What's on the ol' boob tube RIGHT NOW.... or close to now

[Buscemi]

The list (46/52, updated 7/2/2016):
Andy Richter Controls the Universe
Arrested Development
Better Off Ted
The Birthday Boys
The Boondocks
Bullet in the Face
The Carbonaro Effect
CBS Summer Playhouse
Children's Hospital
The Critic
Darknet
Dead Set
Dilbert
Eastbound and Down
Fallen Angels
F is for Family
Flight of the Conchords
Fresh Off the Boat
Friends
Garfunkel & Oates
Gossip Girl
The Greatest Event in Television History
Hannibal
Infomercials (Adult Swim)
Key West
Lady Dynamite
Leverage
Marcella
Miracles
Mom
Poker After Dark
Pushing Daisies
The Ranch
Seinfeld
The Simpsons
Snapped
The Spoils of Babylon
Strangers with Candy
Tales from the Crypt
30 for 30
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The Walking Dead
W/Bob & David
Woke Up Dead
Wonderfalls

Recent watches:

- Bullet in the Face. From the creator of Sledge Hammer! comes a parody of La Femme Nikita, Face/Off, and modern day cop shows (which was originally developed as a spoof of Miami Vice) where a man of pure evil is shot in the face by his pregnant girlfriend, given a second chance through a face transplant of the cop he killed, and now must become a cop and take a crime lord (played by Eddie Izzard) at war with another crime lord (played by Eric Roberts) to justice. Though this one ran much shorter than Sledge Hammer! (6 episodes compared to Sledge Hammer!'s 41), the show has no problem developing its own identity while also having shades of the previous show. The two leads have a strong chemistry and Alan Spencer creates an interesting world (kind of a cross between Mega City One and present day Germany, even though the show was filmed in Montreal) of mayhem and absurdity. I wish that it hadn't ended on a cliffhanger though (but maybe Season Two would have made fun of the cliffhanger like Sledge Hammer! did and taken place five years earlier but still followed everything like normal).

- CBS Summer Playhouse. This was a summer anthology series that ran in the late 80's where rejected CBS pilots would run in an attempt to see if audiences would be interested in a full series (I believe none were picked up). The episode I watched was Infiltrator, where Scott Bakula is working on teleportation (yes, kind of like on Quantum Leap) but during a successful test, gets himself merged with a $200 million test probe known as Infiltrator and becomes a half-man, half-machine that fights crime. Basically, it's a mix of The Incredible Hulk, The Fly, and the later Quantum Leap (Donald P. Bellisario probably got the idea from watching this) but it manages to work thanks to Bakula's charm. Too bad it never went to series but of course, we probably wouldn't have gotten Quantum Leap. CBS' loss was NBC's gain.

- Leverage. Watched the first two episodes on Netflix (who picked up rerun rights after TNT ended the series). Sure, it's a case of the week show but it's an fun one and the cast is great. I should have a busy next few weeks watching this one (it ran five seasons).

Edit: finished Season 1. The finale was two parts and it made me realize that you really don't see two part episodes anymore due to the increased emphasis on story arcs. I imagine CBS still does but it seems rare now.

Edit: finished Season 2. Not as good as Season 1 (mainly due to Sophie not being in some episodes or simply being a mere cameo) but the two-part season finale is among the show's best episodes so far.

Edit: finished Season 3. An improvement over Season 2 and it gets surprisingly dark towards the end.

Edit: finished Season 4. The longest of the five seasons at 18 episodes so as a result there is some filler (with probably the worst episode so far, involving a computer chip and a carnival) but some of the best episodes of the series (including the season finale) show up here. It will be interesting to see how the show ends.

Edit: series completed. Season 5 was probably the weakest of the seasons (featuring the worst episode of the series, involving the team stealing Congress in an attempt to pass a safety bill for cheerleaders) but the finale is really good (with every loose end tied up). I would have loved a spinoff featuring Leverage International, with Parker in the Nate role but at least it got an ending.

- Marcella. Netflix's newest "original" series (it's actually a pickup from ITV but Netflix lists it as an original as they got the non-UK and Ireland rights) follows the style of standard police procedural series from the UK but this one has a twist: the main character is a mother who returns to police work after 11 years away due to marriage troubles. I watched the pilot and it's definitely setting up for some interesting ideas. I don't think the real hardcore "Netflix and chill" types will like it (unless they also liked Chuck on Pushing Daisies) but the more casual users should (and it seems like the show was popular in the UK and Ireland so another series is likely to happen, depending on streaming numbers).

