Planet Rugby Forum

True Blue wrote:Russian Doll was a good watch. A bit like a sadistic Groundhog Day.

Yep! Very enjoyable. I think it’s a one and done season tho

Late to the party as usual, but just started Ozark and really enjoying it.

The first episode had me hooked, especially the ending with the Radiohead track

That space battle in the latest The Orville episode....man, that was intense. Last few episodes have been fantastic.

True Blue wrote:That space battle in the latest The Orville episode....man, that was intense. Last few episodes have been fantastic.

going to watch the latest episode tonight, after the rugby. I'm still liking the Orville for being a lot more than just a shallow parody tv show.

Stargate Atlantis appeared on Amazon prime so I'm doing a rewatch.

Just finished watching the finale of True Detective Season 3.

Wow the whole season was fantastic and they really closed it out brilliantly. IMO The acting, direction, and editing were on par with the first season but it edged it slightly for overall quality of storytelling.

It was not a massive twist ending but it managed to catch me by surprise all the same and I am normally pretty good at predicting what is coming. Its a shame more tv is not of this quality.

Watched the netflix doc about the Fyre festival.
Really enjoyable especially the scenes with the young twats arriving on the island for the festival. Their poor faces haha
The "great gay leader" talking about the dick sucking bribe thing was horrifying to watch - poor poor guy

Anyone watching Kingdom on Netflix?

Slow build but creepy

tubbyj wrote:Just finished watching the finale of True Detective Season 3.

Wow the whole season was fantastic and they really closed it out brilliantly. IMO The acting, direction, and editing were on par with the first season but it edged it slightly for overall quality of storytelling.

It was not a massive twist ending but it managed to catch me by surprise all the same and I am normally pretty good at predicting what is coming. Its a shame more tv is not of this quality.

It was pretty amazing. On a par with season 1. Loved the end shot too.

Kid A wrote:

tubbyj wrote:Just finished watching the finale of True Detective Season 3.

Wow the whole season was fantastic and they really closed it out brilliantly. IMO The acting, direction, and editing were on par with the first season but it edged it slightly for overall quality of storytelling.

It was not a massive twist ending but it managed to catch me by surprise all the same and I am normally pretty good at predicting what is coming. Its a shame more tv is not of this quality.

It was pretty amazing. On a par with season 1. Loved the end shot too.

Just finished that over the weekend. Ending felt a bit off to me. Not necessarily how the case panned out but how disjointed the final couple of episodes were. Pity Jeremy Saulnier didn't direct more of them.

hermie wrote:

Kid A wrote:

tubbyj wrote:Just finished watching the finale of True Detective Season 3.

Wow the whole season was fantastic and they really closed it out brilliantly. IMO The acting, direction, and editing were on par with the first season but it edged it slightly for overall quality of storytelling.

It was not a massive twist ending but it managed to catch me by surprise all the same and I am normally pretty good at predicting what is coming. Its a shame more tv is not of this quality.

It was pretty amazing. On a par with season 1. Loved the end shot too.

Just finished that over the weekend. Ending felt a bit off to me. Not necessarily how the case panned out but how disjointed the final couple of episodes were. Pity Jeremy Saulnier didn't direct more of them.

Saulnier and Pizzolato had a bit of a ding dong I think. The way the truth was revealed was a bit hasty but didn't detract for me. I thought the last 2 episodes were great and it had some of the best cinematography I've seen for ages.

A lot was left out (like the wife's end story) because HBO shelved it apparently.

Umbrella Academy is awesome. Fantastic soundtrack too

I've watched a few episodes of The Orville, and after completely ignoring it and avoiding the conversation around it I have to say I'm surprised. Someone put it that Star Trek Discovery is trying to be prestige TV and failing at it, while The Orville is aim for trash TV and doing well at it. It's just a pleasant, brains off television show that has some really good moments whether they're poignancy, morality, humour, character interaction, plot twists, whatever. It's something I've been asking about recently, why we can't have simple, solid TV that's entertaining but also made well, especially with the wave of people talking about TV being at its height artistically. I don't want challenging, nuanced food, beer, wine, whiskey, books, music non-stop, but TV is aiming at that. You can either have absolute shite or something looking to break new ground. There's no in between. The Orville has hit that in-between sweet spot.

