Television programmes [2]

{{ The very first episode of the Thick of It. From humble origins as an obscure BBC 4 programme to the emmy award winning spin off Veep. It all starts right here. And its better than Veep. And has Capladi in it so obviously going to be better Enjoy.
NSFW! }}

I didn't know Veep is a spin-off of that. Like a rip-off remake-it-in-another-country thing, or give-minor-characters-their-own-show thing?

{{ From what I can gather Forest they were going to basically transpose the UK version to American politics- but quickly realised Americans wouldn't be interested in nobodies in a govenrment department that doesn't do anything and only exists for bureaucratic reasons, so they changed it from being about a hopeless, and pointless govenrment department to being about one of the big offices of state- the Vice Presidents office- as apparently Americans dont want to watch anything that is not about winners and successful people! (they made that mistake with the US version of Red Dwarf- made Lister handsome and smooth as apparently the American audience wouldn't relate to a guy whose the human races equivalent of something it trod in. And by making him handsome, successful they completely ruined the character and show and so it never got beyond two pilot attempts).
I found the first series of Veep there some weird things, Jonah is a bit like Malcolm in the first few episodes but not quite- and theres a Glen equivalent too etc- its like a halfway house to start with between the two, but as Veep went on it went off on its own way as US shows based on UK ones have to do as they just crank episode after episode out in the US. So a bit like the Office; a short self contained 3-4 series of between 4-6 episodes per series and that's your lot, but whose US remakes go on at least twice as long every series and have twice as many episodes in them. Armando Ianucci (fellow Scot) who wrote Thick of It and Veep stopped Veep after series 2 or 3 I think and handed it over wholesale to his USA team.}}

I've heard good things about it, but have never watched.

{{ Ive seen the first four seasons of Veep and there are only four series of Thick Of It (4 eps 1st series then 6, 6 and 12) and two specials and a short special, and the slightly weird spin-off film, In The Loop (slightly weird because it has most of the same cast on the British side as Thick of It, and some like Malcolm are the same character in the same job, others are playing different characters, or variations of the one they played in the TV show or have different jobs).
Veep is in season 7 and still going I think and averages 10 eps a season.

But Thick of It and Veep are both very good. I found Veep harder to get into but that might just be the cultural difference, I am more comfortable with UK politics and I find making it about important people takes away some of the point of the original concept. And Thick of It has Malcolm Tucker- so it wins.
But awards wise both picked up the top ones going in their relative countries (multiple BAFTA's, UK TV Awards, Writers Award, and multiple Emmy's, Writers Guild of America and quite a few more for Veep.) And Thick of It at least (don't know much about Veeps broadcast history) also had fan support from the start as it started off obscure and small ( I found it early on, on initial broadcast, but it was by complete chance). }}

The Scottish Mafia!

Pleasently surprised by Good Omens, at least the start of it, really really good.

No one given it a try? It is on the BBC, I think.

{{ Amazon Prime sadly. I want to see it, I read the book many years ago being a fan of both authors. So will get round to it eventually when its more widely available here. }}

You are right, supposedly it will be on the BBC week-to-week as it is a co-production, but while Amazon was allowed to realease all the episodes (6) in one go it will be on BBC "at a later date".

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2019-05-31/good-omens-review-neil-gaiman-amazon-bbc/

The show strikes me more in the spirit of Gaiman than Pratchett, it lacks some of the latters whimsy. But that is natural, Gaiman wrote it mostly in a homage to Pratchett who asked him to bring it to life before he died, and what it is beyond the book is his work. On basis of their common discussions perhaps, but his work.

I liked Gaiman's comment on the fact that Pratchett asked him if he wanted to finish the story he started together, back when they wrote the book, "It was as if Michelangelo asked you to paint a ceiling together".

Watched Catch 22 on telly, made by George Clooney. It was good. Going to watch new tv series called Chenobyl next, looks grim.

{{ Pretty rare this and definitely worth a watch, two great comedians from the days of Variety, Morcambe and Wise in their natural element- on a stage with an audience.
If you dont have time for the whole thing I recommend at least the ventriloquist dummy skit starting at 25.58 }}

Chernobyl is very grim. Certain episodes are excellent at capturing a feeling of inescapable doom. ("Inescapable doom" is redundant, isn't it?). (Certain parts are also over-dramatized wank-offs, but you don't notice that the first time around so it's still worth watching.)

I've been watching True Detective and having a whale of a time. It's good, it's really good. Tense, exciting, sad, funny. McConnaughey (sp?) and Woody Harrelson get to play such great characters. McConnaughey's guy is pretty edgy, but I find that kind of endearing, in the way that an emo teen watching a how-to video for goth makeup is.

Oh, also I like the Lovecraftian aspects of it. Right up my alley.

Forest Shepherd wrote:Chernobyl is very grim. Certain episodes are excellent at capturing a feeling of inescapable doom. ("Inescapable doom" is redundant, isn't it?). (Certain parts are also over-dramatized wank-offs, but you don't notice that the first time around so it's still worth watching.)

I've been watching True Detective and having a whale of a time. It's good, it's really good. Tense, exciting, sad, funny. McConnaughey (sp?) and Woody Harrelson get to play such great characters. McConnaughey's guy is pretty edgy, but I find that kind of endearing, in the way that an emo teen watching a how-to video for goth makeup is.

Bloody hell, Chernobyls is getting grimmer by the episode. Last nights was particularly horrible. Don't know if I actually want to watch any more, it was bad enough getting a free x-ray the day it happened.

The first episode is the best, I think, at the doom-sense. But the poignancy of some of the later episodes: the dogs, that cow, the lead coffins, etc. are also quite good.

It is great. (At least season 1 anyway)

{{ Just watched this ep of Red Dwarf, forgot how good it was. }}

They are doing an advert on TV for the AA now

{{ Cant keep the Boys from the Dwarf down



The Picard trailer. Not sure about this but I'll give it a go in the hopes its not the train wreck of non-ST Discovery was }}

{{ Another great Dwarf scene, this one extra special thanks to the always superb British acting legend Don Warrington. as the super smug hologram. }}

{{ Did any of the UShobbits watch the US version of Life on Mars when it aired years ago? I recently rewatched the uk original and its follow up Ashes to Ashes and was curious about the US remake. But having a hard time finding it to watch thats not behind a pay wall still.  
I think I can imagine how it could work in a US setting as the US had plenty of 70's cop shows to draw on for its inspiration, just as the UK had (the UK version beng heavily influenced by things like the Sweeney and the Professionals-



I did find an interesting Korean version of it, which as it was made at least a decade later moves the time travelling to the 80's (oddly where Ashes to Ashes is set) rather than the original 70's setting.
It seems a bit less quirky in tone, but thats possibly just because I am missing a lot of the cultural references and presumably 80's Korean cop show styles too.



But so far I have to say the UK version is the superior Ive seen, but then again its got all my cultural references and a dose of nostalgia as I was born in 71.
Heres ep 1 of the original version if you havent seen it, enjoy, Gene Hunt is one of my all time favourite tv characters. }}