Television thread

[Mrbloodworth]

There's some tv channel that I never noticed before named Ion TV.  (We have Comcast)  Sunday they're broadcasting Hogfather. 

Hogfather
Sunday, December 23rd at 7/6c
Starring Joss Ackland, Sir David Jason, David Warner, Sir Ian Richardson, Michelle Dockery, Stephen Marcus

Ian Richardson's role is the voice of DEATH, which is a wonderful choice.  I love his voice.  Anyway, just thought fans would want to know since I haven't noticed anyone chatting about it.  I have to warn you, however, that it is a two part, 189 minute show but with all the adverts it's 240 minutes long.  EEK.  We watched "Flood" (meh... but it has Robert Carlyle, David Suchet, and some other notables), and there's a HUGE number of adverts.  I suggest DVR'ing it.

Yeah man, i got this on DvD, its one of the best "Xmass" movies out. Its brilliant.

[Abagadro]

I think we have reached the apocalypse. I just saw an ad for "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" which will be on VH1. No, it was not a spoof.

[Ironwood]

"Once More, with Feeling" from season 6 is also a great episode.

It better be. People hype it up quite a bit.... And all I know is that I hate musicals with a passion.

It Blows.

[Reg]

Does it blow for any particular reason or are you just doing your cranky old man that hates anything popular routine again?

[Ironwood]

It's a Musical Episode of Buffy.  It throws a fucking rock into an already in progress plotline that was fundamentally important and adult for the sake of a couple of shitty dance routines and corny/funny songs.

It drags the romance of two of the couples right into the limelight with the wankiest wankfest routines imaginable.  Indeed, the whole fucking episode is worthless except the line 'I think this line is mostly filler' line.

The baddy makes NO FUCKING SENSE AT ALL, in a program where the baddies pretty much always make sense.

It Blows.

I don't hate everything popular.  Don't be a nonce.

[Tebonas]

I would have said it blows because Xander makes no sense at all characterwise, and the big reveal is stupid.

The peaceful coexistence of serious and somber alongside corny and funny was always one of the trademarks of Buffy.

[Ironwood]

Um ?

I don't get the Xander Reference.


Corny/Funny Songs are different.  Way Different.  Don't make me bop you on the head.

[Tebonas]

i won't try to find an excuse for the fact that they wanted to make a musical episode. And despite them obviously having fun with it, it didn't really work for me. The plot just sucked.

But Funny/Corny right next to the most dreadful arcs happened all the time. Of course, if your problem is the songs instead of the corny/funny, then I can't argue against that.

I'm just glad they never got to make a musical version of an Angel episode, or - god forbid- Firefly with impromptu dance performances during firefights.

[Merusk]

Yah, so Adult Swim lost Futurama, and it winds-up on Comedy Central?    Hopefully they'll use it as something to replace the other god awful animation shows.

[Evildrider]

Yah, so Adult Swim lost Futurama, and it winds-up on Comedy Central?    Hopefully they'll use it as something to replace the other god awful animation shows.

Comedy Central is responsible for bringing Futurama back from the dead though.  :)

[stray]

I take back the comment about Angel lacking good villains. The whole Wolfram and Hart thing kicks ass.

And Wesley has turned out to be a great character... Surprised me.

All in all, Angel is definitely better than Buffy.

[Prospero]

Angel really found its feet after the first season. I still like Buffy, but Angel was good solid fun. Things get sketchy in season 4 I think, but the final season was solid. I'm hoping the strike doesn't kill off Joss' new show. I need more plucky, comical heroes/heroines in my diet.

[WayAbvPar]

Angel really found its feet after the first season. I still like Buffy, but Angel was good solid fun. Things get sketchy in season 4 I think, but the final season was solid. I'm hoping the strike doesn't kill off Joss' new show. I need more plucky, comical heroes/heroines in my diet.