CarrotGawks wrote:I've watched a few episodes of The Orville, and after completely ignoring it and avoiding the conversation around it I have to say I'm surprised. Someone put it that Star Trek Discovery is trying to be prestige TV and failing at it, while The Orville is aim for trash TV and doing well at it. It's just a pleasant, brains off television show that has some really good moments whether they're poignancy, morality, humour, character interaction, plot twists, whatever. It's something I've been asking about recently, why we can't have simple, solid TV that's entertaining but also made well, especially with the wave of people talking about TV being at its height artistically. I don't want challenging, nuanced food, beer, wine, whiskey, books, music non-stop, but TV is aiming at that. You can either have absolute shite or something looking to break new ground. There's no in between. The Orville has hit that in-between sweet spot.

Seems that many shows have swung to full season or major arcs, yet my three must-watch shows at the moment are The Orville, Brooklyn 99, and The Rookie... all largely one-and-done eps with some ‘growth’ over the season.

Nieghorn wrote:

CarrotGawks wrote:I've watched a few episodes of The Orville, and after completely ignoring it and avoiding the conversation around it I have to say I'm surprised. Someone put it that Star Trek Discovery is trying to be prestige TV and failing at it, while The Orville is aim for trash TV and doing well at it. It's just a pleasant, brains off television show that has some really good moments whether they're poignancy, morality, humour, character interaction, plot twists, whatever. It's something I've been asking about recently, why we can't have simple, solid TV that's entertaining but also made well, especially with the wave of people talking about TV being at its height artistically. I don't want challenging, nuanced food, beer, wine, whiskey, books, music non-stop, but TV is aiming at that. You can either have absolute shite or something looking to break new ground. There's no in between. The Orville has hit that in-between sweet spot.

Seems that many shows have swung to full season or major arcs, yet my three must-watch shows at the moment are The Orville, Brooklyn 99, and The Rookie... all largely one-and-done eps with some ‘growth’ over the season.

And what's surprising to me, as I've been watching a few older shows (The Practice at the moment) is that older shows did that. The way TV is presented now people would have you believe that all shows are like The Simpsons, where every development was reset at the end of each episode and the characters started afresh at the beginning of the next episode. 90s tv wasn't like that at all. There were definitely plots that were confined to each episode, but there was a lot of tv that allowed development over a series, and even had actual story based plot that wasn't resolved in 43 minutes. It's a collective mis-remembering.

CarrotGawks wrote:

Nieghorn wrote:

CarrotGawks wrote:I've watched a few episodes of The Orville, and after completely ignoring it and avoiding the conversation around it I have to say I'm surprised. Someone put it that Star Trek Discovery is trying to be prestige TV and failing at it, while The Orville is aim for trash TV and doing well at it. It's just a pleasant, brains off television show that has some really good moments whether they're poignancy, morality, humour, character interaction, plot twists, whatever. It's something I've been asking about recently, why we can't have simple, solid TV that's entertaining but also made well, especially with the wave of people talking about TV being at its height artistically. I don't want challenging, nuanced food, beer, wine, whiskey, books, music non-stop, but TV is aiming at that. You can either have absolute shite or something looking to break new ground. There's no in between. The Orville has hit that in-between sweet spot.

Seems that many shows have swung to full season or major arcs, yet my three must-watch shows at the moment are The Orville, Brooklyn 99, and The Rookie... all largely one-and-done eps with some ‘growth’ over the season.

And what's surprising to me, as I've been watching a few older shows (The Practice at the moment) is that older shows did that. The way TV is presented now people would have you believe that all shows are like The Simpsons, where every development was reset at the end of each episode and the characters started afresh at the beginning of the next episode. 90s tv wasn't like that at all. There were definitely plots that were confined to each episode, but there was a lot of tv that allowed development over a series, and even had actual story based plot that wasn't resolved in 43 minutes. It's a collective mis-remembering.

Buffy.

