Television

[Martina]

This is a thread to discuss anything you want about television shows. Anything from House of Cards to CNN. There is a thread for your TV lineup, but nothing where you can talk more about what you are watching.

Some random thoughts --

A friend got me to watch House of Cards. I am in Season 1, and I am so annoyed by the innacuracy and improbability re education legislation and the teachers' union that I am having a hard time enjoying it. But I am not going to stop. There's something about it. (How's that for some deep discussion.)

I saw this in a review of HoC. I think it's true -- "It’s a typical product of our current golden age of television—dark, expertly directed and acted, and about five times better than the average Hollywood film."

I agree. Good TV is so much better right now than most of the films I see. It encourages me (a little) to know that Big Bang Theory is one of the most popular shows on TV. It is smart. It does not insult its audience. It is not hostile toward any group. It's a delight.

I am like many people. I don't think there has been better TV than The Wire although it is a sad and disturbing watch.

I have not watched Downton Abbey yet. Not even one episode.

[ProfPacker]

I understand what you mean about House of Cards but...still compelling TV and good to see Wright and Spacey.

See Downton and suspend commentary on class...another show that is better than film

YOu know, I am embarrassed to say: never saw The Wire, might have to binge about it

[imperfect_cupcake]

I loved house of cards. Loved it. The original UK version was good but for the first time ever, I think I like an American version of something better!
I love the relationship dynamics and the dark interactions. It turned me the hell on and I love Kevin spacey.

Downton is a fave of mine.

I don't watch tv, but I do have BBCiplayer and netflix. Most of the stuff I watch is on BBCiplayer so I would likely be a conversation of one for me lol

I love QI, Nevermind the buzzcocks and Mock the Week. Have I got news for you is good too.

I go nuts for well done period drama on the beeb like bleak house or great expectstions
They also did and amazing show last year around the war of the roses.

I love any of the science history series presented by professor Jim kahlili Everything and Nothing rocked my word and my favourite investigative programs are Panorama and Horizon.

For those who want to get the beeb out of country it's 8.99 a month and you get bbci player global.

[ProfPacker]

well, season 2 is just as sexy, love Spacey but also love Robin Wright. watching it now as I write this, great chemistry

Does Netflix put the shows up in Canada at the same time. If so,take some down time and suggest you watch it

[ProfPacker]

no spoilers, because I suspect in Canada you are already done with season 4

[imperfect_cupcake]

No I downloaded it off pirate proxy. Seasons four and the Christmas special. Binge watched the whole thing over Christmas with mum!

[imperfect_cupcake]

I'm afraid downtime isn't really an option lolololol

[ProfPacker]

well, when it is, this season is intense. watch it while I work, but no spoilers but Wright just did a doozy, something to look forward to...haha

I might like femmes but I wouldn't turn Robin Wright away...

[ProfPacker]

still watchingParker (a guess you Canadians must know her).

As a character said in House of Cards..."it's your voice, it does something to me".

what could that something be?

hmmmmm

[*Anya*]

Wrote this before carefully read the intent of the thread, hope not a derail from that intent.

True Detective on HBO. Matthew McConaughy and Woody Harrelson. Outstanding. Brilliant acting, very creepy.

The Walking Dead. I just think it is so well done. More about human relationships than the Z's.

Looking. new series HBO. Waiting to see how I feel about it. A quick 30 minutes of entertainment.

Sherlock-love this. A 21st Sherlock with OCD and anal as hell.

Really guilty TV:

The Worst Cooks in America. New season this week. Makes me feel like a gourmet cook.

Helix. SyFy channel. Kinda bad. Don't know why I am watching it.

[Martina]

There is no way to derail this thread. Anything television related. I have heard about True Detective. I will check it out at some point.

I love, love, love Sherlock.

Did anyone try Ray Donovan? I couldn't finish the first season. I loved all the fixer stuff. But I hated Micky so much that I wanted to kill him.

I love Scandal, speaking of a fixer. I also used to love The Good Wife, but got bored.

I am looking forward to the new season of Suits starting. Not a great show. But I like the unexpected twists and turns.

[homoe]

It's a British detective drama series with two women as the lead characters ! It's on PBS on Thursday nights. Season two just ended tho and I have no clue when season3 will start~

[C0LLETTE]

My 2 all-time fave televised shows: The Wire and Deadwood.

I loved The Wire cause it was so gritty, intense, well-written, and I could barely understand a word being said, which seemed as it should be given it was set in the drug/gang/police world of Baltimore.. as foreign to me as Beijing (maybe even more foreign).

As for Deadwood? Well Deadwood has a forever- and- ever first place in my heart for one huge fact. Yes it's well written and excellently acted and you do get to see pigs eat poor unfortunates who piss this or that person off, BUT it was a confession by the writer-director to his use of a clever but cheap trope that really cemented my heart to this series.

Knowing he had some 100 or so years of history to cover in this "loosely- based- on- history " saga, and knowing his audiences' collective eyes would glaze over if he tried to stick it all in there, he did something brilliant. Every time he had a few years of history to fill in in order to move the plot along, he had one of the prostitute characters fellate the hero as he "thinks" about the current and passing events. Fact laden decades roll by but I doubt very many people got up to get nachos during these "pendantic" moments.

