TV Tuesday 5/28/24

Bye-bye, TARDIS, bye-bye!

It’s TV Tuesday and time for another episode of channel surfing over what I’ve been watching on the TV machine. Speaking of which, I kind of miss channel surfing. It was fun seeing what else is on. (It’s how I stumbled on Little Big Town, now a favorite band.)

People with my (take your pick) interests, background, point of view, do not find most modern fare favorable. I’ve gone on about that plenty in the pages and years of this blog.

And that’s mostly what this post is, so caveat lector.

I’ll start (and spoiler: end) on a positive note. I have surely mentioned before that both Archer (2009-2023) and Letterkenny (2016-2023), two favorites of mine, ended their runs. I just went and checked. I did mention it briefly in my January look back at 2023. I’ll mention it briefly here to make it part of the official TV record.

I was sad to see them go. Both were, to my mind, and I wasn’t alone in this, fun to watch, well-done, well-written, creative as all get out, and generally pretty funny. Five-tool players, both of them.

And clear indicators TV can be not just good but excellent. I wrote about Archer back in 2020 (along with another really delightful TV show, Happy!) — see LOL: Happy! and Archer. I posted about Letterkenny almost a year ago — see TV Tuesday 6/6/23.

Of course, taste is always a factor. I have a friend who doesn’t see much value in Letterkenny, and I’m sure some would find Archer or Happy! way too much.

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I realized that I’m over Doctor Who. The Modern Writing of the Chris Chibnall era was too much for me [see Whither Doctor Who?]. By the end of it, I had almost entirely lost interest in the series. Because I dropped YouTube TV (because reasons), I lost BBC America, which carried the show and never got to check out what the new management did to save it.

From what I’ve heard, they dug the hole deeper. Apparently, Russell Davies fully embraces Modern Writing and has doubled down on the Chibnall era. If so, then I’m not as sorry I lost access to the show as I thought I was.

[To be clear, while I usually embrace the cause, I reject being preached to in my adult entertainment. Preaching and parable are children and them that seek it. I don’t. And I don’t think this sort of preaching in shows that generally only liberals watch has value — it’s preaching to the choir and virtue signaling. In some cases, it seems bragging or even spite.]

So, alas, it appears this is another case of things that are over for me. A tragedy of life is that we so often lose what we’ve loved, and those losses can be anything from catastrophic or merely saddening. As losses, TV shows rate low, but Doctor Who joins NCIS as a former beloved now departed. The sense of loss is stronger.

Those two shows share also in common that both managed during their lifetimes (neither are dead, but they’re dead to me) to span my entire critical rating spectrum from Wow! to Ugh! — a very uncommon feat.

The highest of the high, but now I say goodbye.

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I was pretty happy with season one of Reacher on Amazon Prime [see Jack Reacher]. I originally gave it a strong Ah! rating, although watching it a second time immediately after re-reading the book weakened the strength of that. Still, I found it strikingly faithful to the source and a good watch. It keeps its Ah! rating even after the second viewing.

But while season two seemed to start off okay, for me it quickly devolved into something to which I can only give a Nah! rating (if not an Ugh! rating — by being so faithless to the book, they skipped right past any possibility of an Eh! rating).

I wanted — and fully intended — to re-read the book season two is based on, Bad Luck and Trouble (2007), the eleventh in the Jack Reacher series, and then re-watch the season. I’d claim that was to give it another chance, but I think the truth is it would be to take notes on how bad it was. And then post about it. Which is called “hate-watching” although almost most such “critics” post videos about how bad it was rather than blog posts.

I decided I’m not up for it. It’s one thing if something drives me to start taking notes while I watch it for the first time. Which happens when it’s quickly apparent something is very good or very bad. But season two here fooled me because the first three episodes were okay, so I figured I’d just sit back and enjoy the show. Notes could come on the second viewing. I assumed a later re-read and re-watching.

But, no, definitely not re-watching season two. It’s bad enough that I’ll probably watch season three of Resident Alien [see Resident Alien]. And I may even watch season three of Reacher if it comes around.

But definitely not re-watching just to take notes for a post. I’ll just say here once and for all, I didn’t like it. A definite Nah! rating (or, as I said, possibly even an Ugh! rating — I really didn’t like it).

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Amazon Prime recently offered a new adult animated series, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy. I found this one bad enough that I did start taking notes but threw them away when I bailed on the series and decided not to even bother posting about it.

If I’m respecting the full range of comedy, from smart to dumb, I’d give this only a Meh! rating. It was… okay. (“Just okay?” “Yeah, just okay.”) Some of the dumber aspects of it, for me, push it to a Nah! rating.

For instance, the characters eat these little clearly sapient beings. It’s Idiot Clown comedy, and you know how I feel about that. So, definitely not my cup of tea but might sit better with others. This is one where I couldn’t really argue with someone who said, “Aw, man, just relax and enjoy it.” There were some laughs (before I bailed), but the characters were just too dumb for me to latch onto.

I will mention there’s a lot of (alien) sex. Each of the three episodes I watched before bailing were drenched in it. I’m not objecting to it, but a lot of it seemed rather grade school to me. (Yeah, I know. I’m an old fart. No sex on my lawn!)

I will give it props for being original material (rather than a reboot or sequel or adaptation of a comic, toy, or game). Alien medicine isn’t new to science fiction, and even comedy alien medicine isn’t new, but then there’s nothing new under the Sun. The trick is how you weave new cloth from old threads, and this, childish clowning aside, does pretty well.

