tv_talk | Speak Up Saturday

Started 1923 but as I'm watching it with my partner it will probably be slow going.

I watched my first episode of Wheel of Fortune (Celebrity edition) in my attempt to find more quiz shows to exercise to. Decided it wasn't for me. I tried $100,000 Pyramid and liked it. It's funny how contestants can't help miming even though it's often unnecessary or unhelpful. Will be trying Hollywood Squares next which I didn't realize was still on.

Caught up on Daredevil and am liking it. Still trudging my way through L.A. Law (almost done with S7), also various animal docs (My Animal Friend was often sweet).

Also tried out Midcentury Life and found it a very mixed bag. I was wondering if the laugh track was in homage to midcentury sitcoms! Did not like it but I can see why they might use it because the comedy was generally broad and not particularly funny. Seeing Matt Bomer play a dumb brunette is kind of iffy. He does ok at it but it's difficult to see Neil Caffrey as an Osmond-loving flight attendant. Good cast but they deserve better material.

Also tried out Midcentury Life and found it a very mixed bag.

Oh wow. I hadn't heard of it, and I just watched the trailer on youtube. That was... so broad, wow. /o\ (Imagine a less "sitcom"-y version of the same thing. It could be really great! *wistful*)

Edited (icon) 2025-03-30 00:53 (UTC)

Yeah the cast for the show is great but the writing is so not. Yet I think it might be only a streaming show because Nathan Lane says "shit" at one point and that's still not broadcast standard.

I think this is MidCentury Modern? Because it sounds like it? I just tried that on Hulu, and didn't get far. The pilot starts with a funeral? And it's very broad humor.

Edited 2025-03-30 15:11 (UTC)

That's it, Midcentury Modern. And I even got the antiques play they were making there and still forgot the name!

It's okay, I only remember it - because I tried it the day before, and it was up when I went to Hulu.

I can't watch shows with a laugh track. I remember trying Superior Donuts and turning it off after five minutes.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that MASH originally has a laugh track. They removed it for the UK, but the German version also doesn't have one. It's obviously not filmed in a studio, why would you add a laugh track!?

They actually removed MASH's laugh track at a certain point in the US - I think by the third or fourth season, it was gone. (It was standard practice to have a canned laugh track in sitcoms in the 20th Century. Either an audience or a canned laugh track.)

I agree. I can't stand the laugh track. I tried Shifting Gears - and it annoyed me. That was an audience though, still annoying. I can tell it's the audience, because the actors pause and wait like they do in the theater, which makes it even more annoying. Also it's not necessarily natural laughter - they have signs telling the "Studio" audience when to laugh and when to applaud.

That's interesting. I know that I have watched (90s) sitcoms with laugh tracks, but that was before I watched shows in English. I can't find anything on that right now, but maybe the sound mix was different? German typically shows don't have a laugh track. There are (older) shows filmed in front of an audience, but the laughter sounds much more natural, like a genuine audience reaction. I can totally see how they might have toned down the laugh track for the dubbed version.

I think I learned about the existence of these "applause" and "laugh" signs on The Simpsons. I always assumed it was canned laughter because it always sounded the exact same to me and not like something that was captured in the moment.

If you are familiar with it - you can kind of tell the difference? Roseanne and the Connors were a studio audience, as are most of the family sitcoms. Cheers was in front of an audience. All the late night talk shows are, as is Saturday Night Live - that's taped in front of an audience. In the industry they are called single camera shows. I think it is single camera. And actors love it - because it is similar to theater - you have an audience and you have the people on stage. And a camera. Very few American situation comedies are filmed without an audience. Shifting Gears has one for example.

The documentary style ones do not have a studio audience - Abbot Elementary doesn't, The Office didn't.

Animation doesn't - such as The Simpsons.

Dramas are all filmed without an audience. Dramas tend to be multi-camera affairs.

The Bear isn't filmed with any audience and on location for the most part.

Thanks for the in-depth explanation! I remember watching some of Roseanne, but I couldn't tell.

