Colossal TV Show thread

[nocera]

‘Joe Exotic’ Peacock Series Casts Kyle MacLachlan as Howard Baskin
https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/joe-ex ... 235012524/

MacLachlan will star opposite series lead Kate McKinnon, who will play Carole Baskin. Howard is described as Carole’s even-keeled husband who supports her throughout the endeavor with Joe. John Cameron Mitchell will play Joe Exotic. Brian Van Holt will play John Reinke, Sam Keeley will play John Finlay, William Fichtner will play Rick Kirkham, and Natt Wolff will play Travis Maldonado.

This is going to fail in a big bad way. Tiger King was the zeitgeist for approximately two months and that feels like a lifetime ago. We're way past this point in culture. A documentary sequel to the original? Maybe that would work. A narrative retelling of a documentary whose characters are already outlandish? Nah. I don't think so.

[AuthorTony]

Yeah, a dramatized retelling will never top the real thing, so why bother?

[skullman80]

We just started Peaky Blinders....and it's really good. Burned through the first season/series quickly and are two episodes into season/series 2.

[blackjack68]

We just started Peaky Blinders....and it's really good. Burned through the first season/series quickly and are two episodes into season/series 2.

It’s not a spoiler, but one of the main characters died in real life, so I’m interested to see how they come back for the next season.

[dodint]

The wife finished school, so now we have time to catch up on old shows. We are finally starting Breaking Bad. We watched the first three episodes. I had no idea it was a slapstick pratfall comedy. Not what I expected at all. It almost needs a laugh track.

[Dickie Dunn]

Breaking Bad definitely starts weird. Writers strike probably saved the show as it forced the first season to end with less than the ordered number of episodes and re-work the direction and pace of the show.

The history of the shows production is interesting as basically every network passed on it, AMC was ready to end it after the third season, were waffling on the final season before Netflix drastically increased the popularity of the show, again wanted a shorted final season before actually agreeing to an extended final season (which in reality is two more shortened seasons). AMC was against the casting of Cranston and Aaron Paul. Cranston came up with most of the backstory and character traits on his own.

It’s at the top of my greatest show list along with The Wire and The Shield, but it’s success seems almost accidental.

[dodint]

It's just weird that, say, Sopranos came out fully formed from the pilot on. But Breaking Bad is this jumbled hot mess coming out of the gate. Yet both are regarded as some of the best television ever made.

[robbiestoupe]

Perhaps season 1 can be considered subpar for Breaking Bad standards. But I have a feeling dodint has already chosen that he’s going to have a minority opinion on the show.

[Dickie Dunn]

It was always very weird to me that they filmed the pilot script as written and presented to premium cable changes that ultimately passed on the show. Having bleeped swear words on AMC because they didn’t bother to change the dialogue was jarring when watching for the first time.

As for your Sopranos comparison, I’ve always thought that The Sopranos leveled off around S3 with varying degrees of downfall from there. Breaking Bad just continues getting better until the very end.

[eddy]

Insides hurt from laughing so much at I think you should leave S2.

[NAN]

Watched this is pop, the Netflix docuserious on pop music. Some episodes were good others boring. But interesting watch overall.

[dodint]

Perhaps season 1 can be considered subpar for Breaking Bad standards. But I have a feeling dodint has already chosen that he’s going to have a minority opinion on the show.

No. But given the poor production value and erratic tone thus far I think my observation was worth investigating given the gulf between what I have watched and the accolades it seems to have universally received.

It's not something I know to be petty crap, like Star Wars.

Breaking Bad reminds of Longmire, but there is no way it doesn't get better. Longmire didn't get interesting until it jumped to Netflix.

[PFiDC]

I just watched Breaking Bad for the second time and the first season is definitely the worst. It really does get exponentially better. Think of it as a sum of its parts thing. The entire story, start to finish, is worth every bit of the ride.

[count2infinity]

Season 2 of breaking bad feels like it drags on forever, but then it explodes.

[Dickie Dunn]

I think Breaking Bad greatly benefited from the binging capabilities brought on by the rise in streaming. Before it hit Netflix I was 99% my dad and I were the only people watching the show. Episodes were slow more often than they weren’t and the wait between episodes and seasons felt like an eternity.

[the wicked child]

I think Breaking Bad greatly benefited from the binging capabilities brought on by the rise in streaming. Before it hit Netflix I was 99% my dad and I were the only people watching the show. Episodes were slow more often than they weren’t and the wait between episodes and seasons felt like an eternity.

I have to agree with this. I was able to watch the first 4 seasons in huge chunks. Waiting week to week for season5, and ESPECIALLY the gap between the halves was rough.

It also definitely gets better as it goes. The first season is very rough at times. I would say S3 is when the show catapulted up my list.

[LeopardLetang]

it would be tough starting breaking bad now after reading the acclaim. every moment that isn't great would be noticable. and there's a lot that isn't great. but even though it's not my absolute favorite it's awesome and might have been better on second and third watchings

[LeopardLetang]

[skullman80]

We basically binged through 3 seasons of Peaky Blinders, and are 3 episodes into season 4. Really good stuff. Not sure how I passed over it for so long.

[CBear3]

Just started "Dead to Me" on a recommendation from my wife's co-worker. In the same vein as Gone Girl, "WTF thinks this twisted stuff up?"

[Dickie Dunn]

Dead to Me is great but that is some DARK humor.

[robbiestoupe]

Watched the first 5 episodes of What We Do in the Shadows. It has its moments, but not end to end entertainment. The humor is so dry it does take quite a bit to get going.

[robbiestoupe]

it would be tough starting breaking bad now after reading the acclaim. every moment that isn't great would be noticable. and there's a lot that isn't great. but even though it's not my absolute favorite it's awesome and might have been better on second and third watchings

To me it was the first time I've noticed how excellent writing and directing can make a show. Yes, Bryan Cranston nails his role, but there were many episodes where I sat in amazement in how it was written.

I had also never seen a show use the flash forward sequence so well. Most seasons started with a flash forward, and you were thinking to yourself the entire time how in the world they would get to that point.

If shows since then have copied the format, I can see where it may not play as well today. Kind of like watching 2001: A Space Odyssey. Watch it today for the first time and you'll wonder wtf you just watched. Watch it for the first time in 1968 and your mind is blown.

[NTP66]

Watched the first 5 episodes of What We Do in the Shadows. It has its moments, but not end to end entertainment. The humor is so dry it does take quite a bit to get going.

**** guy

[NTP66]

Hell yeah.