Appointment Television

Latest Episodes:

Episode 067: Gilmore Girls, A Year in the Life Dec 08, 2016

Show notes

This week, we'll lead you into an all-out, no-holds-barred discussion of Netflix's Gilmore Girls revival. Will you follow? Anywhere that we tell you to?

The short version is that Rory is a monster, Lorelai is Lorelai, and Kelly Bishop is a national treasure.

Episode 066: Abortion on TV and Cranford TV Book Club Part 1 Dec 01, 2016

Show notes

For the first segment this week, we look at two recent depictions of abortion on television on Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Although we think they're both important, we talk about the differences in those stories and the few things we wish one show had done differently. As a part of this conversation, we touch on why it's so vital for TV to tell these kinds of stories, and we also discover that Margaret's not entirely sure about the pronunciation of the word "gallant."

Our second segment is the kick-off for our newest TV Book Club - the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford. Margaret and Kathryn are already way in the tank for this show, but we do our best to restrain ourselves in the discussion of the miniseries' first episode. Andrew still has some reservations, which he expresses partly through fanfiction.

Episode 065: Why TV and TV criticism still matter, and comfort shows Nov 24, 2016

Show notes

In light of our feelings about the 2016 US presidential election, we work through some of our feelings and have a conversation about how notionally "frivolous" TV and TV criticism are still important, and how they will continue to be important going forward.

Then, we go into some comfort TV shows that you can use to make yourself feel just a little better if you're feeling as bad as we are. And also: dick jokes??!

Episode 064: Debating the best TV homes Nov 17, 2016

Show notes

As a break between TV book clubs, we turn to a broader topic this week - houses and apartments on TV. We kick things off with a TV vs TV debate between Andrew and Kathryn over the best, most memorable TV house. As per usual, Margaret is forced to make a somewhat arbitrary but ultimately binding decision. There are no take-backs in TV vs TV court.

After the debate, we turn to a bigger discussion of the role of houses on TV. What makes a good one? What makes a TV home distracting? Which is better, Joey and Chandler's apartment, or Monica and Rachel's? Is there a difference between three-cam sitcom houses, and single-cam ones? What about dramas versus comedies?

Episode 063: Making the next great TV show and Veep S01E06-08 Nov 10, 2016

Show notes

This week we kick things off by making three of the next great TV shows using a fun tool of the same name from The Ringer. Then, we wrap up our TV Book Club segment on Veep, something that seemed a lot more fun before we had to confront our present political reality.

Speaking of that, this episode was recorded in mid-October when this devastating loss seemed all but impossible. We make jokes to that effect toward the end of the show. They're hard to listen to now, but we're leaving them in on the off chance that it helps any of you remember what it was like to feel normal.

Episode 062: Fleabag, and Ben and Lauren, Happily Never After Nov 03, 2016

Show notes

For the final installment of our fall Good TV/Bad TV series, we first look at the British show Fleabag, which is now available for streaming on Amazon. Andrew and Margaret have seen all of the short series, and discuss its unusual protagonist, the show's uncanny ability to find emotional depth in minor characters, and the pleasure of identifying yourself inside deeply unappealing characters.

We then turn to different but even less appealing characters for Kathryn's Bad TV selection, the ostensibly real people of Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?. Unfortunately for Andrew, Kathryn and Margaret are too delighted with how terrible this show is to truly commiserate with his misery at being forced to watch it. Still, everyone agrees that it is remarkably terrible television.

Episode 061: ABC's Speechless and Veep S01E03-05 Oct 27, 2016

Show notes

This week we open with a chat about the first couple episodes of ABC's Speechless, a zany family sitcom in which one family member has cerebral palsy. It's satisfyingly progressive and fresh in a lot of ways (and it's oddly regressive in a couple of others).

We then move on to the next batch of Veep episodes - our appetite for lusty cussing is as healthy as ever, don't even worry about it, but it's not like the show is COMPLETELY perfect.

Episode 060: Designated Survivor and Abominable MacGyver Oct 20, 2016

Show notes

We return to our fall Good TV/Bad TV series, this week with a look at the not-quite-a-24-reboot Designated Survivor and the not-quite-a-functional-TV-show, CBS's new MacGyver reboot. We talk about Designated Survivor's useful role as a silly security romp, its Obama-era politics, and the importance of acting with and without glasses. We then talk about the pilot Andrew's chosen to inflict on us all, the first episode of the new MacGyver. Spoiler: we are not fans.

Episode 059: Politics on TV and Veep S01E01-02 Oct 13, 2016

Show notes

We're all about politics this week, both real and fictional. After some chatter about televised debates, we talk about some of our favorite totally-political-but-not-about-politics TV shows. Then, we kick off our newest TV Book Club segment on the first two episodes of the first season of HBO's Veep.

Episode 058: The Good Place and the other place Oct 06, 2016

Show notes

In our continuing coverage of new TV series for fall 2016, we take a closer look at one promising new series, and begin our tour of the three terrible shows that we've selected to force each other to watch. For our promising show, we talk about the first few episodes of NBC's new comedy The Good Place. We take apart the things we like, the things we'd like to see improve, and speculate about the kinds of obstacles The Good Place might face in the future.

Our first Bad TV Choice was selected by Margaret, who's elected to force Kathryn and Andrew to watch the pilot of a new CBS legal procedural, Bull. As anticipated, it is terrible. Much yelling ensues.

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