Recent TV Smorgasbord
Y'all have probably figured out by now that I watch a lot of TV, movies and sports. In fact, y'all have probably figured out (if you don't know me personally already) that I am a certifiable "entertainment whore". I confess this to be true. I do prefer the magical world of all of that make-believe to the ugly, petty, two-faced world that we are forced to live in everyday. So sue me. I'm a dreamer ha ha ha!!!
It's in this vein of thought that I bring you "The Smorgasbord". This simply a run-down of all of the shit that the family and/or I have been vegging out on recently. Maybe I'll turn you onto something new and you'll agree. Or maybe I'll warn you away from some steaming dog turd that the uneducated masses think is utterly amazing (but in fact licks donkey balls). Either way I'm trying to help you out, ya dig?
- American Horror Story, Season 6 aka "My Roanoke Nightmare" (FX, Wednesdays, 10pm ET): I decided to jump back into this series even though it lost me back in the 4th Season (Freakshow). So far I am tentatively pleased. They are tweaking the design and presentation of the show and going with a reality show format (2 sets of actors, "dramatic reenactments", you get the idea). Having a cast like Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Denis O'Hare, & Cuba Gooding, Jr. will keep you watching just for the acting prowess displayed within. The Roanoke setting is well presented, and the backstory obviously speaks for itself. I'm definitely staying tuned, even if it can't be as amazing as the first 2 seasons were. I miss Jessica Lange.
- Fear the Walking Dead, Season 1-2 (AMC, Sundays, 9pm ET): With 2 full seasons in the books now, I feel as if I can finally speak on this show. Given the setting and time (Los Angeles in the very BEGINNING of the zombie apocalypse) you knew it would take some time to get its legs under it, as the expression goes, and make you care. The first season established who the characters were and gave you their motivations while the dead were background noise. The second season took you south of the border and surrounded you with a lot of dead Mexicans, then split the family and amped up the drama. Some of the cast grabbed my attention instantly (see Colman Domingo as Victor Strand and Frank Dillane as junky Nick Clark) while others (talented Kim Dickens as Mom, Madison Clark) made me want to smash my TV. But, hey......we all wanted to kill Carl for at least 3-4 seasons of TWD and look at what a bad little son of a bitch he is now! The thing to remember with this show is that it's not a tie-in to The Walking Dead; they are not crossing paths with Rick and Company. This is the very beginning, and a certain amount of stupidity and bad decision making should be accounted for. It's the tale of a blended family and those they meet along the way trying to survive a true, worldwide apocalypse. Remember, the phrase "walking dead" doesn't refer to the zombies. I'm totally on board with this one (for the record).......Season 2 ended last night with a VERY strong 2-hour finale.
- Shameless, Season 1-early 2, Showtime, Sundays at 9pm ET): I'm only 3 or 4 episodes into the second season. I can't say enough about the heart of this show. It is a show about the gray area that is real, everyday, just getting by in a fucked up world life. Frank Gallagher (played by the always stellar William H. Macy) is the scummiest "everyman" that you'll ever find on TV. Fiona (Emmy Rossum) is hotter than doughnut grease and has great range. The family is dysfunctional and sharply cast from top to bottom. Sure, the situations in this "dramedy" are far-fetched, but they feel close to home (and the heart) for a kid from a very untraditional upbringing who used to take his Mom out to the store to gamble our last $5 on a poker machine to see if we were going hungry or living large. I I love this show. Period. Thank you, TV Whisperer.
- Westworld, Season 1, Episode 1, HBO, Sundays at 9PM ET: This is HBO's brand new show, based off of the 1973 cult classic film of the same name (starring Yul Brynner). I'm going to go ahead and beg HBO not to fuck this one up and bury it early like they did Carnivale and Deadwood. The potential of this is legitimately "Game of Thrones big". No joke. You're talking Bad Robot Productions (land of J.J. Abrams, so you know the production value is great). The cast? We're talking Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen), James Marsden (X-Men series), Thandie Newton (MI2), Jeffrey Wright (Boardwalk Empire), ED FREAKIN' HARRIS (The Abyss, The Rock), and.........SIR ANTHONY HOPKINS!! Did you hear me? I'm talking about Hannibal Lecter, for fuck's sake!! Do you really need any more convincing? The show is a blend of Science Fiction and Western, set in an undated future where the ultimate pleasure is a virtual reality gone mad theme park known as Westworld. You can be anything you want to be: play it good (and save the day) or play it evil (raping and pillaging). You're totally immersed in a fantasy world, monitored by experts. Unfortunately, the experts have a lot of secrets and some of the "hosts" are malfunctioning. Don't miss this one, y'all. It's HBO, so there's no holding back on anything. There might be some competition for Game of Thrones yet................
Well, that runs the gamut of what's been occupying my TV lately (besides watching big Tiger football wins, of course). I will be watching the 1973 movie, "Westworld", very shortly and reviewing. I haven't seen it since I was in elementary school, and I remember almost nothing about it. Talk to y'all soon.
