What are we watching this Fall, y'all?

[specious_reasons]

I started a first time watch of "The Office" (US version) for no particular reason last night. I burned through the 6 episode 1st season pretty quickly.

I remember dipping my toes into the UK "Office" but this was after Gervais had been spoiled for me, and I wasn't motivated to keep up. The US version seems to spread out the focus a bit more and it helps that Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski are charming as Jim and Pam.

This week, I also watched two episodes of the reboot of "Night Court" and it's... OK. Melissa Rauch is Judge Abby Stone, the daughter of Harry Stone. She picked up the job because she wants to continue her father's mission to help people. I don't think the show has figured out what to do with the new Judge Stone - Harry Anderson had a pretty well defined comic persona they built the original around, but I'm not sure if that's the case for Rauch. They also brought back John Larroquette, but this time Dan is the public defender. It's an odd choice, considering how much his character despised the public in the original. Maybe they can mine that for more jokes later.

The original "Night Court" was a bit more naughty than the new one so far, which was part of its appeal. I'm so-so on continuing to watch this.

[ChuckF]

Originally Posted by slimshady2357

I did a search but couldn't see anyone mentioning White Lotus?

We just watched both seasons and really enjoyed them both. The first time I heard about it was an interview with Aubrey Plaza. I'd watch her in anything, so we downloaded it and she's not in the first season

But it didn't matter, it was well worth watching. As was the second season, which does have AP in it.

It's a slow burn for sure, everything ramps up eventually, but it definitely takes it time getting going.

Both seasons take place at high end resort hotels called the White Lotus (first season is in Hawaii, second is in Italy).

I don't think it's giving anything away to say that both seasons start with a dead body and then go back in time where you slowly learn who was involved and who the dead body was....

Jennifer Coolidge is fucking awesome in it

I'd highly recommend, Sou would just recommend.

I liked the first season - mainly Jennifer Coolidge and the soundtrack - very much. I was a little underwhelmed with the end. Looking forward to the second season once I get around to reactivating HBO Max.

[specious_reasons]

Over the last few weeks, I watched "Paul T Goldman". If I'm not mistaken, the season finale was released today.

"Paul T Goldman" is a mix of documentary footage, interviews, and recreations of events in the story told by Paul T Goldman. Paul T Goldman is the pen name of the main character here. He wrote a supposedly non-fiction book about how he married a woman who was a sex worker and a madam, and it led him to attempt to expose an international sex trafficking ring.

Spoiler alert: The sad truth behind this is that Paul is a lonely, naive, and gullible man who got into a bad marriage and concocted this story to make some sort of sense of it. It seems like the ex-wife was manipulating him, but she wasn't a sex-worker or a trafficker. It also seems that Paul's a bit of a creep.

I didn't like it. On paper, it might be a fascinating story of a compellingly weird guy who spun a failed marriage into a book and then went to extreme lengths to promote it. However, I didn't find him compelling. He's another mediocre man spinning revenge fantasies from his poor choices in relationships, and then hijacking the real tragedy of trafficking to promote it. This series lets him indulge in his fantasies and "act" next to notable actors. Paul is pleased to be the center of the story, even if the sad truth is revealed.

[Ari]

What do you mean Morty. this has always been my voice.

After being arrested for domestic violence, combined with allegations of harassing/propositioning teenage girls, Adult Swim has cut all ties with Justin Roiland. The voices will be recast, Dan Harmon will continue as the sole creator and Rick & Morty will continue into at least season 10 (Because Adult Swim made a deal for 70 episodes in 2018 and are sticking with it.)

Adult Swim cuts ties with Justin Roiland following domestic abuse allegations | NBC News

[Ensign Steve]

I'm sure Castellaneta is picking up the phone.

[ShottleBop]

I've been watching the Korean series "Tomorrow" on Netflix. Because it's possible, and it's an enjoyable way to practice my Spanish, I've been watching it in Spanish, with Spanish subtitles. The disconnect between the dubbed dialog and the subtitles is greater than I've seen in any other show--they must have had the script translated by two different people. Sometimes, I just close my eyes to avoid confusion. (I could turn off the subtitles, but sometimes they help.)

