The All-New TT: Television Time Mini Reviews

[SabreCat]

Following in the vein of "Netflix has my number even though I haven't watched all that much on there", I got through Beastars. The animation has a bit of that touched-up 3D CGI feel, but unlike other places I've seen that technique*, it looks really good. The story goes hard on furry worldbuilding, including downright uncomfortable details like hen students laying eggs for food as a part-time job. I suspect the approach is in part an attempt to drive home THIS IS NOT A METAPHOR FOR ANYTHING, IT'S SPECULATIVE FICTION, because if you give much thought to the implications of Beastars' themes it can go problematic places. People with certain genes are subject to constant violent urges, meaning that commingling the races is a recipe for frequent murder? Uh....

* I couldn't even finish one episode of RWBY because it faceplanted into the uncanny valley. And The Dragon Prince I get antsy for the next action scene, not because the character relationships are intolerable, but because the CGI is at its worst when it's people standing around talking to one another.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Personally, I didn't care for the 11th hour threats of sexual humiliation but everything else is really great in the show and it did stick the landing that season. Looking forward to season two.

 

[Pajaro Pete]

Sweet Home (Netflix K-drama, unrelated to the hit 80s Japanese movie that spawned the hit 80s JRPG Sweet Home): So stop me if you've heard this before: A bunch of people are trapped in a building as murderous, formerly human creatures swarm outside, and as they struggle to survive they may just find out that man is the scariest monster of them all. It leans a lot more Resident Evil than most works in this genre, and I think the set design is On Point. I can't think of many works in this sort of closed building genre where the actual set is as memorable as it is here? The monster designs are also fun and varied, but obvi since this is a TV show, and even as a K-drama with an astronomical budget ($2.4 million USD per episode, apparently), they tend not to show up as much as one might like.

I liked it, but some Content Warnings for folks before you rush out to watch: There are depictions of self harm, spousal abuse, a rather violent animal death in episode one, and threats of/implied sexual violence, along with your standard "monsters are literally killing people because it's a horror series"

 

[Rascally Badger]

I've been trying to catch up on 2 seasons of The Crown. Goddamn, Prince Philip suuuuuuucks. He hits this amazing quad-fecta of constantly being useless, privileged, self-righteous, and wrong.

 

[Jeanie]

I've been trying to catch up on 2 seasons of The Crown. Goddamn, Prince Philip suuuuuuucks. He hits this amazing quad-fecta of constantly being useless, privileged, self-righteous, and wrong.

Sounds like the writing was kind to him then.

 

[lincolnic]

My roommate got a new iPhone a month or so ago, and it came with a free year of Apple TV. He watched Ted Lasso, and then immediately told me I should watch Ted Lasso.

I'm here to tell you all that I binged Ted Lasso in about three days, and it is so much better than it has any right to be. Ted Lasso should not be a good show. But Ted Lasso is a very, very good show.

I know probably no one has Apple TV, but if you ever get the opportunity, don't sleep on this one.

 

[jpfriction]

My roommate got a new iPhone a month or so ago, and it came with a free year of Apple TV. He watched Ted Lasso, and then immediately told me I should watch Ted Lasso.

I'm here to tell you all that I binged Ted Lasso in about three days, and it is so much better than it has any right to be. Ted Lasso should not be a good show. But Ted Lasso is a very, very good show.

I know probably no one has Apple TV, but if you ever get the opportunity, don't sleep on this one.

I watched the first episode. Definitely a different type of character for Jason Sudekis. Hopefully the whole series isn’t just him getting shit on for being a dumb guy with a big heart but I liked it enough to keep going.

Mystic Quest is also surprisingly good. I watched that whole thing in a couple of days.

 

[lincolnic]

I watched the first episode. Definitely a different type of character for Jason Sudekis. Hopefully the whole series isn’t just him getting shit on for being a dumb guy with a big heart but I liked it enough to keep going.

You might just be be pleasantly surprised!

I'm also planning to watch Mythic Quest, yeah. And Central Park!

 

[Jeanie]

So that season 3 Cobra Kai.

Spoiler

I feel like the beginning half or so is just spinning the wheels just so they can reference Karate Kid 2 (or is it 3, I'm not up on my Karate Kid lore. The one where they go to Okinawa.). Outside of one scene, it was there just to be there but I did like how Shogo (was that his name?) managed to find some peace after the movie. The letter scene is the one bit that was really good, and I totally teared up during it.

Then you get to the back half where it goes all in on Serious Karate Business until Ali shows up and just points out how stupid both Daniel and Johnny are and how much both of them have in common. Which works until...

Kreese is totally going murder people until he decides that a tournament will solve everything.

I am not joking. I don't know if that is So Stupid It Loops Back Around, or just stupid. Either way, I don't see how the show goes past season 4 and I'm fine with that. Stories need to end in order to have a meaning and that's what this show has been trying to get to.

So Spoiler Free, I mostly liked it, but it bounced between Nostalgia and Serious Karate Business and was kinda goofy for doing so. Better than Season 2, not as good as Season 1.

 

[ozacrot]

The true divide in Cobra Kai is not Miyagi-Do vs. Cobra Kai, it's between people who realize they live in Karate World and people who think they live in regular world

 

[Octopus Prime]

Cobra Kai presents a world where the most significant historical event of the past century was The One Time a Little Boy Kicked Another Little Boy In the Face

 

[Neo Skimbleshanks]

Just marry the hot, nice Prussian prince, Main Bridgerton. All of you just marry your plot’s hot Prussian princes; this is unbearable. What was I expecting though.

