TV shows the giraffe watched in 2016
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First viewing - Season 10 - January
New year, new season finally added to Netflix. I blasted through all the episodes in a week, and highly enjoyed the majority of them. I've got to say though that I most enjoyed the Wade Boggs episode which had me in stitches for most of its run-time. So so good.
New year, new season finally added to Netflix. I blasted through all the episodes in a week, and highly enjoyed the majority of them. I've got to say though that I most enjoyed the Wade Boggs episode which had me in stitches for most of its run-time. So so good.
the giraffe's rating:
First viewing - Season 2 - January-February
Hey, another season of this one too. I enjoyed the 2nd season slightly less than the first, mainly because they devoted extra time to Billy who gets on my nerves after a while. Something about that character just rubs me the wrong way. Fortunately the main trio remains worth watching regardless of what's going on (especially Hank who is easily my favorite character), and they'll keep me watching this show for as long as it keeps running (Edited to add: the show wound up being cancelled after it's 2nd season...ah well). It's not great TV, but it entertains me well enough for the most part.
Hey, another season of this one too. I enjoyed the 2nd season slightly less than the first, mainly because they devoted extra time to Billy who gets on my nerves after a while. Something about that character just rubs me the wrong way. Fortunately the main trio remains worth watching regardless of what's going on (especially Hank who is easily my favorite character), and they'll keep me watching this show for as long as it keeps running (Edited to add: the show wound up being cancelled after it's 2nd season...ah well). It's not great TV, but it entertains me well enough for the most part.
the giraffe's rating:
First viewing - Season 1 - February
I ran through the entire season the first weekend it was on Netflix, as much because the episodes are so short as because when I sat down to watch a little of it on Sunday night I shrugged after a couple episodes and figured why not just finish it.
The first season has its highlights, but I found it uneven overall. I like the characters on here just fine for the most part, but the personality swings of Gillian Jacobs's character ranged from endearing to grating. Which I guess they're kinda going for, but sometimes it made her antics really annoying to watch. And how do these two characters get along so well for all of episode 2 only to mostly lose that connective spark & wonderful banter in the episodes that follow? I dunno, but it felt like they shouldn't have got along so well or that one episode was a rare moment for both of them.
Then there's the date episode which was mildly amusing but also felt forced, like the writers at times are struggling to come up with valid reasons the central characters shouldn't be in a relationship when that's clearly where the whole thing is heading. And then when they finally make genuine strides toward believable conflict between the two main characters the season ends by throwing that aside which is just frustrating.
It's not all bad though. Gus is an interesting dude & any time he picks up a bass guitar the show gets elevated. And most of the cameos are amusing, and the supporting cast has some characters I like possibly more than the leads (though not to the degree of, say, Orange Is the New Black). But ultimately season one is merely decent & never comes close to being anything great. Oh, and for a comedy the laughs are very inconsistently delivered (or else just not often enough to my taste). If season two doesn't improve on this one then it's doubtful I'll finish it, much less watch a third season.
I ran through the entire season the first weekend it was on Netflix, as much because the episodes are so short as because when I sat down to watch a little of it on Sunday night I shrugged after a couple episodes and figured why not just finish it.
The first season has its highlights, but I found it uneven overall. I like the characters on here just fine for the most part, but the personality swings of Gillian Jacobs's character ranged from endearing to grating. Which I guess they're kinda going for, but sometimes it made her antics really annoying to watch. And how do these two characters get along so well for all of episode 2 only to mostly lose that connective spark & wonderful banter in the episodes that follow? I dunno, but it felt like they shouldn't have got along so well or that one episode was a rare moment for both of them.
Then there's the date episode which was mildly amusing but also felt forced, like the writers at times are struggling to come up with valid reasons the central characters shouldn't be in a relationship when that's clearly where the whole thing is heading. And then when they finally make genuine strides toward believable conflict between the two main characters the season ends by throwing that aside which is just frustrating.
It's not all bad though. Gus is an interesting dude & any time he picks up a bass guitar the show gets elevated. And most of the cameos are amusing, and the supporting cast has some characters I like possibly more than the leads (though not to the degree of, say, Orange Is the New Black). But ultimately season one is merely decent & never comes close to being anything great. Oh, and for a comedy the laughs are very inconsistently delivered (or else just not often enough to my taste). If season two doesn't improve on this one then it's doubtful I'll finish it, much less watch a third season.
the giraffe's rating:
First viewing - Season 4-5 - January-June
Unlike the shows above, I stretched out this one as much as I could stand to. As the year began I had about half of season 4 left to get through, which I wrapped up by mid February. Honestly I felt to some degree that the last episode of season 4 was a satisfying way to end the series.
From mid February onward I wasn't watching much TV out of my queue at all, occasionally dropping back into this series off & on as time allowed. Then in June I watched episode 10 which hooked me in to the point I watched the rest of the final season in two days. And I've got to say I was even more satisfied with the way the series ended than I was with the finale of season 4. I dig the ways the entire series tests your appreciation of the characters, especially Walter, making you question which of them you actually like & whether you still like them. It's a bold step for a series to take & certainly helped it cross the line into greatness.
