Yellowjackets was fun and made for a nice doubleheader with the Dexter miniseries. I'm a little nostalgic for Cecily and A.Ron coverage because they would have been great on it. However, that show turns into straight pulp. The fact that Yellowjackets is being mentioned in a prestige thread is kind of indicative of the point I made -- things have been down. There may be tons of "stuff" being scripted, but I can't really blame the guys for the lack of prestige coverage. The big water cooler dramas just aren't out there at the moment.
Hell they’re barely covering pulp or prestige. It’s the Jim and A.Ron sci-fi show.
Succession has pros and cons in terms of a podcast. I find myself frustrated with how often the show goes really nowhere, and I can see that being a challenge. Not sure how other shows do it but for similar reasons I haven’t been that interested in coverage of it. One episode was mostly 2 characters convincing Adrien Brody to do something. Later it was Alexander Sarsgaard. It’s a show that’s about characters and their rhythms more than anything. And it’s really a comedy, which they typically don’t cover.
Having said that I DO think there’s also great potential for some of ARon’s topical side tangents.
Succession has pros and cons in terms of a podcast. I find myself frustrated with how often the show goes really nowhere, and I can see that being a challenge. Not sure how other shows do it but for similar reasons I haven’t been that interested in coverage of it. One episode was mostly 2 characters convincing Adrien Brody to do something. Later it was Alexander Sarsgaard. It’s a show that’s about characters and their rhythms more than anything. And it’s really a comedy, which they typically don’t cover.
that's my frustration (esp S3).. they spend so much time developing a story in episodes only to have a meh payoff and disregard it. i really enjoyed S1 and 2, but 3 was fine. as far as Yellowjeckets goes, it was also fine but alot of characters were just dumb. typical silly eye rolling Showtime show. i will say the casting was great.
You know, if it were just me, I'd try Succession. I think I won't like it, but fuck it, why not? Jim is never going to watch Succession, even if I tell him it's the best television I've ever seen, which would almost certainly be a lie. It's three seasons in, the first season was meh, we're going to commit to futire seasons which might fuck us if something better comes along, etc. That last one is a big concern because it's obvious that we'll never be able to walk away from a show we don't like without it making a lot of people unhappy.
I'll stand by every other prestige decision we made in the past two years. Mare of Whogivesashit was meh. I was biting my tongue more or less during the last two seasons of BCS. Yeah, BrBa built us, sure wish BCS was like that show.
I'm 7 episodes of Yellowjackets and I'm having a lot of fun with it, Jim is through I think ep 4? Certainly going to be an OTC feature. Might be a s2 cover... but it would be pulp, no?
Who said we're not covering Pulp? It's all we've been doing. Sci-Fi is absolutely pulp. Get outta here.
WE OWN THIS CITY is coming in April. If a day one cover of Simon and Pelecanos doesn't please you, maybe we'll be lucky in the back half of 2022?
At the end of the day, nobody owes us 5 bucks a month, we don't owe anyone 10 hours of our life each week covering a show that doesn't speak to us. Come back when the value proposition works for you, or listen to ads for free.
We just don't feel desperate to cover prestige TV just because. The movie side of prestige is very popular, way more popular than several recent prestige shows we've covered. It's something we're conscious of, and want to get back to, but we're not going to force it.
I’m not in the Succession mafia, but my Mare bummer-ness was and still is minor. Who cares man. Hey at least enough gave a shit enough to the think the opposite of meh for Evan Peters, Julianne Nicholson, and Kate Winslet to all win Emmys, Winslet win a Golden Globe, and SNL give us one of the funniest skits in a while riding whatever amount of zeitgeist there was. Let the record show when that show was happening I wasn’t throwing myself on the ground convulsing my limbs in here when the guys weren’t feeling it. I’ve really been enjoying the Prestige back catalog of movies lately with my recent ‘22 neighborhood walks, most recently Easy Rider. That was a great cover for whoever hasn’t listened to it.
