TV stuff I enjoyed in 2016

[shapinglight]

I thought it was about time I made a couple of 2016 round-up posts, so I'll start with one about the TV shows I enjoyed.

First and foremost is Lucifer, the only new show in years I've fallen in unconditional love with.

More behind cut. No real spoilers.



As I've said before, I'm well aware Lucifer's not all that, and that if it weren't a mainstream TV series but a cable/streaming service series it might well have stuck closer to the original, much darker (and utterly brilliant) source material, Mike Carey's Lucifer comic book, and been a whole different animal. Also, as a general rule, I hate procedurals, and even in Lucifer (the show), the procedural element can be pretty dull at times. But all that said, I still love it. I love the characters, the actors playing them, the humour, the supernatural element that's grounded in mundanity (very BtVS). I can't wait for it to come back from hiatus.

I'm also crossing my fingers that the writers don't decide they need to up the stakes by introducing a 'Chloe gets raped' plot or something similar.

I enjoyed Amazon's The Collection (about a Paris fashion house just post-WW2) and thought Netflix's The Crown was excellent, but I'm struggling to think of other new shows I enjoyed. Luke Cage was okay, but the villain was dull and the story too meandering. I loathed Mr Robot (probably, I watched it at the wrong time), and was very unimpressed by what I did watch of Class (the Dr Who spin-off) before giving up on it. I haven't managed to watch all of The Night Manager yet (it was on air when I went away on my long holiday) but I plan to get around to it soon, and I don't know if it counts really since there was never going to be a season 2 anyway.

Of returning shows, my favourite by far was The Americans, which, IMO, has barely put a foot wrong in four whole seasons. Season 4 was no exception. I also liked season 6 of Game of Thrones much better than the previous one. There were some things I didn't care for - two characters I really liked were killed off in a way that struck me as off-hand bordering on wasteful - and of course it was still horribly violent, but I think going 'off book' has done the show some good.

Both the above series have two more (shortened) seasons to run. I'm really glad that everyone involved (in both cases) knows there's an endpoint and what they have to do to get there. Of course, they could still screw it up, but hopefully not.

Marco Polo season 2 was good too. At any rate, I enjoyed it more than season 1.

Then there are the series that ended, and since I'm way behind with The Good Wife (a whole two seasons) I'll just mention Ripper Street. I watched the last ever episode yesterday and though I can't say I enjoyed it because it was a complete downer in so many ways, I thought it was well-written, well-acted and beautifully filmed. Also, I'm still very impressed by how the production team on this show came back from cancellation by the BBC to give us three more series, and how they managed to round off the storylines of every single character. I could still wish that the show had ended after season 3, if only because that ended on a more hopeful note, but I still very much appreciate seasons 4 and 5.

This year, apart from the returning shows mentioned above, I'm looking forward to another season of The Last Kingdom, and to watching season 2 of The Man in the High Castle, and really, really looking forward to season 2 of Sense8 (haven't managed to watch the Christmas special yet either), cautiously looking forward to another season of Jessica Jones and hoping that American Gods will be as good as the trailer makes it look.

ETA: I completely forgot about Stranger Things. Yeah, that was pretty good.

Also, about the new series of The X-Files, which I didn't like at all. :(

ETA2: And about Westworld, which I was kind of ambivalent about. I liked Thandie Newton's character, but again it was excessively (unnecessarily) violent and a bit up itself.

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

Yes, when producers start getting desperate about ratings it's rare that good things happen :/ That usually comes from taking different types of risks.

I didn't care for Mr. Robot either. I tried out Marco Polo and got about 3 episodes into it. I suspected it could get more interesting but then stuff started flooding back on the DVR and I never picked it up again. I'm guessing that since Ripper Street has aired there that we'll be getting the final episodes here in the next few months. I did finish S1 of Sense 8 but I found the execution less interesting than the premise. Their combined efforts for the finale was pretty nifty but the show just took a long time going there for me and I found the Icelandic character the least interesting. I also didn't care for X-Files.

The Collection sounded pretty interesting but I'm not likely to buy access, and I heard mixed reviews for The Crown. The same friend who watched that and found it glacial has been watching Man in a High Castle and has preferred it.

