May TV shows

[dolorosa_12]

We finished six shows this month, and as always it was a good spread of genres, with a higher proportion of really good quality stuff than usual. The shows in question were:

Beef, a black comedy in which two strangers' reactions to their road rage incident spirals to ever-increasing degrees out of control. It's brilliantly written and acted, covering everything from Millennial ennui to the intergenerational tensions of East Asian immigrants and their Asian-American children (the two main characters are Korean-American and Chinese-American, respectively), and incredibly over-the-top (the situation swiftly becomes ludicrous), but with a strong underlying sense of truth. I think it will resonate most with you if you are a) a Millennial and b) incredibly, incredibly angry.

The Power, an adaptation of Naomi Alderman's dystopian science fiction novel in which all people assigned female at birth suddenly develop the ability to shoot electricity out of their hands, and the way this slowly — and then very quickly — upends the social organisation of the whole world. The first season of the TV show is 10 episodes and is still incomplete in terms of covering the content of the book, so it's a lot slower and more ponderous in terms of letting the story unfold, and I feel in some ways that this has led to a degree of subtlety which isn't really present in the book, which is as blunt as an anvil to the head in terms of what it's saying about power, and its connection to the ability to mete out terrible violence. In some ways, though, this greater breathing space has allowed the show to explore things that Alderman was either uninterested in, or didn't have the space to cover, such has how this newfound power affects trans and intersex people.

The latest season of Miss Scarlet and the Duke, a series in which a police officer and woman private detective solve crimes together in Victorian London. This third season is to my mind an improvement on the previous two, since a big part of it hinges on its assumption that the two title characters are a bantering couple whose bickering hides their sexual attraction, whereas I never felt they got this balance right (he just seemed downright rude and dismissive towards her) — until this season. This is not a serious show, and we use it as a sort of palate cleanser if we've been watching something more emotionally wrenching.

Yellowjackets, which I felt came close to jumping the shark this season. The flashback timeline in the 1990s following a teenage girls' football/soccer team try to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash is still told well, but I'm less impressed by the present-day timeline in which the various traumas they experienced after the crash finally escalate and start to ruin the lives they've carefully built. I really think American showrunners need to start thinking on a smaller scale, and trying to write stories that can be told in six episodes, or ten, rather than assuming they'll have endless seasons in which to stretch things out. This could have been complete — and exquisite — in one season, but it's beginning to feel bloated.

Succession, about which I don't feel I need to say much, since the internet is awash with thinkpieces. Suffice it to say that I felt it was a satisfying conclusion, that most characters got what they deserved, but not all, which — given that it's a show that invites viewers to wallow in the grimy mean-spiritedness of Murdoch-esque media billionaires, insincere American politicians, and startup tech bros — is probably pretty true to life.

Colin from Accounts, the dark horse favourite of this month. It's an Australian romantic comedy miniseries in which the two main characters — both kind of hopeless people in various ways — have a meet cute in which she flashes him while walking down the street, causing him to accidentally hit a dog with his car, they both end up responsible for caring for the injured dog, and chaos ensues. I thoroughly enjoyed this — the writing is great, the actors have fantastic chemistry, the secondary characters are wonderful, and the Sydney setting was exactly what I needed, since I've been missing the city terribly since I left at the end of April.

These shows between them are definitely an argument — if ever one was needed — for the importance of TV writers, and the need to compensate them fairly for their work.

Comments

[rachelmanija]

I'm Gen X and incredibly, incredibly angry, and I LOVED Beef. It really resonated with me.

I watched a little of The Power (I haven't read the book) but so far none of the characters have grabbed me except the Mafia daughter. It feels slow even though objectively a lot is happening.

[dolorosa_12]

It resonated a lot with me too, even though I don't come from the specific cultural background of the characters.

The Power book is a lot faster than the TV show, but a lot less subtle, and in some ways I feel that this is better, since the point the show is trying to make can sometimes be missed.

