Sunday night TV seems different to me than TV on any other night of the week.
I’m not sure what they all have in common, but the Sunday shows like Doctor Who, Masterpiece – with Endeavor coming up – and Perry Mason, all have a different than shows on other nights. Even Elementary, which was on CBS, didn’t really feel like a CBS show. The Good Wife was great TV, and that was on Sundays. Madam Secretary was a quality show, too.
What is it about Sunday nights?
Granchester just ended.
Endeavour returns on Sunday, August 9.
Perry Mason gets a second season!
*****
Did anybody else watch last week’s Perry Mason episode?
*****
Update: I’m planning on a Perry Mason Speculation and Spoilers thread for anyone who wants to talk about episodes 1-6. This coming Sunday, 8/2 in the afternoon.
raven
Well Granchester is over and we already watched the awful Beecham House so we’re finishing up Prime Suspect and starting Rectify. We’d never heard of Rectify and my SIL has a friend in it so we gave it a try and liked the first episode. Then I hit IMDB and see that people are saying it is as good as the Wire
Oh, the main dude in Granchester is in Greyhound, the Tom Hanks WW2 drama.
trollhattan
Yup. We now have a Hamilton Burger backstory. (“Mmm, Burrrgerrrr.”) And I think the preacher lady isn’t a grifter so much as brain damaged from her serial seizures. The resurrection thing will not go well, not at all.
Mike in NC
Anybody who likes the new HBO take on ‘Perry Mason’ should check out ‘Penny Dreadful: City of Angels’ which is also set in LA in the early 1930s (on Showtime, but we got a free trial subscription).
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: I was very pleased with the turn Perry Mason took last week. Had you guessed that it was Hamilton Burger before they told us?
WaterGirl
@raven: What was your final take on Granchester this season?
germy
We’re strictly antenna TV in the Shoemangler household.
Stargirl tonight at 8:00 on the CW.
kindness
John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight is always good.
jeffreyw
@Mike in NC: We watched it, thought it was well done. One nit I found myself picking every episode was with the show’s collection of vintage autos. Everyone of them looked clean as a pin, with flawless paint – as would be expected for a collection of lovingly maintained vintage autos.
Jeffro
I finally got around to watching “El Camino: A ‘Breaking Bad’ Movie” last night and wow, wow, wow. SO well done. Reading further about it and how they were able to film it almost entirely under wraps has been a treat too.
I have only watched that series through one time and it’s looking like another run-through is in order.
Also (late to the party as always) I am going to get caught up on “Better Call Saul”, too.
On a non-tv note, I see that Cotton and Hawley are busy trying to out-awful each other. Good! They’re welcome to keep up the GOP’s wholly repellent brand of politics for as long as they like.
Emily68
There’s going to be another year of Endeavour? It was all tied up so neatly at the end of the last season.
I watched the first Morse episode on YouTube recently and the poor guy sure aged a lot between the end of Endeavour and the beginning on Morse.
Elizabelle
@WaterGirl: Spoilers!
VeniceRiley
Sunday nights are when the most people are home instead of out. The quality is the competition for eyeballs.
Perry Mason is treading the same ground that Penny Dreadful: City of Angels did better.
HBO with Chernobyl, Gentlman Jack. Showtime with PD and Homeland. Aussies with Wentworth. Everything worth watching is on on Sunday
ThresherK
@Emily68: The Endeavour on tonite is about a year old.
The NWSL Championship is on soon, and will be on TV once this WNBA game is finished, which has run over, and has 47 “basketball seconds” left to play.
(I know, I never thought I’d miss sport events running over their allotted TV time, but here we are.)
WaterGirl
@Elizabelle: I tried to be so vague! Not vague enough?
WaterGirl
@Emily68: Everything I see says Endeavour starts again
Aug 3Aug 9.ThresherK
@WaterGirl: Oh, thanx for info! I did not see that.
We will be watching for that.