I'm glad I finally watched it all.
Unlike the shows above, I stretched out this one as much as I could stand to. As the year began I had about half of season 4 left to get through, which I wrapped up by mid February. Honestly I felt to some degree that the last episode of season 4 was a satisfying way to end the series.
From mid February onward I wasn't watching much TV out of my queue at all, occasionally dropping back into this series off & on as time allowed. Then in June I watched episode 10 which hooked me in to the point I watched the rest of the final season in two days. And I've got to say I was even more satisfied with the way the series ended than I was with the finale of season 4. I dig the ways the entire series tests your appreciation of the characters, especially Walter, making you question which of them you actually like & whether you still like them. It's a bold step for a series to take & certainly helped it cross the line into greatness.
I'm glad I finally watched it all.
the giraffe's rating:
Frisky Dingo (2006)
Re-watch - Seasons 1-2 - July
I know I have over 30 TV series sitting in my Netflix queue unwatched or unfinished, and yet I felt the pull of Frisky Dingo's brilliance and spent a couple of days running through the whole series again. That's one of the great things about the show though...the episodic nature combined with the slew of references throughout the series to previous moments makes binge watching the whole thing so rewarding. Oh yeah, and the fact each episode is 11 minutes means you can run through the entire thing in a few hours. I love the characters, love the writing & dialogue, love the jokes, and everything else I can think of here. The only thing I don't love is that 70-30 Productions went bankrupt & forced the series to be cancelled before the story could reach a satisfying conclusion. Season two ends on a note that's exciting for the potential of the next one, and that potential never got to be realized.
I keep hoping that whenever Archer finally ends Adam Reed will have the resources & desire to bring Frisky Dingo back to conclude it the right way, but I suspect that's very unlikely.
Sigh...I blame the hip-hop.
I know I have over 30 TV series sitting in my Netflix queue unwatched or unfinished, and yet I felt the pull of Frisky Dingo's brilliance and spent a couple of days running through the whole series again. That's one of the great things about the show though...the episodic nature combined with the slew of references throughout the series to previous moments makes binge watching the whole thing so rewarding. Oh yeah, and the fact each episode is 11 minutes means you can run through the entire thing in a few hours. I love the characters, love the writing & dialogue, love the jokes, and everything else I can think of here. The only thing I don't love is that 70-30 Productions went bankrupt & forced the series to be cancelled before the story could reach a satisfying conclusion. Season two ends on a note that's exciting for the potential of the next one, and that potential never got to be realized.
I keep hoping that whenever Archer finally ends Adam Reed will have the resources & desire to bring Frisky Dingo back to conclude it the right way, but I suspect that's very unlikely.
Sigh...I blame the hip-hop.
the giraffe's rating:
The Venture Bros. (2003)
First viewing - Season 5 - July
Hey, look, I finally got around to buying season 5 on DVD so I could watch it. And I managed to watch all of season 5 during July, though the specials added to this DVD release ("A Very Venture Halloween" and the Shallow Gravy history thing) didn't get watched until the beginning of August. Overall I enjoyed this season, though it felt like a slight step down from everything that preceded it. That and I was left with a nagging feeling that I need to re-watch the entire series before moving on to season 6 whenever I get around to buying it. Kinda worried though that this series should have perhaps ended already. Hmmph.
The Halloween special was easily the most fun of the bunch though I thought...and, sure, that could possibly be due to my undying love of Halloween. But still.
Hey, look, I finally got around to buying season 5 on DVD so I could watch it. And I managed to watch all of season 5 during July, though the specials added to this DVD release ("A Very Venture Halloween" and the Shallow Gravy history thing) didn't get watched until the beginning of August. Overall I enjoyed this season, though it felt like a slight step down from everything that preceded it. That and I was left with a nagging feeling that I need to re-watch the entire series before moving on to season 6 whenever I get around to buying it. Kinda worried though that this series should have perhaps ended already. Hmmph.
The Halloween special was easily the most fun of the bunch though I thought...and, sure, that could possibly be due to my undying love of Halloween. But still.
the giraffe's rating:
First viewing - Season 1 - August-September
Once this was unleashed you couldn't go online for very long without running into someone singing its praises. I also had friends & co-workers telling me I had to check it out. So I resolved to give it a look as soon as I ran through season 5 of Venture Bros. and it turned out to be pretty good. I don't think it's the best TV show ever at this point, but the first season certainly makes for excellent TV. The ensemble cast is wonderful, and the story went places both unexpected and easily anticipated. I especially appreciated most of the music used throughout the first season, plus the fact that the child actors don't suck.
