Queereaders discussion
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Favorite TV shows
I loved Sense8! It's the best show I've seen in a long, long time. Other favorites:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and Angel)
Just a great series. I'm currently re-watching it.
Orphan Black
Fascinating story. And Tatiana Maslany is an amazing actress.
Current sitcoms I enjoy: Modern Family, Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock
If you like comics, I think the DC-related shows are pretty interesting. Gotham, The Flash, Arrow; even Constantine which won't be coming back :(
In the queue:
Netflix's Daredevil
Animated Guardians of the Galaxy :) (starts in September)
Started and liked, but got overcome by life (these I intend to get back to):
Sherlock
Orange is the New Black
Game of Thrones (um, that's a maybe)
Started but lost interest:
Mad Men
American Horror Story
Favorite TV Show Ever:
The Tick (animated cartoon from the 90s)
I just started watching Orange is the New Black this week. It's wonderful. I'll probably finish the 1st season in a day or two, I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. Sherlock is very good as well, although there was a point in the 3rd series that may have broken the series for me. I'll still watch a fourth series, but I'm a few bit hesitant on it. 4 out 5.
American Horror Story gets a 5 out of 5. I LOVE this show. My favorite season/story so far is Coven.
Dexter is another 4 out of 5. Great series. Lost was good, but really lost cohesion in later seasons, and finally fell apart in the final episode. Sad, because the last season was doing so well at pulling the threads back together.
Since I don't get any kind of broadcast at home (my choice, I have a philosophical aversion to advertisements) I'm usually WAY behind on TV, and usually pick stuff up when it's on sale.
One I've been enjoying is Bates Motel. It has moments that get really juvenile, the second episode almost drove me away, but when you get Vera Farminga & Freddie Highmore alone together and they start feeding off each other, it gets absolutely frightening and mesmerizing. You can really see how poor Norman never really had a chance with a mother like Norma.
I have many favorites that others have already mentioned!@Jim, I really loved the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel shows. So freakishly enjoyable! I watched both series twice. And I'm watching pretty much all of the DC-related shows you mention.
@Rick, I thought Sherlock was superb, and I binge watched Dexter as well. Excellent shows!
@Nancy, Six Feet Under was such an amazing show, so good that I forced myself to slow down just to savor it. I quite enjoyed True Blood as well (lots of fun), and I've been watching Supernatural from the beginning. Walking Dead is also excellent; I had to stop it though for now - it was just too depressing. I came to love some of those characters that got killed; that's a testament to the quality of the writing, but I just couldn't handle it right now.
On other threads, there's been talk of Torchwood and Doctor Who. I liked both of those. Despite the almost unwatchable goriness, I quite liked the first season of Hannibal as well, but for me, the second season jumped the shark. Between seasons it seemed like the entire cast drank the crazy juice - it lost its grounding. My partner Ron disagrees with me - that's just my humble opinion.
Other favorites:
One of my favorite series ever (especially the first season):
Afterlife ★★★★★ (a tour-de-force performance by a pre-Walking Dead Andrew Lincoln as a skeptic and Lesley Sharp as a tortured psychic - the conclusion of the first season is exceptional!
One of my other obsessions is UK mysteries. Some favorites:
Inspector Lynley Mysteries ★★★★★ (fantastic performances with great psychological nuance by the two leads, particularly Sharon Small)
Wire In The Blood ★★★★★ (great performance by Robson Green as an eccentric profiler of serial killers)
Rosemary & Thyme ★★★★☆ (ridiculous but so darn entertaining, a divorced and an unmarried gardener who solve crimes, partly with their knowledge of horticulture!)
Bletchley Circle ★★★★★ (loosely based on a true story of women who formerly worked in a top secret UK WWII code-breaking center who use their code-breaking skills to track down a serial killer after being frustrated by the police's inability to catch him)
My personal favorite of late is HBO's The Newsroom. Here's a clip of the first few minutes of episode 1 season 1. Arguably some of the best TV writing EVER. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q49NO...
The show ended with its third season.
Stephen wrote: "My personal favorite of late is HBO's The Newsroom. Here's a clip of the first few minutes of episode 1 season 1. Arguably some of the best TV writing EVER. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q49NOy..."