TS (the original)
Back in the day – Sunday Night at the Movies was on TV in my world. We had 3 or 4 channels and had to choose which one to watch. Not even a video recorder to record another. It was always feast or famine. Wanted to watch them all, or none.
Currently we have ‘Vera” – not sure why I keep watching crime series – bear no relation to the truth of policing today, but they probably never did.
WaterGirl
@Elizabelle: Are you watching Perry Mason? Not up to the current episode, or not started yet?
frosty
I don’t know why it’s Sunday for TV but for a couple of years awhile back Sunday was my HBO night: Silicon Valley, VEEP, Game of Thrones, John Oliver. Now John’s the only one left and none of the new shows grabbed me. I might make Sunday my binge / catch up night. Just finished Expanse Season 3 last night.
satby
I stream all my entertainment, so I’m barely aware of what day it airs, if it’s a network /cable TV show. So let me put in a plug for the first season of Rebecka Martinsson on Prime that I just finished. Moody, suspenseful Finnish production set in a town above the Arctic Circle.
WaterGirl
Perry Mason and Agents of Shield are the only things Tivo is set to record for the next two weeks. There seems to be no new anything – I’m sure it’s COVID because all the shows that typically have 10 episodes in the summer, starting in June, are nowhere to be seen.
Do we think there will be no new TV and movies in 2020-21 except what has already been filmed?
WaterGirl
@satby: Does it have a Broadchurch kind of feel?
Craig
Are you watching I’ll Be Gone In The Dark? I found it riveting so far.
randy khan
@jeffreyw:
Yeah, not much you can do about that. Just imagine going to the owners and saying “We really need to muck up your car a bit so it will look authentic.”
It’s like how nearly everyone on TV has better than average looks. Nobody really wants to see someone like me on the tube.
Mike in NC
@jeffreyw: Yes, very few TV shows or movies ever feature beat-up period vehicles. They usually rent pristine cars from collectors.
WaterGirl
@Craig: Is that a series? A movie?
randy khan
@WaterGirl:
New York Magazine devoted a chunk of its last issue (not the current one) to TV, and the feeling seems to be that shows are going to start production, but that there will be more episodes that lean on the central cast and that guest stars all will be local. (That’s good news for Broadway actors, who won’t be back on stage until January at the earliest.) But everything is tentative and cautious, as it should be.
satby
@WaterGirl: ? I watched Broadchurch, but I wouldn’t say so. Entirely different culture. Very Scandanavian. YMMV
It’s closer to Inspector Falke. And both are subtitled in English.
Doug R
I dipped into Penny Dreadful: City of Angels a couple of times but it seemed to be spinning its wheels and you really don’t need devils in 1930s Los Angeles. Perry Mason on the other hand is a nice tie in and doesn’t diminish the amazing tv show. Can’t wait for the next episode.
@germy: I see the CW has moved Stargirl over to Sunday nights, but KTLA had it on this Tuesday as well, so I caught it then. Don’t want to spoil anything for you, so I’ll just say it was a good episode.
Phylllis
@Emily68: And a Season 8 already announced. I’m sure we’re a lot closer to the end than the beginning, but more Roger Allam, Shaun Evans, and Anton Lesser works for me.
randy khan
We’ve been watching a lot of Italian police procedurals on MHz (streaming). They feel very different from U.S. and British ones – generally lighter even when the subject is something really awful. But we were happy see Broadchurch and are looking forward to Endeavor. (And we figure they can keep going until he at least hits Inspector, and maybe even Chief Inspector.)
Phylllis
@WaterGirl: The Masterpiece website says August 9th.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
Yes, they’re playing repeats of the previous season now to get us primed for the new one. I too am curious to see how they could possibly top “Degüello.”
Grantchester was a little disappointing. The new guy is a good actor, but the writing for him was subpar. On the other hand, it gave Leonard and Mrs. C. a chance to shine.
frosty
Did anyone watch Ballers? What did you think?
