The Blacklist Refugees » TV Shows You're Watching this Summer

IowaWatcher · 5/20/2017 4:41 pm

"Game of Thrones" will be back in July (?), plus I haven't seen season 3 of "Silicon Valley," and it's in season 4 now.

What are you watching/reading this summer?

Honey West · 5/20/2017 5:47 pm

Good question! Besides SF Giants games I think the final season of The Strain should be happening. I need to check on that

lara1 · 5/20/2017 11:34 pm

Apart from a series re-watch, which should be interesting to look back on now that we have more information - catching up with a bunch on shows streaming on Netflix. There's some really good ones I have never watched.

Eastcoast · 5/21/2017 12:42 am

I am of course going to start with the TBL Pilot and watch all 4 seasons and take more notes if that is possible...
I am going to see if there is anything I can pull out of it now that we have so much to chew on.

Tuxie400 · 5/21/2017 10:42 am

The summer show I'm looking forward to the most is Orphan Black. It's the last season for this one, and it should be an exciting time for the clones. I've also started rewatching Lost on Netflicks, and I'm on the second season of that. The Lost episodes captivate me like nothing else on current TV except The Blacklist.

JackPow · 5/21/2017 2:04 pm

Eastcoast wrote:
I am of course going to start with the TBL Pilot and watch all 4 seasons and take more notes if that is possible...
I am going to see if there is anything I can pull out of it now that we have so much to chew on.

(First time trying the quote feature. I hope I do it correctly) Eastcoast that is ambitious! I think I'm going to try to do the same! The showrunners keep telling us viewers that the clues have been there all along and it will all make sense in the end. Every bit is a piece to the larger puzzle. And now we've got 4 seasons worth of pieces!

Tatiana · 5/21/2017 2:51 pm

We will re-watch The Blacklist, but I would prefer to take a 'surgical' method. I believe there are episodes which are far more relevant than others to the overall storyline. JB (or someone else) said that the Pilot and the first few episodes pretty much have everything in it you need. There are a few other episodes in Season 1 and I truly believe several episodes in the second half of season 4 which are quite relevant.

Since the showrunners did not know if they would be renewed or not (I believe they thought they'd be renewed a lot earlier than the announcement) they had to have had filmed two different finales. The last 30 minutes of the finale probably include some significant clues. Also, the scene between Ressler and Hitchens probably was a filler. They weren't driving that storyline. Just a guess on my part though.

We tend to be a lot busier during the summer, so if anything, we'll watch movies, not TV. In the fall we watch football (I'm in Packer-land!) and there's a lot of fishing, swimming, hiking and barbeques to be had in the summer :-)

IowaWatcher · 5/21/2017 2:59 pm

Ha! I should've known there would also be lots of re-watching the series, Eastcoast. I'll be doing a little of that, too, but I'm also adding to my list from some of your responses. "The Strain" sounds interesting, Honey West.

Lara, anything special on Netflix you want to share? I'm always looking for spy films I haven't see. I think you recommended SALT, which I finally saw.

Tuxie, I heard that too about "Lost." Maybe I'll borrow the first season from the library. We have it.

JackPow, perfect! Are you watching anything other than TBL this summer?

Our main library is supposed to be getting more older TV shows: people around here are cutting cable right and left. Netflix would be more popular if we had faster steaming, but only a few places in the metro have it. There are still video stores out here, plus the five branch libraries carry a lot of movies and are adding to their TV shows.

JackPow · 5/21/2017 8:47 pm

I also considered watching The Practice and Boston Legal since I've never seen those and James Spader, if I'm correct, won an Emmy for his work with those two shows. But....I'm not much of a tv watcher and honestly, The Blacklist is mainly what I've watched recently. I'm more of an internet news junkie! If there's a local, national or world newspaper online, you can bet I've got it bookmarked to read each day. But I'm debating whether all that info is HEALTHY! Too much info!

IowaWatcher · 5/21/2017 10:59 pm

Titiana - that sounds like a good way to re-watch TBL. I'm not sure I could sit through an entire season at this point. I need to re-watch the pilot, as well.

JackPow - I'll bet you'll like Boston Legal. James Spader was also in Stargate (the movie). If you haven't seen it, you might want to put it on your list.

Honey West · 5/22/2017 12:11 am

Ah, The Strain comes back in July. Fourth and final season. It'll be fun to see how they wind that story up. I haven't read the books.

I'll probably do a total rewatch season four of TBL when the blurays come out.

lara1 · 5/22/2017 10:15 am

Iowa Watcher - I'm going to try to catch up with these Neflix shows, they may not be to everyone's liking:

Jessica Jones - my brother recommends this highly and despite my overall lack of interest in "superhero" type stories, he assures me that this is different and I will like it. Plus, I really like David Tennant, who appears in the first season

The Crown - a Neflix original - as an Anglophile and former resident of the UK, I have to watch!

