#Television show

[wanderinginksplot]

What to watch during the writer's strike:

Don't pay attention to companies who blame writers for delayed movies and television shows! The WGA strike comes from people who are trying to make things better - not only for themselves and other writers, but the films and tv shows we all love.

While we wait for a resolution, I thought I would share some existing television shows that I enjoy. I didn't bother with too much well-known stuff. Instead, I focused on shows I feel many people missed because of the glut of content that all premiered at once over the last few years. (I may make another one of these for movies later on, but this one is about tv.)

[Update: Movie version here]

Feel free to add on! Just try to give a quick, spoiler-free synopsis for the show and the streaming service where it can be found.

List under the cut!

Netflix:

The Good Place (2016-2020) - A 'bad' woman is accidentally sent to heaven. She and her moral philosophy professor of a soulmate try to save her soul by making her a better person. Genre: Comedy with deeper implications and one of the best endings in television history.

Russian Doll (2019-2022) - When Nadia dies at her birthday party, she's more than a little confused to come back. Especially when it keeps happening. Genre: Time loop drama with a wicked sense of humor and a dash of theoretical physics. Potentially not ended?

Narcos (2015-2017) - The fight of the American DEA and the Colombian army against cocaine kingpin Pablo Escobar and his reign of terror. Genre: Drama with thrilling elements. Lots of violence, some sex and language. Lots of subtitles. Features Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook, if you need some extra incentive.

Derry Girls (2018-2022) - Five teens grow up in Derry, Ireland in the 1990s, amid the final years of the Troubles, a low-level war that lasted roughly 30 years. Genre: Comedy. Some sexual content, some religious content, less violence than you would expect, and the best nun ever to appear on film.

Arcane (2021-?) - Two sisters are alienated when one accidentally kills their adoptive father. Their different paths threaten the fragile peace of a city already on the breaking point. Genre: Drama with elements of action-adventure. Though it's animated, Arcane's animation is beautifully done with tantalizing steampunk elements that will keep you invested.

Disney+:

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020) - If you haven't seen any of the Star Wars animated series, this is a good place to start. Set in the time gap between Episode II and Episode III, this series helps flesh out Anakin Skywalker and the Jedi. It is also a great introduction to some of the characters and plots of The Mandalorian. (Star Wars: Rebels is another good choice.) Genre: Adventure with some drama. Violence and death are a large part of The Clone Wars, but it's usually appropriate for children. The clone troopers will steal your heart!

Gravity Falls (2012-2016) - Dipper Pines and his sister Mabel are sent to Gravity Falls, Oregon to live with their great-uncle for their summer break. But when Dipper finds a mysterious book in the woods, the pair find that Gravity Falls is far more mysterious than it seems... Genre: Adventure with a lot of comedy. Though it's billed as a children's cartoon, Gravity Falls is an intriguing watch with mystery subplots that will keep anyone guessing. It also features a famously strong and cohesive series ending. I was in my late 20s when I first watched this and I was still invested!

Daredevil (2015-2018) - After being blinded as a young boy, Matthew Murdock trained his other senses to replace the sight that he lost. He uses his skills to protect the helpless in the New York City neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen. Genre: Action and superhero. Features a lot of incredibly choreographed violence. (Jessica Jones is also an excellent show to watch, especially if you think of David Tennant as the consummate 'good guy'. He's got range!)

HBO Max (Just 'Max' now, I guess):

Ghosts (2019-2023) - Petty roommate squabbles don't stop just because you're dead! Alison and her husband Mike inherit a house, then a near-death experience allows Alison to see its ghostly inhabitants. Chaos and humor ensue as the ghosts try to adjust to the house's new owners. Genre: Humor. Ghosts is a British sitcom, but since the writers are comedians (writing and performing in Horrible Histories), the show is done in a style that feels more natural to American viewers. Hint: watch the BBC version, not the American one. They're fairly similar, but definitely not the same!

Pushing Daisies (2007-2009) - A pie-maker with the ability to bring back the dead helps to solve murders. He's helped by his once-dead childhood sweetheart. Genre: Comedy with some dramatic elements. Some of the CGI-heavy moments haven't aged particularly well, but the show has a unique premise and an incredibly talented cast!

Hulu:

Abbott Elementary (2021-?) - This mockumentary series showcases an inner-city elementary school in Philadelphia. The teachers and administration do their best for the kids, but they're constrained by budgets and the limitations of the educational system itself. Genre: Comedy mockumentary. Though Abbott Elementary is fictional, some of the issues brought up are all too real. This is a funny and incisive look at the American public school system.

Amazon Prime:

Fleabag (2016-2019) - The unnamed protagonist of the show struggles through life on her own with limited support from her alienated family and the memories of her recently deceased best friend. Genre: Comedy with lots of dramatic elements. Lots of sexual content and references, some language, breaking the fourth-wall, and several characters you just long to hit. I watched the second season in a single day, that's how good this was.