Good to know Stephen! I recorded all the seasons of that show, but I haven't gotten around to watching it yet.
I'm also a big fan of both Torchwood & Doctor Who (both old and new series). Also a huge Star Trek geek. Deep Space Nine being my favorite. And I grew up with a mega-huge-fan-boy-crush on Space: 1999. Can you say Gothic-Science-Fiction? And then, I have to mention my other mega-huge-fan-boy-crush that takes me all the way back to my single digit years: Planet of the Apes.
I never could get into either Buffy or Angel; but I adore Firefly, probably my all-time favorite show.
I very much liked Orange is the New Black. It only got overtaken by Sense8 as my Netflix favourite. If anyone is annoyed by Piper and her boyfriend problems through the 1st season -- as I was (though Alex kept me watching) -- I can say that in season 2 & 3 we ditch the boyfriend and it becomes a real ensemble cast with prison inmates who had been bit players explored. I am in love with Poussey but it was hard to choose whom to settle on for my love interest -- fabulous women, wide range of lesbian stories. Four stars.
I grew up on Space 1999 too. Fave ever:
Blakes 7
Loved Buffy, found Angel strangely wanting until Spike turned up. Love the new Doctor Who though has been tailing off. Again, found the spin-off Torchwood a let-down in spite of Captain Jack. Trek the Original for me, Kirk Spock and McCoy.
Edited to include Xena !!!
Bryn wrote: "Love the new Doctor Who though has been tailing off...."I felt the same way Bryn. I loved it for Eccleston, Tennant, and the first half of Smith. Then, my enthusiasm started to trail off a bit. The stories didn't capture my imagination quite the same way since then. I'm not sure why - just my personal reaction. Some of my friends like the current series best.
As far as Torchwood, I really enjoyed it until it became so freaking depressing where they kept killing off characters (eventually killing off practically the whole team). Somewhere amidst all the bloodshed, it became less fun. Before that, I thought it was great. I tend to get frustrated by a lot of gratuitous characters getting killed off though - that's pretty typical for me. I liked the show so much that I held on for as long as I could, but (view spoiler) really cheesed me off - that was the final straw.
Greg wrote: "I felt the same way Bryn. I loved it for Eccleston, Tennant, and the first half of Smith. Then, my enthusiasm started to trail..."I agree completely. Matt Smith's childish antics were adorable at first but wore pretty thin there toward the end. But the real problem for me is that I felt the show runner, wasn't giving it his a-game anymore. His scripts for the early seasons are some of the best episodes done, and among my favorites. But the second half of series 6 and most of series 7 were enjoyable at best. I was really hoping that Capaldi would re-ignite the series, and he has to an extent, but Moffat's scripts still seems like they are being phoned in. So I realized the problems wasn't really Matt Smith's antics, but Moffat's burned-out stoic, tread-water scripts. The series didn't need a new Doctor, although I think that did help, it needs a new show runner.
Bryn wrote: "I grew up on Space 1999 too. Fave ever: Blakes 7 "I was so obsessed with Space: 1999 I attended little regional conventions that just focused on the series. The organizers would donate proceeds to local Children's Hospitals so a lot of the stars would wave their usual convention fee and make an appearance for airfare, room & board. As a teenage kid in no-where Ohio, getting to meet people like Martin Landau, Prentice Hancock, Nick Tate, Dave Prowse and everyone else was a dream come true. The highlight, of course, came after getting involved with the actual running of the conventions and having Barry Morse tell me to call him grandpa. I think I actually cried. Such a dear, sweet man.
Sadly conventions now seem only interested in making as much money as is inhumanly possible and keeping the human contact as limited as possible.
Rick wrote: "As a teenage kid in no-where Ohio, getting to meet people like Martin Landau, Prentice Hancock, Nick Tate, Dave Prowse and everyone else was a dream come true. The highlight, of course, came after getting involved with the actual running of the conventions and having Barry Morse tell me to call him grandpa. I think I actually cried. Such a dear, sweet man. ..."What a great experience to have - they sound like wonderful people!
