Television, drug of the nation

I persevered to midway through series 2 and have binned it off. Just can't get invested in any of them, even in disliking them.

Now finally watching Slow Horses. Two thumbs up rating.

I’m going to say something controversial: I’m enjoying the Australian office more than the U.K. and us

I tried it last night. I turned it off during the meeting where they were told they were coming in to work full-time. I found her performance too over the top.

I liked the UK version, but haven't rewatched it and have only seen odd bits of the US one.

Mortimer & Whitehouse Gone Fishing

This is my escapism.

Also, if you're into your fishing, or your rivers, "Britain's Beautiful Rivers: Richard Hammond" on Channel 4 is nice. Simple, but nice.

And it has given me an idea for a series of bike rides!

Succession: was only talking about this the other night with MissNumbers. They're all cunts - had to give it up after a handful of episodes.

Agreed, I gave up on it as I couldn't stand the characters. The other half watched all of the episodes and enjoyed it.

And yet you turn up and participate on LFGSS!

Right?

I'd expect the venn of succession X lfgss.com to be a circle.

Sacked off Succession and started watching Penguin instead.

Being one of the cunts is easier than having to observe them.

Succession is just the golf club thread but in America, right?

Ep 5 (of Penguin) last night was brutal.

Warming to the lead female character more and more, am not sure about Colin Farrell in prosthetics.

Surely the casting could have found someone who looked like the penguin already

Ooh thank you. I really enjoyed the first season so will give this a watch

Yeah, just watched that one.

Big fan of Cristin Milioti so obviously had warmed from the get-go.

Surely the casting could have found someone who looked like the penguin already

I can't help but thinking of this scene from Tropic Thunder as the justification, 'hats off for going there'
https://youtu.be/3yU_-nmf7AM

A friend encouraged me to persevere with Ludwig. I won't soon forgive them. It's a programme for people who liked Morse but found it a little too plausible. Who enjoyed Death In Paradise but thought some of the character acting to be a little too polished. Having watched the first episode in two goes I thought I must have missed something but, no, the whole thing is premised on people not being able to tell twin brothers apart. And not just any people, actual police detectives. (though that's maybe not surprising as they seem to have less than a layperson's understanding of how to conduct any form of police work. Less understanding in fact than anyone who has ever watched any previous police show on TV). And not just mistaking them physically but not being tipped off by their entirely different personalities even though that difference is stressed over and over in one of the many fine examples of exposition that passes for dialogue. Every single thing about it has to be proceeded by "let's pretend". If your 10 year old came up with it you'd be impressed. If they came up with it at 16 you'd be lamenting the effect that social media has had on young people's mental health.
I know it's 'family viewing' but the adults don't have to pretend it's anything but bollocks, and lazy bollocks at that.

It’s written by the same person as Death in paradise which is all you need to know to avoid it.

It's a good job you don't watch any science fiction.

I like science fiction, there's a suspension of disbelief which is ok - it just shouldn't requite a lobotomy. And don't cast as the Big Boss Cop someone who has been told he's in the new Line Of Duty and is only realising, one line at a time, that he's not.
I wish I'd known it was the same writer as Death in Paradise. I only saw one episode of that but it was as bad as anything that's ever been on TV. Like they had accidentally broadcast the first rehearsal of every scene with actors who had been collectively drugged and made to perform at gun point from a script by someone's who's first, second and third language was not English.

Just liked it as it is very unbelievable. Requires no thinking and I like David Mitchell.

Just like always sunny in Philly. How that got past three seasons? The first is utter rubbish and how it got enough viewers to keep going is anyones guess

Siding with Will on this one. Almost all entertainment requires some suspension of disbelief; I'm willing to indulge, if the rest of it has some value. Tremors is one of my favourite films, because it's whip-smart behind the "Good old boys" veneer and really well done on all fronts, so I don't even bother thinking "Giant snake-like creatures that burrow at speed underground are impossible". "Slow Horses" requires some suspension of belief, but who cares when there so much good stuff in it and they do smart things with the unlikely premise. "Death in Paradise" and Ludwig are self-satisfied wank, which suddenly makes all the improbabilities all the more annoying.

The creaters need to do some work for the suspension of disbelief, or be hung by their own self-regard.

Fuk me, as much as love David Mitchell, what did you expect The Wire or braking bad?

Or Line of Duty 😆?

It's all about frame of mind and expectations when you sit down to watch something. There are not many things I go in to blind, its always after reading a review or getting a recommendation. So sitting down to watch Ludwig, i wanted light humour, thoughtless fill for 40mins or so where it wouldn't matter if I was disturbed. It fulfilled my expectations, so job done.
I watch quite a lot of 'Walter Presents' on All 4, there my expectations are high and I can be thrilled and let down in equal measure by it's offerings.