What have you been watching on (proper scripted) telly?

[Dynamite Duane]

I'm really enjoying Misfits on E4.

[JLM]

Metalocalypse.

 

My housemate introduced me to this recently and I am loving it a great deal. It's an adultswim cartoon about a metal band called Dethklok who are so successful that they are the seventh largest world economy. If you have even the tiniest passing interest in metal then you should love it. They have a self-indulgent Scandinavian guitarist, a METAL lead singer (based on the lead singer of Cannibal Corpse), an ageing drummer who was the vocalist in a big band in the past, an absolutely insane bassist called William Murderface and a rhythm guitarist who gets the sort comedy abuse you'd expect the bassist to normally get. He gets it because the rhythm guitar can barely be heard on any of their songs and because the lead guitarist is such an egomaniac that he routinely disregards, re-wires and re-performs all the rhythm sections himself.

 

The creator of the show (and voice actor for half the cast) has done albums and a real life "Deathklok" tours and performs their songs live. They're touring with Mastodon at present in a "virtual band" style akin to Gorillaz.

 

Anyway, yeah, anything they do in the showcauses international incidents. If they endorse a product then the competitors go out of business. They almost destroyed Finland. It's funny, I like it. The episodes are short, give it a go!

[Art Vandelay]

I just watched the latest episode of Dexter season 4. Holy shit, that was one of the best hours of television ever!

 

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I was constantly screaming at Dexter to get home. Trinity's entire family are seriously messed up. Those kids too....damn creepy! I really didn't expect the reveal at the end either. Great stuff! John Lithgow has been fantastic this season. His line in this most recent episode whilst sitting at the dinner table - "Shut up, cunt" was one of the most chilling things ever.

 

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Roll on next week!

[JLM]

Can't wait to get hold of the new Dexter. Ep10 should be available by the time I'm back on my PC at home. *Excitement*.

 

Still enjoying 30Rock, though the beginning of Season 2 was a bit iffy. I didn't think the fat Jena idea was funny at all and I'm glad they dropped it. Greenzo was a grand episode though, and I can see why JTTS went with it in his sig. Did anyone else find it weird that David Schwimmer wasn't playing himself though? It just seemed weird because the show is big on meta-humour and they've actually referenced Friends/Ross/Rachel before. Still, Greenzo's antics put me in a GOOD HUMOUR.

 

Anyone watching the new FG and Cleveland Show episodes as they come out? Loved last week's Family Guy. Almost all of the cut away gags were hits (British Gentleman's club in particular), but the highlight was the astounding character assassination that was Quagmire telling Brian why he hates him. Holy shit that was great.

[Famous Mortimer]

I'm currently just starting on season 3 of Californication. It's a guilty pleasure, of sorts - but I can't figure out what I find pleasurable about it. It features the stupidest plotlines in major TV, and some of the actors are shockingly bad (Duchovny's best mate and his best mate's wife for two). There's at least one plotline that you get the feeling one of the writers put it in there and ever since they've been trying to work out a way to drop it. Well, I wish they had been doing, because it's so brain-buggeringly stupid that I can't quite fathom what persuaded them to put it in.

 

But anyway, season 3 starts, and it looks like they've finally finally dropped the dumbest plotlines and worst characters, although they'll probably be back after a few episodes. I just want it to finish now so I can get on with my life.

[Vamp]

House is getting worse, unfortunately. Taub is back, but that's the only good thing.

 

The problem with house is, and I'm a huge fan of the show, its starting to get to the point where its past its prime really. I don't think there's enough left to be able to do with the show, and I think that whatever happens from now on (its past its peak for me certainly) will just be a pale imitation of what it used to be. I doubt there's enough original and interesting medical mysteries anyway, but getting them weak after weak will continue to get more and more boring, and while that wasn't the main hook anyway, which is character development, it also has to be said that that's going to take a hit in quality as well. We've discovered so much abotu the characters, that there's very little else to do with them, aside from House, and therefore it has to become more of a soap. Which is awful for something that was once a great drama.

