Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

Giving up is unforgivable.

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

He really is that stupid.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

You are here: Home / Popular Culture / What Do You Know About These New Shows?

What Do You Know About These New Shows?

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What do you guys know about these new shows on HBO?

I can watch the trailers and read about them, but you guys are more tuned in than I am.  What’s the word on the street?  The only one I knew about was Perry Mason.

There are 7 that look interesting to me, 8 if you count Perry Mason.  Speaking of which, I am liking Perry Mason.  Now that we’re halfway through, what do you think?

*****

Also, for anyone who missed it yesterday, gwangung had a zoom reading of his play yesterday.  Here’s the post where we talked about it:

She Devil of the China Seas

Tickets were $5, I think, or whatever people wanted to give, but it is now available on YouTube.

There’s no obligation to donate in order to watch it, but if anyone wants to make a donation, you can do so at this link.

 

*****

TRAILERS!

Tokyo Vice (coming in 2020, couldn’t find a trailer)

Upcoming Shows on HBO

 

The Third Day (Fall 2020)

 

The Undoing  (Fall 2020)

 

We Are Who We Are  (sometime in 2020)

 

I May Destroy You  (6 episodes in)

 

The Undoing (Fall 2020)

 

I Know This Must Be True

 

Perry Mason  (4 episodes in)

Reader Interactions

102Comments

  1. 1.

    BGinCHI

    Perry Mason is good so far.

    Excellent cast and it’s really nice to see LA (Bunker Hill, esp) in the early ’30s.

    Don’t know about Tokyo Vice, but those are two of my favorite things.

    If you have Prime, “Escape at Dannemora” is available there now (it was a Showtime production). We’re 2 episodes in and it’s excellent. Patricia Arquette’s performance is lights-out amazing.

  3. 3.

    SFBayAreaGal

    How much do you pay for HBO? If we get HBO it will push our cable bill over $150.00

  4. 4.

    greengoblin

    I am hoping to like Perry Mason. So far, to me, every character is a cliched mess.  I am hanging in there, though.  Maybe seeing what others here think will help.

  5. 5.

    Craig

    I really like Perry Mason. Shea Whigham has been on fire in all kinds of roles, and nails Pete. I like the way that we sort of know what’s going on, but I’m not sure that we do what the real picture is. Della is a great character. I really like Sister Alice.

  6. 6.

    BGinCHI

    @WaterGirl: Prison escape series, written by Michael Tolkin and Brett Johnson (a Mad Men alum). Benicio del Toro and Paul Dano in it as well.

    Very gritty and smart. A very provocative look at how prisons work, esp in terms of how the locals who work there are part of the story (without spoiling….).

  7. 7.

    NotMax

    What Do You Know About These New Shows?

    Zip. Nada. Rien.

    Can’t budgetarily justify the cost of HBO on top of the costs other services. In fact, getting this close to axing cable TV altogether as that monthly fee is now bumping up against the ceiling of what I can comfortably afford.

  8. 8.

    lamh36

    Haven’t had a chance yet, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about I May Destroy You.  Plus I love Michaela Cole since Chewing Gum (another show u might want to check out, just to diversify your selections)

  12. 12.

    SFBayAreaGal

    The Undoing is based on the book You Should have known by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

    According to Wiki:

    The book tells the story of a New York therapist who discovers that her beloved husband has a secret and unfathomable life and may have been responsible for a murder. The book was published in eighteen languages. On March 12, 2018 HBOannounced that Executive Producer David E. Kelley would write and produce a limited series based on “You Should Have Known” (renamed “The Undoing”) to star Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Donald Sutherland, Noah Jupe, Edgar Ramirez and Lily Rabe, directed by Susanne Bier. HBO will air the miniseries in 2020.

  13. 13.

    Kent

    @SFBayAreaGal: How much do you pay for HBO? If we get HBO it will push our cable bill over $150.00

    I added HBO-Max to our Hulu subscription. I think it was $14.99 per month.

    I’m liking the new Perry Mason.  It’s much more in the flavor of Jack Nickelson’s Chinatown than the old Perry Mason.  I like the lesbian Della Street.  She steals the show.

  18. 18.