Craig
@WaterGirl: documentary about The Golden State Killer on HBO. It’s based on Michelle McNamara’s book. Pretty great film making.
arrieve
@TS (the original): I’ve been watching so many British police procedurals during lockdown — I’m currently on season 6 of Vera, season 1 of Dalziel & Pascoe, and just finished Scott & Bailey and Hinterland. I find them distracting but not upsetting, which seems to be what I need now. Also it’s a way to travel vicariously.
mrmoshpotato
Bob’s Burgers kicks off season 11 on September 27th!
I’ll Shake My Bones To That Burger
Also,
frosty
@arrieve: Ms. F is hooked on those. Currently going thru Midsomer Murders a second time.
zhena gogolia
Let me put in a plug for Jonathan Creek, which we’ve been watching on Prime/Britbox/Acorn (not sure which). It’s from the 90s — very clever, if far-fetched locked-room mysteries, but the real draw is Alan Davies and Caroline Quinton as a hilarious duo.
fancycwabs
Watching Perry Mason last week, I thought “how did they find an actor to play John Lithgow’s son who has the exact same voice timbre as John Lithgow? It’s uncanny!”
And then the credits rolled and I realized how they’d done it.
satby
@arrieve: loved Hinterland! If you liked that you’ll probably enjoy Hidden. And another Finnish one, Deadwind*
*oops, that’s a Netflix one.
zhena gogolia
@frosty:
How far have you gotten? We were going to go from the beginning, and we thoroughly enjoyed The Killings at Badger’s Drift, but Death of a Hollow Man bogged us down.
We’re doing Morse one by one too, and we’re up to The Secret of Bay 5b. It’s probably the worst Morse episode ever, but still better than anything else on television.
TaMara (HFG)
I’m jealous of all the Perry Mason watchers. Just going to have to wait until Roku and HBO work out their differences because I refuse to watch shows I’ve paid for on a tiny screen when I have a nice home theatre system.
Same for you Peacock…get your act together.
I really enjoyed the first PM episode and glad to hear it’s holding it’s quality.
If anyone has Acorn and wants a fun little procedural with a twist, I highly recommend My Life Is Murder with Lucy Lawless, set in Melbourne (I believe).
zhena gogolia
@zhena gogolia:
I guess it’s Caroline Quentin.
frosty
@zhena gogolia: She watched all of them. I don’t know which episode is which.
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@TS (the original): I love Vera! Started watching several months ago and the episodes turned out to be a late season with her 2nd Sargent. Then several episodes in, the PBS station started the series over with the first season and these contain a lot of back story about her dad, where the beat up Range Rover came from, etc. Interesting to see how she has changed over the years.
I also watched one story arc (season?) of Shetland, which is based on another detective series by the same author as Vera, but have given watching it again as too slow.
WaterGirl
@Phylllis: Oops. I had it right up top, but then typed the 3rd from memory.
*Person, woman, man, camera, TV
*Just checking my memory. :-)
Bruuuuce
Hm. We don’t seem to watch everyone else’s appointment TV on Sunday. For our family, it’s the 9 PM Food Network show, which has, for some months, been Worst Cooks in America (first the celeb edition, and now the Every Schlub show). There’s a good mix of schadenfreude, comedy, and empathy available, both with Anne Burrell and whomever she has on as the other coach, and with the contestants as they progress from hopeless to “I cooked THAT!”
MagdaInBlack
@mrmoshpotato:
Wow @ Carlin.
And yay Bobs Burgers
Barbara
@A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan): I found the last two seasons of Shetland to be outstanding. I strongly favor character development over action. The Vera and Shetland books are both good, but with a few exceptions, I think the tv series used good editorial judgment when it made changes. In the case of Shetland, I think the tv series is much better than the books (which are still good).
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: The new guy is just okay. A couple of episodes were good and interesting; I think a couple were lame.
Sidney had that certain something that the new fellow does not.