Edit: finished the season. It really gets better as it goes along, reminding me in places of the second season of Hannibal (the best of the three seasons, IMO). And the finale's ending nicely leaves open a major question, setting up for a second series (of which I'll be surprised if ITV and Netflix don't do).

- Fallen Angels: Season 2. Watched the first four episodes (of nine) and the stories definitely get more interesting. The season premiere (starring and directed by Kiefer Sutherland) is the expected noir theme but the next three go even further and become a bit more original. I'll get to the other five over the next few days.

Edit: finished the season, with the series at its best towards the end (the two best episodes being an episode featuring Dashiell Hammett's The Continental Op and an hour-long episode with Danny Glover as Phillip Marlowe). Now I wish someone would post the two Season 1 episodes that aren't online (I could buy the VHS tape with those episodes but I don't have a working VCR).

[Buscemi]

A couple of surprising cancellations/series ends:

- HBO canceled Vinyl after one season. I figured this would at least get a second season as it was buzzed about more than some of their other shows that got more than one season (Togetherness, anyone?).

- Showtime is ending Penny Dreadful after three seasons. This seemed to be one of their more popular shows after a slow start (and a Season 4 would have gone well with Twin Peaks). But then again, John Logan only wanted three seasons (maybe he saw what Showtime did to Weeds).

[Buscemi]

The list (51/52, updated 7/25/2016):
Amazing Stories
Andy Richter Controls the Universe
Arrested Development
Better Off Ted
The Birthday Boys
The Boondocks
Bullet in the Face
The Carbonaro Effect
CBS Summer Playhouse
Children's Hospital
The Critic
Darknet
Darkroom
Dead Set
Dilbert
Eastbound and Down
Fallen Angels
F is for Family
Flight of the Conchords
Fresh Off the Boat
Friends
Garfunkel & Oates
Gossip Girl
The Greatest Event in Television History
Hannibal
Infomercials (Adult Swim)
Key West
Lady Dynamite
Leverage
Marcella
Miracles
Mom
Perversions of Science
Poker After Dark
Pushing Daisies
The Ranch
Seinfeld
The Simpsons
Snapped
The Spoils of Babylon
Strangers with Candy
The Street (1988)
Tales from the Crypt
30 for 30
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The Walking Dead
W/Bob & David
Woke Up Dead
Wonderfalls
The Worst Week of My Life

Recent watches:

- Darkroom. I have been searching for old shows on YouTube and found a few anthology shows. I was going to watch Gun (an anthology produced by Robert Altman) but that would have required me to sit through some political ads promoting an extremist Governor candidate so I put on this show, which lasted seven episodes on ABC back in 1981-82. Basically, it's an attempt to update The Twilight Zone for 80's audiences with James Coburn in the Rod Serling role but the first two stories were interesting enough that I'll stick with it.

Edit: finished Darkroom. Some good stories in there but I can see why it didn't last. As a hour-long show, there was a lot of padding and some of the shorter stories are pretty weak (especially a story involving a guy killing a witch doctor and her dog killing him through a voodoo doll of him, ironically this story was paired with probably the best story in the whole series, involving a Vietnam vet whose skeleton in his closet gets out through his son's Army toys). Had it been a half-hour, it probably would have been more successful.

- Perversions of Science. The long-forgotten spinoff of Tales from the Crypt (lasting just 10 episodes). I'm halfway through the series and so far, it's a mixed bag. The pilot, involving a man who is stuck in a bad dream, seems like it could have been a good Season 8 episode of Tales from the Crypt had the show gotten another year while the next two aren't so good (the third episode, involving a pilot and sexbot, might be the worst episode of either series though I haven't watched Season 7 yet). The show finds its footing again with the fourth and fifth episodes, which continue the Tales from the Crypt feel.

Edit: finished the series. It got better towards the end, with the finale (written by Scott Nimerfro, who sadly passed away back in April) probably being the best episode, having the perfect mix of genre thrills and dark humor that defined its sister series.

