Appointment Television

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Episode 077: Gay blasts from the past and Fargo S01E05-07 Feb 16, 2017

Show notes

This week, upcoming remakes of both Will and Grace and Queen Eye For The Straight Guy show us that just because you CAN reboot something doesn't necessarily mean that you SHOULD. Then, we revisit the frigid, murderous Midwest for another installment of our TV Book Club segment on season one of FX's Fargo.

Episode 076: We don't care about The Young Pope, and Fargo TV book club Part 2 Feb 09, 2017

Show notes

After mentioning HBO's The Young Pope in our episode on notable new TV for winter 2017, we return to discuss the depths and breadths of Andrew's distaste for it. Kathryn attempts to provide some cinematic context for the show; some singing is involved. We then pick up with the second installment in our Fargo book club, discussing episodes two through four. Topics include viscera, the purpose of viscera, pure evil vs pure goodness, and locusts.

Episode 075: Vice President of Our Hearts and This Is Us (w/ Christina Grace) Feb 02, 2017

Show notes

On this week's show we're joined by Christina Grace of the Unfriendly Black Hotties podcast (@theblackhotties on Twitter) to talk about ex-Vice President Joe Biden's odd turn on SVU earlier this season; it doesn't really make any sense but it's also a reminder of a less bleak time. We also dig way into the surprisingly effective schmaltziness of This Is Us.

Episode 074: Fargo TV book club part one and why no one is ever cold on TV Jan 26, 2017

Show notes

Have you ever noticed that people are rarely cold on TV? We did! Well, some of us did, and Andrew has some (reasonable) questions about whether that's even an interesting thing to notice, much less talk about. Regardless, talk about it we do.

We then move onto the inspiration for our cold TV thoughts, the first part of our book club on the FX show Fargo. This week we look at the pilot, and talk about the differences between it and the Coen brothers' film, representations of evil in naturalism, and what it sounds like when you fake an orgasm with a Minnesotan accent.

Episode 073: Whether to watch the Inauguration and One Day at a Time Jan 19, 2017

Show notes

Inauguration Day looms, so we've devoted a good chunk of this episode to discussing whether you should watch Donald Trump on Friday. It's a spirited discussion, but not a bad one.

We then move to a lighter subject: namely, Netflix's modernized-yet-anachronistic reboot of Norman Lear's One Day at a Time.

Episode 072: Mapping American TV and Previewing New Shows for 2017 Jan 12, 2017

Show notes

A few weeks ago the New York Times published fascinating maps of American TV fandom, and ATV is ON IT. We look at the Upshot's maps of where different TV shows are popular, and talk a little about diversified viewing, why people like American Dad or Family Guy but not both, and what shows people watch in Colorado.

Afterwards we look at shows we're thinking about for 2017, including One Day at a Time, The Young Pope, and The Handmaid's Tale. Andrew, to some podcasters' regret, makes some Borat jokes.

Episode 071: Hygge detectives and returning TV in 2017 Jan 05, 2017

Show notes

We kick off our first show of 2017 by talking about "hygge," the Danish concept recently popularized by New York Times thinkpieces but originally popularized by Margaret's newsletter Two Bossy Dames. Kathryn has an extremely exacting definition of hygge that may or may not wreck it for Andrew and Margaret.

Then, we check in with some of the shows that will be returning in 2017, both those that we examined as part of our fall TV preview and some older favorites with winter and spring premiere dates.

Episode 070: Christmas Special Roundup and Cranford TV Book Club Part 3 Dec 29, 2016

Show notes

In a not-quite-timely seasonal episode, we talk about our favorite Christmas specials and Andrew and Margaret get into a fight about fictional snowmen. Andrew speaks up for the Rankin and Bass classics, and Kathryn hearkens back to a lost Angela Lansbury treasure.

For our final installment of the Cranford TV Book Club, things with Dr Hotbutt get quite complicated, and we talk about the importance of muslin with a fine, close weave.

Episode 069: Shows we missed in 2016 and TV programming in the age of Trump Dec 22, 2016

Show notes

As this truly questionable year winds down, the crew talks about the TV shows that they missed the first time around that they'd like to sit down and catch up on during the holiday break.

Then, we talk about some quotes from the head of ABC's entertainment division. Art so often reflects the age it's made in, and as we go forward we'll see TV respond to the reality of Donald Trump's election in both potentially good and potentially disappointing ways.

Episode 068: Search Party and Cranford TV Book Club part 2 Dec 15, 2016

Show notes

This week we kick things off with a discussion of the TBS show Search Party and how great it is and how everyone should watch it.

We then move on to the second part in our TV Book Club on Cranford, covering episodes 2 and 3. Cow pajamas and Loch Lomond sing-a-longs are involved.

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