I do not write much about the television shows I watch anymore. The way we watch TV has changed. Netflix releasing all the episodes at once. Other streaming services doing one per week (or sometimes they do the first two or three episodes, then go weekly). Sometimes I do not watch a show, then all of a sudden I will hear good things, then decide to give it a shot and watch a bunch of episodes in a few days (I believe the kids call this “binging”). But that does not mean I watch any less television, nor does it mean that there are less great shows. Hell, I would say there are more. It seems like every streaming service has at least one great show.
So here are some of the shows I have been watching…
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
I think I have mentioned a few times that I was not a Star Trek fan growing up, I was definitely one of those Star Wars vs. Star Trek people. But I have seen the error of my ways and have become a Star Trek fan (I still have a ways to go until I can call myself a Trekkie, haha). I enjoyed Picard and even the first few seasons of Discovery. So I decided to check out Strange New Worlds. Holy crap was it good! Each episode was fun, but also had a message. I loved the finale, especially the choices that Captain Pike has to make regarding his own future.
The Orville: New Horizons
Okay, I really want the Orville to hit some wormhole and end up in the ST: SNW universe. I want Captains Pikes and Mercer to team up. It is a funny show, but at the same time has some very poignent messages (I think Trek fans have acknowledged that it is less parody and more homage). There was an episode that really hit me. More time-travel. Gordon goes back to 2015 Earth and realizing that he is abandoned with no way back, he starts a life there. He ends up getting married and has a kid (with another on the way). Ed and Kelly try to save him, but they end up in 2025. Gordon is happy and does not want to leave, they cannot allow him to do that because of time laws. They eventually find a way to go back to 2015 and when they inform Gordon, he is heartbroken because that means his family will cease to exist. There is a sad moment where he is holding his family and his kid asks what will happen and he says that he does not know. Yeah, pretty heady stuff for a show that should be a silly Star Trek parody.
The Boys
This show is so damn good. It really should not be this good. It is a show about superheroes being a bunch of dicks and yet it ends up having some of the most heartfelt moments of any shows I watch. The finale of season three was one of those weird moments where you feel bad for Homelander, who is a freakin’ monster. That is when you know you have a good show, when the villain can elicit a positive emotional response. Well done!
Irma Vep
I did not think I would like this show nearly as much as I did. I think I enjoyed the filming stuff and just how crazy a movie set can be (I have said before that I have like two ideas for a podcast and one of them would be with a friend who makes movies and it would be each week him explaining what all the different people actually do on set). It also was cool learning a little about film history (I had to read up on Louis Feuilliade and his influence on later directors).
Westworld
The fourth season is not over yet, but I have definitely been enjoying it. I feel like I am in the minority as a fan of the third season, but it just felt like the logical conclusion to take the show in that direction, also interesting how they have adapted the series to what we find happening in our own tech-society. Last season and to an extent this season, have dealt with why Delos created the park (data collection) and how the Hosts have taken over the world. I enjoy the timeline shift employed in the fourth season and cannot wait to see how the final two episodes play out.
The Anarchists
Another show that is not quite finished. I am fascinated by these Anarchists and how they are either just fleeing the country to avoid some legal troubles (tax evasion or drug charges). However, the one family is fascinating since they are fully commited to their beliefs. I wonder how things will pan out for them.
The Most Hated Man on the Internet
The story of Hunter Moore and his site Is Anyone Up? If you want to get pissed off, I suggest watching this short three episode docuseries. I feel like Moore is the result of the success of those early ’00s guys like Maddox and Tucker Max. They were funny writers, but eventually we all grow up and stop being in our 20s. Hell, Tucker Max even outgrew himself. I believe he is now a rancher in Texas.
Ms.Marvel
Who knew a teenage superhero show would dive into such a deep subject as the partition of India. It is one of those things you learn about in a history class that is basically boiled down to “in 1947, British India was split into Pakistan and India”, but when you really delve into it, you learn how crazy it was for the people involved. The show did a great job of showing that struggle.
