So...been a while but thought it might be fun to come back on here. I am dropping the color coding source in favor of (rough) genres 'cause cable cutting's gotten so complex lately, involving so many different roku channels, Netflix constantly pushing its content in your face, and now I am also using screen-casting (with flaws, but good for some shows that only have apps but not Roku channels for who knows what reason?). I am contemplating whether it's worth a foray into Amazon. I can't promise I will catch up on everything I missed posting about, but here's at least the latest.Comedy
*Atlanta - I love this show about my former hometown. A celebration of black culture (apparently such celebrations are in short supply there these days) - its understated humor is so rare. Really enjoyable!
*Louie (Season 5) - Still enjoyable, but nothing to write home about.
*Love - This was not all that great, but I started it and just watched the rest in hopes that it would get better. I am not sure I would bother with another season.
*Better Call Saul - I never made it through Breaking Bad, but luckily you don't have to with this great spin-off - a great dark comedy.
*A Young Doctor's Notebook - This one's been on the queue for a while and during the drought of summer watching I finally got to it. Meh. It was just ok.
*Rita (Seasons 1-3) - Another hidden gem in Netflix Instant about a bad ass teacher. Great to the end!
*Master of None (Season 1) - Aziz Ansari is so funny! Great to see him break out with his own show.
*Vice Principals (Season 1) - This is another one I finished watching just because I started it (maybe I had a good knitting project?). I am not sure we need an "Eastbound & Down" set in the schools.
*Girls (Seasom 5) - It is fun to watch the girls grow up and move in different directions.
*Daily Show with Trevor Noah - I know opinions have been mixed, but I really like Trevor. He's handsome and hilarious, and he's leading a good team in a year where we need all the laughs we can get. A good antidote to the daily news. I was bummed that Larry Wilmore's show was discontinued, and I hope we get to see him and the other regulars on his show reappear - I thought they were all super funny, it's a shame that the show didn't have longer to make things work.
*Full Frontal with Samantha Bee - She is really scathing, and it's good to have this year especially! Sometimes (like with John Oliver) it's too much for me, though. And speaking of...
*Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - I can credit this show with blunting some of my obsessive news reading online so that all I ever read about is Drumpf. He does a nice job bringing attention to stories that (sadly) people do not pay enough attention to.
News*Frontline - The Choice. In this election cycle pretty much the only thing that does not fill me with dread is the comfort of PBS. They did a great presentation of the candidates, and their news coverage has been stellar as always on the News Hour.
Drama
*The Americans (Season 3) - I am well behind (having to wait on DVDs for this one) and I still enjoy it, but I think this show's run its course already. It feels like it's had more than 3 seasons, and the fact that there's still 3 more makes me wonder how much I will enjoy the rest of it.
*Fargo (Season 2) - The second season did not disappoint, despite how dark and bloody it was. Really memorable characters, and lots of great nods to fans of the Coen Brother's works.
*Orphan Black (Season 4) - This one also feels like it's stretched on a bit long, though I still really love watching Tatiana Maslany kill it playing all the leads at once - so impressive!
*Stranger Things - I am not usually one for scary shows, but this was a fun bit of 80s nostalgia with minimal scariness and - yay - Winona Rider!
*Rectify (Season 3) - This continues to be great TV watching, though the resolution of some of the central story lines has started to take some of the air out of the drama.
*Night Of - This miniseries was really enthralling to watch. Despite a couple mis-steps, it was really compelling.
*Orange is the New Black (Season 4) - I enjoyed this season a little more than I expected. I think they're doing a good job pushing it into new directions.
*Occupied - This was a really great political thriller. One of those hidden treasures on Netflix Instant.
*House of Cards (Season 4) - I enjoy this less and less as the seasons go on, but there's still some Baltimore spots in the background, so I'll keep watching it I guess out of hometown pride.