Leonard has come such a long way! I still love Geordie, and yes, Mrs. C has gotten some of the spotlight.
WaterGirl
@Craig: Ah. I know some people love it, but true crime doesn’t do it for me. But HBO is making a lot of great stuff.
Barney
Since there’s a fair amount of non-US crime drama being recommended in the thread, can I suggest 2 that don’t seem to have had big American exposure – Line of Duty from Britain (probably bigger here than Broadchurch), about police corruption; and Spiral (original French title Engrenages), a combined cop/lawyer story (with ongoing stories throughout a season) set in Paris?
PsiFighter37
Just finished watching Avenue 5 on HBO. Same guy who created Veep, and same sharp, witty humor. Also caught Rise of Skywalker on Disney+, and no joke…that was even worse than I thought it would be.
In terms of what to watch – I have the rest of “The Plot Against America” to finish, as well as “The Last Dance” and “Indian Matchmaking”. But of an eclectic mix…
Elizabelle
@WaterGirl: Don’t have HBO.
Although will do a trial at some point, maybe once this season is done.
Not much of a TV watcher, to be honest. But I love Perry Mason (on TV and in novels), and am interested in the new series and the back story.
No spoilers, guys, or warn us
ETA: I do appreciate the recommendations on BJ. Thank you to whoever recommended “Hidden”, the Welsh/Brit detective series. Saw Season 1. (On Amazon through 7/31.) Loved it!
WaterGirl
@fancycwabs: Now I’m gonna have to go back and watch the credits.
I am saving all 8 episodes on Tivo so I can go back and watch it again when it’s over.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
I love Geordie too, but I’m worried about how they can develop his character any more. He can’t very well have another affair.
And BTW, going back to the last season, it’s as if Amanda and Margaret never existed. I find that jarring.
WaterGirl
@TaMara (HFG): That’s where I’m at with Hamilton. I really want to see it, but Disney+ doesn’t play nice with my Apple TV (3rd generation, not 4th).
I won’t watch it on a tiny screen.
fancycwabs
@WaterGirl: I’ll save you the viewing–it was Lithgow’s actual kid, Ian.
WaterGirl
@fancycwabs: Thanks! I’ll have to take note of the son’s looks when I watch it again. I don’t think I caught the family resemblance.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
Oh, we loved it on a tiny screen (laptop screen). You can see every facial expression.
satby
@Elizabelle: I was one of the people who rec’d Hidden, and finished season two a couple of weeks ago, but I have Acorn as a channel on Prime. That and Hinterland are worth a free Acorn trial, though at $5.99 a month Acorn is a good value anyway.
@Barney: I’ll check them out, thanks.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: I think Geordie has grown a lot and is a much better husband than he was.
If they were going to have Sidney leave, he should have gone with Amanda. Big mistake in the writing, I think. They had chemistry, serious chemistry.
Kent
If you have Hulu, you can add HBO Max to your Hulu subscription and watch it that way.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: Maybe I’ll relent. But I spend SO much time on the laptop, that I don’t like to watch entertainment on it.
Then it feels like I am working!
Doug R
@PsiFighter37: Avenue 5 just gets darker and funnier with each episode.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
Yes, absolutely. That was what kept the narrative momentum going so long. The writing for the episode where he left was so lame — after agonizing between his love for Amanda and his love for his vocation for so long, he ups and runs off with somebody he just met?
WaterGirl
After the last Perry Mason episode of this season – tonight is 6 out of 8 – I think I will put up a hidden post like Betty did with some show a few years ago, that way those of us who have seen it can talk about Perry Mason without worrying about spoilers.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
I do a good job compartmentalizing. As long as we’re in bed and it’s on my knees, it’s fun time.
Kent
If you want non-US crime drama then I would suggest the Baztan Trilogy on Netflix. It’s a 3-movie trilogy about a Basque (Spanish female police detective who was trained by the FBI and has an American husband and returns to Navarre to solve very creepy occult-type murders.
