# We need a new show to watch, and apparently we're way too picky **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [January 11, 2022, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590 "2022-01-11T15:31:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/141 "2022-05-16T12:50:20Z")
> [@batsto](#): > > My mistake, apologies. Not sure how I got that idea, other than ‘Ted’ is in the name. I similarly thought he was in it, and had to go look. I reckon it was critically well received shows cancelled early from around 2009, the one with Ted Danson in it was Bored to Death, so Death/Dead/Ted and similar type of show from the period. I might consider looking at Better off Ted now… Jason Swartzman (to make it clear, from Bored to Death with Ted Danson, which I confused this with) immediately makes me not want to watch anything. Not sure why, I’ve not hated anything he’s been in. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/142 "2022-05-16T18:54:00Z")
Better Off Ted is fantastic. If I were an algorithm, I would recommend it to anyone who ‘Liked’ either Arrested Development or Community or both. Ted is a middle manager in an unabashedly evil empire corporation, but Ted and most of the people under him are just trying to go along to get along. Except his boss, of course, who really embraces the evil. She’s played by Portia de Rossi, so it’s hard not to make Arrested Development comparisons. No laugh tracks, single camera, but unfortunately Ted does address the camera directly. That was a popular device back then. Only two seasons, and I don’t think there’s a single accent in the entire show. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/143 "2022-05-16T19:31:46Z")
It’s on my list, we may check it out tonight, assuming it’s available to stream somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/144 "2022-05-16T19:42:09Z")
Google says Hulu. I may have to rewatch it myself. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/145 "2022-05-16T20:47:17Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > > [@batsto](#): > > > > We may get to the Good Place–but Mr. Mayor left such a bad taste in our mouth, I doubt the wife is going to give Ted Danson another chance for a while. > > Make it your most sacred mission in life to convince her otherwise. The Good Place is one of the best shows of the last decade, if not more. Agreed… though in reading the OP, it may be too relationship heavy in S2+. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/146 "2022-05-16T20:55:49Z")
I admire your commitment to your relationship. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/147 "2023-07-13T14:38:37Z")
Been a while since I revisited this thread I started last year…but I thought I’d report back and see if anyone has any new suggestions. Finished Corner Gas, which was excellent. We did watch Ted Lasso. It was OK, I think the wife liked it better than I did, though a few of the character’s accents were hard to get through. We’ve also watched all of Welcome to Flatch, which we loved, as well as Mythic Quest and the After Party and loved both of those. We also watched all of The Other Two on Max, a show apparently no one else has ever heard of. Seasons 1 and 2 were way better than the the last season that just came out. Also watched Party Down and enjoyed it…but we’re back to where we were a year ago, so I dug out the list I put together. Going to try The Good Place next I think. Unless something has come out in the last year anyone has to suggest that I may have missed? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/148 "2023-07-13T14:49:34Z")
An executive with the FX network has an annual tally of the total number of original shows, on broadcast, basic cable, premium cable, streaming and so forth. For 2022, his estimate was [599 shows](https://deadline.com/2023/01/peak-tv-599-original-series-in-2022-but-fxs-john-landgraf-predicts-decline-1235220147/), though he thought the number would go down this year. And in fact, with some of the cancellations, there does seem to be belt-tightening going on. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/149 "2023-07-13T14:53:15Z")
> [@batsto](#): > > Unless something has come out in the last year anyone has to suggest that I may have missed? I see Miracle Workers just started a new (fourth) season. Google says it’s available on Max. Dry farce with Daniel Radcliffe, Steve Buscemi and Geraldine Viswanathan. The seasons are completely unrelated; the first is about God (Steve Buscemi) deciding to destroy the world and his angels trying to save it. Second is set in the dark ages, third in the wild west, and now this fourth season appears to be a Mad Max type setting. ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/150 "2023-07-13T15:17:20Z")
I remember seeing the trailer for Miracle Workers when it came out and forgot all about it…adding this to the list. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2023, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/151 "2023-07-13T16:56:32Z")
> [@batsto](#): > > So given all that—what’s left for us to watch? The best show I’ve watched recently is _Succession_. It has everything: drama, humor, intrigue, betrayal, family, power. The characters are so deliciously awful, but also so human and vulnerable. Tom and Greg are hilarious, and Roman is savage with his acid-dripping tongue. It’s right up there with Breaking Bad, which is a masterpiece of television. Oh, and Succession’s music score by Nicholas Britell is the finest I’ve ever heard on television. Chopin at his most somber. _The Orville_ was also a pleasant surprise for me. I thought it would be just a spoof of Star Trek (which would have been OK), but it turned out to be a smart and fun sci-fi show with some serious themes. I was expecting a straight-up comedy in the vein of Seth MacFarlane (who I think is quite funny), but was pleasantly surprised that the sci-fi was (mostly) high caliber. A great balance of drama and comedy. It’s better than the original Star Trek in many ways. I’m crossing my fingers for season 4! Apparently, MacFarlane wants to continue, but it has yet to be green-lit the last time I checked. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/152 "2023-07-14T21:54:03Z")
> [@batsto](#): > > We also watched all of The Other Two on Max, a show apparently no one else has ever heard of. Seasons 1 and 2 were way better than the the last season that just came out. Interesting. I actually thought season 3 was by FAR the best. But quite an entertaining show in any case. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/153 "2023-07-14T22:00:52Z")
I agree; I really liked the last season of The Other Two. (Ironically, though, for a show in part about the excesses and abuses of the entertainment business, [the show was cancelled after the third season](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-other-two-canceled-at-max-1235525619/), because of abusive behavior by the show’s creators.) ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2023, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/154 "2023-07-15T00:04:52Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Oh, and Succession’s music score by Nicholas Britell is the finest I’ve ever heard on television. Chopin at his most somber. Succession is the only show lately where I never, ever skip the intro. I love the theme and the soundtrack- so addicting. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2023, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/155 "2023-07-15T00:29:19Z")
> [@LVBoPeep](#): > > Succession is the only show lately where I never, ever skip the intro. Same here! ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590/156 "2023-07-15T01:47:28Z")
> [@LVBoPeep](#): > > Succession is the only show lately where I never, ever skip the intro. I love the theme and the soundtrack- so addicting. Succession’s theme music is excellent, but I don’t find the intro all that compelling. [The Peacemaker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mrr3UNALww), on the other hand… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-need-a-new-show-to-watch-and-apparently-were-way-too-picky/957590.md?page=7)