Appointment Television

Latest Episodes:

Episode 057: Donald Glover's Atlanta and fall TV boners Sep 29, 2016

Show notes

This week we take a dive into Donald Glover's Atlanta, a show which is currently running its first season on FX. It's the latest in a vein of odd-yet-deeply-personal comedies, very much in the vein of Louie and Master of None (and you can also see hints of it in shows like FX's Better Things, a Pamela Adlon-Louis CK joint).

From there, we move into fall TV shows that we're excited about—there are some returning champions and some fresh faces. And then each of us picks a pretty-bad-looking fall TV show that we'll be making the others watch and discuss in the coming weeks.

Episode 056: Breadxit, class and TV consumption, and everything is terrible Sep 22, 2016

Show notes

We tackle some tough issues in this week's episode, beginning with a deep mourning for the loss of Mel and Sue from the Great British Bake-Off. We talk about what they mean to that series, the larger upset at the BBC generally, and how tragic it will be if the Bake-Off takes a sharp turn towards the commercial.

Our second segment is in response to a note from a listener, who wrote in to ask about a portion of our live show episode. It's a tricky and important question, and we take some time to try to unpack our relationship with shows like The Bachelor, our "liberal art hazmat suits," and some of the many ways TV inflects issues of class and audience. Kathryn gets a little too mired in current politics, Margaret has a metaphor about buggy whips, and Andrew longs for an alternate universe where rather than the Bachelor, we were all members of a Joe Millionaire Nation.

Episode 055: Bad TV Kids and Stranger Things S01E08 Sep 15, 2016

Show notes

This week it's all about kids, starting with the TV kids who make us roll the eyes and go "ugh, TV kids" the most.

Then we wrap up our Stranger Things edition of TV Book Club, talking about everything we liked and a handful of things we wish had been handled differently. Here's looking forward to season two!

Episode 054: Live from the Philly Podfest 2016, TV bars and the best TV live audiences Sep 08, 2016

Show notes

This week's episode is a recording of our live show at the 2016 Philly Podfest, where we had a fabulous time talking about TV bars inside of Philadelphia's great Tattooed Mom Bar. We unpack the role of bars as "third spaces" on TV. We consider the ways that bars bring together different segments of the population, act as meeting places and entries to civilization, and are good places to watch TV. We talk about our favorite TV bars, and also pick what fictional bar we'd most like to be a real place. For our second topic, we bring in special guest and familiar ATV voice Craig Getting to adjudicate the first ever TV vs TV vs TV. In deference to our live audience, the issue before the TV court is the best variety of live TV audience. Margaret creates a fictional audience member named June to support her argument, Andrew talks about the audience as judges, and Kathryn dispenses trivia about Lucille Ball's mother.

Episode 053: Mystery solving teens and Stranger Things S01E05-07 w/ guest Kate Racculia Sep 01, 2016

Show notes

Our friend Kate Racculia joins us this week to talk about why teens and kids are such good detectives, and to weigh in on all things Stranger. We talk about Veronica Mars, Scooby Doo, and Nancy Drew, and we try desperately to stop Andrew from reading Inspector Gadget fanfic out lout. In the third installment of Stranger Things TV Book Club, we go deep on representation in fiction and The Cult of Barb. Margaret admits her love for Hopper, we all swear unending fealty to Dustin, and Kate helps us keep our Curiosity Doors open.

Episode 052: The Standalone Episode and TV Theme Song Extravaganza Aug 25, 2016

Show notes

The underwater episode of BoJack Horseman prompts our opening discussion this week, but you'll want to STAY TUNED because AFTERWARD we talk about TV theme songs so much that you'll never want to hear another TV theme song again! Or maybe you will, because TV theme songs are wonderful.

Episode 051: TV topics medley, Stranger Things TV Book Club Part 2, and some rocky humor Aug 18, 2016

Show notes

For our first segment, we start out with the intention of discussing the currently airing season of Great British Bake-Off as a follow-up to our previous TV Book Club. We do that, but we also stray through several other topics, including Kathryn's TV hookup and Margaret's TV crushes.

Our second segment is the second installment in the Stranger Things TV Book Club, covering episodes 2-5. While we do eventually get to some deeper discussions about the show's influences, its depiction of gender, and the role of Eleven, we have to dig through some conversational quarries to get there.

Episode 050: Match Game's Charming, High-Functioning Alcoholism, and TV Auteurs Aug 11, 2016

Show notes

On tap for this week: Thorough examination and praise of the boozy antics on ABC's Alec Baldwin-hosted Match Game reboot. Then, a discussion of Auteur TV based on the alleged behind-the-camera turmoil at Netflix's Baz Luhrmann-helmed The Get Down. Also, Margaret is just tipsy enough for it to be funny.

Episode 049: Close-reading the Gilmore Girls teaser and Stranger Things TV book club kick-off Aug 04, 2016

Show notes

For our first segment this week, we pick apart the new teaser for the Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls. Topics include: Amy Schumer's celebrity timeliness, nostalgia, smartphones, teaser editing, and corpse flowers. The bulk of our episode, though, is a look at the first episode of Netflix's Stranger Things, our newest selection for TV Book Club. We talk about its movie influences, its popcorniness, the celebrity persona of Winona Ryder, and Dungeons and Dragons. There is also a moment when Margaret and Kathryn sing Toto, and we'd like to apologize for that.

Episode 048: Bachelorette Blowout! Fantasy League, Meat Chad, and TV vs TV Jul 28, 2016

Show notes

This week is all about our favorite reality show hobby horse, The Bachelor/ette franchise. This is Andrew's first season watching, and the gang talks about the way their Rose Buddies-inspired fantasy league has affected their viewing.

Then we fire up the ol' TV vs TV cannon to settle that age-old debate: which is actually a better show, The Bachelor or The Bachelorette?

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