TV stuff, including Lucifer season 2, Stranger Things etc etc

[shapinglight]

I've been meaning to make a post about TV stuff I've been enjoying for ages, but somehow haven't got around to it. This could in part be due to the fact that how we watch TV has changed so much recently. So much so that, apart from The Great British Bakeoff nothing that I'm currently watching and enjoying is on a non-subscription channel, and I think that's a situation that's going to continue for some time.

Is water cooler TV a thing of the past, do you think?

Behind cut, slight spoilers for Lucifer season 2 (Amazon Prime), Stranger Things(Netflix), Manhattan season 1 (Amazon Prime) and The Collection (Amazon Prime).



Have to admit that of the four shows I just mentioned, Lucifer is far and away my favourite, even though it's not the best of them. I'm shamefacedly in love with this series, even if it is, at its heart, just another show about a rich white bloke with 'issues.' I guess it must be the premise (the Devil has abandoned hell along with his demon sidekick and now runs a swanky nightclub in LA) and the fact that Lucifer's 'daddy' issues are on a cosmic scale. Also the fact that it doesn't take itself too seriously, the characters are fun, the scripts quite witty, and the soundtrack is fantastic. Who knew there were so many great songs about the Devil? ;)

Anyway, I love it (so far, you can never say you love a TV show completely until it's over, I guess) and the first episode of season 2 didn't disappoint. The banter between Lucifer and Chloe is still great, Maze has made it pretty clear she's no one's sidekick any more, Amenadiel now has his own issues to deal with, Dr Linda is still around (I love her!), the new character -the unfeasibly cute young pathologist -is very engaging (I was afraid she might be annoying), and the arrival on the scene of the ex-Mrs God at the end of the episode is very intriguing.

We'll see how it goes, but I'm pretty much hooked at the moment.

I finished Stranger Things a while back. I wasn't sure about it at first (possibly because the awful early 80s fashions did my head in a bit), mainly because of there being so much focus on the child actors. But by episode 3 I was loving it - again mainly because of the child actors. They're so good! The little girl playing Eleven won me over the minute she turned up. I like the adult characters too, and found the monster and its inverted world truly scary. Hard to pick a favourite moment. Maybe Nancy, Jonathan and Steve's fight back against the monster in the wrecked Byers house? I dunno. Anyway, I'm glad there's going to be another series. I'd be very sad if that was the last we saw of Eleven.

Manhattan is a drama about the Manhattan Project. I'm currently six episodes into series one. There is a series 2 but sadly the show was cancelled early this year, which, as of where I've got to now, is a shame. It's well written, the actors are terrific and it raises many interesting issues. I hadn't in fact realised that a third series was ever on the cards and am very disappointed the show will never get to what must have been its intended conclusion. Oh well. I'd still recommend it.

The Collection is a drama about a Paris fashion house just after WW2, which is commissioned to create a new collection to help ensure that Paris remains the fashion capital of the world (in other words, create the New Look). Almost every character in the show - apart from a young American reporter - has dark secrets dating from the Occupation, so there's a lot of background tension, significant looks/conversations, murder etc. I like it very much so far and the frocks are absolutely fabulous.

What are you all watching at the moment? Have I missed anything I should be watching?

I'm planning to watch Luke Cage on Netflix, btw, also The Get Down, but I haven't got around to either of them yet.

Comments

[snogged.livejournal.com]

I wasn't initially hooked by Stranger Things either. But I definitely got into it and I'm glad I listened to the people who told me to keep giving it a chance.

Eleven and Dustin are definitely my favorite characters.

[shapinglight]

Dustin is pretty cute, but for me the three boys come as a package. They're a really great team.

I like the sheriff very much too. Weirdly, the same actor plays a very different role in Manhattan (a physicist who the main physicist character completely despises for working 'banker's hours').

[elsaf]

Loved Stranger Things. I like Lucifer, but I'm a bit frustrated by the whiny tone of the lead. I would like it much better if Lucifer was just a bit less self-involved. It's a cute bit, but it got old fast.

I'm going to have to look up The Collection now. It sounds like the absolute definition of a costume drama, and I love costume drama. :-)

[shapinglight]

Have to admit, I love Lucifer's clueless self-involvedness. I think it's part of his charm. Plus, it makes me laugh ;)

As for The Collection, I am pretty impressed so far, and the clothes are great. Some of the characters are pretty unlikeable, though.

[liliaeth]

Yeah, I like how ... childish he is, it makes his overall arrogance and assholeness a lot easier to take, especially since he's actively working on his issues by talking to doctor Linda.

It's like he's stuck in the toddler mindset, only now he's trying to grow up.