- Tales from the Crypt: Season 7. This was the season that was produced in the UK and outside of a weak episode involving a scientist bringing his girlfriend/assistant back from the dead, possibly the best season. The UK settings give some of the episodes a Hammer/Amicus feel and the actors were very well-chosen (and Scott Nimerfro had a hand in four of the episodes, including the best episode of the season with Ewan McGregor as a criminal who is actually a zombie). I would have loved at least one more UK-based season but maybe the reboot next year could surprise (though with Shyamalan involved and TNT producing rather than HBO, I'm not holding my breath).

- The Worst Week of My Life. The show started okay enough but I soon realized that I could not sympathize with any of the characters. Also, the show felt too Americanized for its own good (it made me wonder if the show was made for the sole purpose of a remake) and felt more like a bad Hollywood romantic comedy of the era rather than a smart British sitcom. A bit too overhyped in the end.

- Amazing Stories. Watched the first four episodes of this show I remember seeing in two-hour compilations on afternoon movie blocks when I was much younger. Some interesting ideas (mainly from Steven Spielberg so far) even if not all of them work.

Edit: finished Season 1. The show really picked up its footing with the hour-long episode The Mission (directed by Spielberg, starring Kevin Costner) and some really interesting episodes came afterward (including an episode directed by Clint Eastwood that was scripted by Spielberg, a Martin Scorsese episode, an episode involving John Lithgow and a doll written by Richard Matheson, and some interesting comedic episodes including a parody of crime movies about a killer toupee). The season finale (directed by Timothy Hutton) may divide some but if you've seen Hutton's video for The Cars' "Drive", you'll understand what he was going for.

Too bad Season 2 never hit DVD or Blu-ray. Maybe Hulu has it or Universal will be planning a complete series Blu-ray if Bryan Fuller's update ever happens.

- The Street. Found about this 1988 syndicated series as I have an interest in first-run syndicated scripted series and saw that Stanley Tucci (with hair then!) was in it. I found the first two episodes (there are 65 altogether but Universal seems to be sitting on the others) on the co-creator's site and gave the first one a look. It's an interesting documentary-like series focusing on two officers in the Newark Police Department. Apparently, the show also inspired Cops according to the site's notes.

Edit: watched the second episode, which focuses on a second team. This one is just as impressive as the pilot and is surprisingly graphic for a syndicated series. I bet this series would have been more well-regarded had HBO or Showtime run it.

Also, there's an HBO free preview this weekend so I set the DVR to record the first two episodes of The Night of... (I've read mixed word but it's got John Turturro and Riz Ahmed so it can't be too bad) and the pilot of Vice Principals along with Suffragette (since haven't seen this movie).

[undeadmonkey]

Anybody watching Stranger Things? On episode 3 now, it's intriguing and different enough for me to continue but I"m having a hard time really getting into it.

[Buscemi]

Goal accomplished of watching at least one episode of 52 shows.

The list (52/52, completed 7/26/2016):
Amazing Stories
Andy Richter Controls the Universe
Arrested Development
Better Off Ted
The Birthday Boys
The Boondocks
Bullet in the Face
The Carbonaro Effect
CBS Summer Playhouse
Children's Hospital
The Critic
Darknet
Darkroom
Dead Set
Dilbert
Eastbound and Down
Fallen Angels
F is for Family
Flight of the Conchords
Fresh Off the Boat
Friends
Garfunkel & Oates
Gossip Girl
The Greatest Event in Television History
Hannibal
Infomercials (Adult Swim)
Key West
Lady Dynamite
Leverage
Marcella
Miracles
Mom
Perversions of Science
Poker After Dark
Pushing Daisies
The Ranch
Seinfeld
The Simpsons
Snapped
The Spoils of Babylon
Strangers with Candy
The Street (1988)
Tales from the Crypt
30 for 30
Twin Peaks
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
The Walking Dead
W/Bob & David
Woke Up Dead
Wonderfalls
The Worst Week of My Life

#52 was Twin Peaks. How I spent so long not watching an episode of this baffles me (I did used to have the VHS tape of the pilot but it was the international cut that revealed the killer so I never watched it). From watching the pilot, it manages to be both an engrossing mystery and a surprisingly funny show (mainly once Dale Cooper shows up in the middle third of the show). I think I will spent my week watching the rest of the show (should be easy as I finished Leverage in under two weeks and that was almost three times the length).

New goal (the silver goal, I'm calling it): 52 seasons in 52 weeks.