I'm finding the show interesting. The main protagonist is a young man in a coma after trying to stop a person from committing suicide. He meets the Jade Empress (immortal queen mother), who tells him he will spend three years in the coma, or--if he helps the team of otherworld functionaries whose job it is to try to stop suicides--his coma will last only six months. The team is a new concept (Heaven and Hell are getting full, and stopping suicides gives them a break?) that faces a lot of animosity from the other functionaries, whose job it is to accompany the souls of the dead to the afterlife, and is treated like an experiment that is always on the verge of being disbanded. (Suicides go to hell, and the other functionaries think that saving them is an unwarranted deviation from what should have happened.)

The leader of the team is a 420-year spirit whose full story will be shown in a future episode; before taking on the task of stopping suicides, she was with a team in Hell that visited retribution on the souls of child molesters (and rapists, possibly). The third member of the team is a martial arts specialist, but so far we know nothing about his past. The new guy is your typical noob.

This last episode, the team went to stop an 85-year-old Korean war veteran from committing suicide on the day before he is destined to die. He had volunteered for the war, come back with debilitating PTSD, and spent his life alone, collecting trash for money. The team shows him how his life had meaning, and he dies naturally, and in peace.

All in all, I'm engrossed.

[ShottleBop]

I had a couple of cross-country flights the this past few days, and took advantage of the downtime to binge both seasons of "SkyRojo," a Spanish comedy-drama set in Tenerife. Three prostitutes crack the owner of the brothel they work at over the head and escape. There follow two seasons of his pimps and the escapees chasing after each other.

It's on NetFlix. Each episode is about half an hour. I was practicing my Spanish, so I watched in Spanish, with Spanish subtitles.

If you liked "Pulp Fiction," there's a good chance you'd enjoy "SkyRojo."

[Qingdai]

Kid and family have been watching Venture Brothers.

Chunks and I started watching Severence (only up to episode 4)

We watched and episode of Beef, unusure about that one

[specious_reasons]

I've been watching "Mrs. Davis" on Peacock.

It's an action comedy starring Betty Gilpin (I last saw her on "GLOW").

Betty Gilpin is Simone, a nun who has a hobby of exposing fraudulent magicians. "Mrs. Davis" is a hyper powerful AI who is basically running the lives of a decent amount of the population, and Simone is distrustful of it. Simone is offered the chance to turn off Mrs. Davis provided she can acquire the Holy Grail.

In her quest to find the grail, she meets up with a former lover who is also on a quest to destroy Mrs. Davis. There's a group of powerful women who have the grail. A lot of the factions all seem to have ties to Simone. It gets weirder from there.

I don't know if I like it, other than I enjoy how ridiculous it is. It's really swinging for the fences here, possibly in an unsustainable way.

[Ensign Steve]

I'm watching it, too, and I like it a lot. It has some Lost vibes, courtesy of co-creator Damon Lindeloff, but it's also super whackadoo and camp and silly in a lot of places. It makes me curious to see more from the other co-creator Tara Hernandez, with whom I was not previously familiar. DL is on record (but paraphrased by me) as saying that it's really her show and her vibe, etc. So, what even is her deal?

[Miss Shelby]

If all ya’all are as sick and twisted as I am you’ll be glad to know the new series of Black Mirror is out on Netflix.

[specious_reasons]

I started a Battlestar Galactica (mid 2000s) watch. I just finished season 1. I don't know why I slept on it this long, it's super weird, and the Cylons may or may not be religious fanatics, but I'm enjoying it a lot.

mild spoilers for a mid-2000s TV show:

It amused me that a big season 1 subplot is that a bunch of the Galactica crew lust after Boomer, who is revealed to be a Cylon early on. Boomer is Grace Park, so I sort of get it, but she it worth the end of humanity? Also, I discovered she and another BSG actress was involved with NXIVM, which is not cool.

[Miss Shelby]

S_r have you seen the very first episode of the first season? About the prime minister of England. So crazy. There is another episode in the first season called San Junipara or something like that. That was a really good story

[specious_reasons]

Originally Posted by Miss Shelby

S_r have you seen the very first episode of the first season? About the prime minister of England. So crazy. There is another episode in the first season called San Junipara or something like that. That was a really good story

I actually had to stop watching Black Mirror because it was too distressing. The first episode was fine, but the one where people can have perfect memory recall and it makes a husband start to question his wife's fidelity? That and another one freaked me out and I haven't gone back.

