November 18, 2011 – 1:40 pm
I was literally on the road last week when Showtime sent out its press release announcing the upcoming 8th season of “Weeds.” But I wanted to talk about it all the same, as tardy to the party as I might be. That announcement came at a point in which a few disparate things were rolling around in my brain. And when that email came through on my phone, those disparate things seemed to coalesce all at once. I’m not sure I have the final answers here, but I thought I’d throw this out as food for thought for people to mentally munch on. ‘Tis the season and all, right?
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November 15, 2011 – 10:54 pm
November 15, 2011 – 9:45 am
Last week, I posted a piece in which I called for a new kind of television criticism. In truth, it’s not especially new so much as a return to the old. In short, it called for a type of criticism based not on the weekly recap/review model that currently dominates the industry but rather one dictated by authorial passion. This model won’t work for everyone: I doubt the sites for which I work will suddenly dismantle their business models and re-arrange them around “passion.” That’s fine. That essay wasn’t meant to call those models bad. It was only meant to call them limiting. And since there are far more people that aren’t in those models that want to write about television that are in them, I wanted to give those on the “outside” a way to try and reframe their approach to declutter the landscape and provide some exciting, unique takes on television.
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November 14, 2011 – 11:56 am
I haven’t written anything about “Homeland” this Fall, which seems a shame. It’s the best new series this Fall, but it airs on a night that’s not only super crowded but also the one night of the week in which I don’t have paid responsibilities. Should that have stopped me? Probably not, though at the end of a 90-100 work week, the last thing I generally want to do is throw out another 1,500 words for funsies. But “The Weekend” was such a strong an episode that I wanted to take some time to look at the first season as a whole, and why last night’s episode went a long way to assuaging my fears about the show.
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November 14, 2011 – 10:03 am
I was away last weekend, but Mo Ryan sat down with “Burn Notice” creator Matt Nix for a chat about the show and the current television landscape in general. It’s a fantastic chat, and one worth listening to even if you’re not fully caught up on the world of Michael Westen.
Programming note: Mo and I will be recording another podcast with another special guest this week. Stay tuned for that!
As per usual, you can subscribe to the podcast here. Subscribing is your best option to ensure you get all episodes of “Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan” as soon as they are available. Recently, there’s been a slight lag in what iTunes store shows versus what’s actually available if you subscribe, so subscribe away to get the latest and greatest ASAP. But if you absolutely hate iTunes on the same level on which Mo hates arbitrary plot extensions, here’s where to grab MP3s. Or, you can listen to it right now by hitting up the podcast’s native site here. Lots of options, y’all.
Enjoy!
November 8, 2011 – 10:54 pm
Three lengthy discussions this week, y’all. Mo Ryan and I look at the seasons thus far of “Fringe” and “Homeland”, and look at this week’s episode of “Sons of Anarchy,” entitled “Hands.”
Running Times:
0:00 - 14:42: Fringe
14:42 - 36:00: Homeland
36:00 - End: Sons of Anarchy
This week’s podcast music: “There’s No Home For You Here,” The White Stripes; “Hey Jude,” The Beatles
As per usual, you can subscribe to the podcast here. Subscribing is your best option to ensure you get all episodes of “Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan” as soon as they are available. Recently, there’s been a slight lag in what iTunes store shows versus what’s actually available if you subscribe, so subscribe away to get the latest and greatest ASAP. But if you absolutely hate iTunes on the same level on which Mo hates arbitrary plot extensions, here’s where to grab MP3s. Or, you can listen to it right now by hitting up the podcast’s native site here. Lots of options, y’all.
Enjoy!
November 6, 2011 – 8:07 pm
Television criticism needs a punk rock movement.
Normally, I’m an expert in burying my own lede. But since what follows will concern a radical rethinking of the way that criticism is currently performed online, I figured I would practice what I preach. I’ve been coming at this thesis for some time now, and while I’m not remotely convinced I’ve nailed the specifics of how I think this should be achieved, I do think I’ve reached a point in which I can share this with everyone at this time. This isn’t the start and end of this conversation. This is only the beginning of it.
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November 2, 2011 – 10:42 pm
You know the drill by now, yes?
Suburgatory: Charity Case
South Park: 1%
Enjoy!
November 1, 2011 – 11:17 pm
Fun show this week, people. Mo Ryan and I are back with a preview of AMC’s “Hell on Wheels,” talk about some early Winners and Losers in the Fall 2011 schedule, and look at this week’s episode of “Sons of Anarchy,” entitled “Kiss.”
Running Times:
0:00 - 13:42 : “Hell on Wheels”
13:42 - 46:24: Winners and Losers
46:24 - End: “Sons of Anarchy”
This week’s podcast music: “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” Lucinda Williams; “Kiss,” Prince
As per usual, you can subscribe to the podcast here. Subscribing is your best option to ensure you get all episodes of “Talking TV with Ryan and Ryan” as soon as they are available. Recently, there’s been a slight lag in what iTunes store shows versus what’s actually available if you subscribe, so subscribe away to get the latest and greatest ASAP. But if you absolutely hate iTunes on the same level on which Mo hates her mute button, here’s where to grab MP3s. Or, you can listen to it right now by hitting up the podcast’s native site here. Lots of options, y’all.
Enjoy!