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I just finished, and really enjoyed, the novel, The Three-Body Problem (2008), by Liu Cixin. It’s the first book of his Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. I had previously read and enjoyed his novel, Ball Lightning (2004).

When I posted last March about Three-Body (2023), the Chinese TV adaptation of this book, I could only say that I’d heard that the adaptation was “reasonably faithful to the text.” [See Three-Body.] Now that I’ve read the book, I can say it was indeed quite faithful. Some changes, to be sure, but nothing that really mattered, let alone annoyed. (I personally enjoyed the more prominent role of Xu Bingbing.)

So, I highly recommend the Chinese adaptation (available on Amazon Prime). I didn’t rate it in the post (truth is, I’m not that vested in giving things ratings), but juxtaposed against the source text, I’d give it an Ah! rating. I’m tempted to watch it again, if that says anything.

I tried to watch the Netflix adaptation, 3 Body Problem (2024), but bailed in the middle of the second episode, because Modern Writing strikes again. The multiple crimes against English in the title alone give it a bad odor before even walking in the door.

I was also a little askance at casting Benedict Wong as Shi Qiang having gotten used to Yu Hewei in the role in the Chinese version. But the character the book describes (short and squat) is more like Benedict Wong than Yu Hewei.

I enjoyed the book so much (and am waiting for the second one to become available at the library) that I’m tempted to try the Netflix series again. Sometimes knowing what I’m in for lets me gird my loins and try to appreciate it for what it is. We’ll see if that works with 3 Body Problem.

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Enough cold prickles, warm fuzzies from here to the end.

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I’m working through a new Netflix series, Judge Dee’s Mystery, which is produced in China. Judge Dee, or Judge Di, is a Chinese story character based on a historical figure, Di Renjie, a magistrate and statesman of the Tang court. The character first appeared in 18th-century Chinese stories and somewhat resembles Sherlock Holmes in terms of the literary forest that sprang up around the character. Lots of books, movies, and TV shows.

I’ve seen several Judge Dee Chinese movies and been tempted by some of the TV series I’ve noticed on Amazon Prime, so I thought it was worth a shot when this one came around on Netflix. I’ve been enjoying it quite a lot. Rich production values, good characters, and interesting stories.

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Over on Amazon Prime I’ve been enjoying an old friend, Leverage (2008-2012). I’ve always loved caper stories, and Leverage is kind of a cross between Mission: Impossible and The A-Team. It was created by John Rogers and produced by Dean Devlin, the same two who did another really fun show, The Librarians (2014-2018).

Back when I was buying DVDs of TV seasons, Leverage made my buy list, but I never found the third of its five seasons. With the show available on Amazon now, I’ve been able to re-watch and enjoy that third season again.

Recently they teamed up again for a reboot, Leverage: Redemption (2021-present). All the stars are back except Timothy Hutton (perhaps because reasons). Joining the team are Noah Wyle (who starred in The Librarians) and Aleyse Shannon. Two seasons are out so far with a third expected. It originally aired on Freevee, but has moved to Amazon Prime Video.

Amazingly, the reboot isn’t bad, especially by today’s standards. I’m enjoying it a lot. I just finished season one. Keeping in mind my affection for the original series, I give it an Ah! rating.

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Two quick science fiction notes: First, I just started watching Starhunter: Redux on Amazon Prime. It’s apparently a reboot of a reboot of a Canadian series, Starhunter. A little reminiscent of Farscape or Babylon 5 in terms of budget and special effects, but (so far) without their engaging charm (I really liked those two). I’m only a few episodes in, so it’s really too early to say much about it.

Also on Prime, I watched The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek (2022). It’s a documentary that covers the period from the beginning up to the TNG movies. It’s comprised of eleven episodes, all narrated by Gates McFadden, and they cover:

1. The Original Series (TOS)
2. The Animated Series (TAS)
3. Phase 2 & The Motion Picture
4. The Wrath of Khan & The Search for Spock
5. The Voyage Home & The Final Frontier
6. The Next Generation (TNG)
7. Deep Space Nine (DS9)
8. UPN & Voyager (VOY)
9. The many actors.
10. The many ships.
11. A wrap up.

It gave me a serious case of nostalgia. I watched Star Trek since it first aired. At the 50-year mark (2015 or so), I decided I was over it, but now I almost regret giving away my DVDs. I even want to watch Voyager now (which I never have — bailed after a handful of episodes back when it aired).

Some things I learned: The planet Sha Ka Ree in movie #5 was explicitly named for Sean Connery, who they hoped would star as Sybok. And the rock monster is a remake of a badly done version from TOS (which is given homage in Galaxy Quest).

I also learned that Genevieve Bujold was originally going to be Captain Janeway in Voyager, but it turned out to be a horrible casting mistake for everyone involved. She was replaced by Kate Mulgrew by the time the show aired.

Lastly, Jeri Ryan and Seven of Nine may have gotten a bad rap. She was shoehorned in to try to save failing ratings. Not her fault she stole the show. And I may have done wrong by Rick Berman. Contrary to this post, Berman may have been the one guy trying to hold up Roddenberry’s original vision.

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Grownish, the last of the Kenya Barris X-ish shows has wrapped up its sixth and final season. These — Black-ish (2014-2022; 8 seasons), Mixed-ish (2019-2021; 2 seasons), and Grown-ish (2018-2024; 6 seasons) — were all good shows I enjoyed a lot. I’ll look forward to whatever Barris does next.

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Stay warm & fuzzy, my friends! Go forth and spread beauty and light.

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