 

Having said that, I still watch and for the most part enjoy, I just feel something needs to be done to give it a bit of a jolt really. I thought they had that at the start of the series, with House seemingly starting to become a changed man, and while obviously they could never have him become a clean cut good guy, I'd have liked a bit more of a struggle between him trying to be a better person and him being an asshole, even with the suggestign that its his job that leads him to beign the way he is. At some point we're bound to see him go back on the drugs, or seem like he's about to, which might make for compelling viewing. I'd like a crew change as well really. I'd keep Cuddy, because I like the romance story they've got going between her and House and always have (which is probably not the popular opinion) but maybe find a way to write Wilson out, at least for a series or so, as while Wilson & House have a wonderful chemistry and provide some good comedy at times it'd probably be pretty compelling viewing to take House's support away from him and seeing what happens. I don't really think Foreman has anywhere to go as a character, so maybe ditch him again, but for good this time. I kind of feel the same about 13 too, as hot as she is. Its not a knock on the actors, its just the caracters seem to be pretty much done in terms of development, there doesn't seem to be any interesting directions to take them in.

 

Then again if the producers behind House got rid of some people it'd be hard to believe that they wouldn't bring them back at some point. They need to have people leave and stay away for good. And do more freaky shit; show me more people's experiances in comas-is it real or not, House hallucinating and imaging things and not being able to determine what's real or not, that kind of stuff works well within the series. Do some more light hearted stuff. And bring up religions, House seems to do pretty well when they've got a religion to mock. But like I say, even if they did do all this, the show has passed its peak now, and I think that's more due to just how long its been on for. I don't think it could reach it again. And I don't know if having Hugh Laurie as an executive producer is helping. He's an amazing actor, and probably doesn't actually have that much sway in terms of stories and stuff, but his ideas about television and how character's shouldn't change and so forth might be hindering the series. Some change in House could only be beneficial.

[Adam G]

Anyone watching the new FG and Cleveland Show episodes as they come out? Loved last week's Family Guy. Almost all of the cut away gags were hits (British Gentleman's club in particular), but the highlight was the astounding character assassination that was Quagmire telling Brian why he hates him. Holy shit that was great.

 

I gave up on Cleveland a few weeks ago but FG is still good fun, last week's was the funniest episode in a few seasons. I loved Stewie line after the heimlich bit: "Ummm, I'll have what she's having. Says the funniest person in the room." Quagmire's rant was great, as was Black Jesus: "I rode into town on an ass. Yo momma's ass."

 

I've got the latest episode waiting to be watched, it's good to be looking forward to new FG again.

 

Edit: I forgot about Peter at dinner with the parents of a dead kid, "Well, I guess I don't have a new sweater and a haircut." Stewie asking "Wait, are we being robbed?" when he saw Jerome and the good humour bit made me chuckle too despite not being that creative or funny really. I don't know how that works but it was good stuff.

Edited November 30, 2009 by Adam G

[Famous Mortimer]

And I don't know if having Hugh Laurie as an executive producer is helping. He's an amazing actor, and probably doesn't actually have that much sway in terms of stories and stuff, but his ideas about television and how character's shouldn't change and so forth might be hindering the series. Some change in House could only be beneficial.

I remember watching one of the special features on a "Monk" DVD, and they asked Tony Shalhoub what was the worst thing that could happen to his character. He said "for him to get better", and right then I knew that I need never watch the program again because they were committed to him being the same as ever, for ever, and it depressed me a bit. It's the same with House - not the character, so much, but the show. I just wish they'd do something, anything, to shake things up properly- getting rid of Foreman, for one, or even changing the location of the show. They're never going to do anything with the central relationship of House and Cuddy, so they really ought to have House do something else with his enormous intellect. I just don't know. A proper girlfriend maybe?

