Wow. It’s been a year since I did a What I’ve Been Watching. I did do those two Ten Things I Think I Think, covering Marvel movies, but that’s it. So, let’s talk about a few things I liked.
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
Our own Goth Chick has talked about this show a couple times – including here.
This is a vampire show, running on FX. Based on a previous movie (which had a different cast). Its about a group of four vampires who live in NYC. They originally came to the New World to take over, but got sidetracked over the years. This show is both wrong, and hilariously funny. Season six is currently running, and will bring the episode total up to sixty-one.
Nandor the Destroyer is in charge, and he’s more the classic Transylvanian-style vampire. I LOVE Matt Berry in The IT Crowd (he reunites with Richard Ayoade in voicing Krapoplois), Year of the Rabbit, and Toast of London. He’s probably my favorite British actor. He makes me laugh as Laszlo. Nadja is his fellow-vampire girlfriend and equal to the two men. They all ‘look like’ vampires. Colin Robinson is an energy vampire – he feeds on negative energy and exhaustion, not blood. It’s a fantastic bit, as we’ve all unknowingly worked with energy vampires in the past. Nandor also has a nerdy little vampire-wannabe apprentice, Guillermo
They’re likable vampires, though they certainly have no compunction in killing humans. There are laughs every episode, and the dynamics of the household shift. Guillermo’s longing to be a vampire is amusing and a little sad. And it owned me when Nandor, trying to explain the origin of the Universe, had a drawing of three elephants standing on the back of a great turtle. If you don’t get that reference, we can still be friends, but you REALLY need to read some Terry Pratchett!
I really can’t do justice to the show here. You should watch the first couple episodes – you’ll immediately get the vibe. It is not safe for work, or family friendly. Keep that in mind. The half-hour episodes zip by, and it’s just a fun watch. I’m glad it’s back for a sixth season.
THE BAY
This British crime drama running on BritBox (which I have through Prime). It has gone five seasons now, with six episodes per. Each season focuses on one main crime in a British sea-side town. Marsha Thomason joined in season three, and she is the main character, though others have been around from the start.
She is Detective Sergeant Townsend, and along with D.S. Hobson, they are family liaison officers. It’s a different emphasis for a cop show, and I was not familiar with the position before watching. It’s a serious drama, without much humor at all. Personal struggles of the officers are intertwined with the cases they are investigating. Bad things happen, and you don’t walk away with happy feelings. But if you’re looking for a pure drama, this is a heck of a show. I had no idea Thomason was British, after watching her in the excellent White Collar. And Daniel Ryan looks like Ricky Gervais to me.
At six hours per season, this is definitely something to check out. I think if you liked Broadchurch (which I LOVED), this might be up your alley.
I LIKE MURDER IN A SMALL TOWN
(And this section is a reprint from last week’s Nine Things I Think I Think. The fifth episode was tense, and showed the strength of the female lead. I like this show.)
This is a brand new Fox shows, four episodes in. The lead is Kiefer Sutherland’s brother, Rossif. I recently watched him on the excellent Three Pines (a show that TOTALLY deserved a second season). I’d never guess he was Donald’s son, looking at him. But I think he’s REALLY good as a former big city, divorced dad, being sheriff in a small, waterfront town. I didn’t watch Smallville, but Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) is the other lead. I did see her in season one of Reacher.
I really like that I can play ‘I Know that Actor’ (if you follow me on Facebook, you’ve seen that game MANY times) with the great guest stars, ala Columbo, Monk, Suits, and so many other shows I enjoy. So far, I’ve seen James Cromwell (LA Confidential), Erica Durance (a Hallmark favorite), Stana Katic (Beckett in Castle!), and Jason Gray-Stanford (Monk’s Randy Disher). My favorite new show so far.
POSTSEASON BASEBALL
I’ve watched a lot of baseball over the years, going back to when I collected baseball cards in grade school. But I mostly just track it on the web now – a whole season would pass before I tuned in to a Dodgers playoff game. But this year, I got totally immersed in the post season. The implementation of the pitch clock, and requiring a pitcher to face a minimum of three batters, significantly sped up the game. Last year, the average game was twenty-three minutes shorter than in 2019. That’s a LOT of nothing time, eliminated. I find baseball much more watchable.
