***Official TV sitcoms and Series recommendation thread***

[oskar]

A couple of series I've watched some episodes from and found had potential:
Lady Dynamite - I love Maria Bamford. I'll probably keep watching this one.
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Great premise... pretty klischee writing, but still funny.
Nathan for you - If Tim and Eric isn't cringy enough for your taste, Jason for you might be for you.

[oskar]

Nathan.
Can we please get a working edit button. Holy shit.

[a500lbgorilla]

Mr. Robot. He's The hacker beside himself.

[Savy]

Nathan.
Can we please get a working edit button. Holy shit.

Just onto the last episode of this and it's well worth the watch. I'm surprised it's such an unknown show, it's brilliant.

edit - That last episode, fuck it was awesome.

[Jack Sawyer]

[BananaStand]

RE: Billions

My personal review....C

Granted I only got 6 episodes or so deep, but I just found the whole thing so unbelievable that I couldn't get invested in the story or the characters.

Why is this prosecutor guy going after the investor guy in teh first place? As near as I can tell, the prosecutor decided that he didn't like the guy, or that he didn't smell right, and then he unleashed all the power of law enforcement to try and fuck the guy over. Why??

Second, there seemed to be several episodes of hemming and hawing about a conflict of interest [the prosecutor's wife is the investor guy's therapist]. To me, it's open and shut.....that's a MASSIVE conflict of interest. It was still "unresolved" when I quit watching the show.

Third, I just don't think Damian Lewis is a very good actor. Add to that the fact that it's terrible casting. I mean look at the guy....does he look like a Brooklyn-er with the nickname "axe"? No. He looks like park ranger named Damian

Finally, that opening scene was pretty hot.

[Jack Sawyer]

RE: Billions

My personal review....C

Granted I only got 6 episodes or so deep, but I just found the whole thing so unbelievable that I couldn't get invested in the story or the characters.

Why is this prosecutor guy going after the investor guy in teh first place? As near as I can tell, the prosecutor decided that he didn't like the guy, or that he didn't smell right, and then he unleashed all the power of law enforcement to try and fuck the guy over. Why??

Second, there seemed to be several episodes of hemming and hawing about a conflict of interest [the prosecutor's wife is the investor guy's therapist]. To me, it's open and shut.....that's a MASSIVE conflict of interest. It was still "unresolved" when I quit watching the show.

Third, I just don't think Damian Lewis is a very good actor. Add to that the fact that it's terrible casting. I mean look at the guy....does he look like a Brooklyn-er with the nickname "axe"? No. He looks like park ranger named Damian

Finally, that opening scene was pretty hot.

LOL, you are like a ball of hate

How does it feel, hating everything?

[BananaStand]

LOL, you are like a ball of hate

How does it feel, hating everything?

Did I say anything inaccurate?

I didn't say I hated it....I gave it a "C"

[BananaStand]

I don't hate alot of TV. The problem is that there is so many over-the-top twists, and so much shark-jumping that by the end of most shows...I've lost patience.

House of Cards...the first two seasons were un-fucking-stoppable. Incredible stuff. Riveting. Then in season three he turned into a stupid cuck who let his wife muscle her way to a seat at the table even though she hadn't earned shit, already blew every opportunity she was given.

Bloodline....I have some very strong opinions on this one. Casting was superb. I don't know what the cinematic vocabulary for this is....but the depiction of the florida keys was spot on. I felt my living room get muggy whenever that show was on. I really can't comment further without giving spoilers, but let's just say that the show got predictably worse after the best and most interesting character dies.

Portlandia....2/3 is watchable...1/3 is extra fucking brilliant.

Game of Thrones....really good, but they could have done the whole show WITHOUT the zombies. Also, this sudden annulment from some namesless faceless, poop-watching maester seems a little contrived.

Homeland.....I just got tired of watching her beg for favors, always get them, and never do anything for anyone else. I would have liked the show if it was just CIA ops chasing terrorists. then she had a baby...and a stupid love affair....and all kinds of nonsense that was just....blech.

The Wire.....Fucking AWESOME. Just cops chasing bad guys....love it. Stringer Bell got taken out too soon, but that's forgivable. What's NOT forgivable....is the final season. McNulty planting fake news....for some measly overtime pay??...why am I watching this???

Oz....cool show. But there are only so many things you can do in prison. Fight...do drugs....and fuck. And there are only so many ways to arrange that into a new story. And this show ran out about 1/2 way through. Coincidentally, I have the exact same problem with Orange is the New Black. Prison is boring as fuck....stop making shows about it.

Also I have nothing bad to say about Arrested Development

[a500lbgorilla]

The Wire.....Fucking AWESOME. Just cops chasing bad guys....love it. Stringer Bell got taken out too soon, but that's forgivable. What's NOT forgivable....is the final season. McNulty planting fake news....for some measly overtime pay??...why am I watching this???