So far, 42/52 (as of 8/11/2016):
Amazing Stories (S1)
Andy Richter Controls the Universe (S1, S2)
Better Off Ted (S1, S2)
The Birthday Boys (S1,S2)
The Bridge (US) (S1, S2)
Bullet in the Face (S1)
The Critic (S1, S2)
Darkroom (S1)
Dead Set (S1)
Dilbert (S1)
Fallen Angels (S2)
Fresh Off the Boat (S1)
The Greatest Event in Television History (S1)
Gun (S1)
Hannibal (S1, S2, S3)
Infomercials (S1, S2)
Lady Dynamite (S1)
Leverage (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5)
Marcella (S1)
A Nero Wolfe Mystery (S1, S2)
Perversions of Science (S1)
Pushing Daisies (S1, S2)
Tales from the Crypt (S7)
Twin Peaks (S1, S2)
W/Bob & David (S1)
Woke Up Dead (S1)
Wonderfalls (S1)

Recently watched:

Twin Peaks: Season 1. I love how the whole season feels like a long movie, like a seven-hour version of Blue Velvet. I was surprised at how much humor the show features in addition to be a compelling mystery series. I'd read Season 2 is a mixed bag but that's only a matter of opinion, right?

Edit: finished Season 2. I really don't get why people hated this season so much. Personally, I thought it was just as good as Season 1. In my opinion, I think why this season wasn't as well-received is that ABC kept shuffling the series around and putting it on hiatus every few months (the final episode aired a month after most shows were finishing up). This is the kind of show that needs to be seen in order with every episode close together, seeing how it's more or less a 32 hour (that includes commercials) movie.

Can't wait for Season 3, even though I don't get Showtime.

Also started...

A Nero Wolfe Mystery - while watching the second-to-last episode of Twin Peaks, my Internet crapped out and took some hours to get straightened out. To kill time, I went through my library items and watched the first two episodes of this A&E (pre-channel drift) series starring Timothy Hutton (as Archie Goodwin, Wolfe's sidekick as well as the narrator) and Maury Chaykin (as the titular detective). If you like mystery shows, this one should satisfy with its mix of suspense and humor and the 1950's New York setting. Strangely, the pilot is on Disc 8 rather than Disc 1. For the life of me, I can't figure that out.

Edit: finished Season 1. Though 11 episodes long (minus The Golden Spiders pilot), it's really six double-length episodes, five split into two parts (in Europe, the entire first season was aired as two hour episodes). Another interesting thing I noticed is that the show has a company of actors rather than having actors appear in guest spots, with only a few actors (mainly Hutton, Chaykin, Bill Smitrovich, and Saul Rubinek) playing the same characters every time. Surprisingly, it works really well as it adds to the retro (as well as episodic) feel of the series. I've also got Season 2 on me (that's around 15 episodes covering 12 stories) so I plan to tear through that soon.

Edit: finished the series. Season 2 improved on Season 1 by putting less emphasis on two part episodes (though those were still the best of the season) and mostly featuring self-contained stories. Though a few did suffer from the heavy edits A&E imposed (the European versions of several episodes ran a half-hour longer), it's not enough of a drawback to hurt the series as a whole. Too bad we didn't get the Season 3 the stars wanted.

Now I'm in a show hole (as Malcolm McDowell calls it in those Amazon Prime ads) but having Season 1 of The Bridge (US version) checked out until next Thursday should remedy that.

Edit: watched the first three episodes of The Bridge. It's funny that this show debuted the same year as Hannibal as Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger's character) is more or less a female, Southwestern version of Will Graham, a by the book authoritative figure who has difficulties acting with others and could be hiding something (but truthfully has a mental disorder that few around them really understand). But anyway, it's a really interesting (and daring, considering that FX aired it) show so far and Kruger and Demian Bichir give really strong performances. It's also amusing to see Ted Levine in a non-villain role as Sonya's boss.

Edit: finished Season 1. It's interesting how the open format was done on this series, as some episodes don't even run 40 minutes (however, one of those short episodes, directed by John Dahl, is one of the season's best). Anyway, things get really interesting and even though one of the main plots gets wrapped up with two episodes left, there is enough set up to get one interested in Season 2. Hopefully Season 2 doesn't fall into a "too many loose ends" situation (it was canceled at the end of that season due to low ratings).