Mike Schur generally seems to forgo the laugh track which I appreciate. I tend to favor his comedies. Honestly, I would not be watching Abbott Elementary if it had a laugh track. I feel that would make the show unfunny to me.

Kevin Can F**k Himself really did job of using the canned laughter to create the sitcom atmosphere vs. the drama side. I really need to watch the second season of that...

Michael Schur's comedies just don't work with it - they appear to be mainly on location or have a documentary style. Also multi-camera.

I don't think they use canned laughter any longer? If it is a show that is post-20th Century and has a laugh track? It's probably a studio audience.

Kevin Can F**k Himself is actually a drama (a rather depressing one). Wikipedia describes it as "The show presents contrasting perspectives of her experience - a typical sitcom wife when Allison is with her husband Kevin, shown with a multiple-camera setup and canned laughter, and as a woman navigating a difficult personal path, filmed in the single-camera setup more common to television dramas." They also desaturate the colors for the drama scenes. In this case it would make no sense to use an audience since that's not even half of the story (the majority are non-sitcom scenes I'd say).

Also tried out Midcentury Life and found it a very mixed bag

I just read about it yesterday and decided to try it but didn't get around to it yet. That does not sound promising, though. /o\ Maybe I should finish Fellow Travelers instead.

That's something I want to watch as well.

I finally binged Rivals, and then I binged it again, lol. I was really into the book way back when and I think it's a great adaptation. Very fun soapy black comedy based on a raunchy soapy 80s novel and apparently I still ship the thing I shipped years ago.

Survivor is back! Enjoying it, this cast is quite rootable.

The Wheel of Time! This season is really good and besides the cool magic effects and lore, I'm enjoying all the shippiness.

The Traitors US wrapped up so I'm meaning to start watching an international season, but I haven't yet.

Yes, I had a good time with Rivals. It's just as you described.

When I saw this post, I said, hey, I liked The Rutshire Chronicles! So I signed up for hulu, and watched two episodes yesterday and two today. A+ quality silly trash, although its version of Plot Armor is that Cameron always manages to be beautifully dressed when everyone else looks hideous.

Lol, yes I am enjoying looking at Cameron. They're toning down the 80s silhouettes for her, I think, and she looks so good in the 80s prints and bright colours. No bubble skirts.

Sadly, I'm a bit busy so I didn't really watch that much. I've still managed to keep up with two currently airing shows:

1923 - Which is basically a soap, but for dudes. I like soapy plots, so I like it well enough, plus Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.

Dark Winds - I'm really curious how this season goes! So far, it's a bit slow, but I don't necessarily mind that. Kind of sad that Manuelito has been off doing her own thing, mostly.

I'm also trying to slowly make my way through The Residence, which is fun so far (I've seen three episodes). Cordelia Cupp and Edwin Park are great Sherlock and Watson expies, and the cast of suspects is very entertaining.

Edited (fixed closing italic tag) 2025-03-30 00:17 (UTC)

Is this a new season of Dark Winds? We were caught up but I'm not sure how we'll access it now.

The third season is currently airing. I can't help you with accessing it, unfortunately.

My partner and I tried out The Pitt because so many people here like it, and I think we're 6 episodes in now? I stupidly managed to spoil myself on Dreamwidth of all places, but am enjoying it well enough anyway.

We just have the last two episodes of Undercover High School to go. I love this kdrama so much! It's ridiculous and awwww. <3

My sister and I are still watching Slings & Arrows s3. Hoping to finish up on Wednesday.

Other than that, Krapopolis, Ghosts (UK)... I think that's all.

Long Bright River - watched the entire series and it was quite good but wasn't what I was expecting. I think I was expecting something almost like a nordic noir murder mystery, and while it was a murder mystery, it was a lot more gritty and "cop show" like if that makes sense. Reminded me a little of Chicago PD, actually.

Yellowstone - I started binging this not long ago since I liked the other shows (1923 etc) but hadn't watched the original yet, and actually, I didn't like S1 much, but then it just got good somehow and now I love it. I'm up to season 5 which I believe is the last season. Its a weird show in that I both love and hate every single character. But Beth especially.