I started watching Angel from the beginning this week to give me something to do on the treadmill (NY resolutions ftl). I had forgotten how goddamned good that show was, even from the beginning. The first season had some crappy throwaway episodes, but it was very solid overall.

[Rasix]

The whole "Conner" thing was a bit of a low point in the show.  Adding emo teen angst is never a good idea.   Some bad spots in the last season (including the throw away death(s)), but Angel was good fun. 

I miss Joss Whedon shows.

[stray]

Don't think I've gotten to Conner yet? I'm just starting the third season. Looks like Winifred is gonna part of the cast finally (those were the only eps I've seen before).

I'm really starting to hate Buffy though. First it was Xander (who eventually got cool), then the general whiny nature of some of the love story shit, and now it's Buffy sister. They need to bring in another precocious 14 year old to punch that little chick in the nose. Also, Spike is underutilized and gets shit upon a bit too much.

[Merusk]

I always found Angel to be much better than Buffy. I couldn't stand to watch most BtS episodes, and even thought the few Angel episodes she was in sucked.  I honestly believe most of the  for Buffy is only lust for SMG and AH.

[stray]

There was one episode I watched recently where Angel was trying to help Faith get her head together again... SMG made a cameo and tried telling Angel off about it. He basically just wtfpwned her ass in one scene and told her to get the hell off of his show (so to speak). It said a lot.


Speaking of Faith, there isn't an actress in any of these of shows that has a thing on her. Eliza Dushku is megahot, and even more so as a megabitch.  She should have gotten her own spin-off and wtfpwned Buffy's ass on it too.

Doesn't sound like she'll be much of a bitch in that new Whedon series though, but I'll give it a shot anyways.

[HaemishM]

I've been catching a Brit show called "Life on Mars" on BBC America recently. Stars the guy who played the Master last on Doctor Who (the young crazy one, not the old fucker) as a cop who gets run over in present day England and wakes up in 1973 Manchester as a cop. He keeps having flashes that makes him think he's in a coma in 2007 and being instructed to do things in 1973 before he can come back. I dig it. The episodes they have now aren't the first season, not sure what season they are on, but it's a good, quirky show.

EDIT: Apparently, the season I'm watching is the 2nd and final season. I don't want to read the Wiki entry too much to keep from spoiling the later shows.

[Ironwood]

Just STOP.

Get the Whole of the 1st season and the 2nd from ANYWHERE and watch 'em in sequence.

It's a brilliant show.  Not really sure how the fuck it's managing to translate itself across the water, but it's brilliant.

[NowhereMan]

Angel gets a bunch of different villains, but never really got one that clicked I think.

I've been spending my tv time catching up on The Mighty Boosh. Fun, wierd show. http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/mightyboosh/ Noel Fielding was amusing thes season on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and is a blast on his own show. Definitely not for everyone, but it fits my humor.

I really love this show, if you're happy with its style you might want to also check out their live show which is essentially them without any kind of BBC censor. In some respects they get a bit carried away with the randomness but it's also got some really great moments.

Somewhat off topic (It's not about Buffy!?!) as it's not strictly TV but anyone who hasn't seen the latest Secret Policeman's Ball (Amnesty International comedy) really should do themselves a favour and watch it. Features some great stand up and good sketches, wide enough variety of comedy that you'll probably find some new series or performers you like.

[stray]

Somewhat off topic (It's not about Buffy!?!)

Heh yeah sorry about that. Late to the party and all... Lucky that I'm not recapping every episode I've been watching. 

[NowhereMan]

Heh it's ok, I've never really properly sat down and watched Buffy, seen lots of random episodes, and it's interesting enough to hear some of the meta-plot stuff.

