The TV thread

I can't see Matthew Rhys as anyone but Philip.

 

Never watched Mad Men during its original run but just binged it in about 3 weeks (it went off Netflix so had to buy the rest off Amazon; worth it). Am now reading everything written about the show from 2007 onward, including all the SJ threads on each season.

Obviously everything that could be said about it has been said and I can't add anything to it's awesomeness but it is nice that I finally fully understand the "Not great, Bob," and Peggy walking into McCann GIFs.

 

Stumbled across "Athlete A" on Netflix over the weekend, a documentary on USA Gymnastics and Larry Nassar. Very powerful. And, enough how-they-did-it stuff on the Indy Star to get my journalistic juices going.

 

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and every other TV service should go to bed every night and pray they can make something as magnificent as the second episode of Perry Mason.

Episode 1 was meh, but they just kept throwing gas in episode 2.

Just magnificent acting, directing, photography...

No one can match HBO when they put it all together.

 

Finished the second season of The Politician on Netflix. Great writing and acting. Sharp political satire. Very much enjoyed. Ben Platt is really damn talented.

 

I always feel like with HBO shows, no matter which one, you need to give it at least 3 episodes

 

Ozark to End With Season 4; Final 14 Episodes to Run in Two Parts

Ozark has just 14 episodes left. I get it - but dang Netflix seems to burn through series at an incredible rate. The Crown is ending after one more season as well. Glow is in its final run, Peaky Blinders, Grace and Frankie also heading out the door. And Mindhunters isn't due back for the forseeable future.

 

Four to five seasons is the perfect amount of TV to tell a story. Anything less, the story cuts too soon, anything longer, you better have a fantastic ending and lots of subtle, calculated buildup to justify it.

 

I think they've said that their algorithm shows that people lose interest and start to trail off after four seasons. I know that personally, I resisted my wife wanting to watch "Shameless," because its 8 or 9 seasons and counting. (We're on season 6 now, been watching episodes here and there for a month at this point.)

 

But Netflix needs really get it in gear if they want to replace these departing shows. I guess Narcos Mexico still has a season or two left - and there are some foreign shows I like Fauda, The Mechanism, Babylon Berlin - I'm guessing Shonda Rhymes and Ryan Murphy are due to churn out some more shows.

 

I'm nearing the end of "Dead To Me." The writing is pretty good, with some surprising plot twists. But Applegate and Cardinelli seem set on breaking the record for being able to cry on camera. Every stupid thing they do results in tears and "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

 

The show gets pretty ridiculous, in a variety of ways. But their chemistry and comedic timing makes it worth sticking through. They really elevate what is probably Lifetime-level content.