Topic: The TV Show Thread

@zupertramp Yeah season 2 i still enjoyed but was nowhere as good as the firt season. Vince Vaughn's performance is almost worth watching it. I've yet to see season's 3 and 4.

@Yousef- If you’re looking for detective things then definitely watch Perry Mason, it’s brilliant and I’m still gutted that it got cancelled after 2 seasons. I really loved Penny Dreadful: City of Angels as well despite not loving the parent show but that’s another one that got cancelled too soon and got a bit of review bombing.

@nessisonett
Perry Mason and Tokyo Vice both being cancelled were the two biggest blunders on HBO's part lately for me. But at the same time both shows ended with just about every ongoing plotline tied up so it's not like we were left hanging on a cliffhanger or anything. Therefore I still recommend watching both shows if you like crime dramas/detective shows.

@FuriousMachine I'll check out 7 days - just did a quick check and the cast list is insane! (Jon Hamm... Michael Sheen... Karen Gillan!)

OK so Industry isn't quite as malicious as Succession, and there are genuinely a few characters to root for, but it might not be for you. Give it a whirl and watch the first couple, if it doesn't click then give it a miss mate

I dunno if it says something about the state of the BBC’s output but I’ve really been enjoying BBC Two and Four’s delving into the archive. TOTP has become a weekly routine, into 1996 now which is super fun. Think it was Life on Mars that got the reunion introduction this week on Four, which I was too young to watch at the time but should really get to. BBC Two’s Kirsty MacColl night was great too, kinda forgot just how many great songs she had.

@CJD87 I see the first two series are available on Max here, so I'll give it a try when I next have an active Max subscription

@PegasusActual93 I've avoided the second season of both due to fears of them ending with cliffhangers (little frustrates me more), but thanks to you, now they are back on my list.
I would love for there to be a site where one could check to see if a given show that has been cancelled/ended has a satisfying conclusion or not, spoiler free. Maybe a rating that gives an indication of how wrapped up a show feels. I don't mind if a show leaves things open for a season that never shows, as long as things serve well as an ending.
For example, "The Passage", a vampire show based on some of my favourite novels, ends the season on a massive time jump to set the stage for the second season, but that "tag" also serves as a satisfying ending, allowing the viewer to imagine what that future looks like.

But, until such a site is found, I think I'll just ask here in the future

@FuriousMachine I can't stand cliffhangers. When there is one at the end of an episode, I have to watch the next one until there is a statisfactory outcome. Ones at the end of a season as there is not much you can do about it, apart from not watching it in first place, but I never look into that kind of stuff.

@JohnnyShoulder I don't mind a cliffhanger as long as I know it will be resolved at one point (I can even stand waiting for that to happen the following season), but, alas, all too often, shows are cancelled without any resolution.
The CW was consistently good at handling that problem for a while, with renewing a series for a shortened season or a TV movie in order to tie up any loose ends and allowing the showrunners to end a series gracefully. As a result, it was easier to take a chance on a new show, because it felt fairly certain that you wouldn't be cheated out of a proper finale (whether that finale was any good or not, was another matter, though).

I gotta say The Penguin on Max is genuinely fantastic television. I'm always interested to check out DC stuff as I feel like they usually take a lot more risks, and this is one of those occasions where it has really worked out. Just an incredible cast of characters delivering great writing combined with gorgeous visuals throughout. I was afraid the second episode wouldn't live up to the highs of the first, but the show didn't slow down in the slightest. Aside from Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti is also just an absolute standout. She deliciously chews the scenery with Sofia and I can't get enough of her on my screen. I don't think that comes as a surprise to anyone familiar with her previous work however, but I'm glad she got a great role to work with here.

@Tjuz Agreed, Milioti is fantastic (and scary) in this! Third episode doesn't drop here until tomorrow, but I'll be all over it when it does. Excellent so far.

EDIT: I was also very pleased to see Theo Rossi, Clancy Brown and the always brilliant Shohreh Aghdashloo in this

@Tjuz I’ve been completely out on DC shows and I am intrigued by The Penguin. Does it have any important connections to the other DC live action shows or can it be watching independently? I haven’t watched Pennyworth, Watchmen, Doom Patrol, Peacemaker, any of the CW shows except the first couple seasons of Arrow, etc. I have seen The Batman, however.