Honestly, as someone who watches A LOT of the UK crime dramas that Mare of Winningham was clearly cribbing from, it was not great. It was just fine. Watchable, and then forgettable, as most of those kinds of shows are. I think people have elevated it because it had Kate Winslet and Jean Smart and Guy Pearce in it, but would anyone give a shit if it was the exact same show, only British and with Nicola Walker, Anne Reid and Darren Boyd?
Honestly, as someone who watches A LOT of the UK crime dramas that Mare of Winningham was clearly cribbing from, it was not great. It was just fine. [...] but would anyone give a shit if it was the exact same show, only British and with Nicola Walker, Anne Reid and Darren Boyd?
Me, me, but mainly because of Nicola Walker and the fact that I've about run out of British crime dramas which don't involve serial killers or crimes against children.
At this point, I think my reasons for liking Mare were for being a reasonable American attempt at this style of crime drama and The Watch coverage as those two guys grew up nearby and could add local knowledge to their deep dive on the show.
As far as J&A goes, still think they're missing a trick by not trying an ad-supported Watch-like show but they know their business better than I do.
Here are my thoughts, for what they are worth. BTW - I couldn't login to the forums with Chrome, I had to use Firefox. Anyone else have that issue?
Yellow Jackets - I would love to hear them cover this show. Primarily because it's incredibly well acted, especially with the 2021 crew. But I would also love to hear them debate or their thoughts on whether anything Paranormal or Supernatural is going on, or is it just coincidence? This is the latest, greatest Puzzle Box type of show, where people are pausing frame by frame to get even the tiniest of hints. In my experience, this seems like it's right up their ally. There are definitely some parts that someone could write off as ridiculous. But that comes back to whether or not you believe there is something Supernatural or not. The Bear is the biggest one that comes to mind.
Succession - Yes, I totally wish they would cover this show, but I get it. Succession is like Black Licorice, either you love it or hate it. I know people on both sides. I have no interest in them covering a show they both hate.
Landscapers - HBO 4 Episode Mini Series. This is totally something right in their wheel house. If they cover The Lighthouse and I'm thinking of Ending things, I can't see how they wouldn't like this. The production, the editing, all of it is exactly why this Podcast exists. Plus it's not a big commitment. It's only 4 Episodes about a True Crime Story. But not dark enough to be depressing. Even after a Pandemic.
Dexter - Fun for diehard Dexter Fans to get back into that world. But nothing so original that it's remotely worth covering. You know what you're getting and you get. It's like ordering fast food. It might taste great going down, but you'll feel a little uncomfortable later.
Leftovers - Proof that we all don't agree. I am a huge Bald Move Fan and I know they love this show. I have never gotten past episode 4-5.
Ozark - There is no reason to not cover this show, far worse shows are covered. Great acting, plenty of drama. Maybe a little formulaic. But what isn't these days? Everything is just another version of something else. Even Avatar was just Dances with Wolves in Space.
Mare of East Town - I get it. Grim, dark and very depressing while also going through an epidemic. The only thing worse I can think of is reviewing "The Devil all the time" - Yikes. Don't watch that with any razor blades nearby.
YA Content - I personally would prefer less coverage of shows directed towards Teens or Younger (Regardless of Nostalgia) - Shows like Boba Fett or the Mandolorian in General. Even if I enjoy them, they are not deep enough that I require two people to tell me what's going on. They are pretty basic. That's me. If you have a large YA Audience, then by all means keep it up for them. But it's not for me.
Something we can all agree on - When A-ron asks Jim if he has any further thoughts or wants to add anything else. The Answer is always "Nope" :-)
I do remember Jim and Cecily covered Ozark at one point, all of season two, IIRC. I'm not sure what their thoughts were at the time, though.
