Speak Up Saturday

I had this past week off, so I managed to watch a fair bit.

Watched all of:

Rooster, the HBO comedy starring Steve Carrell. Really enjoyed it -- looking forward to a season 2.
Believe Me, a 4-part limited true crime series about the women who took down black cab rapist John Worboys.

Started watching:

Rivals season 1. Not usually my sort of thing, but I wanted something a bit silly/lighter, but still good, and this fit the bill. Season 2 is currently airing, so will likely follow up with that.
For All Mankind season 5.
The Audacity, which is about techbros -- have watched only the first episode, will watch at least one more before deciding if I want to keep watching.

Continued watching or finished current season:

Law and Order Toronto (season finale)
Race Across the World (season finale)
Landscape Artist of the Year (season finale)
The Morning Show (continued watching)
Welcome to Wrexham (continued watching)

Bonus watch:
Project Hail Mary, which is grand. Really loved it.

Also sports (tennis, baseball).

Looking forward to: Dear England, Star City and Criminal Minds, which all start this coming week.

We also tried out Rooster last week and liked it. I expect we'll finish it in another week or so.

Watched 2 more episodes of Maul and are on the last episode of Starfleet Academy. Caught up on The Floor, Jeopardy and Daily Show. Watched through to the final episode of Colbert. They had some fun ideas for this final week.

We finished S1 of the Mandalorian rewatch and may go on to S2 but have a variety of things to see at the moment. Are almost finished with S1 of Rooster, and watched a London production of Top Hat. It was ok, but my partner was disappointed that the cast were not ballroom dancers.

We ended up watching Top Hat because I'd wanted to go back to S1 of Cobra and it turned out PBS only had S2 and S3. Plus, after watching Suffs last week I was up for seeing some more theater.

Finished S2 E1 of Rivals, and also watched some more of Hacks' final season.

I read that one can now merge Hulu and Disney+ if you have the bundle but apparently that's only true if you don't have an add on, and we have HBO Max now, having dropped ESPN. Annoying because I was looking forward to the merged watchlists.

Interesting - Hulu and Disney aren't merging anyhow over where you are? They are merging in the US. I've not bundled them - because I'm wary of doing it and not sure which way to do it - without losing money. But I've noticed I can watch Hulu stuff on Disney and Disney stuff on Hulu. For example? I watched Rivals on Disney. I prefer Hulu's setup - I can find things slightly easier than on Disney.

They've been giving Hulu and Disney viewers access to certain content from the other streamer for a while now. And since we had Disney, Hulu and (for parts of the year, ESPN) we also had a "hub" menu where we could switch to the other site. Unfortunately this did not give us access to the watchlist or "continue watching" list for the other site though.

Bundling was an easy choice for us because our Amex card gives us a $7 rebate each month that we stay bundled. This used to be more valuable than it is now given the price hikes. I know there's also a monthly savings in doing them together but I don't recall what the latest amount is. We do it direct via Hulu, though it sounds like the company plans to make Disney+ the central hub. https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/disney-plus-hulu-unified-app-phase-out-hulu-1236753838/

Two finales last week. I'll start with The Boys. I've said it before, but the show became what it parodied in the first place and that also applies to the happy ending. It felt too sweet for what the show was. There were also some things that didn't make sense. Overall it was fine, definitely not the worst season finale and with this being my least favorite season anyway, I don't mind it.

Ghosts had two episodes this week. I always like their two-parters and this one was also great. Not a fan of it ending on a cliffhanger, although this was probably the perfect timing for one since the show was renewed for season five and six last year. That said, maybe it is time to wrap it up. I still like the show a lot, but it does feel a bit stale at times.
Shaking things up could also work. I would happily "sacrifice" my two least favorite ghosts (sorry, Flower and Thor) to get some new ghosts. A love interest for Isaac or Hetty would be nice since they are kind of pairing up the ghosts.

I started re-watching the second season of Interview with the Vampire. Still awesome. I totally forgot that they already got to Paris in episode two though.