Rick wrote: "Greg wrote: "I felt the same way Bryn. I loved it for Eccleston, Tennant, and the first half of Smith. Then, my enthusiasm started to trail..."I agree completely. Matt Smith's childish antics wer..."
I feel exactly the same way Rick. The scripts do feel a bit dialed in or cookie cutter or something - they just don't have the same spine tingling magic that the earlier scripts had.
Rick wrote: "I was so obsessed with Space: 1999 I attended little regional conventions that just focused on the series..."Very cool. I hadn't heard of conventions at the age, I was primary-early high school; but my best friend & I were as obsessed as possible, enacted each ep next day at school, wrote 1999 stories through class, and went about our lives pretending to be Commander John (her) and Security head Tony (me).
Bryn wrote: " my best friend & I were as obsessed as possible, enacted each ep next day at school, wrote 1999 stories through class, and went about our lives pretending to be Commander John (her) and Security head Tony (me). ..."I love this Bryn!
OK, full on embarrassment now: for us toward the end of grade school, it was Clash of the Titans with Harry Hamlin. We even made a replica of the mechanical owl out of nested boxes. I think we accidentally broke a sofa leg somehow enacting the giant scorpion scene? That was all at my best friend's house - much more freedom over there than at my house. Him, me, and his sister played Clash of the Titans for weeks - ha ha, good times!
Greg wrote: "I feel exactly the same way Rick. The scripts do feel a bit dialed in or cookie cutter or something - they just don't have the same spine tingling magic that the earlier scripts had. I can't help but feel that Moffat has just got himself spread too thin. To many anvils in the fire and nothings getting hot enough now. I think that's part of why I was so disappointed with that epsiode of Sherlock in the 3rd series. It didn't have the same logical follow through that the other episodes had. I don't want to be too specific because I hate giving spoilers away (and I always have to say that word, spoilers, in that sexy-breathy way that River Song says it on Doctor Who - if some guy ever walked up and whispered that in my ear, well - he'd have me at spoilers).
Bryn wrote: "Very cool. I hadn't heard of conventions at the age, I was primary-early high school; but my best friend & I were as obsessed as possible, enacted each ep next day at school, wrote 1999 stories through class, and went about our lives pretending to be Commander John (her) and Security head Tony (me)." Went to my first convention at 16, that would have been 1979 (dating myself). I had such a crush on Chief of Security Tony Verdeschi. ;)
I might just have to pull out those DVDs and watch a couple episodes. I also loved all the gothic atmospheric stuff in the first season. The second season certainly had more action, but the loss of Prof. Bergman (Barry Morse) and most of the gothic texture really took away a lot of the uniqueness of the series. I still loved the 2nd season, Maya was a welcome addition, and the 2nd season gave me my favorite quote from the series: "We're all aliens until we get to know one another."
Rick wrote: "I hate giving spoilers away (and I always have to say that word, spoilers, in that sexy-breathy way that River Song says it on Doctor Who - if some guy ever walked up and whispered that in my ear, well - he'd have me at spoilers). ..."
LOL Rick! :)
Greg wrote: "OK, full on embarrassment now: for us toward the end of grade school, it was Clash of the Titans with Harry Hamlin. We even made a replica of the mechanical owl out of nested boxes. I think we accidentally broke a sofa leg somehow enacting the giant scorpion scene? That was all at my best friend's house - much more freedom over there than at my house. Him, me, and his sister played Clash of the Titans for weeks - ha ha, good times!" Haha. Some friends and I broke a rolling guest bed playing superheroes. We were jumping from my top bunk to the guest bed. Whoops! Yeah, it was embarrassing but good times wasn't it. ;)
Rick wrote: "Haha. Some friends and I broke a rolling guest bed playing superheroes. We were jumping from my top bunk to the guest bed. Whoops! Yeah, it was embarrassing but good times wasn't it. ;) ..."
Yes indeed!!
Back to TV shows. Has anyone else seen United States of Tara? That's another one I was taking completely by surprise by. I was not expecting it to anywhere near as good as it was. Funny, quirky, dark satire - some great performances. Only 3 short seasons, but well worth it.