I'll probably be picking some stuff up this year. Tonight Emerald City premieres and I'm curious about that, but I find I'm getting more interested in short-run series. I'm no longer sure if this has more to do with my attention span or just that I've grown more demanding of my TV shows.

[shapinglight]

Yes, when producers start getting desperate about ratings it's rare that good things happen :/ That usually comes from taking different types of risks.

Well, I hope it won't come to that. As far as I'm aware, Lucifer is doing okay ratings-wise.

I remember you had some caveats about Ripper Street in the past. I think you'll find the final season addresses all of them.

As for The Crown, I don't know about glacial. I don't mind things that take a while to develop. I certainly had no issues with season 1 of Sense8 in that regard, and though I initially shared your feelings about the Icelandic character, the final episode, where we learned why she was the way she was made me feel differently.

I've watched the first episode of The Man in the High Castle season 2 now, and am already having the same issues with it that I had with season 1 - ie. that I find the three main characters unengaging and unlikeable. I don't care about any of them, and I think you're possibly meant to. There are some interesting things in it, though, not least Rufus Sewell as a monstrous but also quite complex SS officer.

[yourlibrarian]

I definitely seem to be having more difficulty latching on to shows. I watched the first two episodes of Emerald City and felt rather meh about it. I thought the premise was interesting, and seeing how they both kept and deviated from the canon so far. But I found myself uninterested in any of the characters themselves. Which is strange since it's nothing but high budget fanfic and usually in fanfic the one thing that keeps you hooked is that you're there for the characters...

[shapinglight]

Whereas I, oddly, was always such a one show person (still am when it comes to writing fanfic), but after all these years I at last find myself feeling fannish enough about a show to overlook its faults. ;)

[queenofthorns]

I think you might like Black Sails (especially Toby Stephens :D) - it is violent (as it deals with 18th century pirates) but there are wonderful lady characters and unconventional-for-tv relationships and Toby is brilliant!

I agree that season 6 of "Game of Thrones" was better than season 5 (though that was a low bar) but season 5 was actually already way off-book (Sansa's storyline in the books is completely different, and Jaime never sets foot in Dorne in the books either - in fact his season 6 visit to Riverrun happens in book 4 of the series, and takes place well-before Cersei's walk of shame.) So I'm not sure that going off-book was the reason season 6 improved on season 5.

[shapinglight]

Maybe not. Not having read more than the first book, I admit I wouldn't really know. Season 6 was much better, though. Maybe it was that there was finally a sense of forward momentum, which - thank goodness - included getting rid of the awful Boltons. Benioff and Weiss had begun to come across to me as having some weird obsession with Ramsay Bolton that made them not want to kill him off, and him being gone for good had pretty much become a deal-breaker for me.

[rogin]

So many things I would like to watch, The Americans, Man in the High Castle, The Crown and I really wanted to give Class a try, even if it doesn't seem to be terribly great.

Looking forward to American Gods and the Neflix Star Trek series.

I thought Westworld was good, but so very violent. At some point I just didn't hunt for the eps anymore.

[shapinglight]

I thought Westworld was good, but so very violent. At some point I just didn't hunt for the eps anymore.

Yes, I nearly bailed several times, and there was pretty much guaranteed to be at least one scene in every episode that I couldn't watch. I think I only stuck it out for Thandie Newton. ;)

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen most of these, but we have just discovered The Americans and are loving it. Two episodes left in series one to watch. I really like the pacing of it, and the clever way that it makes you root for the 'bad guys'. Looking forward to seeing how the first series finishes and takes things forward.

We've just finished watching the last series of The Good Wife and also really enjoyed it. In fact, The Americans is filling the gaping hole the Good Wife left.

The Night Manager is also worth staying with. If for no other reason than the Tom Hiddleston eye candy, and Hugh Laurie being so disturbingly avuncular in his nastiness. *g*

[shapinglight]

Oh, I'll definitely watch The Night Manager when I get the chance. I'd seen the first three episodes anyway, but then S and I went away to Borneo and by the time we came back only the last episode was still available on catch up, so I had to leave it. But I've got the DVD now, so whenever I get the chance...

Same with The Good Wife. I got a bit bogged down in season 6 and let it slide, but I've always meant to finish it. It was a very good series. I learned an awful lot about American politics from it.

As for The Americans, it just gets better and better, I think.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

I've finally started watching Life on Mars!