It is a series of 3-novels https://www.amazon.com/The-Baztan-Trilogy/dp/B074CJ77VT
They are all on Netflix as Spanish-language movies.
The Invisible Guardian, The Legacy of the Bones, and Offering to the Storm.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: Possibly the most unsatisfying ending for characters we care about – ever.
Doug R
@TaMara (HFG):
@WaterGirl: I got Chromecast 4K for about $69 to watch Disney+. I can also buy movies online and also rent from Google plus when I buy discs again you can get the Google copy as an option
satby
@zhena gogolia: @WaterGirl: I hated the Amanda character. Completely selfish person, always trying to make Sidney leave the church for her. And I’m not even religious and don’t grok that kind call to service. Her complete disregard for his feelings and beliefs might have made for some easy overwrought drama but I didn’t miss her after her departure.
TaMara (HFG)
@Kent: I used the free trial with the Hulu add-on. But I felt the interface was unusable, so I decided not to pay. Maybe they’ll fix that, because HULU and FX shows are easy to search, explore and add to my watchlist. HBO on HULU, not so much.
WaterGirl
@satby: Interesting!
I really miss Sidney. I don’t miss Amanda per se, but if Sidney was going to give up his calling for a woman, it should have been for his true love, not some woman he barely knew.
I must have been out watering the flowers or picking up poop when the show runner and the writers called to ask my opinion.
TaMara (HFG)
@WaterGirl: Even with my setup, my fingers are crossed that when we finally get to go to movie theaters again, they will release it on the big screen. It deserves that experience. I’ll be first in line.
WaterGirl
@TaMara (HFG): HBO gave Apple TV the finger, too, just recently.
You could watch it through Apple TV before, but now you need a separate App for HBO.
WaterGirl
@TaMara (HFG): I’m pretty sure I saw an interview where LMM said they will bring it to the theaters when that is possible again.
trollhattan
@WaterGirl:
I didn’t guess he was Burger, not even a little bit. But he’s a character who makes an immediate impression, a good thing with this sprawling cast.
scav
OT puppuh relief: Daisy the St Bernard and her adventure. (she’s fine!)
WaterGirl
@TaMara (HFG): I don’t want to pry, but I am hoping that your dad is doing well.
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: I didn’t either. But yes, good casting, strong character.
Kristine
I’m watching S2 of The Alienist on TNT. It started last week–they’re showing two episodes a week, and iirc it’s a 10-episode season. 1897 NYC–crooked cops, political corruption, yellow journalism fanning the flames of war, and a mystery involving kidnapped infants. Looks good, though I’m no expert on the period. Dakota Fanning, Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans.
zhena gogolia
@satby:
Oh, wow, I’m a churchgoer but I didn’t feel that way at all. I really like Morven Christie, I thought she did a great job with the character.
trollhattan
@PsiFighter37:
“Avenue 5” has that Iannucci cynicism in buckets, House is great and it delivers enormous laughs, and it’s also wildly uneven. But boy howdy, did it ever anticipate what COVID would do to the cruise industry.
zhena gogolia
@TaMara (HFG):
Oh, yes, I agree.
trollhattan
@TaMara (HFG):
A year ago I was watching WWC matches on my phone in my cubicle. (Those seem like such innocent times.) I don’t recall the results but I figured out the average player height in millimeters on the mighty Samsung display. Thank gawd they wear contrasting colors.
Narrator: The correct answer is very few millimeters.
hells littlest angel
Endeavour has some of the best acting you’ll see anywhere. Shaun Evans, Roger Allam, Sara Vickers, Anton Lesser, Alison Newman, Caroline O’Neill … well, the list could go on and on. It’s a treat to watch even the less-than-great episodes.
I think it reached its peak with series 6. My guess is it will end with series 8, having wound down the story arc.
Shaun Evans claims never to have seen the original series, which I think is a good thing. John Thaw was the UK’s answer to William Shatner — a terrible actor with a range of exactly one emotion who remains inexplicably popular.