I have no idea what's planned for season 2 (nor do I intend to go digging to find out, because I prefer to be surprised), but I think the best thing they could do is set up new characters & place them in a new situation. I think it's far more believable than trying to drag the same characters forward through more unusual occurences. If they want to keep the same cast but put them in different roles & a new situation like I understand American Horror Story does (man, I need to dig back into that show), that could be cool too. If they do decide to carry the established story forward I'll be a little disappointed, but they've got me invested enough in the characters that I wouldn't complain too loudly.
Once this was unleashed you couldn't go online for very long without running into someone singing its praises. I also had friends & co-workers telling me I had to check it out. So I resolved to give it a look as soon as I ran through season 5 of Venture Bros. and it turned out to be pretty good. I don't think it's the best TV show ever at this point, but the first season certainly makes for excellent TV. The ensemble cast is wonderful, and the story went places both unexpected and easily anticipated. I especially appreciated most of the music used throughout the first season, plus the fact that the child actors don't suck.
I have no idea what's planned for season 2 (nor do I intend to go digging to find out, because I prefer to be surprised), but I think the best thing they could do is set up new characters & place them in a new situation. I think it's far more believable than trying to drag the same characters forward through more unusual occurences. If they want to keep the same cast but put them in different roles & a new situation like I understand American Horror Story does (man, I need to dig back into that show), that could be cool too. If they do decide to carry the established story forward I'll be a little disappointed, but they've got me invested enough in the characters that I wouldn't complain too loudly.
the giraffe's rating:
The IT Crowd (2006)
First viewing - "The Internet Is Coming" series finale - September
Hey, Netflix finally got around to adding the last episode of The IT Crowd for streaming. That only took 3 years. Anyway, I thought this special episode was a proper send-off for the show, and far more so than the way series 4 ended. Probably my favorite thing though was having Roy become aware of the fact they keep going through absurd situations & talking it over with Jen & Moss. If Netflix will hold onto the entire run for a while I may take the time to watch it all again in the not-too-distant future.
Hey, Netflix finally got around to adding the last episode of The IT Crowd for streaming. That only took 3 years. Anyway, I thought this special episode was a proper send-off for the show, and far more so than the way series 4 ended. Probably my favorite thing though was having Roy become aware of the fact they keep going through absurd situations & talking it over with Jen & Moss. If Netflix will hold onto the entire run for a while I may take the time to watch it all again in the not-too-distant future.
the giraffe's rating:
The Big Bang Theory (2006)
First viewing - Season 6 - September/Season 7 - December
I finally came across season 6 at a price I was willing to purchase it at, and nearly bought seasons 7 & 8 too since they were the same price. I resisted the temptation, however, rationalizing that if they were at that price once they will be again down the line & thus I can wait. Much like season 5 I blasted through the entire season quickly, enjoying most of the episodes along the way.
I wound up getting season 7 for Xmas, but only managed to watch a couple of episodes before the year ended. The rest will be watched before January ends.
I finally came across season 6 at a price I was willing to purchase it at, and nearly bought seasons 7 & 8 too since they were the same price. I resisted the temptation, however, rationalizing that if they were at that price once they will be again down the line & thus I can wait. Much like season 5 I blasted through the entire season quickly, enjoying most of the episodes along the way.
I wound up getting season 7 for Xmas, but only managed to watch a couple of episodes before the year ended. The rest will be watched before January ends.
the giraffe's rating:
First viewing - Season 3 - November-December
I'm so so happy Netflix picked up this series, especially since the latest season contained as many episodes as the first 2 combined. Each episode is wonderful, brilliant, and thought-provoking, though I'd be hard-pressed to pick my favorite. What I can say, however, is that this series is shaping up to steal the top spot among my favorite TV shows ever.
I'm so so happy Netflix picked up this series, especially since the latest season contained as many episodes as the first 2 combined. Each episode is wonderful, brilliant, and thought-provoking, though I'd be hard-pressed to pick my favorite. What I can say, however, is that this series is shaping up to steal the top spot among my favorite TV shows ever.
the giraffe's rating:
The Batman (2004)
First viewing - Season 1 - December
Before season 7 of Big Bang Theory arrived, I was watching one or two episodes of this when it was too late to justify starting a movie. And so far it's OK. The pacing seems way too quick, and overall it pales in comparison to The Animated Series (especially if you compare their respective theme songs & overall music), but it's got its moments and makes for brief, light entertainment. I'm hoping it'll start getting better over time, but it has yet to make significant strides toward doing so. I'm holding off on giving it a rating until I've at least completed the first season as a result.
Before season 7 of Big Bang Theory arrived, I was watching one or two episodes of this when it was too late to justify starting a movie. And so far it's OK. The pacing seems way too quick, and overall it pales in comparison to The Animated Series (especially if you compare their respective theme songs & overall music), but it's got its moments and makes for brief, light entertainment. I'm hoping it'll start getting better over time, but it has yet to make significant strides toward doing so. I'm holding off on giving it a rating until I've at least completed the first season as a result.
Because I can't watch movies all the time. Or, well, I suppose I can but sometimes I choose not to.