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Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2018 10:36 pm
by Stormbringer
Mantis wrote:
Thu Aug 16, 2018 10:19 pm
I do have a distinct memory of Mycroft Holmes skulking around his manor house trying to get away from an evil clown. I forget which episode that was, but that was definitely a point where I began to wonder what the show was becoming. I get the feeling that Mark Gatiss couldn't resist writing himself into even bigger parts every season. He definitely didn't help that final episode where they're solving all the traps set by their sister.
All the bits you just described were all in the same episode. It went totally off the rails right there.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:44 pm
by Sly Boots
Watched the first half of the first episode of Disenchantment, Matt Groening's new animated series on Netflix.

... and holy shit that was bad. I'd say it was like car-crash telly, but usually with a car crash you can't look away. Here, though, I literally couldn't take any more and had to turn it off.

Jokes so bad I can't even tell if they were meant to be jokes, boring characters, dialogue and set-pieces, animation slightly off... normally I like to give new shows a few episodes to get going, but I think I'm done.

Matt, what happened?

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:45 pm
by Stormbringer
I'll take your word for it. I was mildly interested, but was also kinda looking for an excuse not to be.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 9:06 pm
by Wrathbone
Yeah, it’s not the best. I watched a whole bunch while off sick today and frankly I think I’d have been better off going to work. In 7 episodes I’ve laughed maybe twice, the plots are getting worse and the characters are bland as hell. Bean’s most interesting characteristic is that she’s a drunk. That might have worked for Bender 18 years ago but now it’s faintly embarrassing.

The king, voiced by John DiMaggio, has a weird thing where he lists every detail of an item or situation as he observes them and the last item is something that shocks him. It wasn’t funny the first time and after the fifth or sixth time I was baffled as to why they were still going with it. I’m starting to think Matt Groening was one of the lesser reasons why early Simpsons and Futurama worked so well.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 9:17 pm
by Sly Boots
Wrathbone wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 9:06 pm
Yeah, it’s not the best. I watched a whole bunch while off sick today and frankly I think I’d have been better off going to work. In 7 episodes I’ve laughed maybe twice, the plots are getting worse and the characters are bland as hell. Bean’s most interesting characteristic is that she’s a drunk. That might have worked for Bender 18 years ago but now it’s faintly embarrassing.

The king, voiced by John DiMaggio, has a weird thing where he lists every detail of an item or situation as he observes them and the last item is something that shocks him. It wasn’t funny the first time and after the fifth or sixth time I was baffled as to why they were still going with it. I’m starting to think Matt Groening was one of the lesser reasons why early Simpsons and Futurama worked so well.
Sounds like I was right to bail when I did, if it's not going to pick up. What a shame, was looking forward to this for a while :(

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:09 pm
by Gibby
I am really easy to please when it comes to animation. We've reached Episode 9 and, overall, have found it easy to watch. It definitely got off to a very crappy start, but we've had a few laughs along the way. Bean is pretty unlikeable and Elfo is annoying, but... again I have low standards if I can plonk a cartoon on in the background. So yeah I was browsing the web at the same time... ¬_¬

Then again we liked Final Space a lot, which others have told me they hated...

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:23 pm
by Sly Boots
Gibby wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:09 pm
I am really easy to please when it comes to animation. We've reached Episode 9 and, overall, have found it easy to watch. It definitely got off to a very crappy start, but we've had a few laughs along the way. Bean is pretty unlikeable and Elfo is annoying, but... again I have low standards if I can plonk a cartoon on in the background. So yeah I was browsing the web at the same time... ¬_¬

Then again we liked Final Space a lot, which others have told me they hated...
Final Space grew on me after a rocky start, but I could see why it would put some people off.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:24 pm
by Gibby
Sly Boots wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:23 pm
Gibby wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:09 pm
I am really easy to please when it comes to animation. We've reached Episode 9 and, overall, have found it easy to watch. It definitely got off to a very crappy start, but we've had a few laughs along the way. Bean is pretty unlikeable and Elfo is annoying, but... again I have low standards if I can plonk a cartoon on in the background. So yeah I was browsing the web at the same time... ¬_¬

Then again we liked Final Space a lot, which others have told me they hated...
Final Space grew on me after a rocky start, but I could see why it would put some people off.
This is kind of what happened to me with Disenchantment, too. I can definitely see why people would be put off both shows.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:30 pm
by Drarok
Big Mouth: once described (by me) as "the best thing I'd never heard of". It's on Netflix. Try it.

The Orville: Seth MacFarlane captains a live-action crew on a spaceship in a (heavily) Star-Trek-inspired kinda-spoof but also kinda really good in its own right show. It's good fun!

And, as ever...

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: just gold, end to end.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:55 pm
by Sly Boots
Drarok wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:30 pm
Big Mouth: once described (by me) as "the best thing I'd never heard of". It's on Netflix. Try it.

The Orville: Seth MacFarlane captains a live-action crew on a spaceship in a (heavily) Star-Trek-inspired kinda-spoof but also kinda really good in its own right show. It's good fun!

And, as ever...

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: just gold, end to end.
Yeah, I really liked Big Mouth. Recommended it to folks on the old forum a while back. Have been looking forward greatly to season 2.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 6:52 am
by Wrathbone
It’s occurred to me what’s wrong with Disenchantment: it has no heart. At all. The Simpsons and Futurama worked because the often dickish behaviour from characters was balanced out by the occasional emotional moment which showed who they really were. That Futurama episode with Fry’s dog still breaks me! Disenchantment has none of that.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 7:01 am
by Sly Boots
Wrathbone wrote:
Sat Aug 18, 2018 6:52 am
It’s occurred to me what’s wrong with Disenchantment: it has no heart. At all. The Simpsons and Futurama worked because the often dickish behaviour from characters was balanced out by the occasional emotional moment which showed who they really were. That Futurama episode with Fry’s dog still breaks me! Disenchantment has none of that.
It takes a while I think for a show to earn those moments - you have to be invested in the characters for them to have a proper impact (eg the Fry's dog episode was in season 4). I think it did have some of those moments though in his courting of Leela particularly.

Disenchantment is still so new the characters aren't in that place yet... however the characters (in the time I watched it) just seemed so bland and uninteresting that I'm not sure most people are going to be willing to invest the sort of time it would take to care anything about them.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 9:17 am
by Gibby
I agree, the characters aren't great. I think the problem could also be the setting in a way. In Futurama, Fry was the tether to our time and world which made him easier to relate to, and the other characters easier to relate to through Fry. Maybe, I dunno. I'd say Disenchantment has the potential to pick up really well going forward but we'll see I suppose.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 9:12 pm
by Animalmother
I'd definitely recommend Far Space to anyone. The main character is a twat but you actually see him evolve with each episode into a much more complex and likeable person. Great use of music and surprisingly violent for the rating it has. Really looking forward to season 2.

Re: Good TV (aka, the TV series spamthread), the second series

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2018 10:36 pm
by Stormbringer
I started watching Upstart Crow tonight; a comedy starring David Mitchell as William Shakespeare. My wife is a big Shakespeare fan and I am a David Mitchell fan, so this worked well for both of us. We found ourselves crying with laughter throughout, so I think we'll definitely be going back for more.