Moar TV recommendations
August 14, 2016 1:29 PM Subscribe
I have cable for the first time in my adult life... what should we watch?
I haven't had TV in my entire adult life, in direct reaction to parents who had it on all the time when we were growing up. But my wife and I are cohabitating (finally!) and she loves sports, so the nice cable dude came out to visit us at the end of the week and we have 200 channels of ... stuff. And now there's DVRs, which we didn't have when I was a kid, so we can record stuff and make the conscious decision to sit down and watch it and blah blah etc. So there's plenty of Netflix rec threads, but besides sports, what's going to be on the actual TV this fall that's worth watching? I don't even know when the TV season starts anymore.
I like scifi (Firefly, BSG before it jumped the shark, Warehouse 13, all of the Star Trek) and some crime shows (I watched Hawaii 5-0 online until they started derailing Kono's character, and Criminal Minds until I couldn't take the grimdark anymore, I loved Flashpoint and Leverage and enjoyed Standoff) and some politics (I striped through the West Wing in short order). I've enjoyed Top Gear when I catch it at other people's houses. We like comedy if it's smart or super dark or profane (I used to love the Big Bang Theory, but it ran its course pretty quick; my comedy/drama ideal is MASH, I have not enjoyed Archer or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and don't care for satire as a rule). She likes shows about sports, she enjoyed Oz, she watched the L-Word all the way through, she liked Mythbusters. We're not interested in reality TV, though competition shows have seemed fun when we catch bits online (So You Think You Can Dance, American Ninja Warrior).
We have Amazon Prime and I can turn my Netflix account back on, so we might could catch up on something that's going to be airing this fall if it was really compelling, but we've got limited time for that.
We're two genderqueer women, one white, one black, so bonus points for anything that features people other than just cis straight white people.
Thanks!
I haven't had TV in my entire adult life, in direct reaction to parents who had it on all the time when we were growing up. But my wife and I are cohabitating (finally!) and she loves sports, so the nice cable dude came out to visit us at the end of the week and we have 200 channels of ... stuff. And now there's DVRs, which we didn't have when I was a kid, so we can record stuff and make the conscious decision to sit down and watch it and blah blah etc. So there's plenty of Netflix rec threads, but besides sports, what's going to be on the actual TV this fall that's worth watching? I don't even know when the TV season starts anymore.
I like scifi (Firefly, BSG before it jumped the shark, Warehouse 13, all of the Star Trek) and some crime shows (I watched Hawaii 5-0 online until they started derailing Kono's character, and Criminal Minds until I couldn't take the grimdark anymore, I loved Flashpoint and Leverage and enjoyed Standoff) and some politics (I striped through the West Wing in short order). I've enjoyed Top Gear when I catch it at other people's houses. We like comedy if it's smart or super dark or profane (I used to love the Big Bang Theory, but it ran its course pretty quick; my comedy/drama ideal is MASH, I have not enjoyed Archer or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and don't care for satire as a rule). She likes shows about sports, she enjoyed Oz, she watched the L-Word all the way through, she liked Mythbusters. We're not interested in reality TV, though competition shows have seemed fun when we catch bits online (So You Think You Can Dance, American Ninja Warrior).
We have Amazon Prime and I can turn my Netflix account back on, so we might could catch up on something that's going to be airing this fall if it was really compelling, but we've got limited time for that.
We're two genderqueer women, one white, one black, so bonus points for anything that features people other than just cis straight white people.
Thanks!
Orphan Black, hands down
posted by heyho at 1:43 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by heyho at 1:43 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: "Jane the Virgin" and "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" have a nice mix of comedy & drama, and are returning in the fall. They return on October 17 and 21, respectively; you can catch up on the previous seasons (two seasons for "Jane" so far; one for "Crazy") on Netflix.