I remember reading some megafan's breakdown of The Wire and it really did change how I saw the show. I wish I could find it now, but it even put Marlow as the aspect of Violent Power. He could axe people with minimal discretion and they simply disappeared. He was folded into the territory game because everyone recognized he was on another level and still he dominated fools. Even when it was over for him, he squared up and cracks some guy in the face because he's Marlow.

The Wire is better after every viewing, until you view it so much that you notice Sydnor was pushing opposite directions on that desk.

[BananaStand]

Started watching Ozark

Jason Bateman is pretty good in it. But I'm not sure I'll make it the whole season.

Guy launders money for drug dealers and it goes bad. Now he's in real trouble and has to launder even more money in order to get himself off the hook.

The show seems to be about a man struggling to protect his family while living under the thumb of this oppressive drug lord. It's pretty much "breaking bad" without the "breaking". The show just starts with him already a criminal.

I'm not getting why this is a compelling story. the guy CHOSE to be a criminal, and now he's in a jam. Boo hoo.

If you really cared about your family, and wanted to keep everyone safe, you would have just worked an honest job in the first place.

[MadMojoMonkey]

I tried to find an honest job, but turns out they only exist in the Unicorn State.

Wake up, you nose-led ungulate.
The gov't is NOT an honest agency, nor is it in politicians' best interests to promote honesty.

Black market transactions are the only true free market we can express in America.

[oskar]

Conan's Haiti episode is fantastic. As are his previous specials on Cuba, Israel, Armenia. Judging by the youtube comments it's something american kids really need to see. One that stuck out was comment with a dozen upvotes ridiculing a man for mispronouncing the word "fool" they didn't realize he was said fou because he was speaking french. People were speaking french all around Conan for the entire episode and those kids thought that all those dumb brown people couldn't even speak proper english.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5YL_6lCov0

[spoonitnow]

Conan's Haiti episode is fantastic. As are his previous specials on Cuba, Israel, Armenia. Judging by the youtube comments it's something american kids really need to see. One that stuck out was comment with a dozen upvotes ridiculing a man for mispronouncing the word "fool" they didn't realize he was said fou because he was speaking french. People were speaking french all around Conan for the entire episode and those kids thought that all those dumb brown people couldn't even speak proper english.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5YL_6lCov0

Yeah especially when he was right beside where a huge child trafficking scandal happened. He's a fucking idiot.

[oskar]

Silicon Valley is in its strongest season yet.
Westworld S2 just started. It's worth it just for the cinematography and score. Not sure what to make of the plot yet. Looks like we're getting into some Hideo Kojima shit.

[wufwugy]

Silicon Valley is in its strongest season yet.

Glad to hear it's not just me who loves it. Some real belly laughs.

[oskar]

I thought this was a really well written joke:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKf2o3PYN7E
first 40 seconds

[Savy]

The end of the f***ing world - Great start, dies off a little but definitely worth the watch.

Roseanne - New eps, really good. Starts of a little overly political but it's great.

Santa Clarita Diet - Best thing I've watched in a while, strangely gorey which will put some people off but at the same time has a really nice family dynamic to it.

[oskar]

Watched End of the fucking World
Love the main characters. The girl is awesome. She reminded me of that typecast actress from The Florida Project. I think I just love white trash. It would have worked better for me as a straight up coming of age story. The whole psychopath/rape/murder - subplot didn't work for me. Lose all the weight and make it all about the characters and their development and it could have been superb.
Do we even need to talk about the ending...
spoilers: https://youtu.be/vG0zJ89Fv8c?t=22m33s

Speaking of too much rape: The Handmaids Tale is basically 10 hours of Children of Men. It's that fucking good. HBO deserves a lot of credit for producing this. That universe is not an easy pitch.

[BananaStand]

YouTube keeps pushing something called "Cobra Kai" on me. I finally watched the 30 second trailer rather than skip it after four seconds like any sane person would do.

WTF??? Professional, creative people got in a room and decided to make this?? Someone spent actual money making this??

The guy got kicked in the face by Ralph Maccio when he was like, twelve. And now, 35 years later he's a face-down-on-the-floor alcoholic degenerate loser because of it? But somehow he's also stayed in shape and can still kick ass.

[Savy]

Killing Eve - Two episodes in and it looks like it may live up to the hype surrounding it.

The good place new season, the first two seasons were good. Third has started ok.

Better call saul - This season is really good.

Always Sunny new season, people I've spoke to have said they don't like it but seems like more of the same to me. I've enjoyed it.

South Park starting up again too.

[oskar]

Always Sunny has been on the air for 13 years now with no critical recognition. They don't give a fuck about upsetting people, and that's great.
I checked imdb to find out why Rob McElhenny got this ripped. I thought he might have been in some Marvel movie, but I guess he just did it as a goof. He looks good tho. I'd smash that and I don't even have teh gay.

Better Call Saul - every season, best season. I was so worried about Kim until last episode. I thought there's no way they break up... I thought they're killing her off before we enter Breaking Bad timeline, but it looks like they're just awkwardly writing her out. still a bit worried though. No idea why german guy broke out. There has to be something else, I really don't see sufficient character motivation to risk this much. How does he even get back to germany after breaking out? I'm very confused.

