TV Show Reviews

[Maureen]

Grimm - This is the same genre as shows like Supernatural and Buffy; I love these kind of shows.

The Americans - My son and I watch this. The main characters are Russian spies posing as a regular American married couple with kids in the early '80s. There is a lot of sex, nudity and violence, so I'm going to assume that the majority of LDS would not be comfortable watching this show. I love it, we tend to cheer for the Russian spies; but this last season, the lady spy (Keri Russell's character) posed as a person interested in being a Mary Kay Cosmetic person (very big in the '80s, I remember it well ). She befriends a very nice Korean lady and meets her family. The lady spy is torn in having to deceive this Korean lady because she really likes her and they are becoming friends. As a viewer, I also was sad about this Korean lady, she is a great character and very likeable.

Orphan Black - My son and I have watched the first 3 seasons and we were recording the 4th season but our PVR was acting up, so we got a newer one and now we have to wait to watch this new season when it gets re-aired. This is another show with nudity and violence but it's a great show. It's all about clones and the main actress Tatiana Maslany plays all the clones and there are a lot of them.

The Flash - Another show I watch with my son. It is very entertaining and since my son knows more about The Flash story background he usually fills me in on the different characters.

Poldark - This show started last year based on the book series by the wonderful author Winston Graham. I've read the whole series except for the last book. So far they are sticking pretty well to the books. The story starts with the main character coming back home to Cornwall after fighting in the Revolutionary War (late 18th century). The characters are wonderful. Season 2 starts in the fall on PBS.

Downton Abbey - The series is over, it lasted for 6 seasons and they were all great.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries - This show is set in 1928/29 in Australia. Miss Fisher is an independent, very well-off, lady detective. Essie Davis plays Miss Fisher. I like it, it's fun.

The Big Bang Theory - I have watched this ever since it started, still love it.

I'm sure there are more I could mention but I think this is good.

M.

 

Edited June 19, 2016 by Maureen

[SpiritDragon]

8 hours ago, tesuji said:

I wanted to like The 100 but way too much sex and violence. Way too much.

Also, very targeted toward teens or YA (but, lots of sex and violence?). Anyway, the teen thing was turn off since I'm way past teen. Any time there was a crisis, the adults characters moved to the sidelines and the teens alone solved the problem, often by disobeying the adults in authority.

And yeah the lesbian episode is when it totally jumped the shark for me.

I just think the creators of these CW network shows are plain wicked. The same with their show Reign, which is ostensibly targeted toward teens, but the first episode had way too much sex so I was done right there.

 

 So much better to watch the real shark jumping...

[NightSG]

On 6/17/2016 at 9:17 AM, NeedleinA said:

You are 100% correct!!
The Magnum PI reference was my bait to see which female here had a Tom Selleck poster taped to the back of their bedroom door growing up = "snag" caught you!

Well, at least it wasn't to catch which guys only ever re-watch the few episodes with Julia Nickson playing a beach bunny.

[anatess2]

Lots of teen shows now have gays/lesbians relationships featured.  That includes Arrow, Flash, Teen Wolf, etc.

[anatess2]

So basketball is over... so we're on Copa Americana on TV.  USA got killed by Argentina.  Of course.  But at least it was only 0-4... it could have been more humiliating... I mean, Messi... I can't even.

[SpiritDragon]

I also tried to get into the Shannara Chronicles having enjoyed the original trilogy and some of the other books as well. Anyway I found it to be all over the place, it had very little to do with the book and seemed a bit too dark and sexualized - in fact it would fit in with the CW line up. 

[Maureen]

Hubby, son and I are sitting in a hotel room in Great Falls, Montana after driving for the past 12 hours heading home. The syfy channel just advertised Dark Matter. This is another very entertaining new show that started last year. Six people wake up on a spaceship with no memory of who they are. Season 2 starts July 1st.

M.

[anatess2]

Well... I found myself with some extra time to myself so I decided to spend it watching TV shows... and I chose... CI5 (The Professionals - the original one, not the 90's retread)!  This was a late 70's early 80's show about British Intelligence Agents Bodie and Doyle under the leadership of Crowley.  Ahhhh!  I love this show still! 

[tesuji]

On 6/23/2016 at 8:31 PM, Maureen said:

Hubby, son and I are sitting in a hotel room in Great Falls, Montana after driving for the past 12 hours heading home. The syfy channel just advertised Dark Matter. This is another very entertaining new show that started last year. Six people wake up on a spaceship with no memory of who they are. Season 2 starts July 1st.

M.

I enjoyed Dark Matter when it popped up on Netflix a while back. There are some interesting plot twists. I'm looking forward to season 2.

