What have you been watching on TV?

[Dr. Zoidberg]

So Manifest isn't as good as Democracy Manifest?

[ian]

There was certainly no succulent chinese meals or penis grabbing happening.. a huge let down all around!

[ian]

I watched Knuckles tonight, no where near as good as the movies, But I had a bit of fun.

The low rent musical number was hilarious. Series still had more care, attention and budget than a sonic game since 2005.

Normally I wouldn't have wanted as much random characters, and more actual Knuckles. Buuuuut seeing Paul Sheer, Rob Huebel, and Cary Elwes were certainly amazing surprises since I feel like I haven't really seen any of them at all the past 10 years, and I've never seen a single production that hasn't benefitted from Christopher Lloyd, even in a voice only capacity.

Worth the price of admission. Paramount plus is once again proving its worth. They've had lots of content in the past that appeals to me so I signed up past the trial period for a couple of months a while back and they've added some more decent stuff so might stay subbed for a few months this time.

This post is not sponsored by paramount plus, the first time another service has what I want instead I'll switch again without hesitation. But having it now means I can watch knuckles and at least try the absolute trainwreck new top gear Australia will be before unsubbing.

And I already know top gear Australia MK2 will be a trainwreck, because every top gear that isn't British is completely unwatchable fucking garbage.
And every top gear without Jeremy Clarkson or Richard Hammond is also completely unwatchable fucking garbage.
But I'll at least give it a shot because I loved Mighty car mods for years so at least one host is OK this time.

[ian]

So I watched Top gear Australia... I actually made it through the first episode, so this new Top Gear Australia is better than any other Top Gear spin off they've ever tried. Or indeed any Top Gear made after 2015.

I like how the prices on the cars are accurate, and that they skipped stupid interviews with celebrities and got to the point of the times. (I even actually know who a couple of the Celebrities were!)

Then the second episode is a Columbia special.
I mean, that WOULD have been nice. Except the Grand Tour already did a Columbia special... 5 years ago... With proper hosts. And I stopped watching about 20 minutes in.

I'm gonna go watch old Mighty Car Mods, real old Top Gears and finish Clarkson's farm because they are things entertaining without simply trying to replicate a formula more entertaining people already did.

[pixel]

Smiling Friends is doing pretty well in season 2

[ian]

Still only seen 2 episodes of smiling friends. Really seems like the kind of show I'll want to binge the entire run of in a few years time.

Seen pretty much all of Cusack's older stuff up to season 1 of YOLO (TAME IMPALAAAAAAAAAAA!) and didn't even know YOLO had a season 2 for how much I pay attention.

We Australians sure do pronounce "Lie" and "Lighter" funny though!

[pixel]

The latest episode (A Alan Adventure) was pretty damn good YOLO was great too, I should go back and rewatch that.

I just hope that Cusack keeps changing it up and doesn't get trapped into making Smiling Friends for 20 years.

[ian]

Even if it is just one thing for 20 years, he'll always have a pass for this gem:

[ian]

I've spent 3 days solid binging South Park from the start.
And I've come to the conclusion that I miss Chef.

I'll spend the next few days finishing the binge, I've just finished season 10.

[ian]

I've now finished it all (including movie and commentaries)

The best season of South Park is season 9. (2005)
The worst season of South Park is season 25 (2022)

The best episode is still Merry Christmas Charlie Manson.

The worst are the 3 imagination lands.

And upon my rewatch it turns out I was wrong, I always thought that after season 10, each second season sucked.. No, it's just 11 that sucked.. 12 was awesome and now I like season 13, 15, and 17 a lot more than I used to.

But season 11 is almost as bad as season 25... And there will never be as good a run as from April 2003 to early December 2004 ever again.

Now I suppose I'll binge the Simpsons to see how that holds up.

[pixel]

I rarely watch the Simpsons past season 8, so I forgot about the Moody Blues in Viva Ned Flanders "I want fatty!" as he pulls out a knife

[pixel]

[ian]

I've watched the newest season of Solar Opposites.

Same as ever. The show is ok, but the real meat of the show is in all the sub series within the show. There was the wall, now there's the wall, the backyard, silver cops and soon to be gold cops.

There's 5 shows in this 1 show, and the 4 shows happening within the show are all still way more interesting than the main thing.

I genuinely want to know what's going to happen in the wall, and the yard, and the silver cops and now the gold cops, and I couldn't give 2 shits what happens with the aliens and the plan to make a new home world.

1 more season and they could scrap the original premise altogether and focus on all the other stuff and it will be a better show for it.

I can't wait for the next season.

[ian]

I watched the final Grand Tour special tonight.

I was doing well knowing that I'll never see another one, untill right near the end.
I got about 2 and half seconds into Dire Straits and I was completely gone. Tears of sadness, tears of joy, all the tears.