    WaterGirl

    @BGinCHI: @lamh36:

    I had never even heard of that one until today, and it’s halfway through the 12-episode season.  That’s what prompted me to ask about all these shows.

    I have also never heard of Chewing Gum.  Will have to check that out.

  22. 22.

    Percysowner

    Mostly I know that HBO Max (and Peacock) don’t want me to watch them because they won’t put an app on Roku. There is a dispute about how much they should pay Roku for carriage and since Roku has always been good to me, I’m siding with them for now. I already have Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix and a subscription to DISH, so It’s not like I’m hurting for things to watch. About the only thing I’d like to catch is Doom Patrol, but I’ll live.

  23. 23.

    Amalthea1

    Long-time lurker here. Been watching I May Destroy You since the first episode, and have only amazing things to say about it. Sharp, funny, very nuanced look at consent and assault. It can be a really hard watch, though, because of the subject matter, so be warned going in. The episodes are also only 30 minutes long, so it ends before things get too overwhelming. I think it’s at the halfway point in the series right now.

  26. 26.

    Kent

    @Percysowner:Mostly I know that HBO Max (and Peacock) don’t want me to watch them because they won’t put an app on Roku. There is a dispute about how much they should pay Roku for carriage and since Roku has always been good to me, I’m siding with them for now. I already have Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix and a subscription to DISH, so It’s not like I’m hurting for things to watch. About the only thing I’d like to catch is Doom Patrol, but I’ll live.

    You can add HBO-Max to either Amazon Prime or Hulu.  You don’t need to add it as a separate stand-alone app.  Cost is the same either way.

  27. 27.

    NotMax

    @Percysowner

    Pretty good article about that.

    If a streaming service launches, but it’s not available on Roku or Fire TV, does it really launch at all?
    [snip]
    Roku commands 44 percent of viewing time in the United States, according to research released earlier this year by Conviva, and Amazon Fire TV maintains about 19 percent of viewing time. Roku and Amazon both claim to have close to or more than 40 million customers using their devices. They’re only getting bigger.

    The roadblock, like so many debates in the tech and media space, comes down to money and data. Essentially, both NBCUniversal (owned by Comcast) and WarnerMedia (owned by AT&T) want more control over user data and advertising generated by their apps. That requires either not going the traditional deal path with a company like Amazon or fighting over advertising shares with Roku. Source

  28. 28.

    Amalthea1

    @WaterGirl: I’ll try. It’s about Arabella, the main character played by Michaela Cole, and her small group of friends who live/work in London. It’s a slight sort of mystery show, because of an event that happens in the first episode that leaves a lot of questions behind. So far, the rest of the show has been the aftermath/coping with that event, along with some flashbacks to before.

    Sorry if that’s too vague, just trying not to give away too much!

  29. 29.

    Salty Sam

    I just watched  “ I Know This Much Is True” a few weeks ago.  REALLY good, although painfully hard to watch in some parts.

  32. 32.

    Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA)

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:  I’ve seen it already. ;)

    Why can’t I embed a link?  Aaggh.  It’s at the end.  Sorry.

    I was going to go to the mountains or the lake for a darker sky, but there’s something about a hot, muggy Georgia Summer night that makes me hate the idea of leaving the house, so I just went a couple hundred feet down the street for about 15 minutes with my camera, my tripod and the Star Walk 2 app.
    https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10223596862055166&id=1399092200&ref=bookmarks

  33. 33.

    Salty Sam

    @WaterGirl:  I binged the whole thing in a couple of nights.  Highly recommended, but as I said, some parts are incredibly painful to watch.  But, so is real life, at times…

  36. 36.

    cain

    I only do Netflix and Amazon.. I just cant to HBO. Netflix celebrates my people like no other. I will always follow Netflix.

  37. 37.

    lamh36

    @BGinCHI: soon as I get a weekend off I’m gonna likely binge it.

    I’m also thinking of binging the first season of The Alienist.  The 2nd season is premiering tonight.

  38. 38.

    WaterGirl

    @cain: Curious, can’t because of $$, or can’t because you don’t respect them?

    I have HBO and Netflix, and I get Prime because I have Prime for shipping. But I refuse to pay for anything more, on principle.

  39. 39.