On Friday I watched The Mandalorian and Grogu. Honestly, I'm not sure what to think. My "problem" is extremely similar to how I felt about the Good Omens finale: it felt like a season of a TV show put into a movie. However, while the story was made to fit a movie, it wasn't dumbed down. Apparently this wasn't a recycled or edited story though and it was completely written as a movie *shrugs*

I have to remember about Ghosts. Of course with Colbert gone we'll have a lot of mealtime viewing opening up, so hopefully will start watching that next week.

I checked out The Boroughs for the cast (Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, Geena Davis, Denis O'Hare) and found it pretty boring. Disclaimer: I'm already on episode 5, and I will probably finish it.

Got Paramount+ for Station Eleven and BSG only for BSG to be unavailable... so I went for a couple of episodes of Nathan for You. Filing for Love and My Royal Nemesis remain good, but I could do with fewer angsty plots. Meanwhile, Absolute Value of Romance is still its cracky self. Widow's Bay, again, was wonderful this week. I can feel my Matthew Rhys crush increase with every episode. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed had a thrilling first episode. Taskmaster saved my week.

I also watched The Neon Demon and found it pretty but flat.

Looking forward to: Obsession (movie), Tip Toe (Russel T. Davies show with Alan Cumming)

Edited 2026-05-23 17:42 (UTC)

Frustrating about BSG!

I only heard about Boroughs this morning and don't have Netflix anyway, but I can see why with that cast it would be a draw. There was a story about how there are a whole lot more shows now geared at and featuring older characters. While I am glad to see this, they also need to be well written.

While I am glad to see this, they also need to be well written.

The Guardian quite liked The Boroughs -- gave it 4/5 stars and said it has an "intelligent, witty script", but takes time to "crank up the plot". https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/may/21/the-boroughs-review-netflix-monster-show

I love shows centering on old people's shenanigans! I guess I simply don't buy the way that this "friend group" is written, and that robs me of a lot of enjoyment. Doesn't help that the plot isn't particularly deep.

Pardon My Icelandic - Ari Eldjárn standup special on Netflix. Great linguistic humour, fun with accents. (Hilariously, it came up when I searched for British stand-up.)

Cunk on Earth - one episode. Did not click.

Scrubs (original flavour) has outstayed its welcome. I'm starting to actively dislike JD, and the workplace bullying and male-gaziness are grating. (Sorry to fans! I'm probably just not in the mood.)

The Burroughs - 3 episodes of the Duffers' new show. Mostly an exercise in "who's that actor?" It's pretty slow, but it's only 8 episodes, so we'll probably finish. My favourite part is Geena Davis and her younger love interest.

I'm super enjoying To My Beloved Thief, a historical Kdrama that bears similarities to Knight Flower but is even crackier. The prince plays against type, which is great, and I'm hanging out for an enemies-to-lovers OT3 (lol, never going to happen). (No spoilers, please!)

I'm also still into Absolute Value of Romance (about a high school student secretly writing RPS about her teachers), though last week's episodes were a bit weird. (Haven't seen this week's yet! No spoilers, please!)

And last weekend, my partner, a friend and I semi-randomly started a supernatural mystery/thriller called Miraculous Brothers, which I was mostly interested in for Bae Hyun Sung (Hae Joon from Family by Choice). I have no idea where it's going, which is always fun.

We did end up watching all of Cunk on Earth and the other one on Netflix. However I remember feeling it was a bit much when we first tried it out. Literally watched the rest of it 2 years later!

Oh, that's good to know. So you just had to be in the right mood, or approach it with the right expectations, or something?

I guess my issue with it was that it seemed very two note? Like the humor came from doing 2 or 3 things repeatedly with just a different context.

It was also often trying too hard to not understand. On occasion though, the "dumb host" bit could end up revealing a bigger truth and that was when I particularly enjoyed it.

Diane Morgan as Cunk worked much better as a recurring skit on Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Brooker%27s_Weekly_Wipe). Stretching the character out for full half-hour episodes is really pushing it.

I could see that, yeah.

On occasion though, the "dumb host" bit could end up revealing a bigger truth and that was when I particularly enjoyed it.

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. :-)

I watched Scrubs not too long after its original run ended. It's been a while, but I can see how not all of it (mainly Dr. Cox' jokes) did not age too well.