[yourlibrarian]

I'm afraid I'm with you on that point. Lucifer needs to become less one-note. I liked the addition of the new pathologist -- we get 2 new women this season! That's not often a direction shows go in.

I hadn't heard of Manhattan or The Collection and the latter sounds quite interesting.

[nmcil12.livejournal.com]

Glad you listed The Collection - I've not watched it but will certainly check it out as I love period works for the costume, art and set directions. Plus sounds like a great drama.

I did watch a couple of episodes of Lucifer but like most of my TV watching now - I can't seem to keep my interest for long.

Anyone watch Preacher?

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

I liked Preacher a lot, though having read and loved the comic years ago, I sort of wish they hadn't spent all of s1 on the backstory; it felt like there wasn't quite enough story to warrant an entire season, especially given how much should be happening in the coming seasons if they can retain enough viewers to keep going. But great casting, great look, and it felt like Preacher even if the story was different.

[shapinglight]

Plus sounds like a great drama.

I've just watched episode 5 (Amazon are releasing one episode a week) and enjoying it more and more.

As for Preacher, I read the comics series a long time ago. I haven't tried the TV show yet, because, if the comic is anything to go by, I'm afraid I'll find the level of violence hard to cope with.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

I quite liked Stranger Things, it really felt like the Stephen King miniseries we would have deserved to get back in the 80s if people had been willing to give one of his books a fair treatment. In the end, though, I couldn't quite shake the feeling that I was watching a pastiche of 80s VHS classics (It meets The Goonies meets Firestarter meets ET) rather than an original story. But still, not bad and I'm looking forward to s2.

I just finished up Person of Interest, which somehow went from a lazy-day-watching procedural to a mostly brilliant low-key SF show over 4 1/2 seasons. It has its problems, especially with the case-of-the-week format, but I really liked it in the end. Helps that it has Amy Acker playing a murderous psychopath, I guess.

ETA: Oh, and I watched UnREAL, which I'm not entirely sure what to make of. S1 is utterly brilliant, but s2 loses a lot of focus IMO and feels a little too much like exactly the sort of show it's supposedly parodying. I still like the setup a lot (for those who don't know, basically The Bachelor as run by complete sociopaths - which I guess is simply The Bachelor, except we get to see how it works) but like a few too many high-concept shows, it doesn't quite seem to know where to go after the perfect punch of the first season.

[shapinglight]

In the end, though, I couldn't quite shake the feeling that I was watching a pastiche of 80s VHS classics (It meets The Goonies meets Firestarter meets ET) rather than an original story. But still, not bad and I'm looking forward to s2.

You know, I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I seem to have managed to miss pretty much all the '80s movies that I'm told are referenced in the show. I don't watch horror films so horror film references are lost on me. I've also never seen ET, The Goonies, Back to the Future - any of them. So the pastiche element completely passed me by. ;)

Are the other two shows you mention on Netflix or Amazon?

[molly_may]

I'm partway through S3 of Person of Interest right now, and the jump in quality between the first season and the third is really kind of amazing. I'm also struck by how much deeper and more interesting the female characters have become in comparison to the male characters! Reese is such a blank slate, but Shaw, Root, and Carter are all great characters.

[yourlibrarian]

I've kept meaning to watch UnREAL but I missed the whole first season. Will have to see if it's on Netflix.

[dalmeny]

We're watching four series right now, three of them on Netflix: Longmire, The Get Down, Luke Cage, and Agents of Shield.

Longmire is a police show set in Wyoming, with the usual mix of murder-of-the-week plus longer-term mysteries that are more personal to the characters. Some of the interest comes from its Cheyenne characters and concerns. In general we like detective shows as comfort viewing.

I saw the first episode of Lucifer on a plane and found him annoying rather than endearing, but enough friends love it that I might give it another go.

[shapinglight]

I saw the first episode of Lucifer on a plane and found him annoying rather than endearing, but enough friends love it that I might give it another go.

Well, I get that this is probably a personal thing. ;) The concept of the show amuses me, and I find Tom Ellis...well, I don't find him attractive actually, but I find his portrayal of the character attractive. I hope that makes sense?

I watched the first episode of Luke Cage today. I like it so far. What do you think of The Get Down? Longmire I hadn't actually heard of until today.

[molly_may]

I'm going to comment just so I can use my Eleven icon! I was a little concerned about the focus on the kids in Stranger Things too - I am not usually drawn to things with child actors - but they were great! Also, to echo a comment you made upthread, I liked the sheriff a lot. He was not a character I expected to enjoy when he was introduced, but he won me over in a big way.