ETA: anyone who likes Endeavour will probably also like Vera. More great acting, featuring Brenda Blethyn.
Elizabelle
@satby: re Hidden: Thank you! I loved it. The first two episodes were scarily intense; I decided “watch this during the daytime.”
Then I realized it was mostly the music. But such a good series. Somewhat like the early Prime Suspects, where you can have a quasi-sympathetic evildoer (or at least see him as a humanly flawed person) … I like these series a lot more than the US cop shows where it’s “bad guy” in one dimension only, and so kill or injure him pronto.
As with “Cops” — presumably showing awful people that are nothing like YOU viewers.
I can see where some of our cop shows are, shall we say, problematic.
trollhattan
@Craig:
Yes, it’s a local story so I’d watch even if it weren’t well done but it’s really compelling teevee.
Monsters live among us. I ponder whether I ever crossed paths with the dude (in Home Depot or whatever) because it’s pretty likely I did. Even without that I have other tie-ins.
piratedan
would like to make another plug for Hamish MacBeth for the awesome cast and character development. Yes, they’re mostly quaint small-town mysteries but not always. Well written stories, awesome Scottish scenery and all three seasons were a treat, coupled with wry humor, joy and sadness.
working my way through DCI Banks and so far really enjoying the British approach to police procedurals where it seems like these guys rely on actual people combing through evidence (be it social media or financials) to establish connections to generate leads…
may have to revisit MI-5/Spooks again soon
zhena gogolia
@hells littlest angel:
Pistols at dawn, sir!
Elizabelle
@Craig: That got some excellent writeups. Is that HBO too?
Might have to spring for it.
Rest well, Michelle McNamara. So sad she did not get to see her work come to fruition and be so appreciated.
Craig
@Doug R: That show is crazy. Loved it.
zhena gogolia
@piratedan:
Ooh, I never heard of Hamish MacBeth — looks great! I adore Shirley Henderson.
trollhattan
@zhena gogolia:
It’s Shatner’s world, we just share it. TWO albums on the way.
Craig
@Elizabelle: Yes. HBO on Sundays. Patton Oswalt just seems like such a great person.
zhena gogolia
@trollhattan:
I was defending Thaw, not Shatner!
Elizabelle
@satby: Rebecka Martinson. Noted. Thank you!
piratedan
@zhena gogolia: she’s her usually understatededly awesome self. This series is so awesome you forget you’re watching actors….
hells littlest angel
@zhena gogolia: LOL. I know that’s not a popular opinion.
Elizabelle
@Craig: Doesn’t he? And daughter Alice knows her mother is loved and missed and appreciated.
Life was not fair to Michelle, in giving her enough years, but it was not fair to the Golden State Killer’s vics either.
Michelle had an excellent blogsite. Barely into it, but good writing and links. True Crime Diary.
ETA: First blogpost, from March 2014. The Psychopath at the Next Register. How can you not read it? And this one was local, for me.
ThresherK
A conversation in my home:
Me: (Remembers this Endeavour opening with a catchy ersatz Roy Orbison tune.) Hey, it’s this one, you know, where–
My wife: SHUT UP! I don’t care that we already saw it, I don’t remember who did it!
trollhattan
@zhena gogolia:
And how many albums does this Shaw fellow have, eh?
Amazon debuting “Radioactive” about Marie Curie. Can Cheryl do a study guide?
zhena gogolia
@piratedan:
I just watched the first five minutes. Great dog! I will definitely give this a try.
zhena gogolia
@trollhattan:
It looks kind of intriguing. Directed by Marjane Satrapi and starring Rosamund Pike.
Craig
@hells littlest angel: I remember watching Game of Thrones and realized that Qyburn was the same actor as that stodgy CS Bright. Floored. The acting in Endeavor is fantastic.
zhena gogolia
@hells littlest angel:
Well, see you all later, off to watch JOHN THAW.
zhena gogolia
@Craig:
Anton Lesser is a god.
raven
@WaterGirl: We warmed up to it and thought the stories were actually better.
