Tag: TV

Hey Somethings,

You’ll hear about me talk about this a bit on an upcoming episode, but, I recently purged a bunch of my streaming services to cut down on expenses, and have been living the Tubi life lately.  Every time I start up a new free service (I did the same with Peacock), I inevitably find myself wrapped up in shows I don’t have to think very hard to watch just to see what they offer… so it’s a lot of “Fail TV” and “IdiotTV” and such as I typically watch as I’m going to bed and it’s easy to fall asleep when it’s something you don’t have to devote a lot of thought or attention to.  Invariably, I start looking for something else to watch, and… as the tug of nostalgia is strong.. I end up stumbling upon a show I’ve seen before but loved, and I watch it all over again.

Enter “James May’s Man Lab” and “James May’s Toy Stories”

James May is from the trio that, along with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, brought you Top Gear on the BBC for many years.  Beyond that, he brought us these two amazing shows as well.

Man Lab tries to ‘bring back’ the heyday of when men did (or could do) manly things… like.. change a tire, woo a woman, how to duel, or build a remote-controlled picnic table.  Airing from 2012 to 2013, Man Lab takes popular science and ramps it up just ‘extra’ enough to be hilarious yet still amazingly entertaining.

“Toy Stories” does the same when it comes to ‘going big’, but with less tongue in cheek and far more ‘extra’.

From building a nearly three mile long slot-car track, to a fiberglass Supermarine Spitfire at a 1:1 scale, Toy Story takes toys from May’s childhood, and blows right past “11” while ramping them up to 15.

If you’re a fan of British humor, science, and attempting the absurd, I highly recommend checking them out!

– PCR

What started as a single season of television that people will probably rank as ‘one of the best’ for a long time. Twists. Brilliant acting choices. One of the coolest scores in tv. Robots. Cowboys. Robot Cowboys…. ends where?

Does it end in a satisfying place where the tethers that have been left from the first episodes are tied together in a bow and bring the whole of the arc to a satisfying conclusion? Does HBO give up on the show because the ratings have tanked? Does any of it make any sense at all? Is there any brilliance to pull from it at all?

These answers and more as the Somethings take on The End: Westworld

Ok, here we don’t see anything at all…

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It feels like I was watching this scene only yesterday

On November 16th, 2021, G4TV was officially relaunched as both a cable channel and a twitch channel.. and I couldn’t have been happier.

Less than 12 months later, the returned G4 is no more.

The fall of the old G4 felt more ‘out with a whimper’…. non-stop airings of Ninja Warrior and Cops, the shows themselves feeling fewer and further between.. but THIS, this version felt different, and yet.. familiar.  Back were shows like X-Play and AOTS.. new shows like Invitation to Party, Ask Donna and Name Your Price joined the ranks, yet still had that ‘old school G4’ feel about their pedigree.  New hosts joined the ranks of returning hosts Kevin Pereira and Adam Sessler, the latter of the two being more ‘occasional host’, but having them on board always felt to me that it was giving the relaunch a legitimacy; a passing of the torch until the newer hosts found their comfortable footing.

And find their footing they did.  Watching AOTS and Vibe Check felt like putting on a forgotten but favorite sweater you had nearly forgotten about… all comfort and familiar while feeling new.  Invitation to Party was just brilliant.  B. Dave Walters brought his A game and, as the consummate DM that he is, brought the A+ game out of the players.   Ask Donna showed Will Neff at his best.  God of Work was a labor of love from Jirard and that passion showed in the sketches.

It wasn’t without rough spots though.  Some shows didn’t stick around…  Boosted, which focused more on the eSports side of things, left the ‘show’ and became a YouTube exclusive.

And then there was “The Frosk Incident”.

Indiana Black, better known as Froskurinn or Frosk, did a segment on X-Play (which, you can watch here..) where she talked about sexism in gaming… and things went off the rails.

Let me be perfectly clear.

Everything she said is 100% correct.

Everything.

Gaming and the gaming industry has a sexism and misogyny problem that, unfortunately, is not going away.  Can it be minimized?  Shunned into the darkness? Yes, but only if WE minimize it and shun it when we see it.

That being said, the trolls came out of the woodwork.  Online harassment and sexist comments blew up on not only Frosk’s, but G4’s socials by those ‘offended’ by her comments.