Yeah. I find Dr Cox really likeable overall, and I don't need him to be nicer -- I just wish he'd quit it with the misgendering. There's also the feeling (exacerbated by Heather Locklear's appearance) that every woman on the show is being rated for hotness all the time. ;-p

But it has some really lovely aspects, too. I do enjoy Carla and Turk's relationship. <3

I thought the same about last week's episodes of Absolute Value of Romance. It feels a lot less random this week.

I haven't watched episode 13 yet (and haven't been able to find episode 14), but I'm looking forward to catching up!

Been watching Rivals - which feels like a parody of a prime time 1980s American soap opera by way of the Brits, and a satire of the 1980s British broadcast television at the same time. It's a bit graphic on the sexual hijinks. One of the few shows that I've seen with full frontal nudity with men. Could give HBO a run for its money. Although Hulu admittedly has done it with other shows. But wasn't this partially BBC produced? I'm two episodes in - and its growing on me. I actually like most of the lead characters, and Aidan Quinn and David Tennant have rather interesting and different roles for both. Both are character roles.

Also, still watching From - which has found new and innovative ways to scare folks. But, the plot is getting a little tired and I'm glad it's concluding with the fifth season. I'm on the fourth, and episodes drop once a week. It's on MGM +, so not widely available?

Watched Send Help - a satirical, darkly comic Sam Rami horror flick. Which really subverts both the horror genre, survival and the office romance genre. Think Misery meets Castaway by way of Industry or Succession. It is hilarious in places. But it is also Sam Rami's brand of humor - which you either like or you don't? (Rami - is behind the Evil Dead, Ash vs. the Evil Dead, Xena, Hercules the Legendary Journeys, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness...and Drag me to Hell. I actually found this to be one of the few Rami horror films that I could watch - it wasn't as scary, gory, or violent as his other flicks.)

Considering watching Midnight Mass, and possibly more of Widow's Bay, and flirting with The Rooster.
I've been looking for good horror - but not horror that will keep me up at night. I don't need help with sleeplessness, I can do that on my own. ;-)

I watched Send Help today and thought it was a lot of fun. Widow's Bay, IMHO, is less horror-intensive than Midnight Mass, mainly because it subverts the common tropes with absurd comedy.

I'm not finding Midnight Mass all that scary? But I'm admittedly only two episodes in. So that could change? Vampires and the Catholic Church don't scare me - overdone. But again, it could change - since it is Flanagan.

Agreed on Widow's Bay - it's more of a dark comedy, with some jump scares. I wouldn't call it all that scary? It's not like From - which is scary and pure Stephen King old-school horror.

Send Help - is fun, isn't it? Also subverts a lot of old tropes nicely. It surprised me. I didn't think it was all that funny until well...that one scene. Which was surprisingly hilarious. (although men may not find it so, then again they might - Sam Rami was the director, and he has a fiendish sense of humor - he loved to prank Bruce Campbell.)

This week we watched Designed to Last, which was about trying to protect tiny houses from wind, snow, water, and fire. Some of the ideas were a bit daffy, but others were brilliant. Some of the tests were fair, others really not. It was amusing to watch.

Finally started Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I've given in to the (imaginary) pressure. Only two episodes in, but I really enjoyed them. Looked for some lists of people's favourite seasons, and the first one rarely made the top three places, so what I'm getting is that it's only going to get better as it goes on?

It will indeed 😊 I've never run across someone who thinks the first season is the best (although it ends quite well). Most people feel S2 is when it hits its stride. After that, there's a lot of mixed opinion about best season.

As it happens I am currently listening to a podcast which reviews "essential" Buffy episodes, since it's a long show with the traditional long seasons. Their opinion was that of the 1st season only the first two episodes (which are essentially a 2 parter setting up the show), the (7th?) episode "Angel" and the last two episodes are necessary viewing. Their criteria appears to be necessary either to the longer storyline of the show or essential to a particular character's arc.

However they agree that there are few episodes that don't offer something valuable, either for a particular character or just a wonderful scene. IMO the show excels in developing complex characters you end up caring about, but I also know a lot of people who have just 2 or 3 favorites and watch it mainly for them, so mileage definitely varies!