And I never suspected a thing.

[silkepus]

I dont have a television and I havent had one since I moved out from my parents, but what I do have is wifi and my mums netflix password;D

Lately I've been watching Bobs Burgers and I love it. I think Louise might be my spirit animal

I also love british comedy like Black Books, Black Adder, the IT crowd and Spaced.

[C0LLETTE]

I posted this, just today, in the CIJS thread but it's probably more appropriate here so if no one objects too much, I'll paste it here and hope it's ok. I apologise for the redundancy and just wish I'd known about this thread.

"I'm becoming a devoted fan of the TV series "Lost Girl" which "follows the life of a bisexual succubus named Bo". The plots aren't too thick but the dialogue is snappy and it's nice to see girls kissing girls on cable tv. Seems it's been around for 4-5 years now. Where was I? "

Any other fans?

[Martina]

Originally Posted by C0LLETTE

"I'm becoming a devoted fan of the TV series "Lost Girl" which "follows the life of a bisexual succubus named Bo". The plots aren't too thick but the dialogue is snappy and it's nice to see girls kissing girls on cable tv. Seems it's been around for 4-5 years now. Where was I? "

Any other fans?

I love it, but, strangely, I am rooting for Bo to choose the guy and not the girl. Dyson is so hot, and the doctor is such a whiny drip.

[fatallyblonde]

I haven't really watched Big Bang Theory myself but have read lots of criticism of it from POV of ableism, racism and sexism... I guess everyone's milege varies. personally I think the 'perfect show' completely free of isms simply doesn't exist in this world so I tend to put the hyper critical part of my brain to one side when I enjoy television... for the most part. Sometimes it gets too much... I stopped watching this season of American Horror Story because of the racialised violence and misogyny and whilst I used to love Game of Thrones the sexual/misogynistic violence by the end of season 3 was starting to get to me and I'm not sure if I'll go back... we'll see.

I am a big Sherlock Holmes fan from way back but haven't watched Sherlock... but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Elementary. It is sooooooooooooooo good. One of the most enjoyable shows out there. I love a good crime procedural. Another really good show is The Bletchley Circle, a British mini series set in the 1950s and following a group of women solving crimes. I enjoyed the first season of Orange is the New Black and also recommend a similar but more serious in tone Australian show, Wentworth to anyone who liked Orange. I am two seasons behind on Sons of Anarchy and really have to catch up!!! I have got the first season of Vikings to watch, which is supposed to be pretty good. Based on what people are saying here I have added a few shows to my list! I really recommend My Cat From Hell... it's awesome if you love happy ending animal focused reality tv.

Older shows I've been enjoying lately include Beauty and the Beast, Jonathan Creek, X Files...

... this is all making me want to marathon some serious fuckn tv XD

[Martina]

I couldn't watch much of Bletchley Cir. I can't watch a lot of the more realistic 50s and 60s period tv shows because of how trapped the women are. Even if some characters break out of it, I just find it so claustrophobic to view.

I was reading today about a Chemist, who in fact won the Nobel Prize (in 1963), but who worked for years attached to her husband's lab because no one would hire her. Eventually she was given her own lab and office, but not paid. Only in 1960 was she actually given a lab, a title, and a salary.

There's an article in the Times today about an old woman, a legitimate artist, meaning she had training and talent, whose life -- raising step-children and nursing a sick husband -- caused her to put her work on the back burner for decades. Now for the last thirteen years, she has been on fire. She filled a New Jersey suburban house with art work. She has had only a little luck getting things into galleries, but an appraiser said, "'She’s no amateur housewife painter. Her style is very confident and quite good, but she never had the contacts to promote her into the prominent galleries.'" She probably missed her moment to have some kind of modest but meaningful success, the opportunity to be relevant. I don't know.

Anyway, the Masters and Johnson show on Showtime, Mad Men, all those -- even though there are powerful women breaking through barriers, just seeing how claustrophobic it was is not my idea of entertainment. And with Bletchley, you get the dreary world of Post-War England too. Just too much. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

[*Anya*]

Originally Posted by Martina

There is no way to derail this thread. Anything television related. I have heard about True Detective. I will check it out at some point.

I love, love, love Sherlock.

Did anyone try Ray Donovan? I couldn't finish the first season. I loved all the fixer stuff. But I hated Micky so much that I wanted to kill him.

I love Scandal, speaking of a fixer. I also used to love The Good Wife, but got bored.

I am looking forward to the new season of Suits starting. Not a great show. But I like the unexpected twists and turns.

Thanks about not derailing.

I just could not get into Ray Donovan. I really tried. Right after (or before-can't remember) is Shameless.

I could not get into Shameless either. Hard to watch the father fucking up his kids. I always had an overwhelming urge to put the father (played by Wm. Macy) on a 5150 as gravely disabled due to chronic alcoholism and get him into rehab and a 12-step program.

Suits is fun and entertaining. No strain on the brain when escapism is needed.

[C0LLETTE]

House of Cards needs more blondes. I can't tell all the brunettes apart. No problem with the bald guys.