Edited June 24, 2016 by tesuji

[Guest]

I just saw an episode of Suits.  I really liked it.  The acting was above average.  The plot kept going through some chess-like moves.  And the characters and their motivations were believable -- except for the photographic memory guy.  The production level was above average.  The plot was actually believable.

I particularly liked the engineer and Gina Torres' character.  I always like her in everything I've seen.  Awesome actress.  She's exactly who they needed to be the boss of the main characters who are undoubtedly playing power roles, themselves.  She pulls of the powerful woman by not just being "powerful because I'm a woman".  She's just plain powerful.  And the script provides her with good ammunition.

I've only seen some random episode.  But it was good.  I'm going to look at some more.

 

Edited September 3, 2016 by Guest

[Larry Cotrell]

When it comes to TV shows, I like to stick to the classics. McHale's Navy always gives me a good laugh. Mister Ed is another great one. How can you beat a talking horse? The answer is you can't.

[Blackmarch]

On June 22, 2016 at 8:58 AM, SpiritDragon said:

I also tried to get into the Shannara Chronicles having enjoyed the original trilogy and some of the other books as well. Anyway I found it to be all over the place, it had very little to do with the book and seemed a bit too dark and sexualized - in fact it would fit in with the CW line up. 

Skintimate at the end of first episode and full nudity on the second.. Stopped me there... Wish i remembered your review. 

It made me sad.

[Blackmarch]

on thevother hand ibhave been enjoying about most things trek, xfiles, stargate and sliders. I probably ought to do a Gargoyles run..... Thatbone is still fun to watch even as an adult lol.

[Maureen]

It's been a few months since this thread was last posted on. There's been a few TV shows which are new that I've been enjoying. Since I am a fan of Downton Abbey, I'm also a fan of many of the actors that were a part of that series and I will check out new TV shows they are starring in.

Good Behaviour - starring Michelle Dockery from DA. She plays a character who has spent time in jail, she has a parole officer, her mother has guardianship over her son who she can't visit due to a restraining order. She's a con-artist and thief. She's made friends with a hit man and now they've decided to go about their business together.

Legion - starring Dan Stevens also from DA. He's grown up thinking he has schizophrenia but he finds out he's really a mutant with psychic abilities, including telepathy and telekinesis.

The Good Fight - starring Rose Leslie also from DA. It's a spinoff from The Good Wife. More lawyer firm stuff but with a few character story lines that piqued my curiosity.

I'm also a fan of Murdoch Mysteries which is a Canadian TV show in it's tenth season about (originally) a 19th century detective who uses forensics to solve crime. It's in its 10th season so it is now the 20th century (1904-1905). I recently found out that an American TV Network airs it in the States but has changed the name to The Artful Detective. I found that so strange. Does anyone here watch The Artful Detective?

M.

[anatess2]

Watched Downton Abbey Season 1 Episode 1.  When the 2 guys started kissing I was outta there.

[anatess2]

I got a new favorite show.  Little Big Shots.

[Maureen]

6 hours ago, anatess2 said:

Watched Downton Abbey Season 1 Episode 1.  When the 2 guys started kissing I was outta there.

Yes, homosexuality existed in the early 20th century.

M.

[JohnsonJones]

Too many shows these days have too many things that we, as a family, choose not to expose ourselves too.  We tried once upon a time, but it had many things in the first few episodes that went against our family values.  We tried, Downtown Abbey, wife was horrified, and we stopped watching that (though if one wants a good replacement, we found a show called Lark Rise to Candleford).

For shows being broadcast, the only one I try to watch now are the Duck Dynasty shows, and the kids watch PBS or Disney.  Other than that, we watch old 80s show (like the original MacGuyver, Knight Rider, Battlestar Galactica, etc).  We do allow the kids to watch more modern cartoons like the Justice League Unlimited, Batman Animated Series, Green Lantern Animated Series, and older TV cartoons as well (Thundercats, GI Joe, Silverhawks, Transformers).

[Maureen]

5 hours ago, JohnsonJones said:

...We tried, Downtown Abbey, wife was horrified, and we stopped watching that (though if one wants a good replacement, we found a show called Lark Rise to Candleford)....

It's too bad you didn't give Downton Abbey a chance. You missed out on some great characters and wonderful stories.

I am also a fan of Lark Rise to Candleford. How do you determine that some stories and characters in certain shows are not worth watching but others are? In Lark Rise there's a character who is an irresponsible Mother that is sent off to debtors prison which forces her oldest son to be the parent to his siblings. Or another character who drinks his money away. Why do you watch Lark Rise with it's human sinful characters but not Downton Abbey?

M.

[anatess2]

16 hours ago, Maureen said:

Yes, homosexuality existed in the early 20th century.

M.

Yes they did.  Lots of sexual perversions existed in the early 20th century too.  Doesn't mean I have to go watch them on my TV.  Unfortunately, you watch them... so they continue to be shown on TV to normalize the behavior in the 21st century.

