It’s January and I am still watching some good oldies, but there is new and exciting stuff worth mentioning. First off though…
What I’ve finally finished
Both series are outrageously funny. If I had to pick a winner between these two, I would burst out laughing instead. Both 3rd Rock from the Sun and The Thin Blue Line exit gracefully before they fall inextricably into their usual routines. Yes, these routines are there from the start. But at some point, they just call it quits at the 6th and the 2nd season, respectively, and that’s that. Watch something else, be happy.
This is particularly obvious with The Thin Blue Line where Rowan Atkinson (playing Inspector Raymond Fowler) is at his usual best. Some of the aspects of the other characters, especially those of P.C. Kevin Goody (played by James Dreyfus) and D.I. Derek Grim (David Haig), become a little bit tired, struggling in a series of failed attempts to expand their depth, which ultimately tips the ballance unfavourably towards cancellation. Dreyfus and Haig are wonderful from start to finish. Their characters, on the other hand, have nothing more to say without stepping into the caricature zone. Thankfully, they are spared by the overall decision of the creator of the show, Ben Elton, to wrap it up. This viewer finds his decision regretable, but time and again lets it go in exceptionally good spirits and with renewed fond memories of this show.
Two of the best sitcoms of the 90’s. Highly rewatchable.
The oldies that never got old
Not an exhaustive list. At least I hope I don’t miss something:
Usually, I rewatch 4 or 5 shows at the same time. Some of these I put on the back burner which leads us to 2 or 3 unmentioned shows that I am also watching without having seen a single episode of them this January.
What can I say of the above three? The first two are just plain guilty pleasure. You know them by heart, you don’t pay close attention, yet you watch, maybe even laugh from time to time, while always keeping track of the way the creators construct an episode. What’s the structure? How do they keep it afloat from season to season? How many straight or near-miss shark-jumps are there? For instance, in How I Met Your Mother Barney Stinson (played by Neil Patrick Harris) pretty much aims for it every time he meteors from one end of the screen to the other. Well, besides his confident acting, the creators of the show always have some convoluted and highly entertaining plot going, entirely eclipsing Barney’s carefree antics.
The third one, Dharma & Greg, I haven’t watched entirely so this time is kind of my first. I am constantly trying to figure out which episode I’ve already seen on television back in the 90’s. It’s a nice show, and as I pass the mark of the first season, I find it adorable and entertaining. Fingers crossed.
But what about the newer ones?
What about the entirely new ones for me, the real first-timers?
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015)
- The Man in The High Castle (2015)
- Peacemaker (2022)
- The Book of Boba Fett (2021)
I am not willing to say anything incriminating until I’ve finished watching these. They good. They funny. Slightly bland one of them is, and that’s all for now.
Well… okay, I have a soft spot for Tina Fey’s humour and I am not in the slightest disapointed by Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Other than that, all four make me happy or intrigue me in different ways and it makes sense watching them.
The usual suspects: talk shows and variety programs
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015)
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014)
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003)
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014)
- Real Time with Bill Maher (2003)
- The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (1996)
- Saturday Night Live (1976)
Very much without significant changes here. There’s always some temporary ups and downs, a disenchantment or two.
I’ll only say that right now Jimmy Kimmel is probably my favourite late-night talk show host. His deadpan monologues combined with his genuine merriment most of the times are a must-see TV.
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This isn’t an easy decision, obviously. But if you liked the rambling, go on, give it a try. Later!