What’s on TV?

[Huntn]

The Diplomat (2023 Netflix)- Most excellent series about a career diplomat appointed as U.S. Ambassadore to The UK. and walks into a crisis as an English warship is attacked by a foreign power. i’m about halfway though Season 1. The series has been renewed.

 

[Huntn]

The Diplomat (2023 Netflix)- Most excellent series about a career diplomat appointed as U.S. Ambassadore to The UK. and walks into a crisis as an English warship is attacked by a foreign power. i’m about halfway though Season 1. The series has been renewed.

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Season on ends with a cliff hanger, I like Rufus Sewell in this because it’s the first role I remember him, where he does not play a villian.

 

[Alli]

Season on ends with a cliff hanger, I like Rufus Sewell in this because it’s the first role I remember him, where he does not play a villian.

What?! You mean you’ve never seen Cold Comfort Farm?! That’s the first thing I ever saw him in. Check it out. He was definitely not the villain.

 

[dada_dave]

Not on TV but maybe should be?

 

[Alli]

We just started Rabbit Hole with Keifer Sutherland. Talk about a mind bender! The first episode starts off a little slow, but the pace increases quickly. Nothing is as it seems.

Rabbit Hole (TV Series 2023– ) ⭐ 7.4 | Action, Drama, Thriller

1h 28m | TV-MA

www.imdb.com

 

[Eric]

Thanks for the spoiler tag. I haven’t started the new season yet. I’ve gotten spoiled, and will save a few episodes so I can binge, and not worry about when it’s next on. I’m doing the same with Only Murders in the Building.

**********

If you haven’t caught it, try Full Circle on Max. You can binge the entire limited series at once. Extremely good.

Not sure how far you may have gotten but won't give anything away other than to say IMO this is the best thing since Game of Thrones, so well written and acted throughout. Can't recommend it more.

 

[Alli]

Not sure how far you may have gotten but won't give anything away other than to say IMO this is the best thing since Game of Thrones, so well written and acted throughout. Can't recommend it more.

I went ahead and started, but I’m still behind. Still enjoying it, although my son’s not happy with this season.

The other show I’m really enjoying season 2 is Invasion. It just gets better and better.

 

[Eric]

I went ahead and started, but I’m still behind. Still enjoying it, although my son’s not happy with this season.

I think you'll enjoy it, it's gotten 100% on RT as well.

The other show I’m really enjoying season 2 is Invasion. It just gets better and better.

Have been watching this as well and haven't been as happy, a little too melodramatic with the soap opera family stuff for my taste.

 

[Alli]

Have been watching this as well and haven't been as happy, a little too melodramatic with the soap opera family stuff for my taste.

I can’t stand the stuff revolving around the family. OTOH, Luke has been a major player since the first episode. He’s sensitive to the aliens. Eventually we’ll see him with Tanaka, and the English boy (whose name I’ve forgotten).

 

[Herdfan]

With the writer's strike no where near ending, it looks like we may not have any new net work shows until January or possibly even the season.

So this thread will be a great reference for people to find new shows to watch.

 

[Eric]

Just finished One Piece on Netflix and thought it's one of the best shows they've put out in a long time, great casting/characters all well written and entertaining.

 

[Nycturne]

So, we finished the second season of Foundation. I actually think overall it worked better than the first season. There’s still some things I am not a fan of because it’s a bit like Lynch’s take on Dune in places (changing things to make it more mass market appeal at the cost of some interesting beats/characters/themes), but more respectful and inclusive than Lynch’s take on Dune (which turned a warning about power into a white savior story). Overall, after taking in the whole season, I think it is a stronger season than the first.

I’ll stick around to see where Goyer’s going with this, but it’ll also probably lead to a re-read of the books for me. It’s well off the path of the books at this point, cribbing notes more than anything else. The season also covers a lot of ground and glosses over some of the nuance in favor of a more tight writing, which I think works out better than I expected it to. The season follows 3 specific story arcs, which all feel well served in the pacing except one which still isn’t too bad, unlike the second half of season 1.

If you liked season 1, I think you’ll find more to like in season 2.

Spoiler: Foundation Books and Season 2

Season 2 mashes up elements from the second half of Foundation, parts of Foundation and Empire, and introduces the Mule. This seems like an awful lot of things to cover in one 10 episode season and it is. A lot of the themes behind religion leading to trade leading to the Federation get glossed over in favor of Belirose’s arc, and a second (wholly new) arc that leads to what the viewer is lead to believe is the formation of the Second Foundation. There’s a third arc around Day attempting to revitalize the empire as well, which following the strong Empire story in the first season, continue to crib notes from the fall of the Roman empire.

