TV Tuesday 10/14/25

This is a continuation of last week’s post. The list of shows I have is too long for one post, so this picks up where it left off (even so, that one ran long, and so may this one). As mentioned last time, I hadn’t written a TV Tuesday post in a while, so there’s a bit of a backlog.

Watching baseball takes up a lot of the TV viewing time during the summer, and I can only watch a few hours of TV in any given day (and not too many days in a row). Many of the shows in my watch lists are old shows that I nibble on for the memories.

The nostalgia is strong but often so is the cringe factor.

I’ve seen posts bemoaning the “death of” movie theaters (and baseball and a number of other things we valued but seem to have lost to the past). And, as I understand it, movie theaters do struggle these days because, firstly, people have big TVs and good sound systems at home, and secondly, streaming platforms have changed how we view shows.

Why pay movie theater prices, drive some place and park and ensure getting there on time, and share the movie with strangers who don’t always know how to behave in a movie theater? For me a movie needs a huge draw, a huge reason to share in public and/or see on the big screen, to make that worthwhile.

And sometimes that is the case. Comedies are often better shared with a large group because of the laughter energy. That said, I have no problem laughing my ass off when watching alone.

[I was alone the one and only time I was laughing so hard that I literally fell out of my chair. Sadly, the memory is a bit tainted by that I was laughing at the Bill Cosby Dentist and Novocain bit.]

Movie theaters have reacted by putting in plush reclining seats, supporting reserved seating, and opening a bar in the lobby. Apparently, they’ll even deliver pre-arranged food and drink to your seat, though I haven’t witnessed it happen. I have hit the bar, though. I like these changes, but it still begs a compelling reason to make the trip and spend the money.

In contrast, home viewing for most offers a good-sized screen, good sound, any food and drink desired (and your own private bathroom). Plus, the ability to watch any time, freeze-frame any time, pause and take a break any time, rewind any time… Movie theaters have to beat all that.

Which is a long-winded way of saying here are some movies I’ve watched… on TV…

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They are increasingly fantastical romps (and starting to wear old), but I have a soft spot for the Fast and Furious movies. Netflix has (or had) them, so I had the chance to rewatch the early ones in the series. For me, it’s a combination of Vin Diesel, whose work I’ve always enjoyed, the family core the stories pivot on, and the sheer exuberance of the car stunts (and, full disclosure, Jordana Brewster). The creativity of the design and execution of those stunts is always finestkind.

Say what you will about car action movies, the series is Universal’s biggest franchise, earning them seven trillion dollars. They may be a bit like candy corn: not to everyone’s taste, but some people love them.

I like candy corn and the F&F movies. Recently I watched Hobbs & Shaw (2019), a spin-off that teams Dwayne Johnson (Hobbs) and Jason Statham (Shaw) in an odd-couple buddy action movie. Idris Elba as the Bad Guy; Vanessa Kirby as Shaw’s equally larcenous sister.

It’s exactly what you’d expect. Action. Snark. Rinse, repeat.

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Passing mention to Wicked City (1987; Amazon Prime), a dark adult noir fantasy with considerable eroticism and violence. Based on the premise that a dark demon world coexists with ours. Interesting enough if you like that sort of thing.

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I enjoyed Breaking Infinity (2023; Amazon Prime), a low-budget time-travel movie directed by Marianna Dean and written by David Trotti. (neither of whom have Wikipedia entries, nor is there an entry for the film).

It concerns a scientist who, because of his research and experiments, becomes unstuck in time. It’s vaguely (very vaguely) reminiscent of Slaughterhouse-Five  (1972; a worthy adaptation of the same-named Vonnegut novel) crossed with About Time (2013). Both feature a main character who travels through time.

The problem with time-travel movies is that time travel breaks causality, so it’s preposterous. Stories using it are necessarily full of plot holes or contrivances made up to cover plot holes. Very few time-travel movies get it right. Looper (2012) came very close and is a favorite. Primer (2004) is possibly the Best-of-Class (but hard to follow; there are online diagrams that help).

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Speaking of time-travel movies, I watched Timecop (1994; Netflix) the other night. Directed by Peter Hyams and stars Jean-Claude Van Damme. It’s considered one of Van Damme’s best movies (though JCVD is pretty awesome). It’s aged okay, but don’t think about the plot too much.