[shapinglight]

Better late than never. ;)

What do you think of it so far?

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

I'm enjoying it, but not overly-impressed. The same arguments keep getting re-hashed a bit. I enjoyed seeing Sam doing his neat Professionals style roll over the car, and the other bloke making a mess of it!

[shapinglight]

It's been so long since I watched it I've forgotten the details. I do remember enjoying the test card girl, though.

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

Yes, she was well scary!

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

I love The Americans, though I am a season and a half behind (my DVR ate it), so I'll have to play catch up when I have the time. It's a brilliant show that not enough people are watching.

I enjoyed Ripper Street to the bitter end.

I still have The Night Manager on the DVR for the next rainy day. Or snowy day, whichever comes first.

[shapinglight]

It's a brilliant show that not enough people are watching.

I agree, and I feel a bit miffed that Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys didn't win anything at the Emmys. :(

I enjoyed Ripper Street to the bitter end.

I guess if I hadn't enjoyed it at all I wouldn't have stuck with it. I thought it was very, very good, and really appreciated the way they rounded off everyone's story (even though it ended so tragically for some), and brought others back for flashback cameos. It was sad, though. Terribly, terribly sad.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

I've basiclly just followed Game of Thrones, which I'm totally obsessed about, to be honest. And I've not read the books so I now nothing what so ever about what might happen. :-) But damn, if I don't enjoy it!

[shapinglight]

I've not read the books either - or only the first one. I didn't enjoy it and decided not to bother reading more. So I only know they've gone 'off book' in the show because people have told me so.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I know about it to. I think the last season was absolutely brilliant, I have to say though!

[shapinglight]

Oh yes, me too! I'm especially pleased that we finally got rid of the awful Boltons for good.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

I liked the Boltons for what they were. They were the extremely fucked up evil enemy in the show. And that they did good. Served their purpose, so to speak. And I loved how Ramsey got to go, just saying.

[shapinglight]

And I loved how Ramsey got to go, just saying.

Well, it's certainly the only time in my entire history of watching TV that I've been glad when someone got eaten alive by dogs. ;)

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

A first time for everything. ;-)

[snogged.livejournal.com]

Lucifer makes me happy.

Stranger Things did not thrill me initially, but after episode 4, I was hooked. ("That's our friend and she's CRAZY!")

[shapinglight]

Lucifer makes me happy.

Me too. :) Only a week to go now till it's back.

I did like Stranger Things a lot, but I'm not as crazy about it as some people - possibly because I barely watched TV/movies in the 80s and a lot of the things the show references just passed me by.

[ex_peasant441]

I forget which GoT chars you were upset about being killed, but I see that Iain Glen is clearly still a part of it rather than having gone or good as you feared, so I hope that pleases you.

[shapinglight]

It was Osha and Margaery. The former hadn't been seen for two whole seasons and I was just annoyed they brought her back just to kill her off like that. As for Margaery, I thought her pretending to go all religious so as to fool the High Sparrow was a plot that had had enough time invested in it that the way she died made it seem like a wasted effort.

but I see that Iain Glen is clearly still a part of it rather than having gone or good as you feared

Really? Where did you see that?

Mind you, when he appears he'll probably look more like the Thing from Fantastic Four than himself because of this horrible disease he's meant to have.

[ex_peasant441]

I forget where I saw it but it was a gossipy 'on the set we all do the crossword together' style of piece, and the context implied this was filming the current series so I extrapolated. Of course he might just be hanging around hoping to cadge drinks off teh others cos he's currently unemployed.

[shapinglight]

Even if he were off the show for good, I doubt Iain Glen would be unemployed.

I do expect him back, though. I think I always did. Mostly.

[sibilant.livejournal.com]

Haven't got around to many of the series you mentioned, but of the ones I have seen, I agree Westworld was a mixed pleasure, but Thandie Newton was a revelation to me. I've never liked her in anything else - I've found her a bit prissy. But she was iron-willed and scary in this show - loved her. Series 2 of the Man in the High Castle was even better than the first - hope you enjoy it as much as we did. There's some heartbreaking stuff in the second season. Must watch The Night Manager. Don't know how we managed to miss it, really.

[shapinglight]

Many of them are very good shows. Some...less so. I think Westworld is pretty overrated, to be honest, but I would watch season 2 just for Thandie Newton.