Edit: finished the series. Season 2 manages to improve on Season 1 by going further into the story and adding new subplots. Franka Potente joins the cast and manages to be probably be one of the craziest villains in recent television memory. And luckily, the finale tied up all the loose ends. I'm not sure how a Season 3 would have worked (though I saw that the original did get a third season last year).

Gun - an anthology series Robert Altman produced with the only connection being the titular gun. Lasting only six episodes, the series has an interesting mix of drama, thriller, and comedy and feels kind of like a 90's version of Fallen Angels in a way. I'm not sure if the show could have gone for much longer than the initial six (and U2's dreadful cover of Happiness is a Warm Gun would have gotten tiresome after a while).

[numbersix]

Anybody watching Stranger Things? On episode 3 now, it's intriguing and different enough for me to continue but I"m having a hard time really getting into it.

Started watching it. It's fun but I hope it's more than a guess-the-80s-reference show.

[numbersix]

Finished a few shows recently...

A lot of Tim and Eric ancillary stuff, such as Check it Out with Steve Brule (John C Reilly), On Cinema at the Cinema, and Decker Unclassified. All great, intentionally bad stuff.

Finally got into Peaky Blinders, having watched seasons 1 and 2. A really strong show. Violent, unexpected plotting, great acting. Not perfect, but engaging as hell.

And then Stranger Things. It was certainly addictive, like most of the sweets I consumed during that decade. It created an atmospheric world with interesting characters. It was VERY referential, from ET to Stephen King's work, John Carpenter, Alien, etc. Lots of problems with plot and characters but overall enjoyable.

Now I have to decide what to watch next. Maybe Season 2 of Mr Robot, or Orange is the New Black.

[transformers2]

Season 2 of Mr. Robot has been brilliant so far. Rami Malek's acting is even better than last season and the main narratives are batshit insane.

[numbersix]

Sold! Gonna check it out.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

Was gonna start Stranger Things, but I have little interest in 80s nostalgia, so unless the actual story is strong, I'm passing.

I really need to start Mr. Robot, although I had the 1st season finale surprise spoiled for me awhile ago.

[Buscemi]

While impatiently waiting for the return of Twin Peaks (that's why I keep posting lines from Twin Peaks on Facebook), I decided to give the latest Netflix sensation a shot. And I really don't get why people are calling Stranger Things so good. It's nothing more than Super 8 made for the crowd who can't stop calling the 80's the best decade ever (and I bet the 80's nostalgia is really the only reason why this went to series). The characters (with the exception of Winona Ryder and David Harbour) are annoying cliches, the script and direction are typically what to expect when sibling teams not named The Coen Brothers are in charge, and if you didn't grow up in the 80's, you just don't care.

This should have been a film, not another overhyped Netflix series. Had it been on a network, we would have panned it the same way we did Wayward Pines (the last major attempt at a Twin Peaks-like mystery series).

Edit: this morning, I found something better: an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 from the KTMA days. I watched the City on Fire episode as I saw that the non-MST'ed version is getting a Blu-ray release (via Scorpion Releasing) and I decided to watch the episode to see if the film is worth it without Joel and the Bots. It's not. But the commentary definitely has some great moments. It's not peak MST3K (such as the Manos and Mitchell episodes) but it's still a good 100 minutes.

I then followed it up with the Bride of the Monster and Final Justice episodes. Bride of the Monster features Hired! Part 1, one of the most hysterical moments in MST3K history (Part 2 appears in the Manos episode) while Final Justice continues the tradition of just having a field day with Joe Don Baker. Final Justice isn't as good as the Mitchell episode though it has plenty of fun moments (especially since they used a TV print with silent bleeps).

[Buscemi]

52 seasons update: 46/52 (as of 10/7/2016):
Amazing Stories (S1)
Andy Richter Controls the Universe (S1, S2)
Better Off Ted (S1, S2)
The Birthday Boys (S1,S2)
The Bridge (US) (S1, S2)
Bullet in the Face (S1)
The Critic (S1, S2)
Darkroom (S1)
Dead Set (S1)
Dilbert (S1)
Ellery Queen (S1)
Fallen Angels (S2)
Fresh Off the Boat (S1)
The Greatest Event in Television History (S1)
Gun (S1)
Hannibal (S1, S2, S3)
Infomercials (S1, S2)
Lady Dynamite (S1)
Leverage (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5)
Marcella (S1)
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (S1, S7)
A Nero Wolfe Mystery (S1, S2)
Perversions of Science (S1)
Pushing Daisies (S1, S2)
Tales from the Crypt (S7)
Twin Peaks (S1, S2)
W/Bob & David (S1)
Woke Up Dead (S1)
Wonderfalls (S1)