Or the silliness about touching your own body when you time travel.

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I’ve seen 47 Ronin (2013; Netflix) before but enjoyed seeing it again. It stars Keanu Reeves (another actor I really like) in a stylized period piece that takes place in a Japanese world of witches and magic.

Reeves plays a half-English, half-Japanese outcast, Kai, who — lost in the woods — is adopted by a benevolent ruler. Kai is not accepted and only looked at favorably by the ruler and his daughter.

Then bad things happen.

It was panned by critics and didn’t impress the Japanese. Audiences didn’t go for it either, but I liked it the first time I saw it, and I liked it this time.

But beware the “sequel”, Blade of the 47 Ronin, a Netflix property that has no real connection with the first film and which I found unwatchable.

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Best (movie) for last, I saw The Zero Theorem (2013) listed on Amazon Prime and thought the blurb sounded interesting. Decided to watch for Saturday Night Science Fiction.

Movie starts. Credits. Starring Christoph Walz! Okay, this might not suck. Also stars David Thewlis. This has possibilities. Finally, the directing credit: Terry Gilliam! Well, now, this is a surprise. Never heard of this one.

Gilliam has apparently been coy or inconsistent about whether The Zero Theorem is, or is not, the third of a trilogy after Brazil (1985) and 12 Monkeys (1995). Or even whether there is a trilogy. All three do seem set in the same dystopic weird future.

Yet I think they’re also different enough to be separate movies done by someone with a consistent (surreal and dystopic) vision. They certainly don’t contain an overarching story arc.

Very surreal (of the three, the most). Definitely not for everyone, but fun if you enjoy Gilliam’s work. More similar to Brazil, I think, than 12 Monkeys. For one thing, Matt Damon and Tilda Swinton appear in supporting roles and are all but unrecognizable (similar to Robert De Niro in Brazil).

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Turning to episodic TV, the fourth and final season of Upload dropped (2020-2025; Amazon Prime). Back in 2020, I posted about the series after the first season. See that post for details about the show.

The series remained watchable throughout and gets enough technical details right to excuse the SF magic. The context is the near future where (destructive!) brain scanning allows uploading to a communal virtual reality. A key aspect of the show is the cost of maintaining this virtual reality — the good ones are for the wealthy. Class stratification and corporate greed are part of the setting.

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Exception (2022; Netflix) is an original Japanese anime that follows the crew of an exploration spacecraft seeking planets with the potential for terraforming.

The SF hook in this one involves 3D printers advanced enough to print people. The spacecraft prints pilots and crew as needed.

In this standalone eight-episode series, a newly printed crew member — due to an electrical surge — is printed incorrectly, and the result, albeit intelligent and possessing the original crewman’s memories, is monstrous.

The protocol in such situations is to destroy the “misprint”, recycle the material, and re-print the crew member. But the monster wants to live.

It’s a neat story with interesting characters, but the character animation is surprisingly crude for a 2022 movie. It resembles lower-grade video game animation. Worth seeing for the story, though.

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I did not know Futurama (1999-2013; 2023-present) is back in production! It has had a tumultuous path. On Fox for seasons 1–4 (1999-2003); cancelled. Then on Comedy Central for seasons 5–7 (2008-2013); cancelled. Now back in production on Hulu since 2023 — a ten-year gap. Three seasons so far (8–10), and Hulu has ordered season 11 for 2026.

I have all the DVDs of the first seven seasons and have watched them several times over the years. I doubt I’ll ever watch the older one again but did rewatch season seven to get in the mood for the new stuff.

Which stands up fine, though I have to admit to considerable fondness for the show that no doubt biases my opinion.

What’s funny is that Hulu was promoting the show, but I assumed it was the original. I can’t recall what finally made me realize it was back on — a passing comment somewhere that made me think, “Wait. What? Futurama? Is it back on?”

Yes. Yes, it is. Yay!

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The eighth season of Rick and Morty (2013-present) dropped on Hulu. The season was over some time ago — the show airs on Comedy Central. The Cinema Sins YouTube channel released its videos about the episodes months ago.

Still very much enjoying the series. Slowly savoring each episode. It’ll be another long wait for season nine.