Also thanks to the Christmas holidays I've been watching an inordinante amount of Top Gear and QI. Top Gear is an amusing enough show that used to be about reviewing cars. It has since become about doing stupid stunts, showing off ridiculous super cars and interviewing celebrities with a blokey cast of 3 guys who are obviously enjoying themselves. It's not high quality television but its pretty entertaining, especially some of the specials that involve a race to the north pole with one of them on a sled and the other two driving. Not sure how well the humour would translate to the States but their race from Florida to New Orleans in cars they bought for $1000 (that involves driving through Mississipi with "Man Love Rules OK" and other such comments painted on their cars)

QI is a comedy show masquerading as a quiz (along the lines of Have I got News for You) where contestants get points awarded for giving interesting answers and lose them for giving obvious (and wrong) ones. It's quite funny, hosted by Stephen Fry and if you enjoy trivia you'll absolutely love it.

[Abagadro]

The Wire starts back up tonight. Watch it. You probably won't completely understand what is going on but you will see it is so good you will go rent the first 4 seasons.

EDIT: Right before the new ep, they are doing a recap called the "Wire Odyssey" which will catch you up on major plot points.

[stray]

OK, Buffy Update #342

I take back what I said about Dawn. She doesn't just need to be punched in the nose -- she needs her throat sliced.

The reason I dislike her is the same reason I disliked Xander at first (as well as Willow and her stuttering girlfriend later on) -- they're all self absorbed, needy little bitches. But Dawn truly takes the cake.

Just to give an example -- I just watched one episode where Buffy had a birthday party... And as the party was winding down, and people were getting ready to leave, they all find out that they're trapped in Buffy's house for some mysterious reason. They can't open the door to go outside, and even get physically paralyzed when they think of exiting. Eventually, a scene comes where everyone is huddled together and starts worrying.. Some people express concern about not being able to make it to work, school, appointments, etc.. Then out of the fucking blue, Dawn starts stomping her foot, crying "You just don't want to be here any longer because of me, right??!!" and then storms off to her room screaming. Everyone's like "WTF???" Needless to say, she turns out to be the culprit (she made some wish to a demon so that everyone would spend time with her).

And every fucking episode since she's appeared has been like that. Just the episode before it was like that. Buffy thinks she accidentally killed some random chick while hunting demons -- she decides to report herself to the cops -- but before she does so, she tries to have some sisterly talk with Dawn, tells her what she did, and that she was going to the police. Then immediately Dawn goes ballistic and starts crying about how Buffy doesn't care about her anyways. No argument, nothing. It just segued into some psycho rant. And this girl's 16 years old -- wtf is her problem?

Anyways, I'd be surprised if anyone reads this -- but if you do, please tell me that this "Conner" angst thing from Angel (which someone mentioned above) doesn't get nearly as bad. That's been a pretty damn good show so far, with characters who actually act like adults.

[HaemishM]

Just STOP.

Get the Whole of the 1st season and the 2nd from ANYWHERE and watch 'em in sequence.

It's a brilliant show.  Not really sure how the fuck it's managing to translate itself across the water, but it's brilliant.

Very very well, at least for me. The slang is sometimes hard to understand, but I can follow the stories well enough, and I love the guy playing Hyde. Does the second season resolve anything, and if not, are there talks of anymore seasons?

[HaemishM]

Top Gear is an amusing enough show that used to be about reviewing cars. It has since become about doing stupid stunts, showing off ridiculous super cars and interviewing celebrities with a blokey cast of 3 guys who are obviously enjoying themselves. It's not high quality television but its pretty entertaining, especially some of the specials that involve a race to the north pole with one of them on a sled and the other two driving. Not sure how well the humour would translate to the States but their race from Florida to New Orleans in cars they bought for $1000 (that involves driving through Mississipi with "Man Love Rules OK" and other such comments painted on their cars)

Top Gear is hilarious. But the show where they drove through the US didn't almost get them killed in Mississippi... it was Alabama where they got chased off for the Man Love Rules and Hillary for President comments. The only thing they noted in Mississippi was when they got rained on in one of our gully washer storms.

[Tebonas]

The Conner angst is ...different.

No really, I remember thinking "Not another instantgrowth teenager, what the fuck is wrong with these people?"