NotMax
@germy
Have never seen it, but a note that anyone should be able to free stream it at their convenience via The CW. Newest episode added to that show’s streams on Wednesdays.
Shall toss in that The CW Seed is, AFAIK, currently the only place for U.S. viewers to free stream The Fades and also Pushing Daisies, if you’ve never seen those and might be curious about them.
Kent
Me too. Dakota Fanning is completely badass, surrounded by weaker male characters. Weaker as in less tough, not poorly written.
scav
@zhena gogolia: Oh yes.
ThresherK
@zhena gogolia: Anyone with Persepolis to her credit I’m interested in.
Kristine
@Kent:
She is. It will be interesting to see who she infuriates this season. I have a feeling that William Randolph Hearst will be a member of that club.
Bonnie
This new Perry Mason show stinks to high heaven. I read all the Perry Mason books; this doesn’t even come close. I also hate all the new shows that use the “f” word for every other word. I guess it makes up for inability to write a decent story.
WaterGirl
@Bonnie: I have a completely different take on the new Perry Mason than you do – I like it a lot.
But every time they say “fuck” I wonder to myself whether anyone said that work back in that time period.
Juju
@frosty: “Midsomer Murders” makes me laugh. Apparently, for what looks like it should be a low crime area, they have a bunch of spree killers who hold decades long grudges. I would think twice before visiting the area, because every now and again it’s related to something more recent. I certainly wouldn’t want to piss off a Midsomer resident.
trollhattan
@Bonnie: @WaterGirl:
Regardless of how many episodes I’ve watched I keep expecting Elizabeth Jennings to show up and slay the killers and his entire crew.
Steeplejack
Got in about an hour ago from dinner with Bro’ Man at Sighthound Hall. Garlic shrimp over polenta, very good. Some good wine, first red and then white. Went over about 3:00, hung out and got caught up while watching golf, Key and Peele and some other stuff.
I have settled in with Endeavor—season five, not the “live” episode tonight. I’m paused in episode four, “Colours”: model killed on an army base in the early going. No real spoiler there. First time I’ve watched since I did a binge of several episodes a week or so ago. “Muse”: Fabergé egg auction, fairly good. “Cartouche”: mummy film at the local cinema, mediocre. “Passenger”: woman killed near the railway, overtones of an older case; pretty good, better than the others.
I’m trying to get caught up before the new season starts in a week or two. I subscribed to PBS Passport and have been catching up on some other shows, too, notably Grantchester. Kind of a wobbly season there. I think I will be able to stream the whole season of Endeavour once the first episode drops, now that I am a valued Passport subscriber. I was able to see the last episode of Grantchester early. Yee-haw.
Steeplejack
Final reminder that Edward Yang’s excellent film Yi Yi (2000) will be on TCM at 2:00 a.m. EDT tonight (early Monday morning). An Indie Wire appreciation here. The whole movie also appears to be available on YouTube, but TCM will undoubtedly have a better print. It’s also available in the Criterion Collection.
Jean
@WaterGirl: A hidden post would be great! I don’t want to risk spoilers either. I’d really like to know what others are thinking about the plot so far.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@trollhattan:
Heh. How Keri Russell never won an Emmy is beyond me.
WaterGirl
@Jean: So you would like a-it’s-okay-to-include-spoilers post BEFORE the end of the season where we can talk about spoilers, and then one AFTER the end of the season, when we know what’s what?
Jean
@WaterGirl: I’m watching it one episode per week. There are two episodes left of the season. I didn’t know if one could stream the whole season. If that’s the case, I guess I’d rather wait until the end. If not the case, we could talk about what has happened and what we expect/imagine will happen.
WaterGirl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Agree.
How many years did it take Tatiana Maslany?
Ridiculous.