Might have been the song more than the show though. It was one of 2 Dire Straits songs that my dad absolutely loved, and I've not listened to more than once in 11 years.

I suppose I can still see all their individual stuff, but it won't ever be as special as those three talking about and driving cars.

Motoring TV is dead, it's just simply never going to be as fun ever again.

[Skynet]

I watched the final Grand Tour special tonight.

I was doing well knowing that I'll never see another one, untill right near the end.
I got about 2 and half seconds into Dire Straits and I was completely gone. Tears of sadness, tears of joy, all the tears.

Might have been the song more than the show though. It was one of 2 Dire Straits songs that my dad absolutely loved, and I've not listened to more than once in 11 years.

I suppose I can still see all their individual stuff, but it won't ever be as special as those three talking about and driving cars.

Motoring TV is dead, it's just simply never going to be as fun ever again.

When James and Jeremy found their old cars it got me, then it was all down hill from there

[ian]

When James and Jeremy found their old cars it got me, then it was all down hill from there

In 2 years won't it be nice to see them fully restored on Richard Hammonds workshop... A man can dream!

Also I felt that James and Jeremy seemed a lot more sad and grateful for the whole thing to have happened on camera, and at several points I thought Jeremy was going to cry. At one point I thought even James looked like he was actually going to cry.

Richard has done some interviews in various places and a video on drivetribe where he seemed a lot more sad and grateful for the adventures, but it didn't come off as much in the actual special.

I found it weird they kept calling Botswana their first special though. I could have sworn the USA special was the first. And by like a season or 2 (I'll have to re-watch my old top gears on the weekend, but without looking it up I'm like 99% sure USA was first, maybe they choose to remember Botswana as the first one because it's their favourite)

This final goodbye was even more sad than when Jeremy was actually crying in the tent in funeral for a ford. Because that was his way of saying goodbye to Top Gear.

[Skynet]

When James and Jeremy found their old cars it got me, then it was all down hill from there

In 2 years won't it be nice to see them fully restored on Richard Hammonds workshop... A man can dream!

Also I felt that James and Jeremy seemed a lot more sad and grateful for the whole thing to have happened on camera, and at several points I thought Jeremy was going to cry. At one point I thought even James looked like he was actually going to cry.

Richard has done some interviews in various places and a video on drivetribe where he seemed a lot more sad and grateful for the adventures, but it didn't come off as much in the actual special.

I found it weird they kept calling Botswana their first special though. I could have sworn the USA special was the first. And by like a season or 2 (I'll have to re-watch my old top gears on the weekend, but without looking it up I'm like 99% sure USA was first, maybe they choose to remember Botswana as the first one because it's their favourite)

This final goodbye was even more sad than when Jeremy was actually crying in the tent in funeral for a ford. Because that was his way of saying goodbye to Top Gear.

I looked it up so I know the answer, it's possible film and release dates weren't in order?

[Skynet]

I was thinking last night when I was watching the finale of The Grand Tour it's the start of this song that fucking got me

[Skynet]

When James and Jeremy found their old cars it got me, then it was all down hill from there

In 2 years won't it be nice to see them fully restored on Richard Hammonds workshop... A man can dream!

Also I felt that James and Jeremy seemed a lot more sad and grateful for the whole thing to have happened on camera, and at several points I thought Jeremy was going to cry. At one point I thought even James looked like he was actually going to cry.

Richard has done some interviews in various places and a video on drivetribe where he seemed a lot more sad and grateful for the adventures, but it didn't come off as much in the actual special.

I found it weird they kept calling Botswana their first special though. I could have sworn the USA special was the first. And by like a season or 2 (I'll have to re-watch my old top gears on the weekend, but without looking it up I'm like 99% sure USA was first, maybe they choose to remember Botswana as the first one because it's their favourite)

This final goodbye was even more sad than when Jeremy was actually crying in the tent in funeral for a ford. Because that was his way of saying goodbye to Top Gear.

[ian]

About the only way I'd have found it sadder is if they showed a montage of every single time any of them laughed with each other.

Not the audio, just the footage of 2 or all 3 of them laughing, and wash out the colours a little to make it close to black and white and then use Adagio for strings.



Thinking about all the laughs they had over the years, not just in the specials, but the cheap car challenges, the news/conversation street and arguing after disagreeing over car reviews.

They brought a lot of joy into my life, especially in the grand tour years where driving at more than 2 fucking miles an hour is banned on every single fucking road in our own shithole country.

Watching them love cars was a part of my life since before I ever drove a real car for myself, and they lasted till after I gave up on real actual driving actually being enjoyable.

There's a hole in my heart that I'll have to fill with old episodes and their individual shows now.