So sometimes your personal life changes and you fall behind on your shows but then maybe your personal life changes again so you catch up on your shows. Anyhoo, this is what I’ve been watching recently.
LOVED
The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale (Netflix) Back in the day, Talk Soup was my jam. Kinnear, Skunk Boy, Hal Sparks — from host to host, I loved it. The updated version, The Soup, is where many of us first saw Joel McHale, and for my money, it has remained his most likable project. I lost track of The Soup over the years (did it really run until 2015??), but upon seeing this revival on Netflix, my Talk Soup love came rushing right back. The snarky commentary on all those awful shows out there (what is a Vanderpump rule, anyway?) is right up my alley. I couldn’t wait for the next week’s episode! And am giddy that there will bonus episodes next month.
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman (Netflix) In troubled times, we need our heroes, so Dave came back to us. This bare-bones talk show began incredibly strong with guest Barack Obama, and each additional episode was very worthy viewing. Dave is a more skillful interviewer than ever before, and we’re the beneficiaries. The “field pieces” are a nice touch. At a Buddy Guy performance in Chicago, when Dave and Paul Shaffer — who composed the theme music for the series — were on the same stage, my heart grew four sizes.
Barry (HBO) High concept — hit man takes an acting class — but an underlying sense of introspection and melancholy raises this above the level of most smart comedies. Bill Hader is superb in the lead role, and Henry Winkler is hilarious as his acting teacher. But my favorite is Anthony Carrigan as Noho Hank, a Chechen mobster who is a well-meaning sweetheart. No TV character has made me laugh as much this year.
2018 Winter Olympics (NBC) I really missed Bob Costas doing the anchoring, but regardless, I do love the Olympics. Vindication for the Flying Tomato, the strangeness of the “Olympic Athletes From Russia,” freestyle skiing, USA women’s hockey, U.S. women snagging the first cross-country skiing gold in our country’s history, etc. etc. — so much great stuff.
LIKED A LOT
A.P. Bio (NBC) Though I hope Glenn Howerton returns to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, this smartly written comedy is definitely worthy of his talents. We must thank creator Mike O’Brien, who contributed some wonderfully weird pieces to SNL. Howerton, as a Harvard philosophy grad stuck teaching high school in his hometown of Toledo (welcome back, welcome back…), retains the misanthropy of Sunny’s Dennis but with a tad more heart. The students are a hoot and Patton Oswalt is sweetly pathetic as the principal. Odd washed-out cinematography adds to the distinctive feel.
Mosaic (HBO) Between Unsane and this mystery miniseries, I am back on Team Soderbergh. Very strong cast — Sharon Stone, Paul “Pee-Wee” Reubens, James “Ziggy from The Wire” Ransone, Loudon Wainwright III, Allison “First Season of Fargo” Tolman, Beau Bridges, Tony winner Michael Cerveris…. For my money, though, the best actor was Devin Ratray, a big-hearted dude just trying to do his job with the small-town police, caught up in a world of corruption, real estate, and big money. Fun fact: He was the older brother in Home Alone!
Wild Wild Country (Netflix) Any documentary that takes its title from a Bill Callahan lyric is OK by me. I had only vague early-teen recollections of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his many Rolls Royces, so I appreciated this in-depth miniseries that tries not to pick sides. (Though the Rajneeshies were definitely a creepy, greedy cult, the rural Oregonians against them weren’t the most open-minded people you’ll ever meet.)
Crisis in Six Scenes (Amazon) When I finally signed up for Amazon Prime, this is really the only thing I wanted to watch. I don’t care what the naysayers say (spoiler alert: “nay”) — I love Woody Allen and remain loyal to his work. In a hilariously self-deprecating role, writer/director Woody stars as Sidney Munsinger, a respected author forced to develop a TV series. (Eh? Eh?) His life with older-woman wife Elaine May (very funny) is disrupted by 60s radical Miley Cyrus hiding out from the fuzz. Over the course of six episodes, the comedy slowly builds to Marx Brothers-esque proportions.
American Vandal (Netflix) This true-crime spoof was quite funny with excellent casting of the high school kids, even if the ending was a bit of a letdown.