They're also (despite the off-putting titles of both) really quite smart, and both feature a (relatively) large number of actors of color.
posted by Johnny Assay at 2:19 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
They're also (despite the off-putting titles of both) really quite smart, and both feature a (relatively) large number of actors of color.
posted by Johnny Assay at 2:19 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Continuum and Dark Matter. Both excellent sci-fi, and on Netflix.
posted by pushing paper and bottoming chairs at 2:24 PM on August 14, 2016
posted by pushing paper and bottoming chairs at 2:24 PM on August 14, 2016
Netflix: stranger things, arrested development, the get down (not a stated genre choice, but really good), in the loop
On Amazon prime: the wire, deadwood, silicon valley, veep, bosch
There's a lot of good stuff on Netflix and Amazon prime
posted by askmehow at 2:35 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
On Amazon prime: the wire, deadwood, silicon valley, veep, bosch
There's a lot of good stuff on Netflix and Amazon prime
posted by askmehow at 2:35 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Just to mention, since I think I buried the lead a bit: I am specifically not looking for recs on Prime/Amazon - I'm looking for stuff that is going to be on the air this fall to use this shiny new cable thing we have. :) I only mentioned Prime/Netflix in the context of, if there's something returning this fall that's great and we should watch in realtime and need to get caught up on a season or two to do it, we could do that.
You guys are great; thank you!
posted by joycehealy at 2:43 PM on August 14, 2016
You guys are great; thank you!
posted by joycehealy at 2:43 PM on August 14, 2016
Some of my fav tv tv shows I'm waiting on:
Fx network:
The Knick
The Americans
HBO:
Veep
Silicon Valley
Girls
Last Week Tonight w/John Oliver
Cartoon Network:
Steven Universe
Adventure Time
We Bare Bears
Other shows I have on my DVR:
Brooklyn 99
Broad City
Inside Amy Schumer
Community (reruns)
Key and Peele (reruns)
posted by bleep at 2:55 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Fx network:
The Knick
The Americans
HBO:
Veep
Silicon Valley
Girls
Last Week Tonight w/John Oliver
Cartoon Network:
Steven Universe
Adventure Time
We Bare Bears
Other shows I have on my DVR:
Brooklyn 99
Broad City
Inside Amy Schumer
Community (reruns)
Key and Peele (reruns)
posted by bleep at 2:55 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
We're two genderqueer women, one white, one black, so bonus points for anything that features people other than just cis straight white people.
That's basically the entire premise of The Fosters, which is (IMO) the most realistic depiction of a settled-down relationship between two women that I've seen on screen. The teen drama can get teen drama-ish, but the show is very sweet and, at the end of the day, makes me feel like I'm watching a show about people like me.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:08 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
That's basically the entire premise of The Fosters, which is (IMO) the most realistic depiction of a settled-down relationship between two women that I've seen on screen. The teen drama can get teen drama-ish, but the show is very sweet and, at the end of the day, makes me feel like I'm watching a show about people like me.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:08 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Best answer: It'll be a few more weeks before Entertainment Weekly puts out its Fall Preview issue, which is superior for giving robust descriptions for helping you plan what you want to watch live vs. DVR, what you want to check out, etc. I generally find TV Guide's previews to be inferior (and far less entertaining) but you can start with this online Fall TV 2016-2017 guide. (Click on the pic, as if it were on Facebook, to move forward.)
EOnline ranked the new shows based on the trailers (note, not on the lengthier videos network affiliates got to see at the May "upfronts") from worst to best but also didn't provide the actual trailers.
For right now, though, EW has you covered for evaluating things on you rown. If you just want to see the schedule (which will probably be tweaked), EW does have that set up in a comparagraph. (I used to work as a television program director, and am agog that comparagraphs are so often hard to come by, so I appreciated EW doing this rather than in prior years, when they just printed nightly listings separately, which makes it hard to figure out when you're going to watch the stuff you DVR.) But scroll right above the comparagraph on the page, and you'll get a paragraph links to the actual ABC, NBC, CBS, CW and Fox trailers. No cable trailers, though. I hope this helps.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 3:40 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
EOnline ranked the new shows based on the trailers (note, not on the lengthier videos network affiliates got to see at the May "upfronts") from worst to best but also didn't provide the actual trailers.
For right now, though, EW has you covered for evaluating things on you rown. If you just want to see the schedule (which will probably be tweaked), EW does have that set up in a comparagraph. (I used to work as a television program director, and am agog that comparagraphs are so often hard to come by, so I appreciated EW doing this rather than in prior years, when they just printed nightly listings separately, which makes it hard to figure out when you're going to watch the stuff you DVR.) But scroll right above the comparagraph on the page, and you'll get a paragraph links to the actual ABC, NBC, CBS, CW and Fox trailers. No cable trailers, though. I hope this helps.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 3:40 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Like mudpuppie, I came to suggest The Fosters for the same reason. My partner and I watched through the whole series (back episodes are on Netflix or Amazon for purchase) but you could probably dive in without all that context and be okay.