    Falling Diphthong

    @BGinCHI: The presence of Rim of the World at the very bottom of that list gives me hope; thank you. (I was ready for it to be a guilty pleasure. It was not.)

  41. 41.

    Obdurodon

     

     

    @Kent: Stealing a show with Shea Whigham and Tatiana Maslany in it must be quite a trick. A hat trick, I guess. I wasn’t particularly going to watch this, but now I’m intrigued.

  45. 45.

    NotMax

    @lamh36

    The Alienist

    Read the book. Rousing can’t-put-it-down whodunit.

    TV series was a hot mess. Managed to slog through 1½ episodes before bidding it a not so fond adieu.

  48. 48.

    lamh36

    @WaterGirl: I can’t speak for Cain, but I can say that Netflix of all the streaming sites is the most diverse in content and has gone out of there way to put out content geared towards Black and other minority viewers with original programming.

    Which they’ve been doing before the George Floyd murder and events before had other companies diversifying.

  49. 49.

    WaterGirl

    @Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA): Sounds good.  We have had the occasional hiccup with the form – twice in the last 2 weeks.  Not sure what’s happening, so if your descriptions will be long-is, I suggest writing them elsewhere and then pasting them in to the form.  That way if something happens, you’ve only lost 5 minutes.

  52. 52.

    Salty Sam

    @WaterGirl: I have HBO Max on my iPad.  The whole thing is available.

    I have a weakness for binge watching, and during lockdown, time to do it.  I used to feel guilty for that, but got over it quickly.

  53. 53.

    BruceFromOhio

    Struggling with what to keep and what to cut. Already doing Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, plus the AT&T universe cable package. We’re digging in the archives of each as we’ve either already watched or discarded the first-run  ‘new stuff’. Every time I think I’m ready to cut the cable cord, something pops up to indicate otherwise. Mostly it’s being able to record stuff indefinitely. Currently working our way through Queen of the South, and will add Escape from Dannemora to the list. Thanks for the rec!

  54. 54.

    Amalthea1

    @lamh36: I want to say yes; I mean, it basically HAS to. But I tend to glaze over until the actual show starts, so it may not actually have one. They do offer some resources related to the subject matter after the show, though.

  55. 55.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    Not exactly on topic, but I finally got around to watching the 2006 film Children Of Men.

    Holy shit. What a movie.

    Not for the feint of heart, the film imagines a not too distant fascist Britain, where immigrants are forcibly sent to Gaza-style open-air prisons (“refugee camps”), and the human race has gone infertile (youngest person on Earth is a teenager). It is a harrowing film that barely holds back, with intense scenes of police and military violence towards innocents, etc., balanced with beautiful symbolism, very effective pacing, and an overall effect that made me ask if I’m doing enough to prevent this horrific vision of the future from coming to my home in the US.

    With the events in Portland this past week, it’s scary – less than 100 miles away, Trump’s brownshirts are abducting random folks off the streets, brazenly, and against the lawful orders of our Governor. I’m so outraged about this, I might just have to give that much more $ to Democrats all over the US. We’re all in this together! We’ve got to stop Trump.

  57. 57.

    Emerald

    Well The Third Day is an absolute “yes” with me. I will watch anything with Jude Law. That trailer is giving me “Wicker Man” vibes.

    As to HBO, it is flat worth the money. Consistently good original series and films (Wizard of Lies, por ejemplo) plus top movies, including older stuff. “Harriet” just dropped today.

    I have Hulu and Disney Plus free for three months via a houseguest, and I’m impressed with the Disney content but quite mad at Hulu. They charge for their app and then include commercials??? I’m watching the few things I want to see on it (Hillary, Killing Eve and Handmaid’s Tale) and then I’ll concentrate on interesting stuff on Disney until it’s gone.

    But I refuse to pay more for anything other than Netflix, Prime and HBO.

  58. 58.

    Brachiator

    I don’t know anything about any of these shows. And I have HBO. Good to learn what’s up.

    Still have not seen the new Perry Mason yet, but may give it a look.

  59. 59.