[kore]

Yellowjackets!! ....I'm unthrilled about Juliette Lewis leaving though. And apparently they said the original plan is for FIVE seasons. Five? I mean, if they kill someone off at the end of every season until there's one person left standing at the end? I dunno.

(Aww, Jessica icon.) (DW marked all mine inactive)

[dolorosa_12]

Five seasons is way, way, way too much — the story is going to be stretched far too thinly by that point. They really should have tried to say everything they wanted to say in a single season.

I'm not happy about Juliette Lewis leaving either, although apparently she wasn't finding acting in a TV show very satisfying, so it might have been what she wanted.

The Jessica icon makes an appearance in posts about angry women, so here it is again!

[kore]

You're right, it would have been such a perfect jewel! SIGH.

I really, really hope we're going to see Jessica in the Daredevil Rebooted Again whatever, but I doubt it. (I was like the one person who liked the actual Defenders miniseries, lolsob.)

[dolorosa_12]

I really, really hope we're going to see Jessica in the Daredevil Rebooted Again whatever, but I doubt it. (I was like the one person who liked the actual Defenders miniseries, lolsob.)

Me too! And I quite liked the Defenders show — I liked a lot of the Netflix Marvel shows, to be honest (although often I liked just the first seasons, or just parts of them, rather than every single season).

[kore]

Oh yeah, we were SO into the Marvel Shows, well most of them I guess -- loved most of Daredevil and of course Jessica, Luke Cage S1 was great, I loved the Defenders mini, and we found both Iron Fist and Punisher unwatchable. Like literally, and Punisher was so disappointing after Bernthal (sp) had been so great in DD. I hear they're going to bring him back with a Punisher reboot maybe, that character is WILDLY popular with the Holy Demographic of white males 18-35 (and cops! and MAGA racists! apparently).

[dolorosa_12]

I never bothered to watch Punisher — it just really didn't seem like my thing, and from the sound of things, that was a wise decision.

I liked season 1 of Jessica Jones and Daredevil, the first half of season 1 of Luke Cage, and then scattered elements of later seasons.

[muccamukk]

I might look into The Power, the book was so heavy handed, but if the show's a bit of a lighter touch... I liked the central concept.

[dolorosa_12]

The show is definitely more subtle, although I worry it's too subtle in places. It's definitely more meandering, and it's more curious about the effect of the power on people other than cis women and girls, and cis men, which the book just contemplating avoided completely.

Re: writers

[ng_moonmoth]

>> These shows between them are definitely an argument — if ever one was needed — for the importance of TV writers, and the need to compensate them fairly for their work. <<

And over which issue the writers' union here in the US (WGA) went out about a month ago, and on progress in negotiations since then I have only heard crickets. Which leads me to believe that the "networks" (which has transitioned this century beyond just the big piles of affiliated stations broadcasting on free TV to become gigantic baskets of special-interest pay channels, and recently archives and streaming centers) are more interested in inflicting previously scripted content or unscripted stuff (game/reality shows) on their users, perhaps in driving them toward streaming, than they are about actually putting out things someone might want to watch.

Perhaps things will pick up a bit when the movie studios (again, branches of Big Media now) realize how much their revenue stream is going to collapse when all the previously scripted content has been made -- or, alternatively (and there are rumors to this effect), the directors join the writers.

Personally, I'm rooting hard against the studios. If people can't make a living with their creativity, it's just not going to happen.

Re: writers

[dolorosa_12]

Exactly, which is precisely the reason why I made that specific point in my post.

[likeadeuce]

I did not enjoy reading 'The Power,' but there was definitely a lot of potential in the story so I might give the show a try.

