General Television Thread

[Guest mr. potato head]

It's worth a shot. It's a bit different because it mostly deals with real-world issues and not thinly-veiled allegories ("TMI" notwithstanding), but even its harshest critics admit that Sorkin's strengths (people pulling together for a greater good) are just as evident as always.

I liked last night's episode because it felt more like an episode of television and less like an attempt to educate the unwashed masses.

[TheSqauredCircleMessiah]

I like everything about "The Newsroom" other than his attempts at writing romantic comedy, which is just bad. He makes Maggie seem like a bumbling idiot, Mac 9 times out of 10 is made to look a giggling teenager when dealing with Will. It is just not convincing or good or make any of these people likable. Like, from watching TV for over 20 years, I know I'm supposed to want Jim and Maggie to get together in that Jeremy/Natalie, Charlie/Zooey kind of way, but Sorkin hasn't given me a reason to. You have a Jim, who is just being a reasonable guy who decides to have sex with somebody else when he finally got off the girl's hook from work who repeatedly breaks up with her boyfriend, but we are supposed to want them to get together and I'm not all that sure why.

Edited August 7, 2012 by TheSqauredCircleMessiah

[GoGo Yubari]

I'm glad I don't watch The Newsroom because I don't want to see Allison Pill reduced to a character who is not in their fifties or over and yet somehow doesn't know what LOL means.

I heard Natalie Morales was on it last night, though, and that makes me happy because she is the most underrated actress in TV.

[Ron]

So... an Archer-Bob's Burgers Crossover? Yes please. (Put it in spoilers incase you don't want to know the plot of the episode)

'Archer' and 'Bob's Burgers' will do a crossover episode

http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/08/archer-and-bobs-burgers-will-do-a-crossover-episode.html

FX's "Archer" and FOX's "Bob's Burgers" don't have a ton in common, aside from the voice of H. Jon Benjamin, who plays the title character in both shows.

That's enough, though, for an animated crossover episode set to air on the forthcoming season of "Archer."

Benjamin says "Archer" creator Adam Reed came up with the idea, which Benjamin describes as a "Bourne Identity"-ish story.

"It starts off with Archer as Bob, making hamburgers, but he doesn't know that he's Archer," Benjamin tells EW. "He's at the restaurant and these, like, I think Russian thugs come in, and Bob dispatches them expertly. And then he's like, What just happened? How did I do that? So he has to try to figure out why he's so good at killing people."

The episode will be done in "Archer's" animation style, but the "Bob's" characters will still be recognizable, Benjamin says.

"It is a little weird because you have to be a fan of both to understand it," Benjamin acknowledges. "But you don't have to know about 'Bob's Burgers' to enjoy it."

FX hasn't set a premiere date for "Archer" yet.

[Guest mr. potato head]

Just finished season 1 of Boardwalk Empire. Good show. Not at the pantheon level of Breaking Bad/Mad Men/Game of Thrones/Homeland/Luck (I miss Luck), but a damn good show nonetheless.

Unfortunately it took me the better part of half the season to be able to tell some of the characters apart (Rothstein was the last holdout, but there's an awful lot of plain-looking men in the show). Really enjoying it though. Chalky's monologue early on was great, part of me is rooting for Jimmy's subterfuge even though Nucky is the one we're supposed to like, and Margaret is just wonderful. Can't wait to see what new problems come up in season two, which is supposed to be even better from everything I've heard.

[Hewey]

Just finished season 1 of Boardwalk Empire. Good show. Not at the pantheon level of Breaking Bad/Mad Men/Game of Thrones/Homeland/Luck (I miss Luck), but a damn good show nonetheless.

Unfortunately it took me the better part of half the season to be able to tell some of the characters apart (Rothstein was the last holdout, but there's an awful lot of plain-looking men in the show). Really enjoying it though. Chalky's monologue early on was great, part of me is rooting for Jimmy's subterfuge even though Nucky is the one we're supposed to like, and Margaret is just wonderful. Can't wait to see what new problems come up in season two, which is supposed to be even better from everything I've heard.

Season 2 is amazing, I'd put it above everything else currently on, cept for Justified.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Wait, we're supposed to like Nucky Thompson? >_>

[Guest mr. potato head]

To some degree. I don't know why he'd have had the exposition about

his wife and kid

if we weren't supposed to be rooting for him at least a little bit.

[TGC]

So I watched the last two weeks of The Newsroom and came to the conclusion that Olivia Munn went to the Kristen Stewart acting school where no matter what emotion she is trying to convey she uses the same face. One where she looks almost pissed off.

[Dingle]

So, is webtherapy going to be as rubbish as I assume it is? Girlfriend mentioned it, I can see me being dragged in to watch it. Saw a trailer though and Lisa Kudrow looks FINE, which she never did in Friends iirc (maybe she did in the later seasons, I cant really remember).

[Monkey D. Lars]

I am really interested in the new serie Copper, I like the setting. Hope it will be a good serie

[Benji]

Town Called Eureka Finale spoiler:

I didn't realise how much I'd miss this show until Jack began flying through the wormhole

[LittleDaniel]

I know this recommendation came like a week ago, but I got around to watching the first episode of The L.A. Complex and for some strange reason I actually like it. I tend to like that cliche story about performers who are down on their luck, trying to make it in the ______ industry, hence my like of the first half a season of Glee. Good recommendation, GoGo (I think)!

[GoGo Yubari]

It was me! Yeah, The LA Complex is exactly the sort of show I shouldn't like but I actually do.

I think it helps that I'm not sure there's a show that's really portrayed trying to make it in LA the way that show does. It's awesomely cynical for the most part, and the cast is fantastic.

[livid]

Yeah I meant to come in here earlier and say that I had checked it out too and I think it's pretty good. And you are right, the cast is fantastic, especially Andra Fuller as Kaldrick King.

[LittleDaniel]

Okay, onto the third episode and I really don't care about Abby. Go back to Canada and leave the interesting people alone, main character!

[Ron]

Yes, I love Kal as well, but my favorite character by far is Nick.

[GoGo Yubari]

Nick was my favorite in season one. Season two not as much, it's primarily Raquel (Jewel Staite kills the bit where she's wandering around at the party in this week's episode) but also Kal. Also I love Abby, I think partially because she is adorably tiny.

I'm glad people seem to like it! I'm hoping it sneaks its way onto the year-end TV list.

[LittleDaniel]

Considering I watch like three other current tv shows, it pretty much has a spot on mine by default.

[Josh]

Just finished The Wire, Season 2.

I'm gonna miss this when it's all done.