TV Shows

30 Rock

• Lots of recurring guests. It’s impressive that the show can continuously bring people back. For example, Dennis, Dr. Spaceman, and Floyd all come back at times that are fitting through the show. It makes the characters and world feel more realistic.
• A lot of the humor is referential, and related to world events happening at the time the show released. If you don’t know what they’re talking about, you won’t get the jokes. I personally like the show’s humor style.
• The show mostly avoids Flander-izing any of the characters. Pete is the worst in this regard.
• The show itself repeats ideas frequently. Liz is trying to adopt a kid like 4 times.
• Jack and Liz’s “will they won’t they” starts to get old.
• Forward thinking for the time it released during. Gay relationships, politics, and drag.

America's National Parks

The narrator is fine overall, but has some weak moments. The shots they captured are pretty good as well. Otherwise not much to say other than it's a decent documentary on some National Parks. Not Planet Earth by any means, but keeps your attention.

Arrested Development

• Smart people (viewers) get to laugh at dumb people (characters).
• Second half of season 5 is repetitive.
• Season 3's last episode is a better ending to the show then the actual finale.
• Buster not conveniently getting a new hand is good continuity (and dedication by the actor).

Atlanta

• Cinematography: 👍👍
• Story: Season 1, 2, & 4 👍👍, Season 3 😐
  • The bottle/standalone episodes in season 3 destroy what little flow is already there
  • The racial lessons mean a lot more when the regular characters are involved (which says something in of itself)

Avatar The Last Airbender

• A really fun series to watch. It doesn’t overstay it’s welcome, characters are interesting and grow, and the story has good flow/pace.
• You can tell it’s mainly a children’s show. Nobody ever dies on screen.
• I wish Zuko got to spend more time with the rest of the gang.

Avatar: The Legend of Korra

• Korra losing the ability to talk to past Avatar’s is a shame. It was a unique ability that was lost for no gain.
• There’s a lot things that happen because the plot wants it to, not because it’s reasonable or actually makes sense. For example, the Avatar losing her initial fight with Kuvira.
• If Avatar: TLA is a kids show with adult themes, TLOK is a kids show pretending to be adult.

Baccano

• The story would make a lot more sense if there way less jumping between time periods. A chronological cut would probably be a lot more enjoyable.
• Too many characters to keep track of. Makes the more interesting ones less important.
• Okay overall, but not something that’ll knock your socks off. Time can be better spent elsewhere.

Ballers

• Something this show does really well is explain things that happen off screen. For example, Ricky wins the Super Bowl between two of the seasons. It’s never shown, but the characters acknowledge it happened multiple times. Making it feel like it really did happen.
• My biggest gripe is how repetitive the plot gets after the first few seasons. Spenser and Joe have or cause a problem. They then spend the season dealing with that problem. Finally they kinda solve the problem. Spencer suing the NCAA also never has a resolution.
• This is the best thing I’ve ever seen Dwayne Johnson in. He does a great job. Makes me excited to finally see him as Black Adam. David Washington is also great. Worth the watch.

Band of Brothers

• A authentic feeling look at some soldiers journey during WWII.
• Anyone who romanticizes war should watch the 3rd episode entire series.
• Interesting to see how bureaucracy within the US Army could lead to some pretty crappy things.
• Episode 7 doesn't serve much purpose.
• The looting that occurs is (usually) disrespectful, but was probably worse in reality.

Better Call Saul

Uuuh, you better watch this show - Dunkey

• Story: 👌
• Characters: 👌
• Cinematography: 👌

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

• One of those shows that is east to digest. You sit down one morning and next thing you know it’s dinner time.
• Characters have a lot of chemistry, which leads to better comedy.

Castlevania

This is at least tied for my favorite animated show (the other being Cowboy Bebop). I don’t know what else to say other than near perfect. Basically anything I write won’t do it justice.

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

• Animation: 👌
  • Studio Trigger isn't messing around
  • Very rare to see 2D and 3D interacting in a jarring manner
• Story: 👍👍
  • Frustrating at times, but true to the setting and previous events
• Sound Design: 👍👍

Charlotte

• There’s a few sad and bittersweet moments. They’re rounded out by a interesting characters and an intriguing story.
• Some sub plots don't feel fully fleshed out, but interesting characters and a strong main plot carry everything else.
• I never would've found this show if I didn't know people who like anime a lot. What other great things are missed because nothing shows it to me?