Re: 'Yellowjackets' I somehow had the idea it was goibg to be a one-season show and when I got to the last couple episodes of season 1 and realized there was no way they were going to even START to wrap things up, I almost threw something. I wasn't even sure I was going to watch season 2 but I guess I got into it with a different set of expectations and just sort of went along for the ride. (I also got sucked into a watchalong podcast which helped)

[dolorosa_12]

Personally I found the show worth it, but I actually enjoyed the book, so take that on board before you make a decision.

kore was saying above that Yellowjackets is apparently planned as five seasons, which strikes me as way too much. It sounds as if you've got an approach which enables you to enjoy it, in any case.

[kore]

The showrunner keeps saying We Have A Five Year Plan which sets off bad memories of the BSG reboot. And I found this on Wiki

"The series was originally going to take place in the 1970s and the 1990s, but both time periods were moved two decades forward to make the setting more familiar to viewers"

which makes me weep for what could have been, really. Altho I still like the time jumps they wound up with!

[kore]

Ooh, which podcast?

[likeadeuce]

The 'prestige TV podcast' on the Ringer (i guess you just look it up under 'prestige tv podcast?). It has Joanna Robinson + Mallory Rubin who've done a lot of 'Game of Thrones' and 'Lost' content in the past.

[kore]

Oh very cool, thank you!

[darkmarcy]

I WISH everyone on Succession had gone to jail but alas :'D I haven't read any thinkpieces, but I liked James Cromwell's interview on Vulture.
Kinda cruel but kinda genius to leave the viewers hanging with story threads, thinking forever about what Greg will do with the papers he didn't burn and when Ebba will snap and expose about Matsson's creepiness.. Ah, everyone was so sublimely horrible in that series but it was an excellent show.

[dolorosa_12]

It was such a good show — so well written, so well cast and acted — and, as you say, it ended perfectly.

[blackcatofmisery]

I am a Millennial and incredibly angry a lot of the time; I'm interested in Beef. Most shows a totally foreign to me unless someone mentions them, so I appreciate your little write-ups.

I also agree that there needs to be more focus on succinctness in shows. It's not a good mindset in terms of money, BUT fans will be so much happier with better writing and firmer conclusions. Tell something really great in one season; don't drag it out or try to pad it with distractions just to sell multiple seasons. If it's good, that's it. Maybe do a movie or something based off of it.

Honestly, I think that's part of the problem I have with starting new shows. There's just too much, and it takes longer to get into the story when it doesn't even come into play for three episodes.

=^..^=~

[dolorosa_12]

I really feel that British and Australian (and possibly other countries, but they're the ones with which I'm most familiar) approaches to this are better. Showrunners generally go into the process knowing they're going to be given six, or ten, or even three episodes, and unless the show is something like a case-of-the-week crime drama (in which case the scope for further seasons is easier — just make up more cases), they assume that's all they have to tell their story.

I hope you enjoy Beef, which is definitely complete after nine half-hour episodes, as far as I can tell!

[lirazel]

I think it will resonate most with you if you are a) a Millennial and b) incredibly, incredibly angry.

Lol. Love this description! I am incredibly angry but also too tired right now to deal with other people's anger, so I'll have to wait for this one, but that description really won me over!

this greater breathing space has allowed the show to explore things that Alderman was either uninterested in, or didn't have the space to cover, such has how this newfound power affects trans and intersex people.

I'm so glad to hear that they're addressing trans and intersex people!!!!

I really need to seek out more Australian tv....

[dolorosa_12]

Lol. Love this description! I am incredibly angry but also too tired right now to deal with other people's anger, so I'll have to wait for this one, but that description really won me over!

Haha! The show is too weird and convoluted to describe in terms of plot, so this seemed like the best way to sum it up.

I'm so glad to hear that they're addressing trans and intersex people!!!!

I was pleased, because although I liked the book, it was extremely biologically essentialist, and it weakened the story.

I really need to seek out more Australian tv.

It's not a big industry, but there are definitely some hidden gems. Occaionally programs will get streamed on places like Netflix, but generally it's hard to view current stuff outside of Australia (although this show was airing on the BBC here).