It was called a “rant”.  A “meltdown”.  “Maybe, in 2022, we be a bit nicer, a bit more self reflective, and we enjoy the fact that people are working hard to make free content for you.   If you don’t like it, don’t watch” was how she ended the segment.. but all mouthbreathers heard was “IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, DON’T WATCH!” and that became their rallying cry.

Was Frosk the reason for G4’s demise?  Not at all.  Inept management at Comcast not knowing what to do with their talent was the reason for G4’s second demise.. but not if you frequent the internet.  a never-ending number of YouTube videos, blogs, TikToks, articles and the like blame Frosk for G4’s collapse without at all realizing that by blaming her, they’re behaving in exactly the same sexist and misogynistic way she called out in her segment.   It’s unfortunate and wrong, yet not unexpected.  “Fandoms” have become louder and louder in their entitled toxicity against things they don’t like, and this was no exception.

What destroyed G4 was Comcast.  If any proof was needed, consider that more than half of the hosts/writers/producers and creators found out about G4 being cancelled from articles about the cancellation being tweeted out.   How shitty does a company have to be to have employees find out via Tweet they no longer have a job?  And not even BY Tweet.. but reading an article.

Will I miss G4?  100 percent. I loved the content they created.  Hell, we even got mentioned on Vibe Check (no.. really!  The story of how and why is for another day…).

My sincere hope is that the amazing people from G4, on both sides of the camera, reconnect in some way in the near future.. be it Twitch, YouTube.. whatever.  The cast and crew are far too talented to NOT be working with each other.

G4 may be gone again, but it will not be forgotten.

– PCR

Yeah, so Marvel has had hit after hit. The Avengers, Daredevil, Mandolorian, Sandman, Teen Titans… all of the big hitters! Well, there was once a time where Marvel wanted to throw up the middle finger to some mutants and turn to the Moon for inspiration.

If this means absolutely nothing to you, then you clearly missed The Inhumans, a one season attempt to make an obscure part of the Marvel Universe more important.

Did it work? Was it the next Agents of Shield or was it an Iron Fist to the gut?

Find out now on THE END: INHUMANS

And if you would like a sample of what our new Patreon episodes are going to be like, you can get the Patreon version of this episode for free, right here!

Otherwise, ok here we Terragen Mist!

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Hey all, PCR here.

So, I recently re-activated my Netflix account to catch up on some things I hadn’t seen yet, and one of those things was Season 4 of Stranger Things, and while I was a huge fan of the show when it started, the luster has worn a bit for me… to the point that Season 4 in general was…’meh’.

Don’t get me wrong, the Eddie stuff was cool, and the backstory into 1 was intriguing, I felt too disassociated from the whole thing to really care too much.

Season 3 came out in July of 2019, and Season 4 was finally released in May of 2022, nearly 20 months later.  During that time, some of the kids had Walt-ian growth spurts while others stayed looking remarkably similar.  Maybe it’s just me, and it’s taking more to ‘wow’ me as I get older, but the main thing I walked away from Season 4 with was “Wow, episodes are a lot longer…”.

My question to The Somethings is… ‘How long is too long’?  How long can shows (and movies) push between seasons (and sequels) and still have us give as much of a shit as they hope we will?

Let’s look at some other notable time delays…

Stranger Things S4 – 20 months

Westworld S4 – 25 months

Ghostbusters to GBII – 5 years

Heroes : Reborn – 5 years

GBII to GB Afterlife – 32 Years

XFiles – 14 years after original TV finale

Twin Peaks S3 – 26 years

What are some of YOUR favorite TV Shows or Movies that have had extended time between seasons/sequels?  We want to know!

ALSO!

Want to help support our show?  Our Patreon is live once more!  New tiers!  New content!  Early access!  Go check it out and help us bring you even more great stuff!

– PCR

Time to hitch the wagons, hit the dusty trail for the next town, the next ballyhoo, the next mark on the route.

That’s right, it’s time to lay on hands with the rest of the geeks as we settle down to discuss Carnivale. The HBO darling that ended too soon, but why? Was it rolling downhill towards a depression or was it a show that was just too far ahead of its time for people to be able to dig their teeth in… well, there is only one way to find out, and that is to keep your hands outta our poke, save it for the cake eaters, hang with the gazoonies on The End: Carnivale!