Rick wrote: "Back to TV shows. Has anyone else seen United States of Tara? That's another one I was taking completely by surprise by. I was not expecting it to anywhere near as good as it was. Funny, quirky, da..."Yes, I thought it was fantastic! Bizarre but very funny (and also heartfelt too). The son's storyline in the first season was quite touching as well!
The only show I'm currently watching is Hannibal. All my other shows have either gone off the air or is in hiatus.
Alex wrote: "The only show I'm currently watching is Hannibal. All my other shows have either gone off the air or is in hiatus."What do you think of the third season Alex? Will is acting so bizarre (and Dr Bloom too). I liked it a little better when Will & Dr. Bloom were "good" characters (only semi-stable mentally perhaps but good intentioned). But in the first half of season 3, it seems like the whole cast has gone insane.
Well, being nearly killed will warp a person, but I don't know, maybe they are being a bit extreme. Fuller has been setting up Will to go dark since season 2, so I wasn't surprised about him. I'm just worried that he's being dragged back into that world.But I ship Hannigram, so what do I know...
Alex wrote: "Well, being nearly killed will warp a person, but I don't know, maybe they are being a bit extreme. Fuller has been setting up Will to go dark since season 2, so I wasn't surprised about him. I'm j..."I think you're completely right Alex - it's not unexpected and it makes sense! I guess I just liked it better when the show had a little more balance. In the first season the more "normal" characters gave the show a tiny bit of grounding - for instance, the asian woman who's gone now, etc. In the Europe part in the first half of the third season, it seemed like every major character on screen was dark & unhinged. Kind of got a bit too crazy for me. Just my personal taste. Now that they're back in the US, maybe things will equalize a bit. :)
There are some new Torchwood audio adventures due to be released. John Barrowman is involved.
Rick wrote: "There are some new Torchwood audio adventures due to be released. John Barrowman is involved."Great Rick! Do you know when?
Greg wrote: "Great Rick! Do you know when?"According to the brief article in Doctor Who magazine #487 (page 6), the 1st of 6 new audio adventures for Torchwood with John Barrowman should be out in September. Torchwood: The Conspiracy is the first, and in January 5 more are supposed to follow, release one a month.
Mod
The new Battlestar Galactica is a bit depressing but also fantastic. I liked it a lot! I've seen all the Smallvilles too - some seasons were better than others.
What is BSG though? My brain's a little slow today, and I can't figure it out.
BSG = original Battlestar: Galactica from 1978-79I loved that show when it was on, then bought the DVD set when it first came out and was soooo disappointed. It did not live up to my memories. Which is weird because others shows from the same era like Space: 1999 does still work for me.
I haven't seen the new series, although I have a friend who is furious with me for not watching it. I'm not much of a Superman fan, so I've not seen either Smallville or Lois & Clark. I love the first 2 Christoher Reeve Superman films and enjoyed Superman Returns, but Man of Steel was so bad, following on the heels of the disasters of Dark Knight Rises & Green Lantern, I swore off ever seeing another DC superhero movie.
Thanks for the deciphering Rick!Some of the movies you mention I didn't dislike too much, but I definitely agree with you on Green Lantern. That was truly an awful, awful movie!
I so disliked green Lantern and X-Men Origins Wolverine (both with Ryan Reynolds) that I'll probably not bother with Deadpool in February.
Jim wrote: "The Tick (animated cartoon from the 90s) ..."Best. Show. Ever.
Stephen wrote: "My personal favorite of late is HBO's The Newsroom. Here's a clip of the first few minutes of episode 1 season 1. Arguably some of the best TV writing EVER..."Brilliant.
Mod
The original BSG is like comfort food for me. Granted it is dated, but Apollo and Starbuck were fantasies and it was straight action, pure escapism little of that kissy-face stuff (I still hide my eyes when my heroes kiss the girl).
The 1st time I saw the new BSG I really panned it. I hated that Starbuck and Boomer were girls (I saw homoeroticism in the original series). I considered it mawkish and sentimental with too much drama and human stuff. I did not like the human-like Cylons, etc.
But this time through I am enjoying it a lot. It is indeed far superior to the original, much more real. I don't see it as a replacement for the original, just different, like canned vs frozen peas. Maybe I've become more realist than idealist over the years...
