let's talk about tv shows itt

That's...just baffling to me. I mean, it was nowhere near The Office (not much is), but I thought it was largely quite funny. Based on what I've read thus far, there's been a real schism between reactions in the UK and reactions in the US (it'll be interesting to see how it does once it's actually released in the States). Which seems to lend a lot of credence to the belief that a lot of the negative reaction towards Life's Too Short is really just an expression of exhaustion towards Ricky Gervais in general. There are certainly valid criticisms of the show, but writing it off as an awful program full stop just seems really reactionary. Like, if it had been created by some unknown, I feel like it probably would've seen heaps of praise.

Well it's difficult to divorce Gervais's work from his persona at this point but to me the majority of the show consisted of the exact same celebrities acting wacky shit which he's already done to death in Extras (oooh look Liam Neeson doing a standup routine about AIDS), with the rest consisting of the usual comedy of awkwardness stuff with Warwick Davis doing a Gervais impression in the middle of it. It so fucking tired.

and this show couldn't possibly have been created by an unknown, it's Gervaisian to its core.

I've been a bit of a Gervais apologist, but after the first coupld of episodes grace I've stopped watching each episode part way through – it's just weak – there was perhaps enough good material for an hour-long special, but even then that would have seemed poor in comparison with Extras.

I was kind of watching Life's Too Short because there was nothing else on but that wedding speech bit was just barrel-scraping at the absolute worst. Really, really terrible. Which is kind of a shame because there have otherwise been a few funny bits (mainly the gormless assistant, thinking back).

After some forgettable episodes it's nice to see Beavis and Butthead stronger than ever with "School Test"/"Snitchers"

which episode(s) of 30 for 30 should i download to watch on the plane?

vlade
marcus dupree
iverson
ricky williams

^all dope

thanks, just went for ricky williams for now, took longer to dl than i expected

kind of bummed about Bored To Death and Hung being canceled but that's almost balanced out by How To Make It In America also being canceled

sis and i watched the first "great expectations" episode, felt kinda rote and by-the-numbers. i want to like gillian anderson's childish miss havisham but it's not quite gelling for me. also lol at "beautiful estella" growing up to be kinda plain and "common pip" growing up to be Mr. Cheekbones.

Dad cannot stop watching cable reality shows aimed at guys. Like every damn night. Whenever I see these things I keep wondering how many onscreen characters have massive chemical dependencies. The two guys who do one of those pawn shows seem like they've just done a mound of blow each time before they talk to the camera.

Also, their constant talking to the camera drives me nuts.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lwcor7Fok31qe8bp4o1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1325261116&Signature=T8ecET%2BA%2B1NoZMenb178uLHUTxQ%3D

hey you guys (well some of you at least) were right, and happy endings is actually pretty good. also in the grand tradition of being late to the party and only watching good shit after its cancelled, i am burning my way through "life on mars" and its kinda incredible. "detroit 187" was ok but man between the pointless love story and the cramming of obv long form plot points towards the end it didnt really go well for me as a whole

Southland comes back soon too...

imo it's kind of fun to catch up on good short-lived shows after they're canceled, you know exactly how many episodes there are and savor each one, sometimes they work really well as a self-contained miniseries.

yeah terriers was def like that, and i think life on mars will be too.

i've been meaning to watch Life On Mars, a friend was big on the US version but i'm not sure if i should just go straight to the UK one?

is anyone bothering with Hell On Wheels? i'm vaguely tempted to try to catch up but i honestly bailed after one episode partly because i try to minimize the presence of COMMON, ACTOR in my life

im watching the us one, partially because netflix streaming, but also because from what i hear they knew about cancellation early on, and actually managed to do a fairly good job of making it self-contained and resolved.

also why pass up a chance to watch imperioli and keitel chow on scenery in the same show

sis and i watched the first "great expectations" episode, felt kinda rote and by-the-numbers. i want to like gillian anderson's childish miss havisham but it's not quite gelling for me. also lol at "beautiful estella" growing up to be kinda plain and "common pip" growing up to be Mr. Cheekbones.

nah, grown-up estella is super hawt. gillian anderson's miss havisham reminds me of a zonked out version of miranda richardson's queen elizabeth on blackadder. i quite like this so far.

i've been meaning to watch Life On Mars, a friend was big on the US version but i'm not sure if i should just go straight to the UK one?