Watched the first episode of Killing Eve - looks very promising. I loved the bed scene so much. There's like 3 lines of exposition they have to get across and they cram in so much character development. It's a 2 min scene and you feel like you know the characters after that.

[Savy]

The only thing I don't like about it is "ON THE NEXT EPISODE" I hate when tv shows do that. Have a recap before an episode, sure but not that.

[Savy]

If you are watching episode 4 please pause before the end of the episode beause it literally fucking ruins the whole build up of tension in the "WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!" part.

[OngBonga]

I hate "Last week on..."

Yeah I know, I watched it. Fuck off.

[Savy]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45803343

This article cracked me up. Far too many women on TV there should be less and the ones that are on tv should only be in roles where they are sexually harassed consistently like all women are in real life. If they aren't a victim it's unrealistic because all women are victims.

Apart from this woman, she isn't a victim.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45793242

[MadMojoMonkey]

She's right. These fictional stories are not realistic.
It's almost like fiction means not real.

[oskar]

Killing Eve is fucking great. Can't wait for the next season.
Haunting of Hill House is awesome. I love that it's basically just a 10h movie. What Stranger Things should have been. Don't make a second one. Finish the story and wrap it up!

Mike Judge's Tales from the Tour Bus is 2nd season starts off great. Highly recommended!

[Savy]

Oksar you seen the bodyguard yet? I've had a few people suggest it, will probably be the next thing I watch.

South Park - meh
Always Sunny - same old, good stuff. Last episode was so strangely beautiful.
The good place - watchable

The first episode of the new Louis Theroux documentary was funny and interesting, second episode I thought was good. First is on non-traditional relationships, second on the right to die.

[oskar]

Haven't heard of it. I was kind of meh on the last IASIP season. They redeemed themselves with the last episode. Clip Show was also pretty great. The super bowl double episode wasn't bad either... you know what, I take it back, that was a perfectly fine season for IASIP.

[oskar]

I spent yesterday driving 12 year olds around and now I have the ebola. Staying home with chicken soup marathoning The Good Place, which I submit is how it is meant to be watched. Ted Danson is the definition of delightful.

[Savy]

Ye but the bastards put like a 2-3 week gap between the episodes.

[Jack Sawyer]

I started watching 12 monkeys and I can't put it down

I really don't want to spoil so be warned

Spoiler: Show

but that's some straight up Revan shit wowowow

[MadMojoMonkey]

I started Empire Games on Netflix last night... first 2 episodes were documentaries about Rome and Greece.

It's not bad. It fails in the typical ways historians fail. They clearly embellish the story to add direct quotes where none exist in the historical record and describe how a person smiled or their emotional response to something... all made up BS. It's like they're too damn snooty to think that us plebes could possibly be as fascinated by the facts of history as much as they are, so they have to dress it up with their fabrications.

I've never found a historian that didn't fall into this pit. I just have to accept that it's all biased, even the written histories, and try to take it as a cool story.

[Jack Sawyer]

I started Empire Games on Netflix last night... first 2 episodes were documentaries about Rome and Greece.

It's not bad. It fails in the typical ways historians fail. They clearly embellish the story to add direct quotes where none exist in the historical record and describe how a person smiled or their emotional response to something... all made up BS. It's like they're too damn snooty to think that us plebes could possibly be as fascinated by the facts of history as much as they are, so they have to dress it up with their fabrications.

I've never found a historian that didn't fall into this pit. I just have to accept that it's all biased, even the written histories, and try to take it as a cool story.

I gotta get netflix but haven't gotten around to that yet. I have sooo much media to watch it would be overkill, simply paying for the sake fo paying.

That said, Altered Carbon is a hard watch, but wholly recommended

[Poopadoop]

I gotta get netflix but haven't gotten around to that yet.

Dude it's like £5 a month (at least where I am). If you watch at least two full-length movies/docs a month you're winning.

[Jack Sawyer]

Dude it's like £5 a month (at least where I am). If you watch at least two full-length movies/docs a month you're winning.

I know, but I already have way much more media to watch than I have the time for

I'm media saturated for lack of a better word

[oskar]

The Boys is really good. I watched it after I realized that I accidentally subscribed to amazon prime a couple of months ago. I'm really surprised Amazon signed off on this. In the first episode Aquaman sexually assaults Superwoman, The Flash disintegrates a girl and Superman murders a child. It's great!

[MadMojoMonkey]

Good Omens is amazing. I watched it with my brother, who has an Amazon account, and it's amazing.

If you're a fan of any of Neil Gaiman's writing, then this is absolutely for you. He not only co-wrote the book this is based on, but he's written the screenplay adaptation, too.

***
Mr. Iglesias on Netflix is a passable sitcom. I love his standup comedy, and his personality comes through just fine in the show, but it's not the same... and it is a sitcom.