This Old Neon Forum

Claytone wrote:
Cheers is a wonderful show. I began watching it simply because it was so acclaimed in its time, but I certainly had my misgivings. As a teetotaler, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get much out of the show, so I was glad to see that the show really has as little to do with booze as a show about a bar could. The show is probably the most "boilerplate" of the ones I'm watching right now, but that's not necessarily bad. The characters all have their charm, and above all, the show makes me laugh every episode, so I guess as long as the jokes are coming, it's not particularly problematic that the plots can be a bit predictable. One element the show has that's unlike any other I've watched is the Coach character. He's little more than a "who's on first?" wordplay device most of the time, but said wordplay is so clever and quick that I laugh every time he gets a line in. It's a goofy style of comedy that I appreciate Cheers tapping into.

I`ve never watched Cheers, but I really liked the spin-off Fraiser. I thought it was smart and used a unique setting for its humour, really well done.

Haven`t been watching the world cup, but in other news Community was been renewed for a 6th season on Yahoo TV.

Mrs. Y's sister has been marathoning House, and she dragged us into her net. I never got into it when it was originally airing, mostly because the ads for it made it seems really serious and heavy, so I've been surprised by how much comedy gets injected into the show (I suppose I should have seen it coming, given Hugh Laurie's comedic pedigree). We're early in the 2nd season now.

House is good for as long as you can stand the template.

Australian Comedian Josh Thomas show Please Like Me is hilarous. It's about his life but it's a proper show not a doco.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Please_Like_Me

Yossarian wrote:Fargo

Loved the nods to the film and how it crafted its own tale with some genuinely loathsome characters and a superb performance from Billy Bob Thornton. It also made me not hate Colin Hanks which is impressive in itself! His bumbling out of depth persona is much better suited to him than his terrible turn in the equally terrible Dexter.

Fargo was the best thing I've seen on television in a long time. Watched the whole thing back to back over a weekend and then had to go and watch the movie again due to craving more.

Watching The Leftovers at the moment. The jury is still out on it. It has moments where you think it could be something really interesting and the occasional Lost-esque episode centering around a strong lead performance (Christopher Ecclestone) and character...then there will be some middling episode full of uninteresting teenage angst that sets it back.

Episode six had easily the most horrifically violent thing I've seen on TV in memory. Brutal stuff. Can't say I liked it, but it did leave a lasting impression.

I'm currently catching up on Shugo Chara
So far I only watched the first 5 episodes, but it looks like another pretty good Magical Girl series with some good laughs.
Lookin forward to watch the remaning 122 episodes.

VictorViper wrote:House is good for as long as you can stand the template.

The show was like a hospital over the years in a fair chunk of episodes (if not all).

Watched the first episode of a new season of Dr. Who on BBC yesterday. Was an interesting episode. Haven't seen Dr. Who for a very long time (only fragments), so I hope I can keep up with this season.

Holy CRAP, guys, I just got through the first episode of The Knick and everyone with a strong stomach needs to check it out. It's a new medical drama from Steven Soderbergh, and starring Clive Owen. This was 60 minutes of the most enthralling TV I've seen and already it looks like HBO/Cinemax has hit another home run. Currently 87% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which is about right to me; there's an unbelievably bad actor playing an otherwise interesting role, as a notable gripe. But the potential for this setting and theme is just rife with exciting story opportunities.

Episode three aired tonight, so I'll likely be caught up before I hit the sack. I'm instantly hooked. Fans of Deadwood who ranked Doc Cochran among their favourite characters will likely be thrilled with this program. Oh, and it's already in for a full 20 episodes, so YOU know THEY know they have a hit.

Awesome.

Random notable discovery side note: Penn & Teller's Fool Us is a no-brainer for fans of magic. It's technically a reality game show (I know, barf!), but the contestants are accomplished magicians who only win if they can trick the masters, Penn & Teller. It boils down to an hour of cool illusions and sleight of hand, and it always ends with a big finale from Tiny and Chatterbox. Great stuff.

VictorViper wrote:Holy CRAP, guys, I just got through the first episode of The Knick and everyone with a strong stomach needs to check it out. It's a new medical drama from Steven Soderbergh, and starring Clive Owen. This was 60 minutes of the most enthralling TV I've seen and already it looks like HBO/Cinemax has hit another home run. Currently 87% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, which is about right to me; there's an unbelievably bad actor playing an otherwise interesting role, as a notable gripe. But the potential for this setting and theme is just rife with exciting story opportunities.

Have you warmed up to him now that episode 4 has aired? On your recommendation, Mrs. Y and I also checked out (and got caught up on) The Knick, and we quite like it, although there's something about it that I can't quite put my finger on... Mrs. Y has stated that the "strong stomach required" bits aren't what make it hard for her to watch, but the racism. It's that kind of show that, by dint of the setting and characters, you know things can't get better for certain characters. Brutal honesty.

I'm also almost fully caught up on House of Cards, after starting it a couple weeks ago. I think I have four (maybe five) episodes left in season two. Great show, but the second season is playing a long game with plot resolution and payoff, so it's a bit harder to stay engaged with than the first. I'll be interested in seeing how they wrap things up.