Edited March 14, 2017 by anatess2

[JohnsonJones]

18 hours ago, Maureen said:

It's too bad you didn't give Downton Abbey a chance. You missed out on some great characters and wonderful stories.

I am also a fan of Lark Rise to Candleford. How do you determine that some stories and characters in certain shows are not worth watching but others are? In Lark Rise there's a character who is an irresponsible Mother that is sent off to debtors prison which forces her oldest son to be the parent to his siblings. Or another character who drinks his money away. Why do you watch Lark Rise with it's human sinful characters but not Downton Abbey?

M.

Fornication, adultery, nudity, characters actively participating in extramarital relations, all of these are prime things that don't really inspire our family values, so we try to avoid them.

Graphic violence, language, and things of that nature are also items that our family can be sensitive to. 

The idea we strive for is if we would allow our 5 year old to watch it, or our little children, it's okay to watch.  If it isn't something we'd allow them to watch, it is probably not okay to watch.

Of course, some people will allow their little children to watch shows that are much more graphic than we do, so that is a subjective idea, but overall, we look for shows that promote what we view are either good family values, or at least do not try to portray things that we do not view as good family values as being good things in life.

[anatess2]

 

18 hours ago, Maureen said:

It's too bad you didn't give Downton Abbey a chance. You missed out on some great characters and wonderful stories.

I am also a fan of Lark Rise to Candleford. How do you determine that some stories and characters in certain shows are not worth watching but others are? In Lark Rise there's a character who is an irresponsible Mother that is sent off to debtors prison which forces her oldest son to be the parent to his siblings. Or another character who drinks his money away. Why do you watch Lark Rise with it's human sinful characters but not Downton Abbey?

M.

 

43 minutes ago, JohnsonJones said:

Fornication, adultery, nudity, characters actively participating in extramarital relations, all of these are prime things that don't really inspire our family values, so we try to avoid them.

Graphic violence, language, and things of that nature are also items that our family can be sensitive to. 

The idea we strive for is if we would allow our 5 year old to watch it, or our little children, it's okay to watch.  If it isn't something we'd allow them to watch, it is probably not okay to watch.

Of course, some people will allow their little children to watch shows that are much more graphic than we do, so that is a subjective idea, but overall, we look for shows that promote what we view are either good family values, or at least do not try to portray things that we do not view as good family values as being good things in life.

 

There's a big difference between something against the moral grain promoted as a good thing on TV and something that goes against the moral grain being shown as a bad thing on TV.

That's the problem with homosexuality on TV.  Not necessarily that it is portrayed on TV but more that it is portrayed on TV as a good thing.  An irresponsible mother going to prison, just by Maureen's description of it, is not promoting maternal irresponsibility as a good thing.

Now, one of my family's favorite movie is The Imitation Game.  A gay guy being the leading character.  Now, why is that okay?  Because, the movie treated the homosexual storyline agnostically.  They did not push it as either good or bad.  They just showed it as - this is what happened, you decide if it is good or bad.

Edited March 14, 2017 by anatess2

[a mustard seed]

Little House on the Prairie

Watching this starting from Season 1. Omg! I can't gush enough about this! My favorite episodes so far are Mr. Tinker's Voice and The Lord is My Shepherd(that's sad but I also like what it says about God and Laura's relationship with Him). That Mrs. Olsen makes me so mad though! Her daughter can be alright sometimes but she is just absolutely spiteful in every episode where she plays a major part. I could smack her on the back of the head! Although, the Ingel's and how they deal with the situations, how they treat her, it can be a lesson for myself and how to deal with similar, difficult people. Honestly, despite their occasional jokes to each other(very tame) and "losing their temper"(basically doing something just to defy her opinion because they've gotten fed up) are actually really mellow by todays standards and most of the time, it has nothing to do with confrontation but a creative solution to problems that end up benefiting everybody.

[LadyGator]

On 6/13/2016 at 10:22 PM, MormonGator said:

The beautiful LadyGator watches a lot of true crime (ID Discovery, Snapped).   

Yes I do, so if you don't hear from @MormonGator for a few days I know nothing. 

I also love the show Bates Motel on A&E, in case you don't watch horror it is based around the movie Psycho. And it isn't on until 10:00 at night with good reason. It is definitely not family friendly, but if you're like me and like suspense and horror stuff it's a really good show. Sadly it's in the final season...

[beefche]

26 minutes ago, LadyGator said:

Yes I do, so if you don't hear from @MormonGator for a few days I know nothing. 

 

I love these shows too (the hubs and I love watching Joe Kenda). My honey has remarked that he's a little frightened at my fascination and he's gonna leave a video to say if he dies to look at my viewing habits as evidence. LOL!