Anyone watched Origin? Pretty good if you're looking for some sci fi. Also, just watched the first season of Derry Girls, what a fantastic laugh out loud show. My only issue was just how hard it was to understand what people were saying at times.

Started watching The Boondocks, it's a bit like South Park.

Wasn't it X-Files that popularised the 'monster of the week' episodes alongside those that played the 'government and aliens are out to get us' arcs.

On my Expanse re-watch.

Alright mate.. some of us are only on S3

Nieghorn wrote:

CarrotGawks wrote:I've watched a few episodes of The Orville, and after completely ignoring it and avoiding the conversation around it I have to say I'm surprised. Someone put it that Star Trek Discovery is trying to be prestige TV and failing at it, while The Orville is aim for trash TV and doing well at it. It's just a pleasant, brains off television show that has some really good moments whether they're poignancy, morality, humour, character interaction, plot twists, whatever. It's something I've been asking about recently, why we can't have simple, solid TV that's entertaining but also made well, especially with the wave of people talking about TV being at its height artistically. I don't want challenging, nuanced food, beer, wine, whiskey, books, music non-stop, but TV is aiming at that. You can either have absolute shite or something looking to break new ground. There's no in between. The Orville has hit that in-between sweet spot.

Seems that many shows have swung to full season or major arcs, yet my three must-watch shows at the moment are The Orville, Brooklyn 99, and The Rookie... all largely one-and-done eps with some ‘growth’ over the season.

I often prefer those types of shows. Sometimes shows with season long plot arcs can get tedious.

Looking forward to the new Twilight Zone for the same reason.

OptimisticJock wrote:Alright mate.. some of us are only on S3

Sorry. Had assumed that people had already seen it.

Nolanator wrote:

OptimisticJock wrote:Alright mate.. some of us are only on S3

Sorry. Had assumed that people had already seen it.

Nae bother. Watching on Amazon think they've only just released 3

flaggETERNAL wrote:Anyone watched Origin? Pretty good if you're looking for some sci fi. Also, just watched the first season of Derry Girls, what a fantastic laugh out loud show. My only issue was just how hard it was to understand what people were saying at times.

Welcome to Northern Ireland

Jeff the Bear wrote:Wasn't it X-Files that popularised the 'monster of the week' episodes alongside those that played the 'government and aliens are out to get us' arcs.

Monster of the week perhaps, but I was under the impression that the self-contained episode with a bit of season long arc format was well established long before that.

The current trend for more serialised tv shows, often in 8 - 12 episodes, is sort of a reaction to the satuation of procedurals the mid to late 2000s, but also symptomatic of the move away from network tv and ever expanding offer of tv streaming services which don't need a block of 20+ episodes to fill their scheduling. An awful lot of stuff that didn't get greenlit prior to the rise of streaming lost out because the story wouldn't lend itself to that US TV network friendly format or was too esoteric or limited in scope to stretch to 20 episodes without losing the audience.

Ulsters Red Hand wrote:

flaggETERNAL wrote:Anyone watched Origin? Pretty good if you're looking for some sci fi. Also, just watched the first season of Derry Girls, what a fantastic laugh out loud show. My only issue was just how hard it was to understand what people were saying at times.

Welcome to Northern Ireland

He should be thankful it wasn't set in Tyrone

The return of Fleabag is wonderful.

OptimisticJock wrote:

Nolanator wrote:

OptimisticJock wrote:Alright mate.. some of us are only on S3

Sorry. Had assumed that people had already seen it.

Nae bother. Watching on Amazon think they've only just released 3

It just released on Amazon in advance of season 4. Seasons 1-3 were on Syfy or Netflix (outside the US). Season 3 was released a year ago.

Ulsters Red Hand wrote:

flaggETERNAL wrote:Anyone watched Origin? Pretty good if you're looking for some sci fi. Also, just watched the first season of Derry Girls, what a fantastic laugh out loud show. My only issue was just how hard it was to understand what people were saying at times.

Welcome to Northern Ireland

Sorry wasn't trying to be a shitbag but man it's frakkin hard to follow some of what they were saying. Still, growing up Catholic osme of the stuff was very familiar and laugh out loud. Anyone know if another season is planned?

