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Topic: The TV Show Thread

Posts 341 to 360 of 4,398

crippyd

@JohnnyShoulder I agree that the pacing is different to the films but it seems to me that there is a little bit of action in the first few minutes then a whole lot of nothing until the last 5-10 minutes to get you to watch the next episode. If you look at a shorter series like Stranger Things, I think this is a shining example of good pacing and story which Marvel could well do to take a look at.

@Tasuki yeah, there is a lot of superhero stuff about but for me I'm still caught up in it all (I'm off to see Black Panther at the cinema on Friday) and I'm looking forward to the next ones. I'm favoring Marvel over DC as there has been some much more that appeals to me from Marvel and only a couple from DC (Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad (standard cut) and Justice League, with WW being the absolute stand out).

crippyd

Th3solution

I’ll throw my 2 cents in (2 pence in the UK? Not sure if y’all say that) ... I also have had a hard time staying with the Marvel and DC TV shows. I got through 2 seasons of Arrow before I burned out and have made it through about 5 episodes of Daredevil and one episode of Jessica Jones and just can’t make myself get interested enough to stay with anything. I’m not sure why because they are really well done, I don’t know. I understand The Punisher and The Flash are the best, so maybe I should just jump straight to those. And actually to be honest as much as I enjoyed S1 of Stranger Things, I am stuck at about epi 4 of S2. Lately I just would rather play video games or do something else with friends than watch TV most of the time. I also think part of the issue is too many shows to choose from. They say it’s the Golden Age of TV and there are just too many quality shows that I can never decide what to watch.
@crippyd @Tasuki @JohnnyShoulder @RR529

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

Th3solution

@KratosMD Yeah, with movies, there is less of a commitment, so I still do the occasional movie. It’s a 2-3 hour time frame and it’s done. For TV, I just stare at a series with like 14 episodes and think that it’s going to take several days if not weeks to get to any conclusion here, and even then sometimes there’s multiple seasons.
I think we are spoiled in this generation to have all this stuff on demand and we have our entertainment and media in bite sized portions like YouTube, Vine, Snapchat, Twitter, etc. and so we’ve grown accustomed to a quick digestion of information and then move on to the next thing. Maybe I’m just speaking for myself. I used to read more, but haven’t picked up a novel in several months.
I know I’ve gone off the rails here in the TV show thread, but it got me thinking about all these shows I would probably like to see if only I had the time and patience to devote to them. It might be a phase, like you say, and maybe I’ll have my interest rekindled down the road.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

JohnnyShoulder

I only watch one or two episodes of each show a week rather than blitz through a whole season in a few days, which is probs i don't get burned out as much. The only problem is that stuff like Arrow with over 20 episodes per season is too overwhelming for me. And i never go for anything that has more than 3 seasons lefr to watch, unless it is something stellar like Breaking Bad.
I also try to have a nice variation of shows on rotation at once and only watch one super hero show at a time for insurance.

Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

PSN: JohnnyShoulder

JohnnyShoulder

@Th3solution Ha ha no in the uk we don't really say throw my two pence in. The only time I've heard something like that is when football hooligans throw coins at matches.

Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

PSN: JohnnyShoulder

RogerRoger

@JohnnyShoulder @Th3solution Hey, some of us say "just my two pence" (or even "tuppence" but only if I'm wearing my top hat and monocle... speaking of which, when it comes to opinions or conversational contributions, we also throw our hats into rings, too).

I'll throw mine in now; I agree with everybody posting about Netflix and the difficulty of keeping up with current television. Binge-watching an entire series of something, because it's released fourteen episodes at a time, has become the new normal and it's worn me down. If you don't watch something immediately on release, it'll inevitably get spoiled for you by some loud-mouth, so you feel obligated to drop everything and absorb an entire season over a weekend (to the point where episodes blend together and you can't quite remember what happened to what characters when... and then Netflix auto-skips the recaps and it's just all a big mess). Then it's an entire year, minus the couple days it took you to watch it, before the next season continues the storyline whereas before, when shows used to be released over a nine-month period, you'd only have to wait out the summer.

I actually didn't mind when Netflix announced that two shows I was looking forward to, Star Trek: Discovery and Designated Survivor, would be released weekly over the course of their standard seasons... and yet, I missed the first couple episodes of the latter show, so just said "ah, I'll wait until it's done and then binge-watch the entire season", thus kinda trampling all over my point (and, to make matters worse, the former show was just a massive disappointment on every possible level, which made tuning in every week some kind of masochistic exercise).

First World Problems and all, but it adds a layer of pressure and anxiety to what's supposed to be a relaxing, enjoyable recreational activity.

And I don't read half as much as I used to, either.