River - UK crime detective, I can't recall whether this is a Neflix original though there have been other shows with similar title

Master of None - heard this comedy is very good

I have recently watched the following which I really liked : "The Fall" with Gillian Anderson and "The Killing", be warned though both are rather grim. Currently watching "Grace and Frankie" comedy with Jane Fonda and Lillian Tomlin, which I am really enjoying. and I like that I can just dip into it when I like, as each episode is just 30 minutes - no real need to plan a sit down to watch. And of course "Stranger Things", great series.

deadskie13 · 5/27/2017 2:07 am

I'm not necessarily watching any other shows this summer, per say--although I do always feel the nostalgic tug of The X-Files around this time each year, since it's something I'd always watch as a kiddo, and very much reminds me of summer, for whatever reason. But I am hoping to catch Spider-man and Wonder Woman in the theatres. I recently partook in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 and then I saw Logan awhile back--I enjoyed them both a lot. I do usually watch more than just comic book related movies--but apparently this is the summer for such a thing. No complaints, so far! ^-^

I do enjoy Better Call Saul, though. And I fell in love with The OA and Stranger Things--but alas! These are shows that have been watched, and are not waiting to be seen.

Big Badd Bazzer · 5/27/2017 2:57 am

Things look very light this summer - so I suspect I'll be watching more PGA, LPGA & Canadian pro football than ever.
Recommendation - if you've never seen it or only seen a few minutes of the odd episode I'd be inclined to purchase the box set of 5 years worth of Person of Interest.
Started out as a typical CBS procedural crime drama in 2011 - but morphed into the most fascinating sci-fi series within a year or year and a half.
Amazing cast, near perfect writing, great direction and continuity. Only 3 cast members worked the entire 103 episodes (James Caviezel, Michael Emerson & Kevin Chapman) but it really launched the career of Taraji P. Henson.
The work of Amy Acker as the persuasive criminal hacker & assassin "Root" deserve special mention. Possibly the greatest female character in Television history - and you barely see it coming. Then, KPOWWWWWW!
Start with Season 1, episode 1 and work your way thru - I'd recommend no more than 2 or 3 eps a week.

Right now - my favourite TV series of all-time. TBL is #2. After that its classics - classics like The Fugitive, Have Gun Will Travel, Bonanza, Hill Street Blues, Branded, early Criminal Minds w/ Patinkin.

deadskie13 · 5/28/2017 8:57 pm

Big Badd Bazzer wrote:
Things look very light this summer - so I suspect I'll be watching more PGA, LPGA & Canadian pro football than ever.
Recommendation - if you've never seen it or only seen a few minutes of the odd episode I'd be inclined to purchase the box set of 5 years worth of Person of Interest.
Started out as a typical CBS procedural crime drama in 2011 - but morphed into the most fascinating sci-fi series within a year or year and a half.
Amazing cast, near perfect writing, great direction and continuity. Only 3 cast members worked the entire 103 episodes (James Caviezel, Michael Emerson & Kevin Chapman) but it really launched the career of Taraji P. Henson.
The work of Amy Acker as the persuasive criminal hacker & assassin "Root" deserve special mention. Possibly the greatest female character in Television history - and you barely see it coming. Then, KPOWWWWWW!
Start with Season 1, episode 1 and work your way thru - I'd recommend no more than 2 or 3 eps a week.

Right now - my favourite TV series of all-time. TBL is #2. After that its classics - classics like The Fugitive, Have Gun Will Travel, Bonanza, Hill Street Blues, Branded, early Criminal Minds w/ Patinkin.

I had a very hard time getting into Person of Interest. I'm not sure why, but it took most of the first season for me to actually get with it. Once I did, though, I was sold. I watched it during the duration of my two months of unemployment. I'd watch two episodes a day--one at lunch, and one at dinner--and it was kind of nice. Because I didn't have a job at the time, I kind of went on a job with John and Finch each day. At any rate, it isn't my favorite show--but it's probably in the top ten, easy. They definitely do get bonus points for continuity--that, and not being afraid to kill off main characters. Man! I didn't see that one coming, when it did!

Mandy Patinkin is AMAZING! I'm particularly fond of his work in Dead Like Me. If only he'd stuck by Criminal Minds. ::le sigh::

IowaWatcher · 5/28/2017 9:24 pm

Thanks, all, for being detailed! There's a lot of interesting stuff, some I've heard of, some I haven't. Please update periodically, especially if you run into something new that you like. I just heard about a series adaption of the Handmaiden's Tale on Hulu, for example. I loved the original book, although not the movie.

