Appointment Televison
By Were you recently thinking to yourself “I can’t live on dinosaur erotica/My Little Pony mashup fanfics alone. I need bspencer to tell me what to watch on television.” Well, then you clicked on the right post, because I am going tell you watch on television!
- So here’s the thing: when Jon Stewart left The Daily Show, I flounced away hard, declaring I’d never DVR the show again. I was really sore the powers that be hadn’t chosen a woman for hosting duties and I was…not impressed…with some of the shitty jokes Trevor Noah had made before he got the gig. Folks, I did not stick that flounce. I recently tuned back in and found–to my dismay–that Noah is funny and charming and–unlike Jon Stewart–actually knows how to conduct an interview. He also mugs less for the camera, which is nice. Still think someone like Aisha Tyler or Aziz Ansari woulda been the optimal choice for hosting duties, but the truth is The Daily Show seems fresher and funnier than ever these days and I’m loving all the new correspondents.
- I have some shocking news for all of you: I’m not a historian. So I cannot even a tiny bit attest the accuracy of its segments, but Drunk History is laugh-out-loud funny. It could just be that I’m a perpetually-12-year-old woman with a troubling lack of historical perspective, but watching comedians cuss and burp their way through these (actually really important and interesting) American stories makes my heart happy.
- Brooklyn 99 is the only sitcom I bother watching these days. (Cute as Blackish is—Tracee Ellis Ross is an extraordinarily gifted comedienne–it’s just not appointment television for me.) The cast is to die for: Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, Chelsea Peretti, Joe Lo Trulio and Terry Crews? Yespleaseandthankyew. It’s fast-paced, fast-talking, good-natured, and hilarious, with an occasional where-the-hell-did-that-come-from? weirdness that’s really appealing. (Fer instance, in the last episode Peralta and Amy go to a mattress store and jump on mattresses while “Get Low” plays. Why do I find things like this so amusing?) Totally appointment television.
- Not gonna lie: The Nightly Show got off to an awkward start. Luckily for us, it found its footing, which is a good thing, because Larry Wilmore is a national treasure. I’m enjoying the news segments more and more and find correspondents Mike Yard, Rory Albanese, Holly Walker, and Grace Parra really winning. The show has one soft underbelly, however, and it’s the panel segment. When Larry has awesome guests on, this segment is often the highlight of the episode. But, man, all it takes is one rubbish guest to make the panel painful to watch. I have nightmares about one of the show’s contributors being a douche to Bill Nye (who was talking about really cool stuff). Man, that was painful to watch. That aside, I still never miss the show and you shouldn’t either.
MAJOR UPDATE: I FUCKING FORGOT LAST MAN ON EARTH!!! IT’S BRILLIANT!!!