Though Netflix dropping all of their episodes has been an issue for the guys in the past. I don't think it's usually worth it for them to cover a show for multiple weeks that so many people will binge. The fact that they cover Stranger Things on an episode by episode basis is probably as good as we're going to get.
Was holding out hope for more Witcher content. I didn't see it mentioned here so maybe that's a sign of why. Season 2 was SOOO much better than season 1 and I loved Season 1. Got me playing the game again too.
It just feels like the kind of show they would cover. Peacemaker too. I get the frustration though. Sometimes there is nothing they are covering I watch and sometimes it's a bunch of things. Ya win some, ya lose some.
Has The Offer been discussed anywhere? It's the miniseries about the making of The Godfather. It may ultimately be pulp, but there's some big names attached to it. A show about The Godfather should pass the "interest" checkbox, but does it make $ense to cover it?
I think this conversation got off the rails a little bit. The original question was why aren’t they covering new shows in general. There are so many there has to be some that they would cover. They’re covering a lot of old stuff and talking about gaming etc. They’ve always covered gaming but what about the new shows? There’s got to be some up there alley.
I can't speak for anyone else, but for the purposes of an Empire Business episode, I'd be curious to hear how the guys search for or hear about upcoming shows. I just wonder if there is stuff they may be interested in and then can plan and get ahead of it, instead of hearing about how good it is afterwards and that leading to a lack of coverage. I definitely don't want them covering things they don't want to. That just seems miserable for everyone involved. But I'd also hate for opportunities to be missed.
Has The Offer been discussed anywhere? It's the miniseries about the making of The Godfather. It may ultimately be pulp, but there's some big names attached to it. A show about The Godfather should pass the "interest" checkbox, but does it make $ense to cover it?
Yes wanna say on lunch? Maybe OTC, it's been discussed at least twice I believe.
I think this conversation got off the rails a little bit. The original question was why aren’t they covering new shows in general. There are so many there has to be some that they would cover. They’re covering a lot of old stuff and talking about gaming etc. They’ve always covered gaming but what about the new shows? There’s got to be some up there alley.
I'm relatively new to the club, but I've gathered from binge listening a bunch of their podcasts, Jim & A.Ron seem to rarely cover shows from S1. There are notable exceptions (The Leftovers, Westworld, BCS), but most of the prestige coverage seems to have come after they already got hooked and decided it was worth their time. You can't always judge a show based on the quality of the pilot (The Killing is a good example).
But maybe give the Gilded Age a shot so we can resume basking in the glow of Carrie Coon lol
It's definitely a bummer the guys aren't covering the best shows on TV anymore. Remember the Mad Men, Breaking Bad, GoT, Leftovers and Fargo days? I couldn't get enough of the pod back then.
Hell yeah, I remember those days. But it's not just that what they've covered has changed but also how they cover it is my impression. Like, back in the days it was very narrative driven ("Jim, what do you think Walt was thinking when he did this"). In recent years it's more analysis of the screenwriting itself ("I understand what they're trying to do here, by stringing together these scenes, but it's just not working for me"). They also seem to get bored way more quickly than they used to. I guess it's the curse of the saturated critic, A.Ron always said he worried this may happen to him one day.
So by all means, let's please only have them cover shows they actually like. It sounded on OTC like they might get ready to cover Yellowjackets season 2 and that would be AWESOME, that was such a fun show!
Just based on the fact that Yellowjackets is on Showtime and has much lower subscription numbers than HBO I’m surprised they’d cover it. I hear it’s a good show But most of the people I know haven’t seen it because they just don’t have showtime. Perhaps it should remain off the clock.
Just based on the fact that Yellowjackets is on Showtime and has much lower subscription numbers than HBO I’m surprised they’d cover it. I hear it’s a good show But most of the people I know haven’t seen it because they just don’t have showtime. Perhaps it should remain off the clock.
Hm, that's a good point. I've been watching it in the UK. It's on Sky here, which apparently has about 12 million subscribers in the UK (and plenty more in other European countries)...