I get that they got this well known actor with chops to play Hari Seldon, but it does feel like he draws attention away from some of the other characters at times in service of fleshing out his character. What we did get of Hari’s backstory though was good, so at least there’s that. What we’ve seen of the Mule so far makes me sad because the complexity of the character seems utterly missing in favor of a veiled threat of a monster lurking in the future. I hope we get to see a more interesting version of the Mule in season 3. These were my two biggest let downs of the season.

That said, there’s some real bright spots here. I like how Bel Riose‘s character was handled this season. The show really sold the character of someone who hates how Day leads, but believes in the Empire. In fact, Bel Riose, Hober Mallow, Brother Constant, and Poly Verisof were the standouts this season. We also get to see the introduction of mentalics more concretely, and the events that lead Gaal to befriend them and for her to put aside her animosity towards Seldon. Ultimately, I think this arc served it’s purpose in letting Gaal grow into the role she needs to play, but was a little bloated compared. We also get another tip of the hat to an empire in decline by creating competing claims on successorship to the throne, much like with the claims of the true successor to Rome in real life.

 

[Hrafn]

Just finished One Piece on Netflix and thought it's one of the best shows they've put out in a long time, great casting/characters all well written and entertaining.

Now you need to finish all… what… 15 seasons of the anime?

We’re a little over half way through the live version.

 

[Alli]

If you liked season 1, I think you’ll find more to like in season 2.

I’m not done yet, but have enjoyed season 2 thoroughly. It’s been 40 years since I read the Foundation series, so I’ve forgotten a lot of the detail, but there are still things that strike me as being off.

 

[Nycturne]

I’m not done yet, but have enjoyed season 2 thoroughly. It’s been 40 years since I read the Foundation series, so I’ve forgotten a lot of the detail, but there are still things that strike me as being off.

Honestly, it helps to think of this as someone trying to create something off the bones of the books, rather than adapting them. It’s wildly inaccurate to the books. But it’s clear that Goyer at least gets some of what the books want to say, and mines the same sources of inspiration Asimov did to flesh out things he wants to flesh out that were not even touched on in the books. So yeah, seeing more Rome-inspired bits tickles me. Falling into the trap of warping interesting characters to make them more mainstream for the Marvel audience less so. I’m honestly torn because this show does as much well, as it blunders.

I also give Goyer props for diversifying the cast and playing with different future ethnic groups. My complaints about Hardin for example are that she should have been a steely diplomat and rolling in the drama and conflict that can bring rather than just make her another action hero type. Hardin got through the first crisis in the books with his tongue, and I would to have loved to see that on screen, and I think the actress they cast was absolutely up to the task if that’s what they asked of her.

 

[Herdfan]

Finished the first season of Welcome to Wrexham. It turned out to be a great show. I’m reminded why I’m not a sports fan, it gets too goddamn emotional, often within the confines of a single game. Movies/TV shows on sports, though, I’m all in.

Wife and I just started this and it is a great show.

I'll admit that I get excited when my team is doing well, and a bit down when they lose. But then I go on with life. For some of these people it seems like being a fan IS their life.

But we are 6 eps in and looking forward to watching it play out.

 

[Herdfan]

Maybe?? Hopefully!

WGA Reviewing Deal That Studios Call Their “Best & Final Offer” – Update

UPDATED, 6:02 PM: After a full day of negotiations between the WGA and AMPTP, the guild’s lawyers are reviewing what the studios call their “best and final offer.” We understand t…

deadline.com

 

[Edd]

Moonlighting on Hulu soon! This is one of those oddball shows that never went on streaming because of music rights . Curious to see how it'll hold up. It was a buzzy show when I was in high school. Remember when Bruce Willis was funny?

Oh, hey, Moonlighting is finally coming to streaming

34 years after Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd's TV classic went off the air, it's finally coming to Hulu

www.avclub.com

 

[Herdfan]

Moonlighting on Hulu soon! This is one of those oddball shows that never went on streaming because of music rights . Curious to see how it'll hold up. It was a buzzy show when I was in high school. Remember when Bruce Willis was funny?

It was college for me and appointment TV for sure. Will definitely be streaming. Except the last season which was a train wreck.



I did see where Magnum PI will be back this week. Guess they had those episodes in the can before the strike.

 

[Edd]

Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 50 Best TV Shows of the 21st Century (So Far)

Over the course of a few months, several Zoom meetings, lots of emails and countless Excel spreadsheets, three THR TV critics joined forces to hash out, and rank, what they consider the greatest shows since 2000.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Because lists are fun.

Spoiler: Mad Men was put at the top, which is correct, IMO.