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

Th3solution

@RogerRoger @JohnnyShoulder This is a little off topic, but can I say I just love reading this site because of the contributors from all over the world. The different slang and idioms used here are fun to read. As gamers we speak a relatively common vernacular, and the internet has homogenized language quite a bit, but I still enjoy the different cultural wrinkles that are displayed through the forum and article comments.

On the subject, I used to watch The Office, and when I found out the US version of this show was actually a knock-off of a British show, I watched a couple episodes of the original version. I quickly abandoned it because I didn’t find it nearly as funny as the Steve Carell led show, and I attributed this to just a cultural difference in what Americans found humorous versus Brits. I had a similar impression of Mr. Bean/Johnny English, another show/character that had a little bit of traction in the US at one time, but I just never got it. However I think I am realizing that our collective sense of humor among native English speakers is more alike than different. Although some British and Australian shows do not appeal to an American viewer and vice versa, I think that amazingly most of the time we like the same things. For example I see a lot of users from the UK and Australia that like South Park and American Dad, which I would expect that humor to be very “North American” but obviously it is more universal. Furthermore I frequently read comments on here that make me literally laugh out loud, even though some will fall flat when I don’t understand a British slang term or cultural reference.
Maybe it’s the fact we have the common gaming background that makes us appreciate the same TV and comedy. When I see Japanese shows and games, I can appreciate their style of humor and entertainment, even though I think the average American would brush it off as strange, awkward, or overly exaggerated. But for me, I love the quirkiness.
Anyway, sorry about the random ramblings of someone trying to function on too little sleep.

Edited on by Th3solution

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

RogerRoger

@Th3solution Oh, I followed you, don't worry!

There's a heck of a lot of crossover between English-speaking cultures, the "big three" being the UK, Australia and the States. In terms of television (to keep us tentatively on-topic) there are many examples of this; Australian soap operas Neighbours and Home & Away are almost as popular here in Britain as our own shows, and I've lost count of the amount of show concepts or franchises that get swapped between us... usually comedy, like The Thick of It becoming Veep or, as you say, the two versions of The Office (that made me chuckle, because I cannot stand the UK original, I think it's hateful and incredibly un-funny, but the clips I've seen of the American remake have always made me laugh... but then that's probably because I'm a walking case study of this crossover phenomenon, as almost all of my favourite television shows come from the States and it's rare that I champion or enjoy British programming).

I think it does depend on the individual and what they're interested in / prepared to tolerate. You lament that the internet has homogenised (with an S, not a Z, thank you) cultural ideosyncrasies, but in doing that it has also allowed people to access forms of entertainment from across the world. Gone are the days when you had five channels and everybody watched the same thing at the same time; watercooler discussions have become much more varied because whilst somebody was watching BBC One, another was on Netflix and a third was catching up on that Discovery Channel thing they recorded (and heck, since we're on Push Square, chances are one of those people wasn't even watching anything, but playing some quirky Japanese game they'd downloaded from PSN, a service which has done nothing but broaden the available catalogue of experiences).

That watercooler scenario, however, still plays a part. If everybody else is watching the same thing, you'd better join in, otherwise you can't be part of the conversation. That's what can contribute towards the feeling that the average person, as you say, would brush off something different as "strange, awkward, or overly exaggerated" because they simply can't indulge their curiosity if they're having to binge-watch something on Netflix to keep up with their peers (and that, rather neatly, brings us full circle to where this conversation started).

We gamers tend to understand this a little more, I think it's fair to say, as gaming has a unique way of involving the player in an unfolding narrative. We understand something far better when we're invested in it and given a sense of agency. Television, as well as films and books, don't give that degree of control or input, they simply tell a story at you.

Anyway, my two pence rapidly became a tenner, so I'll leave it there for now!

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

RR529

Finished up Marvel's the Punisher (Netflix Original). It was pretty decent, but not one of my favorite Netflix Originals (the same can be said about all their Marvel shows though). Definitely gets the award for most violent, though.

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

JohnnyShoulder

@KratosMD Me too, the first season felt a bit different to the normal superhero fare.

Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

PSN: JohnnyShoulder

JohnnyShoulder

@KratosMD It got quite dark later on and asked some pretty serious moral questions.

Life is more fun when you help people succeed, instead of wishing them to fail.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.

PSN: JohnnyShoulder

RR529

Blazing Transfer Students: Reborn!! (Netflix Original) - Actually watched this months ago, but forgot to mention it here. Best I can gather, it's a live action sequel to a manga, and it's as zany as you'd imagine (if you want to watch a show full of Japanese weirdness, you couldn't find any weirder on Netflix). Good, stupid fun.