I know a couple of people who loved the US version, but I thought the couple of episodes I watched were utterly moronic. The UK version has my favorite series finale of all time.

i watched the downton abbey xmas special yesterday

i feel bad cuz my bf really wants to watch downtown abbey but i reflexively skeptical eyebrow every mention of the show

so 'homeland' was p good but not really great, i thought, i feel like it never really hung together even if it was exciting to watch

Downton Abbey is definitely a very stereotypical BBC/PBS Upstairs Downstairsy Masterpiece Theater sort of deal, but it's so good! Suprisingly soapy and fun, lots of oh-snap dialog from Maggie Smith and others.

i feel like if i made a list of things i hate about downton abbey it would be 10x as long as the list of things i like about it, and yet im like totally addicted

couldn't even make it to the end of "you're getting old" : /

its written by the guy who wrote gosford park, and it basically feels like gosford park without altman, which is to say without any edge or sense of irony or politics or anything

lamp i think you might like it--its super soapy but the period detail is spot on and everyone is either good-looking or an excellent actor

getting old

the first season is the "actually" "good" season, the second season is infuriating and does everything wrong, the xmas special is somewhat redeeming

the guy who wrote 'gosford park' also wrote a really terrible novel abt a beautiful girl who marries a duke and i keep thinking 'downtown abbey' will be a lot more like that than like 'gosford park'

i think i have a hard time watching masterpiece theatre soaps stuff in 'the right way' cuz im culturally conditioned to think of them as serious and middlebrow rather than as soapy or camp

The masterpiece theatre aspect to it is offputting, but really I'm just lazy and haven't had the time/motivation to watch it.

party down always seemed like a fluke but this looks like starz could have an actual good show again?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnXGW8QxTfk

Boss has its moments (i've only seen the first few episodes though)

oh shit i forgot Boss was on Starz yeah i wasn't hugely into it but it's obv good

could be good but trailer makes it look a lot like mad men redux

well yeah all these shows from that period have that feel but at least on premium cable it shouldn't feel quite as toothless as pan am or playboy club

what are the untapped televisual decades?

1890

WRONG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/TheAdventuresOfBriscoCountyJropeninglogo.jpg

I've started in on Homeland (pilot episode I uh managed to watch was weirdly bowdlerized -- amateurishly blocking out nudity, muting the soundtrack entirely whenever characters make sexytime noises/profanity) -- and it's good, but...? Still very reliant on fictional conventions. Not hooked yet, at any rate.

yeah you d/l or streamed the censored version of the pilot i did the same thing theres a verz w/ the swears and good stuff out there as well

haha leee you saw the same one i did. we loled a lot.

I went cold turkey and skipped everything this year, even shows I was watching before (Dexter, SoA, P&R, Community, etc. etc.). Watched a little bit of Homeland, but was put off by the b-plots and found my attention wandering (I loved Rubicon FWIW). Watched an episode of The Good Wife and it seemed rather good.

Is there anything I'm missing? I'm at the point now where I'm just ignoring the weekly air dates and just watching the entire season all at once. Planning on doing this with Breaking Bad when the final season airs.

BTW, seconding (thirding) "You're Getting Old / Ass Burgers" as the best episode of anything I've seen on television all year.

man i wish they hadn't killed rubicon :(

The cancellation of Rubicon and Terriers was actually the precipitate of why I just gave up all series this year. (did catch up on a lot of movies though)

Rubicon was by no means great but i do wish it would've gotten a 2nd season over Walking Dead or The Killing

They killed off the boring Miranda Richardson character so there was nowhere to go but up!

Sveral Homeland eps were written by Rubicon's second showrunner, Henry Bromell (who also produces). There are some clear similarities, esp. in the back half of the season.

*several