    PJ

    @lamh36: Netflix’s strategy, since studios and networks first started pulling programming from them, has been to offer “something for everyone”.  They took on massive amounts of debt in order to expand internationally and produce all of this programming, and there seems to be a massive amount of crap (what used to be standard TV or B or C-movie straight-to-video material) on it as well as good stuff, but they have actually been successful at providing “something for everybody”.  Whatever your interest is or whatever your background, you can probably find something on Netflix that will interest you.  (I don’t know if it is a coincidence or not in terms of their programming strategy, but Ted Sarandos, the chief “content officer” who is now co-CEO, is married to a black woman.)

    HBO, for a variety of reasons, had fairly limited programming until it was purchased by AT&T in the Warner deal.  It looks like they are going to ramp up production and try to reach new audiences but it will take them some time.  Disney has a massive catalog (now including Fox/Turner titles) but I doubt they are going to start producing “edgy” fare.  Apple seems intent on putting out the blandest possible programming, I guess so they don’t offend anyone who might otherwise buy a phone or computer, but it’s a terrible strategy if they actually want to make money on streaming.  I don’t know what Amazon’s strategy is but it’s included with Prime, so I doubt most people are subscribing solely to watch their series, which also seem to be a mixed bag.

    TL/DR: In the near term (next 5 or so years), Netflix has a clear advantage over their competitors because they have something for people of most backgrounds or interests.  (Actually finding that something, however, I find to be difficult on the interface.)

  62. 62.

    trollhattan

    Liked “The Night Manager” a lot, so will make a point to watch “The Undoing.” The cast alone would probably bring me in regardless.

  63. 63.

    Brachiator

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Y’all need to turn off the TV machine and head to a somewhat dark place and see the NEOWISE comet, it’s on a limited engagement.

    Do you need to get out of the city to get a good look?

  64. 64.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Mingobat (f/k/a Karen in GA):

    Of course, weather forecasts here are kind of useless, so who knows.

    Heh, know the feeling, I also shot a Milky Way shot last night.  I tried something different, I both used my sky tracker to get a longer exposure(30 seconds) and stacked.  I normally do this for deep sky stuff, but I’d never done it with a foreground.  It worked!

  65. 65.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I am am amateur sky nerd who was up near Gore Mountain in the Adirondacks this past week.  One of the most beautiful night skies I’ve seen in years.  No moon to make it even better. I can generally point out a satellite cruising overhead.  I saw something that I would have thought was a satellite on Wednesday night @11:00 but it was Fucking moving at a speed I couldn’t believe.  I pointed it out to my friend and told him I thought it could be the comet. Probably not, though.  Lol…

  67. 67.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Brachiator: I’ve seen some shots from an astronomer in the city, I’m not sure what he’s shooting with.  If you want to see it with the naked eye, you’d need to get outside of LA.  I went up to Frazier Park last night.

  69. 69.

    cain

    @BGinCHI:

    I credit them for pushing the envolope on non-white based main characters. Never mind the original shows based in foreign countries – the korean stuff is pretty good from the ones I’ve watched.

  70. 70.

    WaterGirl

    @Salty Sam: Whatever gets us through the day.  Even better – for folks who have substance abuse issues – if it’s not alcohol or drugs.

    Not saying you do have that issue, of course.  Speaking generally.

  71. 71.

    Lee M Meade

    @lamh36: This show is like nothing else on TV. The cast is astonishing. Cole herself leaves a hole in your soul with her blunt honest in your face portrayal. Hard to watch at times, but almost impossible to turn away. Great, great show.

  77. 77.

    Anotherlurker

    I binged all of Acorn TV’s new series, “Dead Still”. It is set in 1890s Dublin.  The main character is a Memorial Photographer.  It is very dark but very funny.  It is a Shaftsbury Production, the same producers who brought us “Murdock Mysteries”.  Needless to say, production values are nothing short of superb.

  78. 78.

    Juju

    I enjoyed “I know this much is true”, but there are some very difficult parts to get through, but well worth your time. I keep falling asleep while trying to watch “ Perry Mason”.

    I have been watching the thing about the Golden State Killer .  I watched the first episode thinking it would be the only episode I’d watch, given the subject matter, but I have watched every episode so far.

    Thats all I have

  81. 81.