But at least on this show people don't only want to punch him in the face for his behaviour - they actually do! 


Life on Mars is adorable, it actually reminds me of some old police series I grew up with - Kottan ermittelt. And no, that was never translated or something! :)

[Triforcer]

OK, Buffy Update #342

I take back what I said about Dawn. She doesn't just need to be punched in the nose -- she needs her throat sliced.

The reason I dislike her is the same reason I disliked Xander at first (as well as Willow and her stuttering girlfriend later on) -- they're all self absorbed, needy little bitches. But Dawn truly takes the cake.

Just to give an example -- I just watched one episode where Buffy had a birthday party... And as the party was winding down, and people were getting ready to leave, they all find out that they're trapped in Buffy's house for some mysterious reason. They can't open the door to go outside, and even get physically paralyzed when they think of exiting. Eventually, a scene comes where everyone is huddled together and starts worrying.. Some people express concern about not being able to make it to work, school, appointments, etc.. Then out of the fucking blue, Dawn starts stomping her foot, crying "You just don't want to be here any longer because of me, right??!!" and then storms off to her room screaming. Everyone's like "WTF???" Needless to say, she turns out to be the culprit (she made some wish to a demon so that everyone would spend time with her).

And every fucking episode since she's appeared has been like that. Just the episode before it was like that. Buffy thinks she accidentally killed some random chick while hunting demons -- she decides to report herself to the cops -- but before she does so, she tries to have some sisterly talk with Dawn, tells her what she did, and that she was going to the police. Then immediately Dawn goes ballistic and starts crying about how Buffy doesn't care about her anyways. No argument, nothing. It just segued into some psycho rant. And this girl's 16 years old -- wtf is her problem?

Anyways, I'd be surprised if anyone reads this -- but if you do, please tell me that this "Conner" angst thing from Angel (which someone mentioned above) doesn't get nearly as bad. That's been a pretty damn good show so far, with characters who actually act like adults.

I'm sorry I didn't chime in earlier on this.  My Buffy advice is:  Watch seasons 1-3, then pretend the rest never existed.  It sounds like its too late for you, but perhaps I can save some other lurking soul.   

[Yegolev]

Stars the guy who played the Master last on Doctor Who (the young crazy one, not the old fucker)

That would be Eric Roberts, I believe.

[Tebonas]

Your believe is somewhat misguided here. His name is John Simm! 

[Yegolev]

There is a Master in the post-Eccleston era?

[Tebonas]

Indeed there is, at the end of the third season.

[Signe]

He is what was good about Human Traffic, too.  Him and Danny Dyer.  I loves 'em.

[Velorath]

Anyways, I'd be surprised if anyone reads this -- but if you do, please tell me that this "Conner" angst thing from Angel (which someone mentioned above) doesn't get nearly as bad. That's been a pretty damn good show so far, with characters who actually act like adults.

Conner doesn't get quite as whiny as Dawn, but you'll get to hate him so much more.  In fact I hated the whole second-to-last season of Angel (making the final season even that much more impressive as it's probably the biggest change in quality I've ever seen in a TV show going from one season to the next).  Dawn at least improves somewhat in the last couple seasons.  Conner just sucks.

[Morat20]

Conner doesn't get quite as whiny as Dawn, but you'll get to hate him so much more.  In fact I hated the whole second-to-last season of Angel (making the final season even that much more impressive as it's probably the biggest change in quality I've ever seen in a TV show going from one season to the next).  Dawn at least improves somewhat in the last couple seasons.  Conner just sucks.

If I understand the timeline correctly, the change in quality was pretty much directly due to Firefly being cancelled. Joss came back to focus on Angel during the last season, since Firefly was no longer a going concern.

(Fuck. Why the hell isn't someone picking up that goddamn show? Family Guy came back, Futurama came back -- there's a fucking history of shows the morons at Fox killed coming back to life. Why not Firefly? When's it gonna be my turn?"