I think part of my problem with Green Lantern was Ryan Reynolds. I just think he's slimy and insincere, like every other jock/frat-boy that thinks flashing his smile is all it takes to get into a woman's pants. After X-Men 3 & X-Men Origins Wolverine I was done with those films. The first two X-Men films by Singer were gloriously done. But X3 was awful, and it gets worse every time I see it again. XOW was something I've not even bother to try rewatching it was so bad. I skipped both The Wolverine and X-Men First Class based on X3 & XOW, but I've since watched them on DVD and enjoyed them. Certainly not as good as Singer's two films, but enjoyable. With Singer's return with X-Men Days of Future Past, it clearly illustrates that the other directors just didn't grok the concept,or they're just incompetent directors. If you haven't seen XDoFP, don't. Watch the newly released X-Men Days of Future Past Rogue Cut. It takes avoid solid movie and makes it great, easily on par with the Singer's first X-Men film (but with a better budget).
I'm going to see the new F4 this afternoon. Wish me luck. ;)
Rick wrote: "I think part of my problem with Green Lantern was Ryan Reynolds. I just think he's slimy and insincere, like every other jock/frat-boy that thinks flashing his smile is all it takes to get into a w..."Rick, that was my problem also - I just didn't buy Ryan Reynolds as Hal. I had a crush on Hal from the comics, the ex-fighter pilot with integrity and a good heart. Reynolds struck me as a bit smarmy too.
But it's funny Kernos - a lot of it is about expectations. If I didn't have a certain picture of Hal in my head, maybe I'd have liked it better. Who knows?
Kernos wrote: " I don't see it as a replacement for the original, just different, like canned vs frozen peas. . ..."So true Kernos! The new series is much more dark and realistic where the old one is a bit sillier, for sure, but also fun in a completely different way.
As far as the new Fantastic Four movie, I haven't decided whether to go see it yet. The casting is weird. Not sure I'm happy with the choice for Johnny Storm - I'd be fine with an ethnic choice, but I don't know about that particular actor. And I generally quite like Jamie Bell's performances, but he's a bit of a weird choice for the Thing. Ditto for Mr. Fantastic.
Rick, let me know how you like the movie after you've seen it. My mind could be changed!
Mod
I want my superhero media to be true to the originals. I understand the PC criteria and marketing reasons for changing the basics of characters, but I do not like it. Storm is not black, he's Teutonic. Spiderman is not female, but male, etc.
I often like things that get panned. EG, the TV miniseries, The Phantom, starring Ryan Carnes. I really enjoyed this, granted it had problems. It did a good job of telling the origin story of the Phantom and I find Carnes very appealing. I also really liked the Lara Croft movies. They were just fun. I put video game and comic book characters into the same category.
And then there is Capt America!
When I was a kid I liked Captain Marvel, CM Jr. and Marvel Family (and the British version Miracleman) almost as much as Superman/Superboy. The lawsuit screwed that up for me (DC sued Fawcett saying CM was too similar to Superman). I've heard a Capt Marvel movie is in pre-production for 2018 (this would be the Marvel Comics Capt. (Shazam) who came after I stopped reading comics) . I hope they make it. We need a good live action origin story.
I thought the Lara Croft movies were fun too Kernos!
Robert wrote: "Jim wrote: "The Tick (animated cartoon from the 90s) ..."Best. Show. Ever."
Jim & Robert, I've never seen the Tick. I'll have to check it out!
Rick wrote: "I'm going to see the new F4 this afternoon. Wish me luck. ;) ..."How did you like it Rick?
Greg wrote: "Rick, that was my problem also - I just didn't buy Ryan Reynolds as Hal. I had a crush on Hal from the comics, the ex-fighter pilot with integrity and a good heart. Reynolds struck me as a bit smarmy too.But it's funny Kernos - a lot of it is about expectations. If I didn't have a certain picture of Hal in my head, maybe I'd have liked it better. Who knows? "
I think Reynolds would have a better Kyle Rayner (was that his name, I can't remember) Green Lantern. But I'd still rather have to watch him. ;)
Kernos wrote: "I agree about Ryan Reynolds and slimy fits perfectly. If we had to have a Ryan, Phillippe would have been better. Besides I'd love to see him in tights. ..." Ryan Philipe in tights? Where do I buy my ticket?