Unknown Streaming Service:

Black Sails (2014-2017) - This prequel to Treasure Island features elements from the book, original characters, and real pirates from history in a setting that emphasizes realism. Captain Flint and his crew search for a legendary prize... one that might allow them to claim Nassau for their own. Genre: Action and adventure. Think Game of Thrones, but with pirates. Incredibly well-written and well-acted with gorgeous scenery, LGBTQ representation, and just enough historical accuracy to keep things grounded. Black Sails also boasts one of the best endings ever given for a television show.

Like I said, please feel free to reblog and add your own television show recommendations onto this list! There are plenty of things to watch and plenty of ways to support the WGA strike that don't involve giving in to big studios.

[katmcpheeuniverse]

Katharine McPhee attends the "Scorpion" premiere screening and panel during Comic-Con International 2014 at the San Diego Convention Center on July 24, 2014 in San Diego, California. 

[previouslyondaysofourlives]

Fallout - Official Trailer | Prime Video

I’m so excited for this show. It looks so well done. All episodes available April 11th!

[retropopcult]

The cast of Alice, 1979

[nateyweb]

"Yes, Fuckette" Sex and the City - The Real Me S04E02 (2001)

[startrekenterprisetelevisionshow]

STAR TREK ENTERPRISE TELEVISION SHOW

IMDB.COM

[movie--posters]

I got a friend watching Beyond Belief, I'm watching Highlander with her husband while rewatching Buffy by myself, another friend is watching Murder she Wrote and another is watching X-Files and yet another is watching Star Trek: Voyager. Everyone I know is watching shit from or that started or aired in the 90's. No matter who's house I go to it's 90's time. Are we nostalgic or did TV peak?

[dandyads]

The Simpsons for Milk, 1997

[daily-robot-characters]

day 27 └[∵┌]

GIR from Invader Zim

[pufferfishdude]

Krypto the Superdog: Season 1 Episode 6 Part 1

The episode 'My Pet Boy' is three episodes after the Dog Star Patrol's debut, and here they're of vital importance when Krypto's owner is taken by a family of giant space dogs to their home planet. When Krypto's mind is scanned to get the registration of the spaceship, Mammoth Mutt immediately recognises the planet Canis Magnus as the home to giant dogs. (Pics 1-2) Rather than just say it, she accompanies it while inflating for comedic emphasis inbetween her statement.

"I've heard of that place. That's the planet of..." (Inflates) "...Giant dogs!"

This instance has her cheeks puff up as she closes her eyes to concentrate on inflating, a first so far. The small sharly defined body begins to round out with the curved back and angular rear rising together into one curve reaching higher above the collar. Her chest proceeds to swell in time with this, going past the heart of the collar. The top of her front right leg is lowered until it vanishes while the front and back become one whole ball.

Mammoth Mutt's face is affected, the right cheek inwardly starts off in a reversed C shape and covers more as the side swells into a ball, consuming the right side of her face with the inward curve line spreading from side to muzzle in an arch that covers a corner of the eye. The left side has a shorter line that also bends with the cheek The angled shape of the head softens and spreads out with the filled-out cheek's distinction set with a subtle line at the edge starting from eye level and ending at the neck. Another line appears above the cheek and by the final frame looks to connect to the line at the end of the face.

While Mutt balloons, the curved fat folds surround her, starting off with two on the back before two appear at the front, aided by folds curving along to meet both ways, creating a series of larger and dense C shaped folds. Despite the proximity of the shot with her head in the way and folds going offscreen, we can tally that there are four fold lines by looking at the individual frames - the far back, behind the head, by the neck and the bottom left-hand (which can easily be mistaken as part of the far back). This combined with her swelling size and puffed cheeks makes this shot come across as intense, layered and heavy, like she’s straining to grow enormous.

The second final shot presents the rounding heroine maxing out. Initially just taller than her companions, the colossal chihuahua grows at least a head taller by the finale frame, both hind legs visible and stretched far apart from each other compared to the front legs, while her tail meets in the middle. The folds eventually join together to form a series of rings, creating a close layer at the front while the back is far more spaced out, the furthest curve going past her front legs. This shot is accompanied by the ground shaking, as if her very presence is enough to cause an earthquake at this size along, she’s that heavy and densely-packed. As she finishes, this fluffy pink ball rests and rocking delicately on her belly as she utterly “Giant dogs!”, looking so heavy and rollable.

[arconinternet]

Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends (Videos, Richard Concepcion, 1983-2017)

The New York furry public access TV show. You can watch a bunch of episodes of it here.

[omg-hellgirl]

Jerry Hall and Thomas Gottschalk on his television show "Wetten, dass...?", 1997.

[annasellheim]

Relatable Rhoda

Part 4

[retropopcult]

Diana Ross during the filming of her TV special "An Evening with Diana Ross" at the Candy Factory disco in Beverly Hills, 1977

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

It amuses me to this day that HBO managed to get away with producing “Tell Me You Love Me”. You know how it’s a joke that “Game of Thrones” can come off as porn at times? “Tell Me You Love Me” had scenes that were so explicit that people legitimately thought they were watching porn.

In case someone thinks I’m exaggerating how people reacted to the show:

[previouslyondaysofourlives]

X-MEN BACK TOMORROW