06 November 2013

Fall TV 2013: Wednesday Nights, et al

Compared to the madness of Sundays and Tuesdays, Wednesdays is a wasteland. A WASTELAND. Look!

Wednesdays
Catching Up Later
  • Arrow (second season, 10/09)
    I watched maybe two episodes of this show when it started, and I liked it. I just didn't care enough to keep up from week to week? And this is actually a technology thing--The CW's streaming service is crappy, and their shows are on Hulu Plus for a limited time. (Compare this to CBS, which has an excellent streaming service, or ABC and NBC, whose shows rarely expire on Hulu.) It's easy for me to fall behind, but The CW makes it difficult for me to catch up. So.
Sadly, Abandoned
  • Modern Family (fifth season, 9/25)
    I watched about eight episodes of Modern Family after they'd already become a phenomenon, and I never felt like anybody liked anybody else. So yeah, Manny is awesome, but there's only so far I can get with that.
Wednesdays have failed me. Here are some notes about other things I am watching:

Keeping Current
  • The Daily Show (nineteenth season)
    The Colbert Report (tenth season)
    I don't have to explain these, do I? While their jokes are sometimes hit and miss--and they go askew regarding women and ableism, on occasion--these shows are still way more incisive than actual news programs, 88% of the time. And they have fun doing it! I'll often let a couple of weeks pile up at a time, and then watch then in one fell swoop. Or, I'll watch bits and pieces in the morning while I eat breakfast. Either way, fun.

  • Bravest Warriors (second season)
    A Bravest Warriors comic strip
    I'M CATBUG!

    Yes, this is a web series. Yes, the episodes are about six minutes long. But after a first season that was random and absurd and uncomfortable (and FILLED WITH CATBUG), the second season is dense with mythology that's suddenly mythology. The first episode of the season, with Beth and Horse? I could watch it every day and not tire of it. It's wonderful.

Catching Up Now
  • Dirty Sexy Money (two seasons, complete)
    second season cast photo
    LUCY LIU!

    I started watching this during the summer on Hulu Plus. I have three episodes of the series left and I am FREAKING OUT. Did anybody else watch this show? It is decadent and soapy and perfect, and has a spectacular recurring trans character, too.

  • Fringe (five seasons, complete)
    I am so late to the party, I know, but I'm mid-first-season now. This show is gross and creepy and I love it. Very X-Files-ish so far, and I dig it. Olivia is lovely, as is, uh, Pacey. And John Noble! And I want Astrid in everything. She must have the best POV fic.
Returning Favorites
  • Friends (ten seasons, complete)
    A.V. Club is doing some retrospective recapping, and it has reminded me of how much I loved this show. Yeah, I know, it's kind of hack and became a shell of its former self over the course of the billion years it was on, but. But. Oh, y'all, this show was so good. Rewatching the first season was spectacular--I could still remember the beats, the tiny gestures and throat-clearings. These folks are just so good. Sometimes I think we forget how good this cast was.
Tune in tomorrow, for a day of MANY THINGS.

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