Cunk On Earth

• Cinematography: 👍👍
  • Captures the documentary feel
• Comedy: 👌
  • Fantastic absurdist humor
• Story: 👍
  • Not much of a story due to being a mockumentary, but there's a good coverage of history from ancient times to more modern times

Dave

Seasons 1-3

• Comedy: 👍
• Story: 👍
  • Takes a lot of influence from Atlanta. Atlanta has higher highs, and lower lows, but Dave is more consistent.
• Sound: 👍👍
  • New music from Dicky is nice, even if it's limited to the show.

Demon Slayer

Season 1

The first 15 episodes of the season are meh. The next 5 are pretty good. The last 6 are fantastic. Some of the best television I've ever seen. All the main characters are pretty one note, but they grow over time. I'm very excited for the movie.

Devs

• Cinematography: 👍
• Story: 👍👍
  • Lily Chan is a weak "main" character.
  • A bit of a slow burn in the middle, but overall thought provoking.
• Music: 👍
  • Varied, but fitting selections of songs.

DOTA : Dragon’s Blood

Book 1

Wow what a fantastic show. The story is fairly standard, but there’s some great little twists in it. I really like Marci, Mirana, and Davion. Invoker is cool too. I really hope there’s a Book 2.

Watched it a second time, while not perfect, I still really enjoyed it and anxiously await season 2.

Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Multi-Target Attacks?

• At some moments it's really wholesome, at others it's borderline inappropriate.
• Mehdi's dark side is hilarious.

Erased

• Animation: 👍👍
• Story: 👌
  • Handles difficult topics in a mature and thoughtful manner
  • アイスホッケー!
• Audio: 👍
  • Solid Japanese voice acting

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

• Animation: 👍
  • It's Bones
• Audio: 👍👍
  • Great music and Japanese voice acting
• Story: 👍👍
  • Occasionally gets stuck in anime tropes
  • When it's firing on all cylinders, it's very powerful and emotional

Futurama

• Animation: 👍👍
  • The 3D and 2D blend better than most animation studios can pull off
• Audio: 👌
  • Really good voice acting
• Story: 👌
  • Meanwhile is/was among the best series finales across TV

Jane The Virgin

I haven't watched all of this, but I've seen enough that I want to comment. How the show is structured is quite fun. Having the narrator and on screen text feels fresh and different than most TV. The plot gets repetitive. Seems like each character is constantly dealing with the same issues, but from a different angle. Overall a fun show, but weak in its plot.

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War

• Animation: 👍👍
  • Surprisingly varied for a romantic comedy.
• Audio: 👍👍
  • Japanese voice acting is great, English ranges from serviceable to good.
• Story: 👍👍
  • Feels fresh & fun despite Kaguya and Shirogane's relationship moving slowly.
  • Side characters are well fleshed out and interesting.

McMillion$

A short HBO documentary about a McDonald's game piece scam in the 90's. It's shot well, and the structure of the interviews, clips, etc help tell the story. The reason so few people know about this, is 9-11 happened right as the FBI took this case to trial. Most of the people interviewed have interesting stories that are enjoyable to hear. Putting it all together in the end brings the whole scam/story to a nice conclusion.

Mob Psycho 100

Season 1

During the first two episodes it seemed this show wouldn’t be good (they’re a bit cringy). After those though, the season gets better and better. Some of the standard tropes are mixed up is refreshing. For example instead of Mob popping off in the season finale, his mentor gets some of Mob’s powers and pops off. ”I look forward to watching season two.”

Season 2

”Been a while since I actually watched this (writing this in April 2021). From what I remember I enjoyed it quite a bit. Final battle was pretty standard, and Mob not actually taking to his girl kinda stunk. Otherwise I really like the animations and characters.”

Mr. Robot

It’s a crime this show wasn’t more popular. It does so much right. The story is well constructed. Little to no loose threads. Characters are interesting and act in realistic ways. Elliot’s condition is super interesting, and there’s nothing else in media like it. The hacking, commands, and technology they use is actually real (I’d know!). S4E7 is the best episode.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation

Season 1

• Clean animations that look good when it matters. Some scenes are still frames, but during magic use or fights it looks awesome.
• Lots of character growth, especially for Rudy. It's refreshing when compared to a lot of anime characters that never change.
• Elicits emotions all across the spectrum. Happy to sad, funny to thought provoking.

PuraOre! Pride of Orange

The hockey is surprisingly accurate. Japan isn’t know as a hockey nation, and this show does a lot correct.