Otherwise its just been movies and weekly stuff but nothing weekly that really stands out aside from:

The Pitt - this show has been consistently good since the start, but the last few eps especially have been amazing. So realistic. Highly recommend watching.

Coming up... season 3 of SurrealEstate I think starts this week? I'm not positive though.

Yellowstone really takes off in S3. (I kind of skipped over the first two seasons myself), and yes, it's an odd show in that I kind of hate and love all the characters. I was mainly watching for Beth though. That actress was really nailing that part. The writer also really knows a lot about horses and horse ranching, the whole side-story about horse training in Texas was excellent (that's in S3). I lost interest in S5, may come back to it. It has a tendency to recycle tired soap plots. They are planning on continuing it, just without Costner, who had a falling out with Taylor Sheridan. Bascially they got into a pissing contest.

I have to catch up on Surreal Estate as well.

I took this past week off from work, so actually managed to watch some stuff.

New shows/New seasons of shows

I finished Prime Target (Apple) and adored it. The way it ended leaves the possibility of a second series, which unfortunately, Apple hasn't committed to, at least not yet. Fingers crossed, but even if this is all we get, I can live with that. Also finished this season of Mythic Quest, and the lovely School Swap: UK to USA. Too bad that one had only 3 episodes -- the kids were lovely and I would have watched a few more.

I watched all of The Residence, a mystery/crime show about the murder of the Chief Usher of the White House that occurs in the White House during a State dinner. It was very enjoyable, apparently similar in style to the Knives Out films (which I've never seen so can't confirm or deny). However, I did feel that it was overly long -- the last two episodes in particular felt really stretched. Probably would have flowed better as a 6 episode series rather than the actual 8 episodes.

I also finally watched the 4-ep limited series Mr Bates vs he Post Office, which I've had recorded on my PVR for like... eons. And it is very good, and I'm glad I finally got around to seeing it.

I also started the new (and final) season of Bosch: Legacy, but only two episodes in. I really enjoy this series and the characters, so am somewhat sad that there won't be any more after this one.

I tried a couple of episodes of Long Bright River, but it just felt like it was trying really hard to be Mare of Easttown, and failing. Don't think I'll continue with it.

Weekly shows and other

The Pitt continues to be beyond excellent. If you enjoy medical dramas, you really should be watching this show because it leaves the others in the dust. I suppose some might find it too stressful or traumatic as it is extremely realistic, but I honestly can't say enough about this one. Everyone in the cast is excellent and they should all be up for various awards come award season, but as Alan Sepinwall (Rolling Stone magazine) pointed out, most will likely be overlooked given the presence of White Lotus, the upcoming return of The Last of Us, etc. The exception will be Noah Wyle, who should be nominated for this week's episode (and every other episode). There are a few offspring of famous people in the cast, notably Taylor Dearden -- the daughter of Bryan Cranston, and Fiona Dourif, daughter of Brad Dourif.

The only other weeklies I watched were Will Trent, Portrait Artist of the Year, and Curse of Oak Island. There has been tennis (Miami Open) and baseball as well.

I did not know Dr. King was played by Cranston's daughter, and Dr. McKay by Brad Dourif's. They are amazing in those roles. I think Sepinwall is wrong on this point - The Pitt is talked about across the social media platforms. Stephen King has gone nuts over it. It's gotten more press than White Lotus (which has been blasted this season critically speaking). We're not the only ones loving that series. I've seen people go on about it on Threads.

[ETA: Apparently Brad Dourif has been cast to play Dr. McCay (Fiona Dourif) father on the Pitt. )

Agree - The Pitt is excellent.

Edited 2025-03-30 15:41 (UTC)

Lots of shows are talked about a lot, and never get nominated or win anything. That's one of the main reasons I don't bother with awards shows-- it's always the same old same olds that get nominated/win, and so many great shows never get a single nod. But hopefully The Pitt will get the recognition it deserves.

True, but The Pitt fits a few key categories? It's hyper-realism. It's gotten stellar reviews. And it's at the top of the charts. The Wire was overlooked but Cop shows often are. There's too many of them. Medical shows have been too - but this one is unique and stands out. Also the Academy loves hyper-realism. (See The Bear and this reminds me a lot of The Bear.) Also, it's on HBO, only has 15 episodes and is on a streamer, not network.

