television part the second
I decided, in terms of the tagging thing, that the biggest thing that I can't really do is try to perfectly anticipate how other people might want me to tag that will enable them to do something that they're not telling me they're doing. So I'm going to go on as I have been, for the most part, on both AO3 and tumblr. I am VASTLY GRATEFUL to everyone who replied here or on twitter, as talking to you all helped me to think through how I felt. THANK YOU.
I was going to do a meme about the tv shows I'm watching right now, but I'm finding the questions annoying so here is a free-form blurb on each of them, and if you're watching any of them you should let me know! This list is mostly sitcoms because I'm on a very long tear of watching light things, which likely isn't ending anytime soon.
HIMYM: Craig and Carter just said that they were happy to have HIMYM last for billions of years, which doesn't excite me because (1) even if Jason Segal says he's sticking around until the story is done there's no way that NPH will; (2) let's face it, it isn't as consistently brilliant as it once was and end-of-run momentum could help that; (3) eight seasons is enough for any show. I'm sticking around until then, at least, though I think how they handle Barney's wedding at the end of this season will be a big clue as to my sticking around through season eight and beyond.
Castle: I spoke about my love for this show in a previous post.
Glee: I mean really, is there anything to say about it that hasn't been said? It's a mess, sometimes with fun musical numbers. I watch for the latter. Might hop off the ride after this season, less with hate than with, "well, that happened."
Suburgatory: It's really cute without being too in love with itself. It tips to one side and then rights itself, then tips over to the other side for a bit. It's clever without being in love with its own cleverness. It has Elton from Clueless/Billy from Six Feet Under and also Alan Tudyk being ridiculous. It also has teenagers not being as completely annoying as they often are on television.
Happy Endings: Look, it's a zany sitcom. There are not a lot of through stories. It feels very improv-oriented. It's mostly there to make you laugh. On those terms, it's incredibly well done with very funny jokes and sharply written characters. If you don't like sitcoms and silliness, you won't like it. If you do see humor in a lady with a cold going to a Halloween party in a Marilyn Monroe costume getting picked up by a gay man who thinks she's a drag queen, then you probably will like the show.
New Girl: I like this show, and I wish there hadn't been all this "if you like it you're a bad feminist" stuff going on around it. I get that other people don't like the Zooey Deschanel character, and that's fine, but I recognize friends and myself in some of the things she does. I like her friendship with Cici, and how Cici feels a little like she has to take care of Jess sometimes, but also knows Jess can take care of herself better than the boys seem to think she can. (Well, the boys other than Winston, who I think gets Jess better than any of them.) I like Schmidt a lot, of course, but I also like how they're deepening Nick's character. He's not the "normal" person who has to put up with Jess's quirkiness, or the damaged man who will be healed by her antics. Rather, he's a guy who has such a strong reaction to her because he has some issues. I like how they're complicating the initial set up.
Justified: Not so light, but so damn funny I don't care. And since the only characters I'm really invested in are Raylan and Boyd, who aren't going anyplace, I don't have to get all worried about death. That said, I do often skip to the end and see what happened before watching it through, and I skip the occasional torture porn. But damn, it's such a well-written, interesting, intelligent show. Even better, it's about poor white rural folks and doesn't make them all into idiots, and since they are my people, I'm bound to like that.
White Collar: I tend not to talk about this show too much because people too often are like, "I want it to be darker and have STAKES" and it's like, this is USA, not FX. There are no stakes. That's the entire point. Well, okay, there are stakes, but we know how they'll get resolved. Let me have my carefree con man caper show, okay? You can have Doctor Who if you want "stakes."
Top Chef: Kinda snoozy this season, isn't it? I'm not even really rooting for or against anyone, just vaguely watching it unfold. I don't feel any real involvement in the events. I think that long lead-in was a mistake, looking back. And while I know Gail can't be there every week, I don't like having a pile of people to fill in for her, because it feels like Tom and Padma and two guest judges.
Community: You're probably either on this train or not, and if you're not you're probably annoyed with the people who are, but I'll say that it's an incredibly good show and I might follow it anyplace. Six seasons and a movie!
Parks and Recreation: I just started watching it this season, and have seen some very funny episodes from 2&3. I like it a lot, love Ben and Andy and April, like Ron and Donna and Tom and Ann, think Chris and Leslie are just fine. I might like Leslie more when I see the earlier seasons, but I'm not hugely fond of steamrollers and while she's a very nice and well-meaning and caring one, she's still pretty much a steamroller.
Up All Night: If you aren't squicked by parenthood then you should watch it. I know a lot of you are very parenting-avoidant as a principal and that's cool, but if you are only avoiding annoying schmoop, there isn't much of that here. Not that it's edgy, but it has a good balance. And I mean, Christina Applegate! Will Arnett not playing an asshole and doing it well! Maya Rudolph! It's really fun and well done, and often hilarious. (It had a couple of cringey moments in ep 2, but push past that; it isn't a cringey show.)
Pan Am: It tried to be a good show, really it did. It just never quite got there. Watching til the end, and can't imagine ABC will pick it up for next season, but hope it improves if they do.
Probably going to watch Smash. Definitely going to watch The Voice. Will also watch Suits when it returns this summer. Oh, and I keep meaning to watch that new Don Cheadle show, even if it did get mixed reviews.