 

[Rascally Badger]

Every adult in Cobra Kai, including the ones that don't appear (where are most of these kids parents?) should do a lot of soul searching in the face of how easy it is for a man who wants to use children's karate for murder to gain influence over their children.

Bridgerton was absolutely just a filmed regency romance novel. It delivered exactly what is says on the tin.

 

[Octopus Prime]

I love how often Kreese just slips into full-on anime villain

 

[Lokii]

Finished the Queen's Gambit and it turns out chess is the friends you made along the way

 

[Octopus Prime]

I’m not sure anything exemplifies Cobra Kai as a show more than the moment in season 3 where the music of Dee Snyder heals a paraplegic.

And I want to emphasize that that is not Octo giving a technically accurate but ridiculous summary, it is literally what happened; the guy from Twisted Sister rocked so hard it restored a child’s broken spine

You mark my words, before this show is done, someone will throw a Hadouken

 

[Octopus Prime]

Now that I’m done season 3, I have to say, that last episode had one of the most impressively choreographed fight scenes I’ve ever seen.

 

[Jeanie]

 

[zonetrope]

I'm loving Search Party on HBO, with Alia Shawkat (aka Maeby Funke). It feels like it was designed as a response to mystery-thrillers like Broadchurch and Bloodline where the writers clearly didn't plan out what to do after the first season. This show basically becomes a new genre every season, but it all feels of a piece. And it's really funny.

 

[Neo Skimbleshanks]

I missed the season 3 and maybe I should catch up. Or maybe not bc I am constitutionally incapable of enjoying long-running serials about anti-heroes. So uncomfortable. I did enjoy the first two seasons from what I remember, though. And Fort Tilden.

Let a Showtime trial extend into a discounted subscription and thought maybe I should watch Billions bc everyone on twitter loved Billions but I think that's a mistake. I had to shut off the second episode bc I think Damian Lewis was about to humiliate a guy for being insufficiently chad. Get me out of here! Can't watch 5 more seasons of Elmer Fudd failing to kill Bugs Bunny, either. No pleasure in that. Maybe I'll do it anyway.

Also started watching seaQuest DSV. I remember the pilot and an episode about a crocodile from my childhood and this series has some notorious tonal shifts. I don't think it will make me uncomfortable in the same way much modern prestige TV does, at least... So far the most absurd, self-parodic thing about this is the voice given to the dolphin character which makes sense bc this is the "staid" season. Between this and the film Orca, it appears I will generally buy rubber cetacean puppets as the real thing. I guess because smooth.

 

[FelixSH]

I recently learned about the existence of the show Doogie Howser, M.D.

I watched a few episodes, and really enjoy it. It feels so much like a 90s show (or 80s, I guess, the first season was out in 89, but that doesn't really matter). Everything is so calm and slow, and made in the typical way of the time, everything works out fine and it's sort of cheesy and silly. I guess it is, how you would expect a show from that time to be.

The humor is not great, and it has the problems from a show from that time.

I miss shows like this. I miss how calm TV was back than, and how stilted, I guess, in some ways. Watching this makes me feel a bit like I'm back in the 90s again. God, I love how slow everything is, and just that the camera doesn't move around all the time feels so refreshing. I need to watch more stuff from back then, I guess.

 

[Neo Skimbleshanks]

Successfully quit Billions, I think. Otoh, picked up Search Party from season 3 and yeah, extremely good and funny show.

 

[Kirin]

Also started watching seaQuest DSV. I remember the pilot and an episode about a crocodile from my childhood and this series has some notorious tonal shifts.

Oh man, I have the vaguest memories of this show from watching it when it first aired. Including having a huge crush on one of the crewmembers.

 

[WisteriaHysteria]

I'm rewatching Mission Hill for the first time in quite a while. And man, this show is both simultaneously way ahead of its time, and exactly of its time. There's also a lot of stuff that hasn't really aged well either... but it's still a fun show. Shame MTV cut bait on it back in the day.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

It was actually a WB show. But interesting fact, the show was originally going to be called the Downtowners but at the same time, MTV released a show titled "Downtown" so they changed to Mission Hill, which I think is a better title anyway.

 

[Kirin]

Watching Carnivale for the first time because my partner wanted to re-watch. Steeling myself for inevitable disappointment due to the fact it was cancelled, as it's setting up an awful lot of apocalyptic plot threads here....

 

[WisteriaHysteria]

There is a new SyFy show called Resident Alien about an alien trying to blend into a small town a la 3rd Rock. But the titular alien is played by Alan Tudyk, which is really all anyone needs to know about the show.

 

[Sprite]

Season Three of At Home with Amy Sedaris popped up on HBO Max and husband and I have been catching up. Man, we adore this show. It’s ostensibly a parody of Martha Stewart lifestyle shows, but that’s more of a skeleton for the show to snap back to while it spirals out into the light absurdism you’d expect from Sedaris. It’s got an early 2000s Comedy Central-vibe that I didn’t realize I was missing. I recommend it if you enjoy Strangers with Candy or want to watch something that takes immense joy in being stupid and pointless.

 

[Neo Skimbleshanks]

Did all of it just pop up on there? Because I don't think it was a bit ago, but could be wrong. I was looking for it last week and thought weirdly my only option was to, like, buy it because it was too lucrative for Tru TV or whatever to just have it all streaming. Well, turns out they have been on there for months. Happy to check it out now!

 

[Octopus Prime]

Dinosaurs has appeared on Disney +

Its better than I remember!