is being torn apart - and you know that YOU are the reason why.
One of the reasons I enjoyed The Shield and Southland so much is that they worked in the "grey areas."

 

I don't disagree with you, but - Southland lasted a year on NBC, before being pushed off to USA or TNT (can't remember which). Way more people have seen NCIS - which I admit, is kind of like "easy" comfort food for myself as well - than anything really challenging. I do think there is room in the marketplace for a darker cop show on Network TV - stuff like NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues - but the advertising and marketing would have to be handled well, which frankly seems like a long shot to me.

 

This issue has portrayed on most of the cop shows. I remember it specifically on "Blue Bloods" and "SWAT." The cop allegedly shoots an unarmed guy, protests and rioting start. The cop believes there was a gun and they search for it. They always find it in a sewer drain or a "community gun" in a mailbox. In the "SWAT" episode, the leader of the other unit kills a kid. They tied it in with him leaving the force then nearly committing suicide. It ended with a PSA about dealing with potential suicides.

 

Part I of Laurel Canyon on Epix was great. Totally my "coming of age" music genre. And I think the Byrds were a totally underrated group, one of the most influential in history but not always highly regarded or remembered. Their sound is immediately recognizable.

Part II tonight.

 

I watched the Echo in the Canyon doc - growing up I was always amazed at how many of the artists I enjoyed seemed to cross polinate - as bandmates, songwriters, backup singers, studio musicians. A lot of it had roots in Laurel Canyon (or maybe it was its proximity to the Troubadour) - not sure if artists collaborate as much anymore without lawyers and agents being involved ahead of time.

 

Picked 30 for 30 (Lance Pt. II) instead last night, I'm going to watch this tonight (did you guys watch Echoes of Laurel Canyon with Jakob Dylan? That was enjoyable).