Kernos wrote: "I often like things that get panned. EG, the TV miniseries, The Phantom, starring Ryan Carnes. I really enjoyed this, granted it had problems. It did a good job of telling the origin story of the Phantom and I find Carnes very appealing. I also really liked the Lara Croft movies. They were just fun. I put video game and comic book characters into the same category." I also seem to have tastes that run contrary to general consensus, at least on some things. I haven't seen the Phantom mini-series you mentioned. Not a character that I'm particularly familiar with though. I preferred the Shadow, the Avenger & his team Justice, Inc. & my number one: Doc Savage. I love Indiana Jones, but Lara Croft was too much about big guns and bigger tits for my tastes.
Kernos wrote: "When I was a kid I liked Captain Marvel, CM Jr. and Marvel Family (and the British version Miracleman) almost as much as Superman/Superboy. The lawsuit screwed that up for me (DC sued Fawcett saying CM was too similar to Superman). I've heard a Capt Marvel movie is in pre-production for 2018 (this would be the Marvel Comics Capt. (Shazam) who came after I stopped reading comics) . I hope they make it. We need a good live action origin story." I've never been a big fan of Superman, I actually liked Captain Marvel (Shazam) much better. I always found it ironic that DC sued Fawcett for ripping off Superman with Captian Marvel (Shazam) when DC ripped off Doc Savage to make Superman (and The Shadow & The Spider to make Batman). 6 years before Superman, the Man of Steel, appeared Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze, was there. Doc had a "Fortress of Solitude" above the arctic circle long before Superman's appeared. Doc even had a female cousin, Pat Savage, who joined him on several adventures long before Supergirl stepped into the comics. Doc was stronger, faster and smarter than anyone else. His fears were all but 'superhuman' although he was often described that way, he was also described as a "super-man" more than once. Of course Doc didn't have a secret identity or a colorful costume. But what really made the lawsuit ironic was Marvel then winning one against DC for the rights to the name Captain Marvel. So DC owned the character but could use the name uncovers or for advertising. Hence Shazam becoming the name to use.
When Marvel started their Captain Marvel, gone was the whole Shazam thing and the empowered by mythological beings. Marvel's Captain Marvel is an alien from the race of the Kree, blue skinned aliens (although ere is a minority among the race that is white skinned). He ended up deciding to leave his military position and stay on earth. But he got cancer and died in 1981. The current Captain Marvel at Marvel is Carol Danvers, who used to go by the names Ms. Marvel, Binary & Warbird before deciding to use the Captain Marvel code name. She's white-skinned and blonde.
There have been a couple of other Captain Marvel's at Marvel the seond one, my favorite, was an African-American who could transform her body onto any wavelength of electomagnetic energy. Now she goes by the name Spectrum.
It appears that the Carol Danvers Captain Marvel will be the one to be featured in the film.
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Books mentioned in this topic
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Recently watched:
Sense8 ★★★★★
Currently viewing:
Supernatural ★★★★
Vikings ★★★★
Wallander (too early to rate)
Past series recommended:
The Walking Dead ★★★★★
Sons of Anarchy ★★★★★
Boardwalk Empire ★★★★
Looking ★★★
True Detective season 1 ★★★★★
Downton Abbey ★★★★
Hell on Wheels ★★★
The Killing ★★★
Queer as Folk (US) ★★★★★
Breaking Bad ★★★★★
House of Cards ★★★★
True Blood ★★★★
Mad Men ★★★★
Six Feet Under ★★★★★
The Sopranos ★★★★
The L Word ★★★
Started watching and lost interest:
Homeland
Game of Thrones
The Americans
Dexter
Lost
Oz
The Wire
Thinking about watching:
Deadwood
Fargo
Hannibal
Orange is the New Black
Sherlock
American Horror Story
Background TV (reading, crocheting, doing laundry, bedtime, etc.,)
Family Guy
The Big Bang Theory
Tell us about your favorites!