Joss Whedon's New PG13 Supernatural Thing for Teenagers (TV thread)

[edison]

I have yet to watch Treme, but have been delighted with Louie - although I think there's been a slight dip in the two episodes I last saw ("Dogpound" and "Bully")

[Greg Nog]

Netflix is streaming Fridy Night Lights, so I finally watched the pilot, after hearing you guys talk about it for a while.  I didn't like it much.

[davy]

Me neither.

[Greg Nog]

Oh, neat!  I thought I was the only one on here.

[dieblucasdie]

Ha, it's funny, I just rewatched the pilot the other day while running, since ABC Family is rerunning the show. It's pretty so-so, I vaguely remember sticking with the show only because so many of the other pilots that year were SO bad. It was weird to see Buddy and Tyra and even Smash and Street so one-dimensional. Alls I can you guys is, they drop the literal fake-documentary format immediately, and, you know, the rest of the show is made by different showrunners and different directors.  I wouldn't say it's completely different from the pilot; it just sort of spirals out from there, and just ends up as a really intimate portrait of the Taylor family, their impact on the town, on the various kids, etc, and not so much about some of the other stuff.

[Thermofusion]

you have to live in the midwest, to enjoy that show

[ellaguru]

I thought it was pretty great. I don't at all remember how/if the pilot differed from what came after, but I think they got their rhythm on pretty quick, so you wouldn't have to sit through many more if you wanted to be able to say you gave it a fair shake.

[Ashley]

ricky and julian from trailer park boys are all over downtown st john's this week.  according to my facebook they are getting a lot of free booze.

[dieblucasdie]

Yeah I hadn't remembered how different the pilot was until I re-watched it. There's actual Office-style confessional interviews, which weirded me out.  Remembering my initial reaction, it was "Hey, there are a few interesting things going on in this show" until about the end of the Voodoo Tatum plotline, when I was like, "OK, this is a really good show." Then, of course, by the end I was all, "No show on TV had a better season this year."

[hannah]

you have to live in the midwest, to enjoy that show

Wait, so is there a East Coast-West Coast continuum now?

[Greg Nog]

Yeah I hadn't remembered how different the pilot was until I re-watched it.

If I wanted to give it another try, is there another episode in the first season you would recommend?  I feel like I'm sorta automatically primed to hate it 'cause I don't give any shits about football, but if the non-football parts are interesting enough, maybe there's another potential entry point to give me a feel for the show?

[dieblucasdie]

Oh, yeah, the show is only marginally about football.  I'm a little rusty re: what happened during specific episodes way back in S1, but I'll look through it later and give a rec.

[dieblucasdie]

OK, maybe try "What to Do While You're Waiting"--there's no football at all in that one; it takes place after their regular season is over, and they're waiting to see the outcome of a game between two other teams which will determine whether they make it into the playoffs or not.

[heather marie]

HEY Y'ALL

I do not live in the midwest and I hate football with every fiber of my being, but I fucking love FNL forever and ever.

The end.

[Greg Nog]

Thanks, blucas! I'll give that a whirl.

[jess]

HEY Y'ALL

I do not live in the midwest and I hate football with every fiber of my being, but I fucking love FNL forever and ever.

The end.

Yeah, I haven't lived in the midwest until very recently (and then only sort of kind of), and I am pretty indifferent to football, and I love it too. I got into it pretty quickly though, definitely by ep 2 or 3, so if you don't, it might just not be your thing, but I'd at least give it a couple of eps.

[Nick Ink]

I just started watching 'Slings & Arrows', which coldforge had recommended me. Some very funny moments, and I'll definitely try to find time to keep on with it.

[Thermofusion]

I hope season 3 of The Inbetweeners turns up on torrents quickly, since I'm sure it'll be six months or so before BBC America gets around to airing it.

[Ignatius]

I just started watching 'Slings & Arrows', which coldforge had recommended me. Some very funny moments, and I'll definitely try to find time to keep on with it.

Tried to watch the first episode with friends over the weekend. Technical difficulties intruded before the show's rhythm and humor could establish itself, leading co-watchers to doubt their understanding that this was indeed a comedy. I don't think they'll try again. Oh well.

[Nick Ink]

I just started watching 'Slings & Arrows', which coldforge had recommended me. Some very funny moments, and I'll definitely try to find time to keep on with it.

Tried to watch the first episode with friends over the weekend. Technical difficulties intruded before the show's rhythm and humor could establish itself, leading co-watchers to doubt their understanding that this was indeed a comedy. I don't think they'll try again. Oh well.

You're right to suggest that it takes a while to hit its stride, and the humour is quite understated. By the end of the second episode, I started to really enjoy the way certain peripheral characters (like the camp theatre critic, for example) were being rounded out.

[elpollodiablo]

So there was an 8-episode third season of The Thick of It that aired late last year. Watching now.

[ellaguru]

So there was an 8-episode third season of The Thick of It that aired late last year. Watching now.

Oh, excellent! I still need to see the movie they did, too.

Started season three of True Blood last night. It mostly amused how much I had totally forgotten everything that happened on the show. Most of the time I'm pretty on top of that. But this time I remembered the characters, that's about it.

[morgan]

Pretty sure True Blood'll do that to you.

[elpollodiablo]

The Thick of It se. 3: a little over the top in places, and somewhat uneven--the middle three or so episodes are rather weak--but overall great fun, and it finished really strong. Glad to hear they're filming a fourth run of episodes.

Although Jamie was notably absent. That was a huge letdown. Dunno if the actor left or what; he's not even written out, just never mentioned.

[ellaguru]

Good, good. Is it more like the specials, which I thought were a bit more politically satirical, or more like the first series, which were a bit more jokey? I ask, even though I liked them both.

Yeah, True Blood season three is pretty dumb. I'm not minding the rollercoaster ride in search of a plot vibe, it's kinda fun, but it will have pretty much zero re-watch potential I think.