White Lotus? It's S3, and the critics don't like it. They find it boring and disappointing. The reviews have not been positive. It's lost it's flavor.

Last of Us? It's based on a video game and is science-fiction, the Academy doesn't award science fiction, or rarely. Also the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences frowns on horror - they don't like it. [That why Walking Dead, Yellowjackets, BSG, Buffy, and various others were ignored. Game of Thrones was a rarity.) I think it was ignored when it first aired? I don't know. I've admittedly not been following the awards that closely myself. And it's season 2, so...Succession, it's not.

The Pitt kind of stands out.

Edited 2025-03-30 22:26 (UTC)

I, too, am sad this will be the last season anything Bosch -- a series that was so much better than it had any right to be and was really overlooked.

I'm still enjoying The Pitt, but we are finding it to be a bit much in terms of things going wrong.

Good to know about The Residence, I've added it to my Netflix Watchlist.

Yes, Mr. Bates was really good. It's a shame it got such low viewership, especially given the topic.

Yes, Mr. Bates was really good. It's a shame it got such low viewership, especially given the topic.

Er -- it was a massive hit in the UK, which is really the only place viewership numbers would matter, and had a massive impact there: https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a46330337/mr-bates-vs-post-office-viewing-figures/

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/13/mr-bates-vs-the-post-office-why-it-took-a-tv-series-to-bring-the-post-office-scandal-to-light

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240112-post-office-scandal-how-a-tv-drama-shook-up-britain-in-just-a-week

(and dozens of similar articles out there)

Oh that's great! I thought I remembered seeing that the BBC invested a lot in it and it hadn't paid off in terms of response, but I must have been confusing it with something else.

I watched (in order of enjoyment):
Taskmaster Australia S4E1: Emma Holland was my favorite contestant. I also continue to enjoy Tom Gleeson's Taskmaster banter.

Million Dollar Secret E1-2: It's perfectly fine television for cleaning.

The White Lotus S3E6: Just waiting for the it all to implode. Can we at least get a happy ending for Belinda?

The Residence SE1: An intriguing first episode.

Yellowjackets S3E8: I think I'm finally over this show.

I'm currently re-watching S1 of The Last of Us. I could barely remember the story and it was so good, it's absolutely worth re-watching. Once I'm finished, I'll also re-watch Andor before the start of S2. Hopefully I will be finished by then.

The third season Reacher has ended. It was fine overall. Like I mentioned before, I felt no attachment to any of the new characters which makes it seem weaker than S1 and 2 imo.

I watched the first two episodes of The Studio. So far, it feels like an actually good version of The Franchise lol
The cast seems absolutely stacked and I honestly can't wait to see who else is going to guest star.

I really the first new episode of Daredevil: Born Again last week (the second wasn't bad either). Many people would probably call it filler, but I liked getting a tiny update on another MCU character and concentrating on Matt without the big politics of it all. Apparently this was a bonus episode or rather a leftover of what the season was originally going to be?

Watson has been renewed for a second season. I'm honestly surprised because I haven't heard anything about it online and it's not THAT good. Apparently the ratings are good though. I feel kinda invested now, but I can totally see how someone would drop it after 1-2 episodes. I still don't think it needs the Sherlock Holmes connection.

I have not tried Watson but also didn't see why that was needed other than to make it stand out as a medical drama.

I'm also liking Daredevil, in fact much more so than many of the recent MCU shows.

They introduce other Holmes-related characters, but it still doesn't need to be a Sherlock Holmes show. It's not as if they can just assume everyone knows the canon behind these characters. It makes less sense now that we've seen eight episodes...

I feel like I'll always be biased when it comes to Daredevil, but same!

I continued with Severance, I'm on ep 1x04, although it's starting to get scary now and I'm not sure I'm up to that at the moment.

As a counterweight, I also continued Somebody Somewhere, have now finished season 2. I thought they glossed over the conflict between Joel and Sam a bit too quickly, but I'm really loving Tricia this season.

