Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory
I'm lumping these two together because they're both just kinda there. They've had two very different trajectories over their run. Modern Family started out amazing and then gradually went down the tubes. The Big Bang Theory started out pretty bad, got significantly better and peaked in its seventh season, and now is facing the decline phase as it tries to wring whatever plot lines it might have left in this core group of characters. I enjoy these shows, but they're largely forgettable.
Archer
I mentioned during last year's TV review that Archer was getting dangerously close to getting dropped from my rotation if it didn't start getting a lot better. While Season Seven was nothing like its Seasons 1-3 heyday, it at the very least featured a massive rebound from Season Six. The gang's reboot as The Figgis Agency largely worked and we got an interesting season-long plot line that kept things moving. I'm not a fan of the clones/Kriegerbots/whatever, but at the very least that aspect of the show was used to great effect in the finale. Without spoiling anything, I have no idea how they're going to reconcile the Season Seven ending with the fact that Archer has been renewed for another three years.
Catastrophe
This is the first Amazon Prime show I've ever watched and it was a good one. Rob Norris (Rob Delaney), an American, goes on a business trip to London and meets Sharon Morris (Sharon Horgan). The two have an extended fling, but when he goes back home, he gets a call from Sharon (who amusingly pops up as "Sharon London Sex" on his phone during the series' entire run), who reveals that she's pregnant. This is the initial "catastrophe", but many others ensue as Rob moves to London to make it work with Sharon and raise their baby.
The heart of the show is Sharon and Rob's relationship, but the minor characters get a little more to do in the second season. The show has a sharp wit and is often laugh-out-loud funny (Carrie Fisher is awesome as Rob's awful mother). It's only two seasons of six episodes apiece, so it's a relatively quick watch if you're looking for something new to get into.
Suits
Suits somehow is still trucking along through Season Six and has been renewed for Seasons Seven and Eight. I have no idea what they're going to do with it -- they've already exhausted pretty much every plot line that could cause upheaval within Pearson Specter Litt. The firm's been whittled down to just the core six characters and Mike's stuck in prison. I've been pretty invested in Mike's prison plot line and his relationship with his roommate and his prison nemesis, but the rest of it has been pretty "eh". The writing has become piss-poor on this show over the years and they use the word "goddamn" like a crutch.
Louis Litt, the show's best character, has very little to do relevant to the drama and does ridiculous things, like purchase a house just so he can spend time with an interior decorator he has a crush on. Donna's schtick is getting pretty old after six seasons. The whole thing seems so low-leverage to me -- Mike's in prison for two years and everyone else got off scot-free. Isn't that a tremendously positive result given how many rules they've broken? Can't he just wait the two years (assuming Harvey could get Gallo out of there) and call it a win? I don't see why a group of very smart people is willing to risk even greater chunks of their lives to spring Mike from jail, even if he took those years to protect them. I'm probably not going to stop watching Suits because it's fun, brainless, easy to digest, and my wife likes it too, but it's far past its prime.
Louie (Season Five)
Season Five of Louie came out on Netflix this year and it was pretty strong, even if it was short. The season features Louie and Pamela trying to make sense out of their relationship and some interesting experiences that Louie has when traveling for work.
Louie is always a hard show to explain to people who haven't seen it. I guess I'd compare it to a more serious Curb Your Enthusiasm in that Louie explores the ridiculousness of some somewhat mundane situations, but the show digs deeper than Curb's pure goofballery and there's a surreal component to it as well. I'm never over-the-moon enjoying myself while watching the show (Season Four's superlatively excellent "Into the Woods" arc aside), but it's always making you think about the way we interact with the world.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
This is belated, but I finally got around to watching Season 11 (wow, how is that possible already) of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. This is a show that just kinda sits around on our DVR, never at the top of my wife's / my list of things to watch on a given night, and eventually we accumulate the entire season until I just decide to binge it while she's working or reading. It was surprisingly pretty funny even this late into its run. Much of the season is spent nodding and winking to loyal fans of the series over the past ten seasons, but despite that, it's still great television on its own. My personal favorite is one told entirely through Frank's eyes, and we learn just how ol' Danny DeVito struggles to keep up with the gang's shenanigans on a day-to-day basis.
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
This one I'm close to writing off. I fell asleep (literally) during many of the episodes and it just wasn't compelling enough to keep me going now that Kimmy's somewhat removed from being a prisoner. Two of the four primary characters -- Lillian and Jacqueline -- are thoroughly disinteresting, particularly Lillian, whose weird anti-gentrification schtick wears pretty thin and who offers absolutely nothing except attempts at humor through ohmygawd-she's-so-decrepit shock value. Jacqueline is just Jane Krakowski playing essentially the same self-absorbed elitist character she played on 30 Rock. I've seen that movie before. Plus, the show weirdly created a second character for Tina Fey to play. It's her baby, so she can do whatever she wants, but as an audience member, I found her plurality bothersome.