[Joe_the_Lion]

We were late comers to the House party, we watched the first 5 seasons on DVD finishing season 5 just prior to starting to watch season 6 on Sky. I think it has taken a dip and there are times when you find yourself thinking that they are re-treading old ground but then House and Wilson have conversation and I realise that what I'm watching is still better than 99% of the everything else on TV.

 

And Cuddy's ass could close the Religion thread, when I look at that wonderful creation I have to ask - "How can there not be a God?"

[Famous Mortimer]

After all that, I just watched the most recent episode and it's brilliant - clever, funny, serious, brilliant lines, the best relationship in the show (House and Wilson) front and centre. The ending scene was one of those moments where you know House has at least one top-level writer. Damn you House!

 

And the episode where Cuddy was a dream-sequence-stripper was most excellent.

Edited December 1, 2009 by Hipster Douchebag

[Au]

And Cuddy's ass could close the Religion thread, when I look at that wonderful creation I have to ask - "How can there not be a God?"

I was watching an old episode of Frasier the other day, the one where he sleeps with a crazy artist who howls at the moon. She's played by the woman who went on to be Cuddy.

[Vamp]

I remember watching one of the special features on a "Monk" DVD, and they asked Tony Shalhoub what was the worst thing that could happen to his character. He said "for him to get better", and right then I knew that I need never watch the program again because they were committed to him being the same as ever, for ever, and it depressed me a bit. It's the same with House - not the character, so much, but the show. I just wish they'd do something, anything, to shake things up properly- getting rid of Foreman, for one, or even changing the location of the show. They're never going to do anything with the central relationship of House and Cuddy, so they really ought to have House do something else with his enormous intellect. I just don't know. A proper girlfriend maybe?

 

Changing the location might be interesting I suppose, although I'd like to see more of it really. We get a few glimpses every now and then of the world outside the hospital, I'm thinking of the brilliant written one about the rape victim, and it all looks good and freshens things up a bit like, I don't want to say a breath of fresh air, but at least it creates some change. Then again I'd worry that a location change would only create interest for so long and then we'd realise that it actually hasn't changed much at all.

 

And it does seem that on the House and Cuddy front they've written a rule that says it can never happen. A proper girlfriend might be interesting, with Hosue struggling to change to keep her and the constant battle that'd provide for the character, but then it might be harder to accept him as a miserable depressed man. Then again, I'd imagine giving him a girlfreidn might make him even more so, as his midn would always be questioning her motives. Hmm, I like it. Could work. Will they ever do it though?

 

But yeah, as has been said, it's still one of the better shows on television, and probably one of my favourite ones from America but I just wish they could fidn that consistent brilliance htye had before and be interesting each and every week. Come to think of it, the colour pallete might be part of the reason why its been a bit more dull lately. They did one episode where the patients didn't feel happiness and they toned down the colour for that and made everything a bit more grey and dull, but now they seem to have stuck with a more dull natural colour scheme. Maybe its my mind playing tricks on my but the earlier series do seem a bit more bright and vibrant.

[Dynamite Duane]

Show some love for Misfits people!

Seems to be mostly American stuff on here.

[SpursRiot2012]

Still enjoying 30Rock, though the beginning of Season 2 was a bit iffy. I didn't think the fat Jena idea was funny at all and I'm glad they dropped it. Greenzo was a grand episode though, and I can see why JTTS went with it in his sig. Did anyone else find it weird that David Schwimmer wasn't playing himself though? It just seemed weird because the show is big on meta-humour and they've actually referenced Friends/Ross/Rachel before. Still, Greenzo's antics put me in a GOOD HUMOUR.

 

Sounds of this, you've watched S2 but I'm going to put this in spoilers anyway, mostly because I can't remember if this is a S2 or S3 spoiler (sorry):

 

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Jennifer Aniston makes an appearance as some random person as well, which really makes me feel like they missed a trick here. A big gag about Ross/Rachel I feel would have been great. I'm a Friends fan though.

 

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[Chaka Demus]

Scrubs is back and although it's like a totally new show without the usual theme sequence and set, it was actually alright and has potential.