I know you probably see that it's on Freeform (the new ABC Family), but seriously, it's an excellent show and is the most positive depiction of LGBTQ characters on TV. There have even been two trans characters, and their storylines are more than just "isn't it tough to transition." I'm super impressed by the show, as well as the young talent. The actors playing Callie and Matt are Australian, and you wouldn't be able to tell if you didn't know.
I like a lot of what you list, and I also really enjoy Pretty Little Liars. The new season is on Freeform right now too.
posted by guster4lovers at 3:43 PM on August 14, 2016
I know you probably see that it's on Freeform (the new ABC Family), but seriously, it's an excellent show and is the most positive depiction of LGBTQ characters on TV. There have even been two trans characters, and their storylines are more than just "isn't it tough to transition." I'm super impressed by the show, as well as the young talent. The actors playing Callie and Matt are Australian, and you wouldn't be able to tell if you didn't know.
I like a lot of what you list, and I also really enjoy Pretty Little Liars. The new season is on Freeform right now too.
posted by guster4lovers at 3:43 PM on August 14, 2016
I like scifi (Firefly, BSG before it jumped the shark
THE EXPANSE THE EXPANSE THE EXPANSE
bonus points for anything that features people other than just cis straight white people.
EVEN MOAR THE EXPANSE
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:36 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
THE EXPANSE THE EXPANSE THE EXPANSE
bonus points for anything that features people other than just cis straight white people.
EVEN MOAR THE EXPANSE
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 6:36 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Seconding Dark Matter, and also recommending Killjoys.
posted by neushoorn at 12:31 AM on August 15, 2016
posted by neushoorn at 12:31 AM on August 15, 2016
(All of these answers are assuming you live in the US and have Comcast. Other cable services may also have these channels, but I'm only familiar with Comcast.)
I've enjoyed watching the last few seasons of Dancing with the Stars a lot more than I expected to. The next season should be starting up pretty soon. This is on ABC, I believe.
The Great British Bake off is one of my favorite things ever. They are wrapping up the current season (well, technically the season aired already outside the US, but we got it later), but if you are in the US and have Comcast, you may be able to catch some of the back episodes on demand. It's on PBS.
I also really enjoy House Hunters on HGTV, especially House Hunters International. I really enjoy seeing people looking at real estate in foreign countries, and there's a bit of a wish fulfillment aspect to it as well (Oh look, we could get a house on the south coast of France!). Plus, it's the kind of show that's very low commitment.
posted by litera scripta manet at 7:22 AM on August 15, 2016
I've enjoyed watching the last few seasons of Dancing with the Stars a lot more than I expected to. The next season should be starting up pretty soon. This is on ABC, I believe.
The Great British Bake off is one of my favorite things ever. They are wrapping up the current season (well, technically the season aired already outside the US, but we got it later), but if you are in the US and have Comcast, you may be able to catch some of the back episodes on demand. It's on PBS.
I also really enjoy House Hunters on HGTV, especially House Hunters International. I really enjoy seeing people looking at real estate in foreign countries, and there's a bit of a wish fulfillment aspect to it as well (Oh look, we could get a house on the south coast of France!). Plus, it's the kind of show that's very low commitment.
posted by litera scripta manet at 7:22 AM on August 15, 2016
Another suggestion that occurred to me later: Broad City, on Comedy Central. No firm return date yet, but it's been renewed for two more seasons. Depending on what you disliked about Kimmy Schmidt, you may not like this one as well; but I think you can access the first few seasons on Hulu Plus if you want a sample. (Or just dive in when it comes back; it's not really serialized at all.)
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:58 AM on August 15, 2016
posted by Johnny Assay at 10:58 AM on August 15, 2016
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Catastrophe. Free with Amazon Prime. Unfortunately it's another cis straight white people show, but I otherwise wouldn't recommend it if the writing and dark humor weren't top notch.
*note that I'm not sure yet when Season 3 starts but there is a Season 3 slated.
posted by nightrecordings at 1:38 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]