During my journey of watching every Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode (the national run, of course, though I will try to get through some of the KTMA episodes), I finished one of the two seasons that I hadn't seen an episode from until this year. Season 7 had just six episodes (due to the filming of the theatrically released movie version) but it didn't lose a step. The Turkey Day version (only aired once but YouTube has the episode) of Night of the Blood Beast was fun while Escape 2000 (actually Escape from the Bronx) and Laserblast are among some of the funnier episodes from the Comedy Central run (Laserblast is also an important episode for plot purposes, as it's Clayton's final episode and reveals Pearl as the main villain for the Sci-Fi Channel run.

Also, I've started Ellery Queen, which originated as a part of The NBC Mystery Movie (cue flashlights) before becoming its own short-lived series. Jim Hutton (Timothy's dad) is a likeable presence as who Nate Ford would say is the world's greatest detective. And while watching, you can see how the series influenced Timothy's series A Nero Wolfe Mystery (period New York setting, small constant cast of characters, each episode being a new case) and Leverage (Ellery Queen and Nate Ford has similar quirks and interests). Also unique about the series is that it's one of the earliest series to break the fourth wall and invite the viewer to join in on the case. I've watched the first four episodes and will try to get through the rest of the series before next Friday (that's when it's due at the library).

[Buscemi]

I'm almost finished with the original 1989-1999 run of Mystery Science Theater 3000 run. I'd watch the two I have left but one of them (The Leech Woman) isn't even online due to Universal striking a copyright claim (obviously they don't support the need to "keep circulating the tapes") so I've had to put that episode on hold at the library (but annoyingly, the person who checked that one out has it overdue). The other episode I still haven't watched is The She-Creature (I was going to last night but watched Riding with Death instead).

My recap of the 174 I've watched:

Best season: Season 4
Weakest season: Season 1
Best Joel episode: Manos: The Hands of Fate/Mitchell (tie)
Best Mike episode: The Final Sacrifice
Actually good movies that were riffed: Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, Marooned, The Magic Sword, Hercules, The Painted Hills, Teenage Crime Wave, Village of the Giants, Girls Town, Kitten with a Whip, The Sword and the Dragon, The Brute Man, Revenge of the Creature, Gorgo, Danger: Diabolik (and of course, This Island Earth from the movie)
Most underrated episode: Attack of the The Eye Creatures (Joel), The Deadly Mantis (Mike)
Most unwatchable movie riffed: Fire Maidens of Outer Space
Crow or Servo: Crow
Joel or Mike: Joel

[Buscemi]

While waiting for the MSTied Leech Woman to arrive, I started the short-lived 1982 teen sitcom Square Pegs. In a way, it's kind of an early version of Freaks and Geeks (seeing both focused on the unpopular crowd and were from former SNL writers). Though Freaks and Geeks is a much superior show (since that didn't have a laugh track and fleshed itself out by being an hour long), Square Pegs has a charm that a lot of 80's shows lacked (it also reminds me of Happy Days before Ron Howard left). You can also see that Degrassi Junior High/Degrassi High kind of borrowed some elements from the show.

I'm seven episodes in and have 13 (this includes a two-part episode that was edited into one for the DVD set) left. And I read Bill Murray's in one of the last episodes so that should be fun.

Edit: finished the series. The show gets awfully cruel in the middle third but towards the end, the show really begins to find its footing (most notably a three episode stretch involving one of the characters developing a crush on a hunky janitor, the fight to save a popular teacher on the hot seat due to being an unmarried father, and the Bill Murray episode). Annoyingly, the show does end on a cliffhanger (though there is an amusing callback to the pilot involving the New Wave-obsessed character's friends in the city), suggesting they had some good ideas for Season 2 (I bet they would have abandoned the "quest for popularity" plot that became cliche a few years later and introduced more "square pegs" into the series to promote a "nerdy and proud of it" theme).

[Ron Burgundy]

im due to watch stranger things soon. heard good things.

also. anyone watched westworld? interesting premise. like a sci fi western. Jonathan Nolan attached....