Ohhkay here we step right up step right up it’s time for the amazing half man half man… The Man Man!

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Hey Somethings, PCR here!

So, this week’s blog, I wanted to talk about some actors I’m… well.. just not fond of.  I’m not talking “Oh, I didn’t like so-and-so in this role…” or “I thought they’re portrayal of blahblahblah was…”  No, I’m talking about a level of “I couldn’t care less” that sometimes makes it difficult to watch things they’re in.

Anthony Mackie – Is he Captain America?  Yes.  Will I go see the new Cap movie in the theaters when it comes out?  Most likely not.  It’s convoluted.. it’s not because I don’t want him in the role.. as a comic book fan it 100% makes sense.  It’s also a huge point of diversity which is also awesome…. I  just don’t like him as an actor.  It’s not that I find him “bad”, I just don’t find him compelling.  I was able to make it through his previous MCU movies because his screen time was tempered by his castmate’s screen time.  I was “meh” on Falcon and the Winter Soldier (mostly due to having to watch him more).  His episode of Black Mirror was intriguing, but to me, still middling… and I couldn’t even finish the first episode of S2 of Altered Carbon when I saw him in it.  He just doesn’t grab my attention.

Aaron Paul – Now, to be fair, I haven’t seen him in much that WASN’T Breaking Bad.  Yes, the show was amazing, but any time Jesse was on the screen, I just sighed and sucked it up because I knew he HAD to be.  El Camino?  It was… how do I say…   “boring”.  I recently started binging Westworld (more on that in an upcoming episode).  Seasons 1 and 2 were phenomenal… Season 3 had… issues.. and… Aaron Paul.  As soon as I saw him on my screen I thought “Well fuck… he’s going to end up being integral and we’re going to see a lot of him aren’t we…”  I wasn’t wrong.  I haven’t started S4 yet, but, I’m hoping Caleb ends up getting the “Teddy” treatment before too long.

Joan Cusack – Ok look, I don’t have an answer for “Why?” on this one.  I just can’t stand seeing her on my screen.  I couldn’t watch the American version of Shameless thanks to her.  I was mildly interested in A Series of Unfortunate Events until she showed up on my screen and I turned it off and never went back.  I’ve only seen 2 movies she’s ever been in, and they were long enough ago that I don’t think I even knew who she was at the time.  I’m sure she’s a great person, but she can be a great person and not be on my TV ever too.

What about YOU?  Do YOU have someone who.. you just can’t stand to watch?  Let us know!

ALSO

Do you like Star Wars?  Do you like Audio Dramas?  Well how about a Star Wars Audio Drama?!

Author Crystal Storm has been doing just that!  Check out “Legacy : A Star Wars Audio Drama”!

ALL RISE!

The honorable Somethings are now back in session for their final episode of the Year 9 Podiganza!

To keep with the theme of ‘things that relate to 9’ we went with a classic comedy that went 9 seasons and.. possibly? is getting a comeback. More on that later, first, why don’t you settle in to the misdemeanor charges for arguing with your neighbor on alternate side of the street nights, because the only way to get that ticket handled is to go to The End: Night Court!

Ok, hear ye hear ye go!  ..really proud of that one..

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Boss! The Pod, The Pod!

If you think we are travelling to a beautiful holiday paradise, hanging with Tattoo, and making someone’s dreams come true… guess what, that ship sailed like three seasons ago, apparently. You see, walking into Fantasy Island, knowing very little about it – the Somethings learn quite a bit about what it means to have your dreams come true.

Also what its like to build a woman out of a dress mannequin. Also, a lesson about surrogacy from Charo.

What the hell is this show?!

Find out next on The End: Fantasy Island

Ok, here we deplane…

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The first moments of a movie or TV show sets the stage for what’s to come… is it a tense moment to moment thriller? Is it confusing, where the plot reveals itself slowly? Is it a podcast that introduces itself the same way to you each week for the last 9 years?

Whatever the case may be – the first few moments of a show or movie may be the thing that keeps you glued to your seat… so join the Somethings as we discuss our favorites.

Did yours make the cut? Only one way to find out.

Okay, here we start!

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