It's a Recent(ish) TV Roundup!
In the break between Andor and Halt and Catch Fire, I talk a bit about several recent TV shows.
As you may have guessed from my newsletters over the past couple months, I like talking about TV shows. But outside of the featured series I write about every week, I haven't talked a lot about the various shows I've been watching, both alone and with my wife.
Now, most of the time, these are older shows that my wife and I watch. For example, right now our primary show we are watching is the 90s sci-fi classic Babylon 5. Before this, we were going through another 90s sci-fi classic, The X-Files. I promise we watch things other than 90s sci-fi.
We have still found time to fit in some newer shows here and there, usually around when the shows new seasons are running. As such, I thought it would be nice to share a few thoughts about several of these newer series that I may not have had a chance to talk about on here before.
This is not an exhaustive list of what I've watched, and just because something isn't on here doesn't mean I enjoyed it.
Severance - Apple TV: I've enjoyed watching this show with its wintry setting, wild premise, and interesting characters. However, the second season felt like a big step down from the first one. This is a show I enjoy in the moment watching it but doesn't stick with me the way some of these other shows do.
Pluribus - Apple TV: Vince Gilligan's follow up to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul takes him back to his sci-fi roots. But it still has all of the stuff that makes those other shows great. Like a whole lot more scenes full of people doing and making things, and an excellent lead performance by Rhea Seehorn. The only bad thing I have to say about this show is it looks like it's going to take way too long for season 2 to arrive. If you want some excellent writing about the show, I'd recommend Lily Osler's weekly pieces about it over at Episodes. They're well worth a subscription on their own.
New King of the Hill - Hulu: When I heard there was more King of the Hill coming, I was skeptical it would work. Simply put, the world the show left is a bit different than the world today. But having watched it, I shouldn't have worried. It's still the same show that does the things its always done so well. Which includes changing with the times, even if Hank has to grumble about it a bit.
Industry - HBO: I stuck this show between the two more optimistic ones for a reason. This is a show the finance world of recent times, so it can't be anything but really dark and full of characters you love to hate. However, what makes it really good is that even through them doing some of the worst things around, the characters are just so good that you can't help but root for a few of them. Every single season has a Christmas episode, and it's some of the bleakest TV I've ever watched. It's fantastic.
Abbott Elementary - ABC/Hulu: However, I contain multitudes, and I also love this much more idealistic, yet hilarious show. It helps that it is set in Philadelphia. And though it's almost entirely filmed in Southern California, it still feels a bit like home watching it. Also, you would not have thought this would work as a crossover with It's Always Sunny, but it totally did!
The Pitt - HBO Max: After a brief stop in Philly, we go to the other side of the state for this wonderful medical drama. The structure (one episode per hour of a shift) is a fun constraint that the show uses well. And there's something that just feels right about a drama set in an ER starring Noah Wyle. There are at least five characters I love dearly on this show and would brook no harm of them in any way.
Spy X Family - Hulu: This anime about a fake family of a spy, an assassin, and telepathic little girl, and a dog that can see the future is our current secondary series. And I love it!
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - Directed by HBO: We've only watched the pilot for this. However, I enjoyed it. Feels very of the same world as Game of Thrones but with a different tone and intention. Also, it's pretty funny. I enjoy watching big guys just doing their best.
Yellowjackets - Showtime: I love Yellowjackets! You should watch the extant seasons, and tune in for its final one. A friend of mine, Emily St. James, and her wife Libby Hill wrote for the show, so that's all I really have to say about it on here.
Andor - Disney+: I think I've said plenty about this show, but I included it to give you all another chance to check those pieces out!
That's it for now! I think it's pretty likely I'll come back to some, if not all, of these to say more down the road. But for now, next week I go to the Silicon Prairie in the early 80s, where Halt and Catch Fire begins. There we will set out on our weekly journey with Joe MacMillan, Cameron Howe, Donna and Gordon Clark, and yes, Boz. It's going to be fun!
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