Tatiana · 5/28/2017 10:40 pm

Big Badd Bazzer wrote:
Things look very light this summer - so I suspect I'll be watching more PGA, LPGA & Canadian pro football than ever.
Recommendation - if you've never seen it or only seen a few minutes of the odd episode I'd be inclined to purchase the box set of 5 years worth of Person of Interest.
Started out as a typical CBS procedural crime drama in 2011 - but morphed into the most fascinating sci-fi series within a year or year and a half.
Amazing cast, near perfect writing, great direction and continuity. Only 3 cast members worked the entire 103 episodes (James Caviezel, Michael Emerson & Kevin Chapman) but it really launched the career of Taraji P. Henson.
The work of Amy Acker as the persuasive criminal hacker & assassin "Root" deserve special mention. Possibly the greatest female character in Television history - and you barely see it coming. Then, KPOWWWWWW!
Start with Season 1, episode 1 and work your way thru - I'd recommend no more than 2 or 3 eps a week.

Right now - my favourite TV series of all-time. TBL is #2. After that its classics - classics like The Fugitive, Have Gun Will Travel, Bonanza, Hill Street Blues, Branded, early Criminal Minds w/ Patinkin.

I've heard Person of Interest is very good. What little I've seen of it looks like it would be right up our alley in terms of our tastes and interests. Thanks for that BBB!!! I'll have to check with hubby on that one :-)

Big Badd Bazzer · 5/29/2017 9:27 am

Tatiana wrote:
Big Badd Bazzer wrote:
Things look very light this summer - so I suspect I'll be watching more PGA, LPGA & Canadian pro football than ever.
Recommendation - if you've never seen it or only seen a few minutes of the odd episode I'd be inclined to purchase the box set of 5 years worth of Person of Interest.
Started out as a typical CBS procedural crime drama in 2011 - but morphed into the most fascinating sci-fi series within a year or year and a half.
Amazing cast, near perfect writing, great direction and continuity. Only 3 cast members worked the entire 103 episodes (James Caviezel, Michael Emerson & Kevin Chapman) but it really launched the career of Taraji P. Henson.
The work of Amy Acker as the persuasive criminal hacker & assassin "Root" deserve special mention. Possibly the greatest female character in Television history - and you barely see it coming. Then, KPOWWWWWW!
Start with Season 1, episode 1 and work your way thru - I'd recommend no more than 2 or 3 eps a week.

Right now - my favourite TV series of all-time. TBL is #2. After that its classics - classics like The Fugitive, Have Gun Will Travel, Bonanza, Hill Street Blues, Branded, early Criminal Minds w/ Patinkin.
I've heard Person of Interest is very good. What little I've seen of it looks like it would be right up our alley in terms of our tastes and interests. Thanks for that BBB!!! I'll have to check with hubby on that one :-)

While Amy Acker became a veritable acting superstar with her gracefully nuanced performances as the perky psychopath and hacker/assassin Root the real star of Person of Interest was its brilliant continuity. That's one area Blacklist could take lessons from. POI had many directors, lots of writers but rarely veered from honest continuity.

POI was also James Caviezel's first real venture into American television after a decent career in film. Would like to see more of him - a cross between Clint Eastwood's brooding cowboys & Dirty Harry & Bruce Willis's off-putting police characters. Sarah Shahi rose from the scrap heap of sexual roles on L-Word & being the favourite Dallas COwboy cheerleader of all-time to doing a fantastic job as the CIA operative Sameen Shaw, who after being targeted for destruction by her employer, is saved by the POI team and becomes a team MVP.
Michael Emerson as the twitchy, limp-legged Finch is superb. He's right up there with Mandy Patinkin, both guys well into their 60s, but both guys who can command a screen in various ways.
Taraji P. Henson was the most well known part of the show until being plucked by Empire to be their "Cookie". And Kevin Chapman, the least star-like member of the cast was also the most pleasant surprise - on the face of it a standard precinct cop, cross between Norm from Cheers and George from Seinfeld; except Fusco (Chapman's character) had a heart of gold and pure will that could not be broken by enemies close by (his own police dept.) or outside (the competing AI's ground commandos)

The guest stars who had the longest runs also shined. John Nolan's evil ex-Scotland Yard villain "Greer" was superb. Enrico Colantoni ended up being a very important part of the POI team. Most of the weekly guest stars were also superb - and most of them were not that well known - so kudos to the POI team for taking chances with newbies and spot actors.

IowaWatcher · 5/29/2017 9:31 am

Yes, Person of Interest might be the next series I watch. Thanks for all of the details about it!

lara1 · 5/29/2017 12:24 pm

I would also endorse Person of Interest. One of my all time favorite series; probably one of only around 5 series in total that I have ever made sure to watch live.

I only knew Tariji and Jim Caviezel prior to the series (at least can recall watching them previously). They were excellent as were the others that BBB speaks of.

The series ended too soon, IMO. Very original show, with lots of imbedded surprises.