    Bex

    @WaterGirl: The HBO series The New Pope with Jude Law as the first American pope, Pius the XIII.  Two seasons (so far).  If you like Italian surrealist cinema it’s for you.

  82. 82.

    Salty Sam

    @WaterGirl: heh!  Gettin into raven’s territory here, but:

    Whatever gets you thru the night
    It’s all right, it’s all right
    It’s your money or your life
    It’s all right, it’s all right
    Don’t need a sword to cut thru flowers
    Oh no, oh no

    https://youtu.be/vjWebKavfuI

  83. 83.

    Poe Larity

    We need a Tokyo Vice with Beat Takeshi closing out each episode in his wall murals.

  85. 85.

    trollhattan

    @Juju:

    It’s been a ride to watch for those who lived in one of the areas hit during his seemingly unsolvable crime wave. A friend who is a victim is interviewed extensively in one of the episodes. Michelle McNamara was an amazing woman and Patton Oswalt is too nice for words.

    So many stray elements that needed stitching together. The various law enforcement agencies sure didn’t compare notes.

  87. 87.

    trollhattan

    @Bex:

    Speaking of Italian cinema, “My Brilliant Friend” is one of the best things I’ve seen recently. I assume the two seasons can be streamed and have no idea whether there will be season 3, but fingers crossed.

  91. 91.

    Doug R

    @Percysowner: I got Chromecast to get Disney+ for awhile. I can also rent and buy movies on Google play on my phone, then cast them on to my tv. $60-70 for the 4K version.

  93. 93.

    NotMax

    @Doug R

    On the vast, vast majority of TVs the difference between 1080p and 4K is barely, if at all, perceptible.

  94. 94.

    James E Powell

    I’m watching Perry Mason, but I’m withholding a decision on whether I like it. I’m going to want some kind of payoff for all the mayhem.

    HBOMax added a lot of movies, including – brace yourself – the original Godzilla movies.

  95. 95.

    Ruckus

    I haven’t had cable for at least 15 yrs but I do have Netflix and watch it regularly. OK I see that HBO Max is a streaming service, not a schedule service, is $15/month, I’m going to give it a try. I’m canceling my DVD service with Netflix for next month, I seldom use it. That means my tv watching goes from

    @lamh36:

    I agree with this, it’s a very diverse source and much of it is very good.

  96. 96.

    trollhattan

    @James E Powell:

    There will be a considerable body count, something I don’t recall the TV series featuring at all.

    We did have our first courtroom confession, but not in the resolve the plot at minute 50 fashion.

  97. 97.

    meander

    When I read the book Tokyo Vice by Jake Adelstein earlier in the year, I wondered when it would be made into a movie or series. I’m glad they went with a series, because it’s a complicated book. And HBO seems a good network for it, because there is plenty of sex and violence.

    The book is about an American who joins a Japanese newspaper in Tokyo and ends up on the crime beat. So he works on stories about the yakuza, human trafficking, random crimes, and more. It’s quite a good book, but bleak, as the human trafficking networks destroy a lot of people.

    In the NPR Fresh Air Archive there is a great interview with Adelstein.

  98. 98.

    chrisanthemama

    @lamh36: Binge-watched it on-demand–with captions to decipher the East End patois.  Very addictive.  Also “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark”, based on Michelle McNamara’s book about the Golden State Killer.  Both very good.  I need to get out more often.

  99. 99.

    l3000

    fyi, acorn tv is doing 7 day free trial for binge of any shows. hidden season 2 drew me in. really liked the first season. wales. detective series. through prime, did i say?

  101. 101.

    janesays

    @Kent: I may be mistaken, but I don’t believe you can access the Max Original programming through anything but the HBO Max app. I have it through YouTube TV, and I can watch all of the HBO-specific content on YTTV, but if I want to watch one of the programs exclusive to Max (ie the Anna Kendrick series, which is not available on traditional HBO), I have to watch it through the HBO Max app.

  102. 102.

    rafah

    @PJ: I miss the interface they had during the DVD days.  If I searched by topics or countries it would keep giving me new options, not just repeat the same three windows of content over and over.  It was just so much easier to search for new stuff or browse.  Now they make it so hard to find movies and shows that are not on their main lists, I don’t understand the thinking behind it.

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