Good Morning Call season 2 (Netflix Original) - I loved season 1 (it was one of my favorite shows of 2016), so I was stoked to see a season 2 pop up. I didn't like it quite as much (though it may be because the novelty has worn off, as I've since seen other series in the same genre), but I still very much enjoyed it, and even teared up during the finale.

Fuller House season 3, part 2 (Netflix Original) - Still a pretty fun show to follow if you're up for it's brand of nostalgia tinged cheesiness. They even did an episode in Japan this season which was pretty cool.

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

RR529

@KratosMD, since you enjoyed Good Morning Call I'd also suggest Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo & My Little Lover (two shows I didn't think I seen on your list of Japanese shows).

Mischievous Kiss is VERY similar to GMC, but longer (it's only 2 seasons as well, but each season has more episodes), and covers the protagonists' romance from high school, through university, into the workforce. Interestingly enough, there's even an episode where a few characters are reading the Good Morning Call manga, lol.

My Little Lover is the shortest of the bunch (just one 10 episode season), but also the most unique. The female protagonist is shrunk down to the size of a doll and ends up in the care of the neighbor boy, who she's loved since childhood, and is the only one who knows of her condition. Funnily enough, there's a character who occasionally reads the Mischevious Kiss manga, lol.

Edited on by RR529

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

RR529

@KratosMD, They are on Netflix here in the States. Keep forgetting this is a UK based site, and that you might not have access to the same titles.

On another note, I like that when a character in a Japanese show is playing a video game, they're actually playing it (as opposed to western shows, where the camera is usually placed behind the TV so you can't see what's on the screen, or it's filled with mock CG "gameplay" from a fake game).

  • I remember Uehara could be seen playing Devil May Cry & Gran Turismo in season 1 of GMC, and I think Resident Evil VII in season 2.
  • In Hibana Spark someone was playing a freakin' Dreamcast (I think Crazy Taxi)!
  • Then you have Final Fantasy XIV: Dad of Light, which should be self explanatory.

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

RR529

I tried watching the first season of Terrace House when it came out a few years ago, but just couldn't get into it. As much as I like Japanese programs, my dislike for the "reality tv" genre was just too much.

Currently Playing:
Switch - Blade Strangers
PS4 - Kingdom Hearts III, Tetris Effect (VR)

PS_Nation

I'm binge-watching two comedy shows now: Community and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

PS_Nation

Tasuki

@KratosMD Ummm think you mean the CW, Netflix only has the first season of Riverdale right now. I suspect season 2 will probably be available on Netflix some time this summer, which I am waiting for.

In the mean time though I started Bates Motel on Netflix and so far I am enjoying it. As a fan of the movie Psycho I have been wanting to see this series for awhile but have been trying to finish others up first. Anyway I love how the actor (don't remember his real name now) who plays Norman has his mannerisms down. It cracks me up how well he does when compared to the movie. If you enjoy the movie I highly recommend watching Bates Motel.

RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.

My Backlog

PSN: Tasuki3711

Tasuki

@KratosMD Wasn't saying you weren't watching season 2, just that it's on the CW not Netflix. If it is on Netflix that's really screwed up as it's a North American show and we have to wait for it to come to Netflix where as it's already out on Netflix in Europe. WTF Netflix????

RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.

My Backlog

PSN: Tasuki3711

Tasuki

@KratosMD Yeah the only way I can watch Riverdale along with the Arrowverse shows here in the US is on CW's own app which is utter poo compared to other streaming apps like Netflix, or Hulu or even YouTube. Everytime I try to watch Riverdale season 2 on CW's app whether it be on my phone, Roku stick or even Xbox 360 the show freezes, skips, is out or synch, sound and or visuals distorted etc. It reminds me of trying to watch a video during the early days of the internet on dial up and I am not exaggerated. Thus why I haven't commented on anything CW related this season whether it's Riverdale or the Arrowverse shows. I will watch them but as I said I have to wait till this summer when they come to Netflix here. Which is b.s. if Europe is getting them now.

RetiredPush Square Moderator and all around retro gamer.

My Backlog

PSN: Tasuki3711

RogerRoger

@Tasuki @KratosMD Hate to say it, but there are now a handful of American television shows that get wider, cheaper and easier-to-access releases beyond your shores. I think it's because the creators want to use them to encourage take-up of their own streaming services, whereas those services don't exist elsewhere (for example, the recent Star Trek: Discovery was only available to Americans on CBS All Access, whereas the rest of the world got it on Netflix and got it six hours ahead because of the time difference). Problem is, as you point out, those network-unique apps or streaming services are often inferior, so a lot of people don't watch and don't sign up.

If something's being made and released in America and being added to Netflix around the world similtaneously, chances are Netflix put money towards production and get to chuck "A Netflix Original Series" at the beginning of each non-US broadcast episode.

"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."

PSN: GDS_2421
Making It So Since 1987

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