TV Thread - beware, [expletive] can get spoilery

[BottenFieldofDreams]

He watched one from 2005 and it was bad by comparison to the recent ones. I suppose there have been some creative ebbs and flows and certainly a lot of writing staff changes.

Seems like 5 or 8 or so years ago (impossible to keep perspective with that show), about the time they started letting animator guests do the title sequence (like my neighbor, Bill Plympton), there seemed to be an unspoken acknowledgement that the show wasn't and couldn't be what it once was and there was an improvement in quality. We catch an episode every now and then. There was a good long stretch of lousy, lousy SImpsons which was sort of heartbreaking. They went from building magnificent worlds in every episode with the sharpest humor and tight stories, to finding a half-assed reason to get Homer's head stuck in a toilet for 21 minutes. But in it's present form, it's not bad--at least usually.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

Binge watched The Leftovers.

I think it's got to be in the top 5 shows I've ever watched.

[pioneer98]

I am finally watching Bojack Horseman. It took about 5-6 episodes for it to hook me. But uh, yeah, as a dude of a certain age with certain issues, it kinda punches me right in the gut. An extremely Gen X show, IMO.

Another one that I'm still digesting is The Midnight Gospel. Its from the animator that made Adventure Time. I've only watched a couple episodes. The dialog in all the episodes is basically a long dorm room philosophy conversation...but over animation of surreal violence on worlds in parallel universes. Yep!

[ghostrunner]

Binge watched The Leftovers.

I think it's got to be in the top 5 shows I've ever watched.

Yep. For me it's right up there with The Wire, Mad Men, and Sopranos. And only one nomination (acting) between the Emmys and Golden Globes.

[Smith Corks One]

Binge watched The Leftovers.

I think it's got to be in the top 5 shows I've ever watched.

Yep. For me it's right up there with The Wire, Mad Men, and Sopranos. And only one nomination (acting) between the Emmys and Golden Globes.

I loved the first season, then just kind of lost track of it. Didn’t it only have like 3 seasons? Was it planned that way, and if not, did it get a full resolution?

[ghostrunner]

Binge watched The Leftovers.

I think it's got to be in the top 5 shows I've ever watched.

Yep. For me it's right up there with The Wire, Mad Men, and Sopranos. And only one nomination (acting) between the Emmys and Golden Globes.

I loved the first season, then just kind of lost track of it. Didn’t it only have like 3 seasons? Was it planned that way, and if not, did it get a full resolution?

My impression was that they weren’t super interested in resolution per se. There’s no attempt to explain what happened, which is partly what made it so good imo. The second season is probably best, but the third is really good. It loosens up a lot after the first season. Less dread, a bit more humor while still being really heavy at times. I think if they knew they could have gotten 4 seasons they might have continued but it doesn’t feel that way and I love the ending.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

Binge watched The Leftovers.

I think it's got to be in the top 5 shows I've ever watched.

Yep. For me it's right up there with The Wire, Mad Men, and Sopranos. And only one nomination (acting) between the Emmys and Golden Globes.

I loved the first season, then just kind of lost track of it. Didn’t it only have like 3 seasons? Was it planned that way, and if not, did it get a full resolution?

My impression was that they weren’t super interested in resolution per se. There’s no attempt to explain what happened, which is partly what made it so good imo. The second season is probably best, but the third is really good. It loosens up a lot after the first season. Less dread, a bit more humor while still being really heavy at times. I think if they knew they could have gotten 4 seasons they might have continued but it doesn’t feel that way and I love the ending.

100%

Also, Carrie Coon should have won all the awards.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

Stumbled across this. Really cool "making of the episode" from the week John Malkovich was host in 2009. My favorite cast/writing crew. Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig, Bobby Moynihan, Keenan Thompson, Will Forte, Nasim Pedrad, Abby Elliot, Seth Meyers. Writers - Jorma Taccone, Akiva Schaffer, Alex Baze, Hannibal Buress, Paula Pell, John Mulaney, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, John Lutz, Christine Nangle, Simon Rich, Mike O'Brien. That's an absurd who's who in the comedy world.

[heyzeus]

Binge watched The Leftovers.

I think it's got to be in the top 5 shows I've ever watched.

Yep. For me it's right up there with The Wire, Mad Men, and Sopranos. And only one nomination (acting) between the Emmys and Golden Globes.

I loved the first season, then just kind of lost track of it. Didn’t it only have like 3 seasons? Was it planned that way, and if not, did it get a full resolution?

My impression was that they weren’t super interested in resolution per se. There’s no attempt to explain what happened, which is partly what made it so good imo. The second season is probably best, but the third is really good. It loosens up a lot after the first season. Less dread, a bit more humor while still being really heavy at times. I think if they knew they could have gotten 4 seasons they might have continued but it doesn’t feel that way and I love the ending.

100%

Also, Carrie Coon should have won all the awards.

Carrie Coon was phenomenal on that show. The Leftovers was so very, very good. So enigmatic, so contemplative. What do humans do when confronted with inexplicable and terrible loss that, for all we know, might also unexpectedly and invisibly come for us as well? Gee, I don't know what the central question of the show seems so relevant now!

[Fat_Bulldog]

I'm watching "The Last Dance" right now. It is great. Takes me back to another time in my life and when I religiously watched the NBA.