Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on

Roommate wants me to watch Rick and Morty. Thoughts?

Love Rick and Morty. Rick doesnt care what others think of him so he says what he wants. The alien worlds are interesting. Start with Pickle Rick.

Noooo. Just start at the beginning.

Rick and Morty is hilarious but often in a viciously sardonic or pretty gratuitous way. It’s over the top and also can be kinda dark. You have to be tolerant of that sort of thing. Give the first couple of episodes a try, they’re short.

It’s an amazing show, imho. That said, I’d suggest watching at least the first 5 or so episodes. The pilot is actually definitely one of the weaker episodes, and also leans WAY heavier into the Rick-is-an-alcoholic-and-takes-forever-to-say-anything-because-of-how-alchoholic side of things, which they (thankfully) dialed back almost instantly. The best thing about the show (imho) is the creativity, and the willingness to go in all sorts of different interesting directions – and you don’t really get that just from the first episode.

(And don’t be put off by the rabidness of the fan base… it’s an A show whose fans think it’s an A++++).

I agree but I think the second, Lawnmower Dog, gets you a lot closer to the show’s regular vibe.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures. I started watching it to connect with my students, and now that the year is over I just kind of fell away from it.

I agree with all of this, especially the last sentence and I say that as a member of the A++++ fan base.

First five episodes kind of lay the foundation, and aren’t the genius quite yet. It’s not until episode six that the show starts showing it’s heart (the ending) and you realise all things are possible. It lets loose after that.

But I’d certainly not skip them.

Personally I’ve never particularly cared for the Pickle Rick episode mentioned elsewhere, but it certainly is absolutely no starting point for R&M. It’s just one people seem to love for some reason.

Some episodes well, they appear to be improvised dialogue, as if Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland sat down and got drunk and recorded the episode while riffing. I grin and bear it through these, though they occasionally do reveal a few gems of jokes even inside episodes which aren’t that great.

Overall a great show and definitely worth your time.

One note is that it appears to have a toxic fandom. Things have got strange a few times with Rick and Morty fans, with hundreds of them in Macdonalds around the US to get something mentioned in one episode as a throwaway line. Some think that watching the show makes them clever. Or have issues with the female writers. This isn’t the shows fault though…

Yeah, that’s the episode I was thinking of (“Rick Potion #9”). That ending messed with my head, but in a good way. Definitely watch the first six in order, and at that point you will have decided whether you want to continue or not.

I loved the dog episode. “We’re not them.”

I tried to watch “1883” on Paramount, but just couldn’t get into it. I like Sam Elliot, but this just isn’t working.

I watched one episode and something about the animation style just put me off, but ya’ll have convinced me to give it another shot.

Some years back, I was home sick for a few days, and I binged on 30 Rock. I seem to recall that I enjoyed it, so I recently started watching it again. I know I watched the entire series way back then, but honest to goodness, I hardly remember any of it, so it’s like seeing it for the first time! I’m enjoying it.

Watched the spin-off, The Mayans., as much as has been released on Hulu, anyway. If you liked SOA, you might like it. Not in my top tier of television drama but entertaining if you like that kind of stuff.

I tried to watch “1883” on Paramount, but just couldn’t get into it. I like Sam Elliot, but this just isn’t working.

It didn’t work for us. The constant sexualization of the young woman (I don’t recall names, she’s a pretty blonde) annoyed us and frankly, Sam Elliot lost something for us since “The Hero.” I think 2 episodes was it for us…

Liking it so far, Dark Winds. They’re taking some liberties with the book series, but we’re liking it anyway.

I lived in Albuquerque from 1990-91, and that was where Tony Hillerman lived too. They were quite proud of him there. You got off the plane at Albuquerque airport to be met by a wall of his books for sale. You’d walk into any cafe or coffee shop there or even up in Santa Fe, and it was not unusual to see many of the customers sitting there reading a Tony Hillerman novel. I remember a newspaper interview where he said if he was just lounging around on the couch, his wife could never be sure if he was loafing or thinking up story lines, so she left him alone just in case. It improved his nap times immensely.

Big fan of Zahn McClarnon since his role in Fargo.

The very opening scene has her lying on the ground and I couldn’t help noticing that she was wearing a gold charm bracelet. Were those actually a thing in 1883, or was that an anachronistic screw-up?

Yeah, we’re liking it, too. I haven’t been to Albuquerque since the old airport, where I once had a 3-hour layover. It was the coolest place!

I read a ton of the Hillerman books but it was decades ago, so the stories are mostly fresh for me now. The one good thing about an aging brain.

I was curious so I googled. Queen Victoria started a fad for wearing them among other nobles, so it’s not anachronistic. Just maybe not something a girl of her class would have had.