What's on TV These Days?

[Terri Yaki]

We have rooftop antenna and a Samsung smart TV, with a slew of streaming channels to keep us entertained. Lately, we've been watching selections from an app called Freevee TV. Recent viewings include Reservoir Dogs for the first time, a mini-series called The Irish Mob, which chronicles the involvement of the Irish in organized crime over the years. It's not mostly network TV as it was years ago. They just don't seem to offer good entertainment like they used to.

[The15thMember]

The only currently airing TV, other than sports, that I am watching right now is Deadliest Catch, and I'm a few weeks back on that because I prefer to DVR it so I don't have to watch commercials.  My sister and I are currently watching The Rifleman, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E..  I'm also watching rewatching Star Trek: The Original Series with the kids, and we are watching Parks and Recreation and rewatching The Office as a family.         

[Terri Yaki]

I'm a big fan of Deadliest Catch and Gold Rush. When the scamdemic hit, we watched both from the beginning and have watched every episode of both. Jake Anderson is my favorite character on Deadliest Catch. I still remember when he showed up as a greenhorn on The Northwestern and for a first year greenhorn, he got a lot of camera time for some reason. It was like they knew he was going to be around for a long time and make a name for himself. As far as I know, Deadliest Catch is only shown on Discovery and if you're paying for that, there are several AK based shows that I find worthy of watching.

[The15thMember]

My dad and I have been watching Deadliest Catch probably since like season 3 or thereabouts.  I am also impressed with Jake Anderson and how far he has come, not only with his leadership skills, but I'm always really impressed with his mechanical knowledge.  I was always a big Phil Harris fan, and I was sad when he was gone.  My favorite captain recently has been Sean Dwyer, but he hasn't been around this season.  I've also been impressed with Sophia "Bob" Nielson.  I figured she was just on the show because she is a girl (and I'm sure that was the impetus for the production to include her), but I think she seems like the real deal.           

[Terri Yaki]

All of those are good people on the show. Bob looks like she's 18, if only I was 40 years younger.    And a few of them have interesting stories behind them. Those captains do have to know a lot about all of the systems on those boats, I don't know how they learn it all.

[BeeMaster2]

I enjoy watching Deadliest Catch also.
Terri, if you think there is a lot to learn on one of these little fishing boats, try having to learn everything about a 360 foot destroyer, that includes the boiler rooms, engine rooms, propellers and shaft bearings, weapon systems including torpedoes; rocket launchers, phalanx guns, 5 inch 38 guns, five different radars, radios, combat information center, anchor windless, and location of every fuel tank, water tank and what is in every space on board. After you think you learned everything and completed a check off list then you sit down in a room with the senior members of every department who questions you about their areas and decide whether you are qualified.
Oh and you have less than a year to complete this. 😊
Jim Altmiller

[Terri Yaki]

Sounds pretty serious, Jim, but I guess if you're the ship's mechanic, you need to know what's going on. I asked one of the commercial pilots that I know, if they knew their planes like the ship's engineer knows his ship and the answer was, "no". I'll have to ask my neighbor if that's the case for a Navy pilot too.

Last night was a WW II themed double feature, featuring 'Enemy at the Gates' and 'Defiance'. Both based on true stories. I expect that there is some dramatization but both were good movies. I had seen Enemy at the Gates a few years back but Defiance and the story it tells was all new to me. I recommend them if you like that type of movie.

[The15thMember]

Never seen Enemy at the Gates, but it floated around in my Netflix queue for years, so I'm vaguely familiar with it.  We watched Defiance a good number of years ago now.  I remember it being just okay.  We gave it a 6/10 according to my records. 

We watched the Netflix exclusive black comedy I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore last night, and it was so good.  The more I think about it the more I like it.  We gave it a 9/10.   

[Kathyp]

Enemy at the Gates is good.  One of the few I saw in theater.  All Quiet on the Western Front is good and the newer one is better than the old one.

[The15thMember]

All Quiet on the Western Front is good and the newer one is better than the old one.

Oh good to know.  I've been wondering what the deal was with the new one, having never seen the old one. 

[Terri Yaki]

All quiet on the western front has been on here but I haven?t seen it yet. I?ll have to see if I can catch it.

[Kathyp]

I've been wondering what the deal was with the new one, having never seen the old one.

They are both good, but I felt like the newer one was more real.  Maybe not the best for young kids though.

[Terri Yaki]

Tonight's feature was American Graffiti. I hadn't seen this movie in years, maybe even decades. I don't have a rating method but I'd rate it pretty high. How many noticed that Harrison Ford was in it?

[The15thMember]

We gave that a 6.5.  I did notice Harrison Ford, but I always look deep at the cast list before movies, so I knew going into it.  He surprised us in an episode of Gunsmoke once though!    I'm a big Happy Days fan, and I found Ron Howard and Cindy Williams distracting in American Graffiti.

[Terri Yaki]

A 6.5? You're brutal  And for the life of me, I can't think of the Phillips girl's first name. Do you have that on tap? I could look on IMB if I need to. I think she's Pappa John Phillip's daughter.

[The15thMember]

And for the life of me, I can't think of the Phillips girl's first name. Do you have that on tap? I could look on IMB if I need to. I think she's Pappa John Phillip's daughter.

Mackenzie?

A 6.5? You're brutal 

The curse of being an accidental critic.    Light drama is a loaded genre, it takes a lot to stand out on that scale.  But keep in mind that 6.5 is still pretty good.  That's a movie that is not great, but it's okay, not one that is bad.   

[Terri Yaki]

Mackenzie, that's her. She cracked me up in that movie.

[Kathyp]

Did you guys remember that Bruce Jenner, now Caitlyn Jenner, was on CHIPs for a season? That show and Emergency! had a lot of people play bit parts and later become more famous.

[Terri Yaki]

I didn't watch either of those shows so I'm out.

[The15thMember]

I've never watched either of those either.  As far as old TV goes, my sister and I tend to only watch cowboys, spies, and space.