• Animation: 👍
• Story: 👍
• Voice Acting: 👍

Sherlock

• Cinematography: 👍
• Story: 👍👍
  • At its best (85%) when it’s not trying to be an action movie (15%)
• Mystery: 👍👍
  • All of the cases are interesting and clever

Shoresy

• Comedy: 👍👍
  • Humor is similar to Letterkenny, but with more hockey
• Story: 👍👍
  • S2: there's no challenge for the characters

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Took much longer to watch this then I anticipated. Finally done though. A lot of this show is filler to be honest. However the episodes that aren’t are peak SW. The last 4 in particular stand out. If I ever watched it again, I’d want to find an “essential episodes” list to skip the filler.

Squid Games

• Definitely watch the subbed version. English wouldn't line up well with the mouth movements.
• Provokes a lot of thought on how humans would react in situations like the ones in the show.
• It's a really good show that's worth watching. Tough to say if the potential second season would be able to keep up the magic. That said, covering the other years of the games might be interesting. A 10 episode spin-off here and there could do just that.

Ted Lasso

• Comedy: 👍👍
  • Lots of funny moments that don't take away from the more serious times.
• Story: 👌
  • The character Ted Lasso is someone to strive to be like. He handles difficult situations with grace, and creates a positive atmosphere.
  • Deftly walks the line between heartfelt and serious without becoming corny.
  • 2nd season leaves some tiny plot points unresolved, and the 3rd season feels a bit rushed for side plots.

The Book of Boba Fett

• Cad Bane was an unexpected surprise. A cool interaction in hindsight, given their time together during the Clone Wars.
• Great to see Mando back in action.
• Luke's teaching scenes feel like a dagger being twisted. All this amazing potential ruined by Episodes 8, 9, and to a lesser extent 7.
• The Mandalorian is a better show, but this is still enjoyable to watch. Some effects feel cheap due to their decision to use real effects and costumes. It'll age better than CGI would've.

The Devil Is a Part-Timer!

• The magic system doesn't seem to have hard rules, but it's easy enough to set aside the intricacies and enjoy the madness.
• E7 has the same cicadas noises as Evangelion.
• It sometimes feels like the show is making fun of Japanese work ethic. Specifically pointing out how it can be over the top.

The Expanse

• Audio: 👍
• Cinematography: 👍
• Sci-Fi: 👍👍
  • Flirts with the question of what makes humans human
  • Great setting
• Story: 👍👍
  • Interesting characters in a perceivable setting

The Last of Us

• Cinematography: 👍👍
• Story: 👍👍
  • It’s interesting to see the extra explanation required in a TV show compared to a game
• Faithful Adaption?: 👍👍
  • A few changes, but all the major story beats are intact

The Mandelorian

• Cinematography: 👍
  • For better or worse, it's classic campy/cheesy Star Wars shots and transitions
• Sci-Fi: 👍👍
  • Great Space Western
• Story: 👍👍
  • Peak Star Wars
  • Love the focus on Mandalorians
  • There are some convinces for the plot; for example (S3), a jet pack runs out of fuel chasing a monster, but can fly from the ground into space

The Mindy Project

• Comedy: 👍👍
  • No shortage of funny moments
• Story: 👍
  • Occasionally steps on it's own toes

The Shrink Next Door

• Is the Dr a bad guy? Maybe a little unethical? He’s a bad guy.
• Nice to see Paul Rudd and Will Ferrel in non-comedy rolls.
• At some point Marty (Ferrel) is almost as much to blame for the terrible state of his life as Ike (Rudd) is.
• Could've been fewer episodes. It drags pretty hard around the middle of the series.

Witcher (Netflix)

Season 1

(3rd Viewing)

• It’s a shame so many people don’t like the multiple timelines. Not many shows have done timelines in such a subtle way. It might make them afraid to continue experimenting.
• Castings is rock solid. Henry Cavill is perfect as Geralt.
• Actions of characters have consequences on the world and other characters around them. It’s refreshing to see storytelling where plot points aren’t forgotten or brushed aside as inconsequential.
• Geralt fighting the Striga is fantastic.

Season 2

• Geralt fights more monsters than season 1. Big plus.
• Yennefer goes from someone you want to root for, to someone you hate, and kinda back.
• Pacing suffers a little in the final episode.
• Overall worse than Season 1.

TV Collections

• DC Comics Movies & TV
• Evangelion Movies & TV
• Marvel Cinematic Universe

Want To Watch

• Stargate SG1
• Trigun: Supposed to rival Bebop in how good it is.
• Trafficked with Mariana Van Zeller: Documentary about the inner workings of the criminal underworld (Netflix).
• Person of Interest
• The Food That Built America
• Kaguya-sama Love is War
• PBS Inside Sleeping Giants (doc/show)
• Formula 1: Drive to Survive
• Freaks and Geeks
• Sunderland 'Til I Die
• Tacoma FD (maybe)
• Mythic Quest