On a related vein, Solar Opposites (2020-2025; Hulu) dropped its sixth and final season Monday. It’s a cute show, but slapstick and shallow enough to wear on me a bit.

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Also back from the dead is King of the Hill (1997-2010; 2025-present; Hulu). Never a favorite of mine, I did enjoy it enough to buy a number of the season DVDs. I lost touch with the show after season seven, so I’ve been slowly working my way through season eight (there are fourteen seasons now).

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I’d seen the Cells at Work (2018-2021; Netflix) anime in my Netflix feed for a while and finally decided to check it out. It’s really cute — maybe even a bit twee — and might even be an inspiration to future doctors or biologists.

The show has a cast of billions — all the cells of a human. The main character is a young red blood cell (AE-3803) — new on her delivery job; she gets lost a lot — learning the ropes of carrying oxygen to cells and carrying carbon dioxide to the lungs (over and over and over).

The other main character is an experienced white blood cell (U-1146) who befriends AE-3802 and sometimes shadows her to ensure her safety (there are a lot of perils for cells in a body). The white cells (and other cells) fight germs and viruses, who appear as monsters (whereas the body cells all appear as humans).

One striking thing about the show is how they use the medical names for different cell types and for the germs and viruses. While there is not overmuch detail about how the body and cells work, there is more than one might expect for what I believe is a show aimed at kids. What details there are seem to be accurate from what I can tell.

Their environment looks like a huge, complicated city with pathways going everywhere. Different types of buildings represent various organs of the body.

I’ve also got the 2004 live-action movie queued.

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I’m surprised it lasted this long but Only Murders in the Building (2021-present; Hulu) is doling out episodes from its fifth season. Steve Martin is one of my favorite artists, and it has been fun to see him again, but I’ve found the show less and less engaging each season. I’m waiting for all episodes to drop before I watch this last season.

When I posted (briefly) about this back in 2021, I wrote, “If you’re looking for something modern and edgy, this isn’t it. This is more like a comfy blanket, but I highly recommend it.” I stand by the first part and still would recommend it.

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When I want a bit of nostalgia these days, I’ve had M*A*S*H (1972-1983), Cheers (1982-1993), and Just Shoot Me (1997-2003) in my Hulu watch list for a while now (the last one hasn’t aged well but is a guilty pleasure).

Recently, I added Bewitched (1964-1972; Hulu). As I have mentioned in the blog many times, I had a huge youthful crush on Samantha Stevens (Elizabeth Montgomery) [see Childhood Crushes]. To be honest, that flame still burns, and I’m enjoying watching the show.

I’ve also mentioned that my dog Samantha was named, in part, after her (and the friend of a friend — I’ve long liked the name).

The first two seasons (of eight) were filmed in black & white but apparently colorized later. Hulu is airing the B&W versions (which I’m fine with, though colorizing technology has gotten very good).

That show was downright subversive, both in a covert sense (think witch=LGBTQ) and in a blatant sense — magic powers aside, Samantha was delightfully not a typical housewife but an intelligent and empowered person. For a show of the era, it’s unusual. Sam didn’t take no shit from Darrin (who, of course, famously morphed from Dick York to Dick Sargent).

I’m also enjoying Sam’s mother Endora (Agnes Moorehead) a lot more than I did as a kid. Back then, she seemed just an irritant, but now I’m old enough to enjoy Moorehead’s performance.

The only downside, besides the sometimes-lame plots, is Darrin. He is such a nudge. Many episodes involve him flying off the handle for some dumb reason (or pure misunderstanding), Sam turning out to be right, and Darrin being all contrite by the end.

There is also the element of solving significant personal problems in the span of the half-hour show. June Lockhart guest starred in an episode where she was an overly protective mother who wouldn’t let her kid have any fun. Sam enabled the kid (against his mother’s and Darrin’s wishes), mom was upset but then saw how much fun kid was having playing baseball and turned over a new leaf.

In one view, those old shows were silly and trite, but they had references to true things. They had heart and life. They were grounded and human.

Television in those days was severely constrained in what it could air and shows like Bewitched — as conventional and dated as they are — were ahead of their time.

And in some cases, even slyly subversive.

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Stay bewitching, my friends! Go forth and spread beauty and light.

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