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but what has changed in the last 20 years to be make TV shows so much better these days? I mean, compared to the 90s and 80s when I grew up, there is no comparison. Acting, writing, camera work etc is just three rungs above the Miami Vice and Knightriders of the 80s.

Oddly enough I find movies have gone in the opposite direction. (if i see another super hero movie I will shit myself)

True Blue wrote:I'm sure this has been discussed before, but what has changed in the last 20 years to be make TV shows so much better these days? I mean, compared to the 90s and 80s when I grew up, there is no comparison. Acting, writing, camera work etc is just three rungs above the Miami Vice and Knightriders of the 80s.

Oddly enough I find movies have gone in the opposite direction. (if i see another super hero movie I will shit myself)

HBO and other cable companies basically.

True Blue wrote:I'm sure this has been discussed before, but what has changed in the last 20 years to be make TV shows so much better these days? I mean, compared to the 90s and 80s when I grew up, there is no comparison. Acting, writing, camera work etc is just three rungs above the Miami Vice and Knightriders of the 80s.

Oddly enough I find movies have gone in the opposite direction. (if i see another super hero movie I will shit myself)

Budgets and writers.

There aren't that many mid-budget films anymore and the mainstream film industry is increasingly conservative and focussed on massive RoI, so writers who want to do something interesting that isn't a micro-budget Indie go to TV.

Ever increasing competition from cable shows and streaming services means everyone has to up their game and have great shows which publicise the creator/platform, so interesting ideas get picked up whereas if they were being put forward for films they might get a treatment and then the script would go into some producer's drawer for a decade.

True Blue wrote:I'm sure this has been discussed before, but what has changed in the last 20 years to be make TV shows so much better these days? I mean, compared to the 90s and 80s when I grew up, there is no comparison. Acting, writing, camera work etc is just three rungs above the Miami Vice and Knightriders of the 80s.

Oddly enough I find movies have gone in the opposite direction. (if i see another super hero movie I will shit myself)

Don't go and see them and save on undie purchases then. I must admit I find it odd that people get shitty with superhero movies as a genre. There are lots of other genres out there that don't attract as much derision. There can't have been more than 10 (including animated ones) out of the few hundred films released last year. I think you can not like those movies but it's not true to say the acting, writing, camera work etc in movies in general have gone the other way.

Alan Sepinwall's (now dated) book about TV is pretty interesting. He looks at the big shows since Sopranos and discusses tv in general. He has a bit about how may storylines/scenes a show has which was really interesting. Hill Street Blues had way more of both than any show out during those days (and could be considered the forerunners of today's tv) but it pales in comparison to today's shows.

I find it hard to watch anything without an ongoing narrative these days - I guess I've been conditioned to it.

If anyone's caught up to the most recent Brooklyn 99, was the young Disco Strangler Mike D from The Beastie Boys?




... listed as 'Richard Finkelstein' in IMDB, who has no other acting roles besides that. I didn't do an extensive Google search but there were a couple of inconclusive Reddit Qs posed asking as well, so it wasn't just me!

True Blue wrote:That space battle in the latest The Orville episode....man, that was intense. Last few episodes have been fantastic.

Didn't see that plot coming at all, and that space battle must have taken forever for the computer nerds to render! Better space battle scene - at least busier - than the recent ST film releases' ones?

Episode discussion... open if only have seen:

Don't you think it's a bit cheeky when it pops up during the intro titles 'Created by Seth McFarlane'

Nolanator wrote:On my Expanse re-watch.

Spoiler: show

The finish to S3E7 is just great. The Maneo splat when he hits the Ring and then Miller appears in the Roci.

Watched this last night and it was ruined. Completely ruined for me. I've written to my local paper in disgust.

I started watching The Mentalist this week. It's shit but I keep watching the next episode.

fatcat wrote:I started watching The Mentalist this week. It's shit but I keep watching the next episode.

It does come across as a bit amateur initially but it grows on you. Even my Dad watched the whole series and he's a pia fussy sod.