WaterGirl
@Jean: I don’t think we can stream it – as far as I know, it comes out one episode at a time. I would like to be able to speculate on what’s going on. Once it’s over, there’s plenty to talk about, but the time for theories is over.
Maybe I can make a “Perry Mason Speculation and Spoilers” thread on Sunday afternoon.
Anya
@trollhattan: @WaterGirl: I didn’t watch tonight’s episode but I really liked last week’s episode. I agree about the preacher lady. I am still convinced the church elders have something to do with the baby’s killing. Maybe the grandfather.
I never watched the old Perry Mason series so I don’t know any of these characters but I like Hamilton Burger’s entrance and I am looking forward to seeing more of him.
satby
WaterGirl
@satby: 1310, yeah, I’d say that was awhile ago. :-)
Anya
@WaterGirl: If you have a smart tv why don’t do screen mirroring from laptop to smart tv? This is how I watch most of my shows, specially when I am watching BBC iplayer, Canadian or British Netflix…
WaterGirl
@Anya: Tried that. My screen mirroring has terrible resolution, and I haven’t had the time or the inclination to start screwing around with that.
Susan
I enjoyed Beecham House. The costumes and scenery were awesome, sorry to see it end. I would take it over a Hallmark movie any time.
Jean
@WaterGirl: Terrific! If you do it next Sunday before the episode airs, we can spin away. And after, we can go over the whole season as we please.
Freemark
@Juju: Seems like that is basically true for most British crime dramas. There are more murders in Oxford in one year on Endeavour than Oxford has actually had in the last 50 years or more.
I love Endeavour. Both production quality and acting are amazingly good.
Brachiator
I am just beginning to watch the new Perry Mason show. My mother was a big fan of the TV show and read many of the novels. I also loved books, but never read any of the Perry Mason mysteries and as a kid absorbed details from the TV episodes as my mother watched them, but otherwise did not pay much attention to the TV series.
That said, I wasn’t much impressed with the first episode of the new series. When rebooting or resurrecting a series, writers seem to feel that they have to dig deep into the gritty. Deep This is the case with, for example Star Trek Picard, where every new character has some tragic back story, and even old characters from previous Trek shows are slapped in the face by tragedy.
The new Mason is such a sad sack in the first episode that it’s almost ridiculous. But people keep recommending the show and with the pandemic I got time to watch it.
ETA. I have not kept up with Granchester. Did they change the lead actor?
The Lodger
@randy khan: I realized that when watching the Inspector Lynley mysteries. In the books, Barbara Havers was an unattractive woman. Sharon Smalls, who played her on TV, was an actress playing the part of an unattractive woman.
NotMax
@zhena gogolia
i’ve previously made positive mention of it here at least three times since Prime got around to offering all three seasons rather than splitting up availability as beforehand.
prostratedragon
@WaterGirl: And Sydney and Leonard play as Andy Taylor and Barney Fife.
patrick II
@zhena gogolia:
Yeah! How dare he say that about Shatner.
WaterGirl
@prostratedragon: Leonard is no Barney Fife anymore!! Are you watching? I’d say Leonard has been the star this season.
adriawynne
@satby: so disappointed there was never a S2 or 3. Good series
Bren
Saw Perry Mason, rising of child may just be exhumation. So I would agree seizures may have played a part in her mind..
WaterGirl
I’m planning on a Sunday afternoon Perry Mason Speculation and Spoilers thread for anyone who wants to talk about episodes 1-6.
CAMBROS
@germy: I can watch PBS on Sunday evenings with only my antenna. You may just have to rescan your channels or try moving antenna and then rescan.
Meeka
@WaterGirl: I thought it was excellent. The original cast that remains is gelling well with new cast. Stories are fresh & have kept up with the times. Looking forward to next season.
Meeka
@WaterGirl: I thought it was excellent. The original cast that remains is gelling well with new cast. Stories are fresh & have kept up with the times. Looking forward to next season.
@Emily68: New season of Endeavor starts Sunday, Aug 9.