But it's not just that what they've covered has changed but also how they cover it is my impression. Like, back in the days it was very narrative driven ("Jim, what do you think Walt was thinking when he did this"). In recent years it's more analysis of the screenwriting itself ("I understand what they're trying to do here, by stringing together these scenes, but it's just not working for me"). They also seem to get bored way more quickly than they used to. I guess it's the curse of the saturated critic, A.Ron always said he worried this may happen to him one day.
So by all means, let's please only have them cover shows they actually like. It sounded on OTC like they might get ready to cover Yellowjackets season 2 and that would be AWESOME, that was such a fun show!
I greatly prefer engaging with stories as if they really happened and unpacking it from that perspective. Coming at something from a meta POV and critiquing the writing and creator's merits isn't as fun and interesting, and I do see that happening a lot in the modern discourse across fandoms.
And them getting bored more quickly makes sense. You start to see the seams and formula of anything given enough time. There's truth to the idea of never making your passion/hobby your job.
Just based on the fact that Yellowjackets is on Showtime and has much lower subscription numbers than HBO I’m surprised they’d cover it. I hear it’s a good show But most of the people I know haven’t seen it because they just don’t have showtime. Perhaps it should remain off the clock.
Yeah, I hear Aron say this quite a bit. While I'm sure the stats back up that Showtime's greatest shows are not as great as HBO's greatest shows (Even if HBO can't end them properly), I still think Showtime has had some pretty good shows, well worth watching. I think what Showtime shows have suffered from is going on longer than they should. But there are still some good shows. Yellow Jackets as mentioned is definitely one (At least it's a definitive 5 seasons and not open ended, so they have a plan and so far I trust the creators). I thought Homeland was a great show. Again, it could have been shortened to 5 seasons and still have gotten the Job done, but that doesn't change how good the first handful of seasons were. Billions is well regarded, if you're into that world, The Good Lord Bird was a very good show, Dexter was really good (until as mentioned, it went on to long) and it was always intended to be campy, American Rust was also very good. Probably better than Mare of East town (Mare of East Town should have been called Red Herring of East Town), City on a Hill has been decent, The Loudest Voice was an incredible miniseries (BTW - Love Mini Series). Sure they haven't had a Mega Hit like GOT. But no one else has. I wouldn't base what I watch by the Network it's on, I would base it on it's quality. I listened to their review of Yellow Jackets and I really hope they stick with it. I wouldn't even mind a 3-4 Podcast recap of season 1, leading up to the season 2 premiere. Like covering 3-4 Episodes per Podcast. There is a lot happening in that show they could really dig deep into.
Shameless was also pretty good on Showtime. But it does fit with the trend of some of their more well known shows that are initially popular and garner a lot of discussion but then after 4-5 seasons the quality and interest decreases.
I know the show isn't for everyone, but boy-howdy, was I glad to hear some coverage of Severance. It was great to hear the guys excited and into a show that I am now obsessed with. The podcast definitely had the vibe of their Devs, True Detective Season 1, or Westworld Season 1 podcasts. I also was happy to have just the briefest of theorizing, as the hive mind of the internet ruining puzzle-box tv is not something I am into. The show is so freaking good.
I will never be convinced that not giving Station Eleven the full treatment was a good decision. Especially as it was a short one-and-done, with a Leftovers pedigree. I think S2 of Raised by Wolves might be another sure-fire hit for the guys.
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It just feels like the kind of show they would cover. Peacemaker too. I get the frustration though. Sometimes there is nothing they are covering I watch and sometimes it's a bunch of things. Ya win some, ya lose some.
But maybe give the Gilded Age a shot so we can resume basking in the glow of Carrie Coon lol
So by all means, let's please only have them cover shows they actually like. It sounded on OTC like they might get ready to cover Yellowjackets season 2 and that would be AWESOME, that was such a fun show!