On other people's recommendation, I watched San Junipero and liked it a lot, I also saw the one where Jesse Plemons is the captain of a "Star Trek" like ship - that was good, too, but I don't know if I can stand to watch the whole series.

[Crumb]

Originally Posted by Miss Shelby

S_r have you seen the very first episode of the first season? About the prime minister of England. So crazy. There is another episode in the first season called San Junipara or something like that. That was a really good story

I have no idea why S1E1 is part of Black Mirror, even worse that it is the first episode. It must put a lot of people off the series. I'm glad I took the advice to skip it on my first watch through. I recommend that for anyone starting it.

I'm glad to hear there is a new season. I will watch it.

[Ensign Steve]

Originally Posted by specious_reasons

I started a Battlestar Galactica (mid 2000s) watch. I just finished season 1. I don't know why I slept on it this long, it's super weird, and the Cylons may or may not be religious fanatics, but I'm enjoying it a lot.

Are you a Down the Hatch listener or is it just a coincidence? They started their BSG rewatch this week as well.

Battlestar Galactica Down the Hatch: We Have to Go Frak - PostShowRecaps.com

I wasn't planning to watch, just listen along. That's fun because at some point I'll decide to check it out and then I'll be like "omg is that what they look like?!" (I literally thought Morph from the X-men cartoon was an Orbity-style alien based on that voice)

[Ensign Steve]

Speak of what we are watching this Fall, I had to add to my Notes app on the phone to keep it all straight again.

We finished Succession and Yellowjackets. Those were great.

We are currently watching From Season 2. It's so grim and I don't know why I'm still watching it. It has all the mystery-box intrigue of Lost, but with none of the humor and charm. It's just nonstop horror and trauma.

We like Silo and Crowded Room on Apple TV. Also The Idol on Max, which is apparently scandalizing all the pearl-clutching millenials who don't remember when it used to be Skinemax.

Strange New Worlds season 2 just started, I haven't watched the first one yet.

And a whole season of Black Mirror dropped. I'm ready to binge that shit.

[specious_reasons]

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

Are you a Down the Hatch listener or is it just a coincidence? They started their BSG rewatch this week as well.

A coincidence! I may pick that up, or listen to select episodes, if I think I need more opinions on the show.

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

We like Silo and Crowded Room on Apple TV. Also The Idol on Max, which is apparently scandalizing all the pearl-clutching millenials who don't remember when it used to be Skinemax.

I am interested in Silo, I read the books it was based on and enjoyed them. I doubt I will get AppleTV to watch it, though.

[Crumb]

Originally Posted by specious_reasons

I am interested in Silo, I read the books it was based on and enjoyed them. I doubt I will get AppleTV to watch it, though.

I am in the same boat. Loved the series, and I think a show would be fun but AppleTV? I wish we could get down to about 4 streaming services...

[Ensign Steve]

Oh man, there is a lot of great content on Apple TV. Miss me with Ted Lasso, but pirate Severance if you have to.

[viscousmemories]

I need to finish Yellowjackets (I'm a few episodes behind) and lots of people have recommended Severance and Succession, but top of my list after Yellowjackets is the new season of Black Mirror. I have found the series to be hit or miss but when it hits it hits hard! Alas the whole reason I am several episodes behind on Yellowjackets is that I have been spending almost literally every waking hour playing Tears of the Kingdom.

[Miss Shelby]

Vm Yellowjackets ends on a very surprising note.

[Miss Shelby]

Originally Posted by Crumb

I have no idea why S1E1 is part of Black Mirror, even worse that it is the first episode. It must put a lot of people off the series. I'm glad I took the advice to skip it on my first watch through. I recommend that for anyone starting it.

I'm glad to hear there is a new season. I will watch it.

I think we are talking about the same episode. Agreed. That one was very off putting

[Miss Shelby]

Originally Posted by Ensign Steve

Oh man, there is a lot of great content on Apple TV. Miss me with Ted Lasso, but pirate Severance if you have to.

Have you watched Liseys Story? I have the book but can’t get into it. And I don’t have Apple tv

[beyelzu]

Originally Posted by specious_reasons

A coincidence! I may pick that up, or listen to select episodes, if I think I need more opinions on the show.

I am interested in Silo, I read the books it was based on and enjoyed them. I doubt I will get AppleTV to watch it, though.

I’ve not read the books, but the series Silo is really good.