So anyone watching any of these shows?
crossposted from Dreamwidth |
comments | comment at Dreamwidth
I was going to do a meme about the tv shows I'm watching right now, but I'm finding the questions annoying so here is a free-form blurb on each of them, and if you're watching any of them you should let me know! This list is mostly sitcoms because I'm on a very long tear of watching light things, which likely isn't ending anytime soon.
HIMYM: Craig and Carter just said that they were happy to have HIMYM last for billions of years, which doesn't excite me because (1) even if Jason Segal says he's sticking around until the story is done there's no way that NPH will; (2) let's face it, it isn't as consistently brilliant as it once was and end-of-run momentum could help that; (3) eight seasons is enough for any show. I'm sticking around until then, at least, though I think how they handle Barney's wedding at the end of this season will be a big clue as to my sticking around through season eight and beyond.
Castle: I spoke about my love for this show in a previous post.
Glee: I mean really, is there anything to say about it that hasn't been said? It's a mess, sometimes with fun musical numbers. I watch for the latter. Might hop off the ride after this season, less with hate than with, "well, that happened."
Suburgatory: It's really cute without being too in love with itself. It tips to one side and then rights itself, then tips over to the other side for a bit. It's clever without being in love with its own cleverness. It has Elton from Clueless/Billy from Six Feet Under and also Alan Tudyk being ridiculous. It also has teenagers not being as completely annoying as they often are on television.
Happy Endings: Look, it's a zany sitcom. There are not a lot of through stories. It feels very improv-oriented. It's mostly there to make you laugh. On those terms, it's incredibly well done with very funny jokes and sharply written characters. If you don't like sitcoms and silliness, you won't like it. If you do see humor in a lady with a cold going to a Halloween party in a Marilyn Monroe costume getting picked up by a gay man who thinks she's a drag queen, then you probably will like the show.
New Girl: I like this show, and I wish there hadn't been all this "if you like it you're a bad feminist" stuff going on around it. I get that other people don't like the Zooey Deschanel character, and that's fine, but I recognize friends and myself in some of the things she does. I like her friendship with Cici, and how Cici feels a little like she has to take care of Jess sometimes, but also knows Jess can take care of herself better than the boys seem to think she can. (Well, the boys other than Winston, who I think gets Jess better than any of them.) I like Schmidt a lot, of course, but I also like how they're deepening Nick's character. He's not the "normal" person who has to put up with Jess's quirkiness, or the damaged man who will be healed by her antics. Rather, he's a guy who has such a strong reaction to her because he has some issues. I like how they're complicating the initial set up.
Justified: Not so light, but so damn funny I don't care. And since the only characters I'm really invested in are Raylan and Boyd, who aren't going anyplace, I don't have to get all worried about death. That said, I do often skip to the end and see what happened before watching it through, and I skip the occasional torture porn. But damn, it's such a well-written, interesting, intelligent show. Even better, it's about poor white rural folks and doesn't make them all into idiots, and since they are my people, I'm bound to like that.
White Collar: I tend not to talk about this show too much because people too often are like, "I want it to be darker and have STAKES" and it's like, this is USA, not FX. There are no stakes. That's the entire point. Well, okay, there are stakes, but we know how they'll get resolved. Let me have my carefree con man caper show, okay? You can have Doctor Who if you want "stakes."
Top Chef: Kinda snoozy this season, isn't it? I'm not even really rooting for or against anyone, just vaguely watching it unfold. I don't feel any real involvement in the events. I think that long lead-in was a mistake, looking back. And while I know Gail can't be there every week, I don't like having a pile of people to fill in for her, because it feels like Tom and Padma and two guest judges.
Community: You're probably either on this train or not, and if you're not you're probably annoyed with the people who are, but I'll say that it's an incredibly good show and I might follow it anyplace. Six seasons and a movie!
Parks and Recreation: I just started watching it this season, and have seen some very funny episodes from 2&3. I like it a lot, love Ben and Andy and April, like Ron and Donna and Tom and Ann, think Chris and Leslie are just fine. I might like Leslie more when I see the earlier seasons, but I'm not hugely fond of steamrollers and while she's a very nice and well-meaning and caring one, she's still pretty much a steamroller.
Up All Night: If you aren't squicked by parenthood then you should watch it. I know a lot of you are very parenting-avoidant as a principal and that's cool, but if you are only avoiding annoying schmoop, there isn't much of that here. Not that it's edgy, but it has a good balance. And I mean, Christina Applegate! Will Arnett not playing an asshole and doing it well! Maya Rudolph! It's really fun and well done, and often hilarious. (It had a couple of cringey moments in ep 2, but push past that; it isn't a cringey show.)
Pan Am: It tried to be a good show, really it did. It just never quite got there. Watching til the end, and can't imagine ABC will pick it up for next season, but hope it improves if they do.
Probably going to watch Smash. Definitely going to watch The Voice. Will also watch Suits when it returns this summer. Oh, and I keep meaning to watch that new Don Cheadle show, even if it did get mixed reviews.
So anyone watching any of these shows?
crossposted from Dreamwidth |
comments | comment at Dreamwidth