Sports Night (DVD) It took me several episodes to warm to this old Aaron Sorkin series, as it really seemed like the EXACT SAME SHOW as his later The Newsroom. (Were The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip also the same show?) But the cast (R.I.P. Robert Guillaume) and realistic writing grew on me, then got a little tiresome in the second season (will they? won’t they? who gives a shit), but finished strong. As a “dramedy” it could’ve benefited from more -medy.
LIKED
The Last O.G. (TBS) Co-creator Jordan Peele assists Tracy Morgan in a solid comeback. He returns to his old Brooklyn neighborhood (welcome back, welcome back) from prison to find it radically altered by gentrification. His old girlfriend Tiffany Haddish, married to a (wait for it…) white guy, is reluctant to let Tracy interact with his biological children, as he attempts to resist the allure of recidivism.
Corporate (Comedy Central) An often very funny show that reflects soul-crushing corporate life more realistically than most workplace comedies. Could be a wee bit sharper and more consistent.
The End of the F***ing World (Netflix) This British import comedy starts very dark and I thought I might love it — two teens on the run together and one thinking that maybe he’ll murder the other. Plus a cool soundtrack and score by Blur’s Graham Coxon. However, not enough likability to make me really care about the main characters, and it definitely could’ve been funnier.
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (DVD) Loved the concept: Corporate cog fakes his own death and starts again. However, I guess the creator didn’t trust that idea enough to stick with it very long, so we get different overarching plots in the three seasons of this late-70s British comedy. It does feel pretty dated, and a little “polite,” but the topics explored — personal fulfillment, the absurdity of marketing, striving to improve society, etc. — are certainly worthwhile.
JURY STILL OUT
Urban Myths (FLIX/TMC) In this comedic British series, they take an actual event, or a supposedly actual one, and present what may have happened. I’ve only watched three of the six episodes from season 1. The first I saw — Hitler as a young wanna-be artist, with Rupert Grint as his buddy — was really sharp. The second two — Dylan seeks out Eurhythmic Dave Stewart; Ali talks a guy off a ledge — weren’t nearly as good.
ONE AND A HALF AND DONE
Joe Pera Talks With You (Adult Swim) Very controversial categorization on my part, as I am supposed to love this show. And I expected to love it. The animated Joe Pera Talks You To Sleep was brilliant in my opinion. So I was excited at the prospect of a series. Watched Joe Pera Helps You Find the Perfect Christmas Tree in preparation. But that live-action special didn’t really grab me. Then the series began with back-to-back episodes. In episode 1, I had a visceral negative reaction to live-action Joe Pera — his nerdiness seems forced. Episode 2 wasn’t much better, then was somehow mangled in my DVR, and I canceled all future recordings. Sorry, Joe.
ONE AND DONE
The Chi (Showtime) Was hoping for The Wire Except in Chicago, but this really disappointed me. It felt like a phony baloney network drama. This Is Us Except in Chicago?
LESS THAN ONE AND DONE
Roseanne (ABC) Long before the racism thing, I just couldn’t get through a full episode. The nostalgic pull just wasn’t strong enough for me to accept the show’s by-the-numbers sitcom writing. TV has improved a lot since Roseanne’s heyday.
DELETED AFTER 6 MINUTES
Here and Now (HBO) Ooh, I like Tim Robbins, I’ll watch! Uggh, a family drama, I’ll pass.
THE SIMPSONS
The couch gags are usually still good.
THANK YOU AND GOODBYE
Great News (NBC) This Tina Fey-executive produced comedy, behind the scenes at a news show, really found its footing in season 2. The writing was very sharp and I laughed a lot. So, of course, stupid NBC canceled it.
The Mick (FOX) Kaitlin “Sweet Dee” Olsen is the best physical comedian on television. Her show was super funny and perfectly cast. So, of course, stupid FOX canceled it.
GOOD RIDDANCE
Portlandia (IFC) Fred Armisen, I still love you. But the hit-or-miss ratio of this series leaned “miss” entirely too often.
LOOKING FORWARD TO
Without Team USA, the first round of the World Cup isn’t too thrilling, is it? But I’m pumped for the knock-out rounds. What else? The return of Detroiters.
SHOWS I USED TO WATCH AND IN MANY CASES STILL DO
Links to Edition I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, and XIV.
4.5 stars out of 5
Jack Silbert, curator