@FuriousMachine As far as I've now read from critics, it sounds like the whole season is very tightly paced and a very well constructed package. I guess that means we won't have to worry it suddenly starts dropping off at some point in the season! The third episode just dropped here today as well, but I haven't seen it yet. Excited to dig my teeth into it. And I agree, Shohreh Aghdashloo is fantastic and I hope they give her some good scripts to work with here.

@Th3solution It's completely disconnected from any of the other shows. I think I'd be horrified if Stephen Amell were to suddenly show up, haha. All you'd need to know is The Batman (though they anyway recap the relevant events at the start of the season), so you're good to go and jump in. Let us know what you think! (And watch Watchmen already, it's incredible)

@Tjuz Yeah, her role was a bit light in the second episode, but what was there she totally killed. Hopefully her role will get meatier as we go.

@Th3solution I second the "Watchmen" recommendation from @Tjuz. I'd say it's one of the best DC comics series out there, maybe the best. Fantastic stuff (though, be aware that it works as a sequel to the original graphic novel, not so much as a sequel to the Snyder movie)

Yes, @Th3solution do as @Tjuz says and make it you who watches the Watchmen

Watchmen was very, very good. I might even watch it again this winter. As it sounds like I need to restart my entertainment subscription and watch The Penguin this year anyway. In my mind I'm thinking The Penguin is probably going to be a bit like the DC version of the Sopranos for some reason 😅😅

I'm so very out of touch, but did DC ever do anything with Barry Keoghan? After 'The Batman' tease.

Oh, and the reason I came to this thread was because...

as vampires are pretty much the only aspect of horror that I really (this one's for Sammy) "vibe with" 🤢😅 I'm pretty much going to shove as much vampire related stuff into my face and brain as possible this month. Starting with binging S5 of What We Do in the Shadows, the Vampire satire that we all know and love (maybe) it's not a show for the ages, but I still bloody love it.

Curious if there's much other vampire related stuff knocking about from recent years on the more dramatic side of things. The BBC made a dracula series a few years back.

@Ravix @FuriousMachine @Tjuz
I watched the first episode of Watchmen a couple years ago, and it didn’t really grab me. Sounds like it obviously gets better but the pilot was a little boring and also hard for me to follow since I didn’t really know any of the characters. I never read the graphic novel but I did see the Snyder movie and thought it was pretty good. It’s been several years since I’ve seen it though.

@Ravix Salem's Lot started on Max last week. I think that has vampires in it?

@JohnnyShoulder Hasn't been well received, though. I was looking forward to it, but the consensus seems to be "this is not the adaptation you're looking for". The book is excellent and Tobe Hooper's version is fine, but I was hoping this one would really do the book justice... apparently it is an anaemic affair

@Ravix I'm not familiar with any recent vampire series; none that has caught my eye, anyway. The BBC Dracula was... well, not for me... it felt "cheap" to me and I gave up on it pretty quickly (provided we're taking about the one from 2020 with Claes Bang as Big D). It has a 6.8 rating on IMDb, so might be worth checking out to judge for yourself.

On the movie side, though, you can do far worse than "Abigail". One of my favourite "fun" horror movies this year; had a blast with it

@Ravix Barry Keoghan hasn't shown up again yet, but The Penguin is also the first project since The Batman to take place in this universe. As far as I know from reviews, this show is also not getting any big cameos from the movie, so I'll suppose we have to wait longer!

I love What We Do in the Shadows as well! Such a fun show and I'm excited/sad for it to end when it premieres its final season later in the month. The Escape from Season 3 is still peak comedy as far as I'm concerned. As for other must-watch vampire shows, you owe it to yourself to check out AMC's TV adaptation of Interview with the Vampire if you haven't already. It's a fantastic show with some truly astonishing performances from each of the leads. Its second season in particular which came out in the summer is just a masterwork of fiction. Some of the best writing currently on TV!