And playoff games with the Guardians (my AL team) were exciting. The first two games of the Yankees-Dodgers World Series have gone down to the last out, with game one ending with something that had never happened in 119 previous Series’.
I hold the NHL playoffs as the best postseason in pro sports. The level of play from the first round on is fantastic. I even enjoy watching games between teams I don’t care about. Playoff hockey is exciting and high quality. But I’m rediscovering the magic of baseball this season. And this World Series is living up to the hype. I’ve even managed to stay awake past 11:00!!
ALSO…
Season Two of TULSA KING is dropping, and it’s just as good as season one was. Probably my favorite current show I’m watching. I wrote about it here. I still think it may be Stallone’s best performance. You can catch it on Paramount+, and HIGHLY recommended.
I subbed to Hulu TV+ to get more Premier League soccer. It’s also letting me watch episodes here and there of various shows.
I’ve watched a couple of RIZZOLI & ISLES, which I saw in its entirety during its initial run. I still really like this show. I should read some of the novels by Tess Gerritsen. It’s a good show with a strong cast. If you liked Sasha Alexander on NCIS, you definitely should check out this one.
I also watched a couple episodes of CASTLE. Still a big fan of the show, though it seems to be dating a bit for me. Not sure why. Love Nathan Fillion, and the whole cast works. Just didn’t quite grab me as I expected. Still gonna watch more.
BIG BANG THEORY is totally in my nerd neighborhood, but I had never really gotten into it. I recently watched a bunch of seasons, through the finale. Definitely my kind of show.
I’m also watching the latest season of FIRE COUNTRY, which I find good enough to keep me tuning in. Looking forward to more WILL TRENT.
Some previous entries on things to watch:
What I’m Watching – November 2023 (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial, A Haunting in Venice)
What I’m Watching – April 2023 (Florida Man, Picard – season three, The Mandalorian)
The Pale Blue Eye, and The Glass Onion: Knives Out
The Rings of Power (Series I wrote on this show – all links at this one post)
What I’m Watching – December 2022 (Frontier, Leverage: Redemption)
What I’m Watching – November 2022 (Tulsa King, Andor, Fire Country, and more)
What I’m Watching – September 2022 (Galavant, Fire Fly, She-Hulk, and more)
What I’m Watching- April 2022 (Outer Range, Halo, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans, and more)
When USA Network was Kicking Major Butt (Monk, Psych, Burn Notice)
You Should be Streaming These Shows (Corba Kai, The Expanse, Bosch, and more)
What I’m BritBoxing – December 2021 (Death in Paradise, Shakespeare & Hathaway, The Blake Mysteries, and more)
To Boldly Go – Star Treking – (Various Star Trek incarnations)
What I’ve Been Watching – August 2021 (Monk, The Tomorrow War, In Plain Sight, and more)
What I’m Watching – June 2021 (Get Shorty, Con Man, Thunder in Paradise, and more)
What I’ve Been Watching – June 2021 (Relic Hunter, Burn Notice, Space Force, and more)
What I’m Watching: 2020 – Part Two (My Name is Bruce, Sword of Sherwood Forest, Isle of Fury, and more)
What I’m Watching 2020: Part One (The Adventures of Brisco County Jr, Poirot, Burn Notice, and more)
Sherlock Holmes (over two dozen TV shows and movies)
Bob Byrne’s ‘A (Black) Gat in the Hand’ made its Black Gate debut in 2018 and has returned every summer since.
His ‘The Public Life of Sherlock Holmes’ column ran every Monday morning at Black Gate from March, 2014 through March, 2017. And he irregularly posts on Rex Stout’s gargantuan detective in ‘Nero Wolfe’s Brownstone.’ He is a member of the Praed Street Irregulars, founded www.SolarPons.com (the only website dedicated to the ‘Sherlock Holmes of Praed Street’).
He organized Black Gate’s award-nominated ‘Discovering Robert E. Howard’ series, as well as the award-winning ‘Hither Came Conan’ series. Which is now part of THE Definitive guide to Conan. He also organized 2023’s ‘Talking Tolkien.’
He has contributed stories to The MX Book of New Sherlock Holmes Stories – Parts III, IV, V, VI, XXI, and XXXIII.
He has written introductions for Steeger Books, and appeared in several magazines, including Black Mask, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine, The Strand Magazine, and Sherlock Magazine.