Since it was recced here last week, I tried The Pitt, and damn, the camerawork makes me nauseous. That's a pity, because I really like it a lot. I'll have to go through it in ten-minute chunks, I'm afraid. I managed two eps so far. I can see how the plot could be good (I have one guess at what's going to happen later in the day so far), although I don't like the setup of it only covering one day. There can perforce not be much character development in such a short time, at most "from flashbacks to now". And I'm usually always invested in shows for the characters and don't care as much about the plot. Despite all the gore and stress and death, it's comfort viewing for me, weirdly. :D Being Noah Wyle's age, it feels like we both started out on ER and have now come full circle, and that's just so beautiful. (I didn't dare look up interviews with him yet on why he picked the role, because everyone keeps saying that there are huge spoilers everywhere, so I'm being cautious.) But it feels like coming home. <3

I can see why handhelds are used in some circumstances but honestly I think it's become a default due to cost and its effects seem to be ignored.

* The Pitt continues to be rather good. I look forward to watching each episode. It's a hyper-realistic medical drama, possibly the most realistic one that I've seen without it being a docu-drama. Far better than ER. [But not for everyone? If you don't like medical dramas or real time dramas, this isn't for you. I didn't rec it to a close friend. ]

* Daredevil Born Again is getting better, and is closer to the old series, than to the new Marvel ventures, which is a good thing. They apparently tried to go the other direction, recognized their mistake, and did a quick reversal.

* Watched a few films: "A Complete Unknown" - which is among the better musician bio-pics, it doesn't fall into trite cliches for once, but at the same time, I know more about everyone else, and less about Dyan. Also, considering Bob Dylan reviewed the script and consulted on the project, he comes across as a bit of a jerk. To pretty much everyone involved, with the possible exception of a drunk Johnny Cash and a dying Woody Guthrie. Great music, and performances, for the most part. Also, saw "I am the Noise" - the Joan Baez documentary - which was far more inspiring and provided information on the singer/songwriter that I didn't know (she suffers from mental illness). While Dylan's film ends with him riding off into the sunset on his motorcycle, her's ends with her dancing in the sunshine with her dog.

Looking forward to?

Andor S2 - on Disney Plus

And I may watch Sing Sing on HBO Max today

Also, more episodes of Daredevil and The Pitt.

Edited 2025-03-30 15:34 (UTC)

I've got Complete Unknown in my queue and might see it this week.

It's good...in an odd roundabout sort of way.

Forgot to add - began watching Somebody Somewhere S3 on HBO - binged four episodes. It's my comfort show. Lovely little show about a woman living in Manhattan, Kansas, who is living paycheck to paycheck, with various LGBTA friends. Highly recommend.

I agree with you about DD:BA. The first 3 episodes were a bit of a flounder. It started finding its feet with episode 4, which is the first episode I re-watched. 5 and 6 were really solid, and I plan to re-watch them.

I’m enjoying 100 Years of Solitude in a kind of passive way; I mean I find the overall plot kind of hard to follow, and sometimes that makes me go at a show with a notebook in hand so I can write down plot points and characters. But I’m not doing that with this show, I’m just osmosing it. I like the story of each episode and it’s lovely to look at and the soundscape is pretty amazing sometimes.

I’m also enjoying The Leopard because I know zero about the history and the characters are all flawed in interesting ways. And the scenery is pretty amazing.

Had not heard about The Leopard but it sounds interesting! I welcome historicals that don't retread things for the 100th time.

I'm enjoying Tracker right now. It's just good and I am liking the characters.

Also, enjoying Monarch on Apple.

I watched Monarch and was pleasantly surprised by the plotting and how the storylines tied together.

I was pretty surprised too. I had previously watched the first 2 movies and thought maybe I should watch the others before the show. Some of the movies are kind of blah but overall I enjoyed it. The show, however, definitely seems better than most of the movies.

I'm also enjoying having Kurt Russell on screen in something more adventurous again. I think I'm 3 episodes in so not too far but so far so good.

Speak Up Saturday

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