Tag: Severance

  • Good, Old Fashion, Mindless TV

    I don’t know if you’re like me, but there is a good chance that you might be. And in that case, do you also have trouble finding something to watch on one of the many streaming services that you subscribe to? Honestly, I remember having this same problem when I had 200 channels on my cable service. It’s not a new problem, I guess is what I’m saying.

    Yet, when I am searching for something to watch, I need whatever it is that I am looking for to be really good. Like, really, really good. Like brag to my friends good, and be the first one to talk about it good. I need whatever the new show is to be a Ted Lasso, or Breaking Bad, or Mad Men. Also, it would help if it was weird and quirky, like Severance, or really epic like Game of Thrones or that Lord of the Rings show…

    And that’s when I found myself yearning for different kind of show, a different style of show, like a good old fashion mindless scripted tv show. Something with a little action, fun characters, maybe a little silly but defiantly a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Not to get all retro, but like classic Magnum P.I., or Hunter, Remington Steel, or Matt Houston. Hell, I’d even take Rip Tide or a Scarecrow and Mrs. King at this point.

    What those shows also had in common was a commitment to the status quo of a morally correct world. You know, bad guys get caught, wrongs get righted, the heroes make sacrifices to ensure justice is served. (Also, these shows had heroes that had no problem killing people who were bad guys. Taking a life cause never caused them to lose sleep at night.) Every episode was a tightly contained story, solved in 22 to 44 minutes, wherein our heroes were never challenged to the point to where they needed to learn or grow in any way. And next week it would start all over again. It was pure entertainment that only taught the lesson that bad guys lose, and good guys win.

    That’s what I am looking for, and I don’t want to retread classic tv, because ventures into nostalgia always leave me disappointed, as those shows were way better in my memory. No, I’m looking for a modern mindless, morally status quo show.

  • ODDS and ENDS: I Want to Watch Tottenham Live, Office Drone, and It’s Hot Out

    Tottenham is playing Wolverhampton this Saturday morning. It’s a home match for Spurs, and they should win, but I won’t be able to watch it live, because the match is being shown on USA. See, we cut the cord years ago, and I got Peacock to watch the Premier League, but not every match is shown live, so I have to wait to watch the replay later that night. I have to be very selective when it comes to going on social media Saturday, because I don’t want to accidently see the score. It’s a minor inconvenience, but it still is an inconvenience. I am sure there is a contractual reason for all for, but I still don’t understand why there isn’t one place you can go to watch all the matches live. It’s taken some time, but you can now do that with the NFL. It costs you, but there is a way for an out of market fan to watch their favorite team all season long. I’m a bit surprised that Peacock/NBC Sports hasn’t figured out a way to do this. Currently, if you want to watch your PL team live, then you need to have access to NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, Univeriso, and USA: two are free channels, two are cable channels, and one is streaming. That’s a lot of hoops to jump through, and I don’t know if that is the smartest way to build a brand. What it feels like is that NBC is just replicating their Olympic coverage system, which is terrible and no one likes. Just, come up with a better system guys.

    The wife got me to start watching Severance on Apple TV. I know that I am late to the party, as everyone has already talked about how great the show is, and I don’t disagree with that. (It’s like, if OK Computer were a tv show.) Last night as I was watching the third episode, and a thought went through my head; This show reminds me so much of working in the corporate/business world. And then I thought; I have never worked in the corporate/business world. I have worked for the past 15 years in the arts, about as far as you can get from the corporate world. Yet, this show seems to tap into something within me that makes me think that I have experienced what this show is presenting. I find that deeply fascinating.

    I love my daughter. Let’s just get that out there. I love her, and it’s my job to look after her. Today, it will be close to 90 degrees in NYC, and we have a playdate at the park. I explained to the kid that it will be hot today, and she should dress in shorts or a skirt, and a tee-shirt. Having given her these parameters, I sent her off into her room to pick out clothes, and she comes back in pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Now, my gut reaction is to tell her to go back into her room and change, but there is also part of me that wants to let her go to the park that way. You know, so she can learn to ware temperature appropriate clothing; experience is the best teacher, right? No, I chose the argument and the avoidance of heat stroke.

    (And again – please take a moment to like, share, or comment on this blog. Little kittens are counting on you.)