[shapinglight]

Yes, same here. I don't usually expect to like characters like that, but he turned out to be very sympathetic.

I adore Eleven. Her story was completely gut wrenching, from the first scene in which we saw her, in which that nice, kind man who ran the diner was murdered because he was trying to help her.

[dancingdragon3.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy to hear someone else loves the soundtrack for Lucifer! I think it's fantastic, and also one of the reasons I love the show. And you're right, it is nice that it doesn't take itself too seriously. I hadn't thought about that.

[shapinglight]

I find the humour brings Joss Whedon to mind. It's not quite the same and it's certainly not the same kind of humour, but the show does what Joss does so successfully, which is intersperse the humour with the serious stuff. Or something.

Anyway, yes. The music is great. I found a Youtube channel where someone had tracked down all the tracks and uploaded them. Someone called Stephanie M?

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

I have most of those shows on my list to watch but finding the time is proving challenging ...!

[shapinglight]

Well, me too. I manage about three episodes a week. Four at the very most - and it was a lot less most of the time K and Mr K were living with us.

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

Stranger Things was probably my favorite thing about the last year. Like a flashback to the 80s coming of age stories that Hollywood is sadly lacking these days. I had to wait to watch because of the hype train 'cause I get nitpicky. One of my favorite things is the subtle trope-ditching in the relationships of the older characters. Nancy doesn't "see the error of her ways" and there isn't any romance between Will's mom and the sheriff.

I'm hesitant about S2. S1 had a very lighting-in-a-bottle feel.

[shapinglight]

I know what you mean. You do wonder how they can continue the story. Yes, there was something very wrong with Will, but ending on that note of uncertainty would have worked perfectly well. Not to mention, all the villains are dead.

We'll see, I suppose, and meantime I live in hope. ;)

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

You got me hooked on Lucifer, but it isn't on Amazon Prime (for free, anyway) over here. Harumph. I'm weighing whether to buy a season pass, or have MiAmor buy the DVDs. He likes buying DVDs, so I may go that route.

I finished Stranger Things and am totally in love with Eleven. Possibly Will, too, even though he probably got less to do than the other kids, who are all great. He's got that, IDK, vulnerability. ;-) I also like the science teacher quite a bit. I loved the kids cock-blocking him with their sensory deprivation questions. Heh.

I'm also hot to keep going with The Get Down which is also kids (teens, really) in the 80s. Are people so nostalgic for Reagan these days because it could get even worse?

Meanwhile, I found that I DID have a copy (lo-res) of the Shakespeare Re-told Taming of the Shrew on my laptop. Missed opportunity, alas. It seems like it's sometimes available on Amazon Prime, but not at the moment. I suggest saving it to your watchlist and maybe it'll pop up someday. Yummy Rupert Sewell, terrifying (and funny) Shirley Henderson, and a cast of many others that you'll appreciate. Twiggy!

Meanwhile, Elementary started up over here, so I'm looking forward to getting into that again. Soon we'll have The Americans and Orphan Black too, so that will be nice. I'm also going to start watching the new Kristen Bell show The Good Place, which is getting good reviews. I haven't seen it, so I can't say one way or the other, but it sounds worth checking out

[shapinglight]

You got me hooked on Lucifer, but it isn't on Amazon Prime (for free, anyway) over here. Harumph.

It's a Fox show. Isn't it just on network TV, or do you have to pay to watch it? Anyway, season 1 is available on DVD/Blu-ray (I know cuz I bought the blu-ray from Amazon US because it was for some reason region free, yay! and like SuAmor I like having the DVD, in case S decides he's not prepared to pay for Prime again, or the internet goes boom! or whatever). It is a fun show, even though it so far fails the Bechdel test. There are plenty of good female characters (they've added two more in season 2) but they spend most of their time talking about Lucifer.

I also like the science teacher quite a bit. I loved the kids cock-blocking him with their sensory deprivation questions. Heh.

I loved the science teacher. He was great. Just the sort of teacher you'd wish for your kids. In fact, I loved pretty much everything about Stranger Things, but agree Eleven is the stand out character.

Are people so nostalgic for Reagan these days because it could get even worse?

I hadn't thought of it that way but yeah, quite possibly.

Re: Elementary, I was looking at a ratings site yesterday (because I've convinced myself Lucifer is going to be cancelled - boo!) and it looks like the show may be in trouble. :(

Like you, I'm very much looking forward to The Americans coming back. Unlike most of the people in the Dreamwidth community I'm a member of that discusses the show, I don't think it's potentially jumped the shark with the Philip's son story. I'm still not sure why they hate that development so much.