Silicon Valley
This slipped my mind somehow in my original edition of this post. Silicon Valley's sense of humor is as great as that of any show currently on television and Ehrlich Bachman and Bertram Gilfoyle are outstanding comedic characters. Season Three digs further into the somewhat complicated relationship between Richard and Ehrlich as the latter's mistakes continue to wear on their friendship. Richard continues to deal with what's been the central conflict of the entire show -- the difficulties of having control over the destiny of your own idea. I have no idea whether the show accurately portrays the power struggle between the idea men, the business managers, and investors, but it's fascinating to watch. The show has done well to give Richard more of an edge to him as the series has developed. Originally, Richard was pretty shy and humble, but he's attained more confidence from the call of leadership and it's not clear that's made him a stronger person -- in reality, he's kind of an ass sometimes. We're not rooting as hard for Richard to succeed as we did when the show began, but we're just as interested to see if he does.
South Park
I'm only two (good) episodes in, but I can just tell that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are going to hit this one out of the park, just like they did last year.
Other Shows I Hope to Watch Before Year-End
Mr. Robot (Season Two)
You're the Worst (Seasons One through Three)
Top Chef (first half of Season Fourteen)
Ballers (Seasons One & Two)
Louie is always a hard show to explain to people who haven't seen it. I guess I'd compare it to a more serious Curb Your Enthusiasm in that Louie explores the ridiculousness of some somewhat mundane situations, but the show digs deeper than Curb's pure goofballery and there's a surreal component to it as well. I'm never over-the-moon enjoying myself while watching the show (Season Four's superlatively excellent "Into the Woods" arc aside), but it's always making you think about the way we interact with the world.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
This is belated, but I finally got around to watching Season 11 (wow, how is that possible already) of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. This is a show that just kinda sits around on our DVR, never at the top of my wife's / my list of things to watch on a given night, and eventually we accumulate the entire season until I just decide to binge it while she's working or reading. It was surprisingly pretty funny even this late into its run. Much of the season is spent nodding and winking to loyal fans of the series over the past ten seasons, but despite that, it's still great television on its own. My personal favorite is one told entirely through Frank's eyes, and we learn just how ol' Danny DeVito struggles to keep up with the gang's shenanigans on a day-to-day basis.
The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
This one I'm close to writing off. I fell asleep (literally) during many of the episodes and it just wasn't compelling enough to keep me going now that Kimmy's somewhat removed from being a prisoner. Two of the four primary characters -- Lillian and Jacqueline -- are thoroughly disinteresting, particularly Lillian, whose weird anti-gentrification schtick wears pretty thin and who offers absolutely nothing except attempts at humor through ohmygawd-she's-so-decrepit shock value. Jacqueline is just Jane Krakowski playing essentially the same self-absorbed elitist character she played on 30 Rock. I've seen that movie before. Plus, the show weirdly created a second character for Tina Fey to play. It's her baby, so she can do whatever she wants, but as an audience member, I found her plurality bothersome.
Silicon Valley
This slipped my mind somehow in my original edition of this post. Silicon Valley's sense of humor is as great as that of any show currently on television and Ehrlich Bachman and Bertram Gilfoyle are outstanding comedic characters. Season Three digs further into the somewhat complicated relationship between Richard and Ehrlich as the latter's mistakes continue to wear on their friendship. Richard continues to deal with what's been the central conflict of the entire show -- the difficulties of having control over the destiny of your own idea. I have no idea whether the show accurately portrays the power struggle between the idea men, the business managers, and investors, but it's fascinating to watch. The show has done well to give Richard more of an edge to him as the series has developed. Originally, Richard was pretty shy and humble, but he's attained more confidence from the call of leadership and it's not clear that's made him a stronger person -- in reality, he's kind of an ass sometimes. We're not rooting as hard for Richard to succeed as we did when the show began, but we're just as interested to see if he does.
South Park
I'm only two (good) episodes in, but I can just tell that Trey Parker and Matt Stone are going to hit this one out of the park, just like they did last year.
Other Shows I Hope to Watch Before Year-End
Mr. Robot (Season Two)
You're the Worst (Seasons One through Three)
Top Chef (first half of Season Fourteen)
Ballers (Seasons One & Two)
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