Appointment Television

Latest Episodes:

Episode 047: Checking in with animated TV, and Orange is the New Black Season Four Jul 21, 2016

Show notes

After a bumper crop of responses to our segment on animated TV shows, we talk about some of the comments we received. We highlight a few listener suggestions for other animated shows to check out.

Our big segment this week is a spoiler-filled discussion of Orange is the New Black's fourth season. We talk about some of the controversies surrounding the last handful of episodes, about the difficulty of negotiating OITNB's interest in the Black Lives Matter movement, about TV's troublesome Bury Your Gays trope, and about whether we think the season works as a whole. To no one's surprise, Piper is still a huge bummer.

Episode 046: Nielsen ratings, OITNB, and when TV eats its own tail Jul 14, 2016

Show notes

Nielsen ratings—the things we use to determine how many people watched a given TV show, not reviews of TV shows by families named Nielsen—are still widely used and Netflix just gave us a rare peek at its ratings for the season four premiere of Orange is the New Black, but how useful are they, really? Then, using OITNB as a springboard, the gang talks about how characters on TV (and TV shows themselves) use references to movies, music, books, and other TV shows. When is it useful character development? When is it lazy writing? When is it just played for laughs? And what current TV shows would your favorite Star Trek characters be REALLY into?

Episode 045: Animated TV shows, plus TV dealmakers and dealbreakers Jul 07, 2016

Show notes

For our first segment this week, we talk about half-hour animated TV shows, and why we don't spend much time talking about them. Andrew, with some assists from Margaret, tries to explain to Kathryn why animated TV shows are worthy watches, particularly shows like Bob's Burgers, Home Movies, Clone High and Venture Brothers.

In light of Kathryn's animated TV reticence, we turn to a consideration of our TV dealmakers and dealbreakers. What things about a TV show will make us tune in, regardless of any other aspect of its production? (For Margaret, is it a costume drama? Then yeah, she's there.) What things about a TV show will make us tune out and never look back? Andrew lets loose some Joss Whedon feelings.

Episode 044: Juice Patrol, The Mayonnaise Incident, and Great British Bake-Off S01E08-10 Jun 30, 2016

Show notes

In this week's show, things start innocently enough. Kathryn and Margaret talk about ESPN's O.J.: Made in America, which is a documentary that we talk about as a companion piece to the fictionalized American Crime Story about O.J. Simpson that wrapped up earlier this year.

Then, the gang moves on to the final stretch of The Great British Bake-Off, where things rapidly become surprisingly sexual. You've been warned.

Episode 043: Looking forward to summer TV, and what is the deal with recaps Jun 23, 2016

Show notes

Summer is upon us, and we talk about some of the summer programming we're most looking forward to watching. Margaret's interested in the new Baz Luhrman show The Get Down, Andrew's thinking about catching up with Mr Robot, and we all wonder why TBS won't let us watch Playing House in some easily accessible streaming place.

Our main discussion this week is about the secondary television market - recaps, post-show discussions, series-specific podcasts, and all forms of immediate TV criticism. We talk about what works and what doesn't, why we like TV criticism, and what kinds of recaps we seek out. Margaret and Kathryn are wistful about the late, lamented Television Without Pity, and Andrew tells us how TV recaps are like a tree.

Episode 042: The Americans Season 4 was excellent, and also Great British Bake-Off S01E05-07 Jun 16, 2016

Show notes

We revisit several old stomping grounds this week—first it's back to Nashville, which hadn't been revived when we recorded this but has been as we write this. Then, we gush a bit about the latest season of The Americans, which we covered in our last TV Book Club. And finally it's on to our current TV Book Club, the still-charming, pastry-filled world of the Great British Bake-Off.

Episode 41: Spring cancellation bloodbath and TV trailer mockery Jun 09, 2016

Show notes

It's spring, the time when a young man's fancy turns to cancelling television shows that have been underperforming for quite a while, but which had survived until now because no one really understands the current TV paradigm. We run through several of the recent TV cancellations, and discuss whether or not they'll really be missed. After chiding Margaret for being part of the Agent Carter problem, we move on to a discussion of trailers for new network TV series in the fall. Spoiler: some of them are very, very bad.

Episode 040: Vulture's UnREAL panel and Great British Bake-Off S01E02-04 Jun 02, 2016

Show notes

Kathryn and Margaret attended Vulture's panel on season two of UnREAL, which arrives this month. Then we move on to the next part of our TV Book Club segment on The Great British Bake-Off (or "The Great British Baking Show" to Americans). We are, for better or worse, not quite as nice as the people on the show.

Episode 039: CBS's Star Trek Streaming Problem, and Procedural TV vs TV Madness May 26, 2016

Show notes

CBS is suggesting that the only way to access its new Star Trek series will be through its streaming service, and we talk about why that seems like a terrible idea. At some point, we'll no longer be willing to sign up for new streaming services whenever they debut, and CBS All Access might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

We then turn to the main task of the day - another TV vs TV lightning round, this time on the topic of procedurals. We pass around the judge's wig to consider such questions as: which is the best procedural premise? Who's the best side character? Do will-they-won't-theys make procedurals better or worse? And thanks to Andrew and Kathryn's deep knowledge of a particular series, TV v TV becomes a Bones-a-palooza.

Episode 038 - Reality tropes and Great British Bake-Off S01E01 May 19, 2016

Show notes

The gang kicks this week's show off by talking about their favorite reality show tropes—when the shows start making your root for or against certain characters, when people are or aren't there to make friends, and when you know in your bones that someone is about to be sent home.

They then move over to the first episode of the only (easily, legally available in the US) season of The Great British Bake-Off, listed on Netflix as "The Great British Baking Show" even though we refuse to refer to it by its legally mandated name. Needless to say, we are completely done in by its charm, even if some of the contestants give us the weirds.

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