Omg thank you for this overview, it is really helpful!

I am excited to see the show get even better. I know many people hate first seasons of shows because it takes time for the show decide in what direction to go, but I've usually always liked first seasons exactly because of that set up. Love seeing the characters at the beginning of the journey and wondering how they'll end up later. These first two episodes have already got me hooked, so I can't wait to continue (if my exams allow me).

Buffy is an odd series in that the fandom/audience is actually split over what are the best episodes best seasons - the first three, or the last four.

That said, everyone agrees the show gets better as it goes, and it really hits its stride in S2 and S3. The critically acclaimed episodes are actually in the later seasons. S4, S5, and S6 have episodes that changed the course of television in a major way.

Buffy was one of those television series that is considered a game changer. A lot of current television writers and actors grew up watching Buffy and decided to get into the business because of it, or their writing styles were heavily influenced by it. Examples? Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy and Bridgerton and Scandal), RT Davies (Doctor Who, Torchwood, It's a Sin), Choloe ZHao - Nomadland, the Eternals, and Hamnet. Actors? Katee Sackoff (Starbuck BSG - decided to become an actress because of Buffy per her podcast).

I'm admittedly biased, since it is my favorite television show.

Well I guess I'll have to watch it all and see which group I belong to😄

Wow I didn't know it was such an impactful show. Guess it'll be an important part of my TV curriculum. Thank you all for wonderful information! I might come back for some more info🫡

The two groups liked to fight when it aired, and long after it aired, and still do. LOL!

I guess when something is good you can only fight about which part is better XD

It was fandom? They fought over everything, including whether vampires could breath, or what a soul actually is or means. Which were actually the less heated and more interesting arguments.

Oh cool! Yeah, season 1 is very "case of the week", but as it going on, it gets a lot more arcy and enjoyable. Have fun! :D

Except for about four-five episodes? The first two, the last one, Angel and Nightmares.

Yes, true. The ratio of standalones kind of flips over, doesn't it.

The writers kept trying to cater to the network's demand for a more episodic/stand-a-lone style, and kept falling into the serialized format. It's kind of amusing to watch.

I keep forgetting to factor in the networks that were behind some decisions. It's funny to imagine them trying to reel in the beast that is good TV lol

Not only that? The networks were picky about casting, and ahem, somewhat on the racist side - particularly in the 20th Century and early 00s. That's why Buffy isn't that diverse? It's actually fairly diverse for the 1990s and early 00s. Everything changed for US television, when the NAACP and various social justice action groups legally sued the networks - forcing them to do diverse casting.
So as a result of that? We got token casting in the early 00s - you see it in the West Wing series, Buffy, Angel, and Veronica Mars. The leads were still white, but we'd have a supporting or minor character who wasn't.

Then somewhere around 2010, when Netflix and streaming took off - that all changed. Now, it's very hard for a series without diversified casting to get greenlit. Or to be successful. The majority of the audience probably won't watch it.

I think we can to some degree - thank streaming for this, but also the people who fought back through the legal system to force the networks to change how they cast television shows and films.Or what television properties they chose to adapt.

Omg an to think that that wasn't actually that long ago. Also, I am amazed at the amount of tv knowledge you are harbouring! All of you are giving me free history lessons XD

I find it fascinating - so tend to listen to and read a lot of stuff on the making of television shows, films, theater productions, books, art...I'm a culture junkie and a bit of a culture geek/nerd.

Also remember a lot of it.

I saw the pilot episode of Buffy (it's not that good - but you can find it on the internet) - and it had a different Willow. The Willow in the pilot was played by Riff Regan.

Riff Regan in unaired pilot

The network didn't think she worked, and Whedon had to recast her.

That's good to hear cus monster of the week format does get a bit boring after some time. Thank youu!

Personally, my favorite season is 3.
For any older show that was hugely influential, it can look hackneyed--precisely because you've seen so many imitations of it.

Many people mentioned that as their favourite!
Honestly I think it will be very interesting to see the show that so many others draw their inspiration from. It's probably the origin of many tv tropes that I see now. Very excited to continue watching!

Speak Up Saturday

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