The Librarians, ABC Comedy:
“The series centres on the trials and tribulations of Frances O’Brien,
a devoutly Catholic and blithely racist head librarian.”
Someone’s definitely getting The Librarians in their stocking. I’m also relying enjoying two corporate comedies – the absurd extremes of Better Off Ted (Portia de Rossi is delightfully wicked as the obligatory corporate reptile) and the new Oz advertising satire :30 Seconds (Peter O’Brien is the obligatory corporate reptile in this one).
I’m finding that United States of Tara is failing to fully grab me, same with Saving Grace, no matter how much I adore Toni Colette and Holly Hunter respectively. On the drama front, I recently enjoyed John Adams and The Last Enemy. In the guilty pleasures department, True Blood still reigns supreme despite its flaws.
What have you guys most enjoyed watching lately?
Categories: arts & entertainment
In memoriam: Diana Rigg 
#AWW2017 – non-fiction – six reviews 
Otterday! And Open Thread 
Wonder Woman movie marketing machine tied up in knots 
Hoyden About Town 
Jumping on the ‘hey don’t leave without me bandwagon’ we have been enjoying Torchwood series 1 lately. We recently bought Being Human series 1.
The Middleman! It’s just been released on DVD in the US, and it’s 12 episodes of glorious fun. It’s the adventures of Wendy Watson, recently graduated artist and temp, who is recruited by the mysterious (but wholesome) Middleman to fight comic-book-style evil. The main characters are a delight, it passes the Bechdel test (AND the race version) every single episode, the pop culture references fly so thick and fast that multiple rewatches will reveal new jokes every time, and it’s just the best show this side of, well, anything. About the only negative thing is the occasional homophobic joke, but even that is less than most TV series ever manage. Oh, and that it only lasted 12 episodes. That’s bad, too.
Everyone I know is getting this for Christmas.
I caught the first episode (I think – anyhow it was my first episode) of Nurse Jackie. I thought it was great. A main character who has a strong, un made up, non Barbieesque face. and is mostly good and a little bit evul. The anti-Grays Anatomy.
I just finished watching Battlestar Galatica.
Aside from being in deep depression at the idea of no more True Blood for a while (roll on season three!), the latest thing which has captivated me has been The Frankincense Trail where Kate Humble takes a 3,000km journey following the old frankincense trade routes. It’s a lovely insight into the past and how it reflects on the present.
I’ve finally gotten around to watching Buffy over the last few weeks– currently part-way through S3. I’ve also enjoyed Being Human recently, although it fails in the Bechdel Test department (I am hoping that this will be remedied in S2).
And I have been watching The United States of Tara, but I agree that it’s not quite grabbing me as much as it should. I was very excited about it after seeing the first episode, but it hasn’t quite lived up to my expectations. Still watching, however, for Toni Colette’s sake.
And I’m looking forward to the second series of Merlin very much.
I’ve been watching Veronica Mars, and I absolutely love it.
Oh I absolutely love United States of Tara. I think it’s absolutely brilliant. Haven’t had much time for anything but work recently, but I always spare half an hour for Foreign Correspondent. Tried to get into The Wire but it just didn’t happen. I know you’re supposed to watch it until it all falls into place but bugger it, I don’t have that much spare time. I also hear that a new show called Glee is a spectacularly good comedy.
Don’t get your hopes up on Glee, no way, nohow. Unless you’re keen on two pretty able-bodied straight white blokes as the leads, with the stereotypical black, Asian, gay, PWD, and female characters sinking into the background. I got pissed off when I saw the student who uses a wheelchair constantly being pushed around – literally – by other students. Used as a comedy prop.
[spoilers follow]
And with the adult women in the show being ball-busting coaches, whining lazy golddigger wives with hysterical pregnancies, or meek women with overblown TV-OCD played for laughs.
I also tried the wire but gave up – I can’t understand a word anyone’s saying. Except the obscene ones.
And I like my TV a little more light and fluffy – there’s enough gritty realism in the real world.
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who watched one episode of The Wire then wondered what the fuss was all about. Maybe it will come to me later. I am thinking of starting The Sopranos though. Any thoughts?
A show I caught on DVD recently, due to the influence of the kids – an anime show called Ouran High School Host Club – it satirises many anime gender tropes regarding women while revelling in a lot of anime/sh?jo-manga slash tropes – PG definitely, but so much fun (there’s even a resident otaku who harangues them at intervals about their character development)!
I’m seconding The Middleman for an awesome series to give to anyone. We’re also giving Casualty 1907 – Edwardian hospital drama for the win.
Oh, and Green Wing. Green Wing is the most hilarious comedy ever.
I’m totally hooked on The Wire. But it took me two episodes before I saw the point; and then, wow, did I see it. It’s well worth struggling with the incomprehensible Baltimore patois (you begin to understand it after 10 episodes or so); and in any case, it’s written smartly enough that even if you don’t quite get the dialogue, the action is clear. It’s seriously brilliant, deeply thoughtful and very gripping television. Starting series 2 tonight…