What are you watching in 2020 (or re-watching)???

[Frenns Liquor Depot]

It's all the rage right now in casting.  The live-action remake of "Lady and the Tramp" was set in 1909, and it featured an mixed race upper-class couple as Lady's owners.

Please 1909.  This rage started all the back at zero.

[PGsHeroes32]

Yep. Pretty sure 80% of the main Wire cast has been in more HBO shows. Hell, I think 50% of Treme was Wire alums.

Yeah Treme was a Simon show. The Deuce packed in a lot of The Wire cast as well. And if you watch Oz(great show btw) a bunch of the cast is in that prior to the Wire. Many in smaller roles.

It's hard to find a show on TV nowadays without a The Wire alum on it!

Michael K Williams appears to have his pick of the HBO scripts. Hes been in a lot since the Wire. Such a good actor

[cheebs09]

Michael K Williams appears to have his pick of the HBO scripts. Hes been in a lot since the Wire. Such a good actor

He was awesome in Boardwalk Empire.

[Lennys Tap]

Watching Perry Mason on HBO Go. Set in 1932 Los Angeles, a prequel to the TV show essentially. John Lithgow, Mathew Rhys - pretty darn good.

[MU82]

Watching Perry Mason on HBO Go. Set in 1932 Los Angeles, a prequel to the TV show essentially. John Lithgow, Mathew Rhys - pretty darn good.

We enjoyed this show. Della's a bad-ass!

[Silent Verbal]

Yep. Pretty sure 80% of the main Wire cast has been in more HBO shows. Hell, I think 50% of Treme was Wire alums.

Yeah, David Simon definitely brought a lot of his ensemble back for that one.  Also, the dude who played Frank Sobotka in The Wire is hilarious as James Franco's scumbag BIL in The Deuce, another awesome HBO show.  The Deuce also isn't a huge time investment, just three seasons, which was the plan when they started production.

[Lennys Tap]

We enjoyed this show. Della's a bad-ass!

Agreed!

[PGsHeroes32]

Yeah, David Simon definitely brought a lot of his ensemble back for that one.  Also, the dude who played Frank Sobotka in The Wire is hilarious as James Franco's scumbag BIL in The Deuce, another awesome HBO show.  The Deuce also isn't a huge time investment, just three seasons, which was the plan when they started production.

I need to finish that show. I liked S1 a lot and then just never got back to the last 2 seasons for some reason.

[GooooMarquette]

Watching Perry Mason on HBO Go. Set in 1932 Los Angeles, a prequel to the TV show essentially. John Lithgow, Mathew Rhys - pretty darn good.

Is it like the TV show, where Perry's withering questions cause the defendant to confess on the stand every time? 

[MU82]

Is it like the TV show, where Perry's withering questions cause the defendant to confess on the stand every time? 

It's largely about Perry's backstory in S1. As fans of The Americans know, Matthew Rhys is a damn talented actor.

[Silent Verbal]

I need to finish that show. I liked S1 a lot and then just never got back to the last 2 seasons for some reason.

Do it.  It's not quite as good as The Wire, but it's up there.  You won't be disappointed.

[brewcity77]

Getting into Clone Wars on Disney+. The first half season was tough to get into, but now that they are better fleshing out Ahsoka and have introduced more interesting characters like Cad Bane and the Mandalorians, I'm really enjoying it.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Finally got around the watching the Boys. Binged it in about a week. Brilliant show. Really looking forward to season three. That scene with the dolphin gave me my first uncontrollable belly laugh in a very long time.

[PGsHeroes32]

Finally got around the watching the Boys. Binged it in about a week. Brilliant show. Really looking forward to season three. That scene with the dolphin gave me my first uncontrollable belly laugh in a very long time.

Such an excellent show.

[Galway Eagle]

Just watched WW 1984 and I didn't think it was as bad as it was made out to be. I mean I won't be watching it ever again but don't feel like I just lost two hours of my life I'll never get back.

[muwarrior69]

It's all the rage right now in casting.  The live-action remake of "Lady and the Tramp" was set in 1909, and it featured an mixed race upper-class couple as Lady's owners.

I can remember back in the late 60s and through the 70s there were a lot of shows with the token black actor; today its the token LGBTQ person.

[brewcity77]

Finally got around the watching the Boys. Binged it in about a week. Brilliant show. Really looking forward to season three. That scene with the dolphin gave me my first uncontrollable belly laugh in a very long time.

The dolphin scene was simultaneously hilarious and horrendous. The Deep is such a disaster of a character. 

[The Sultan]

It's all the rage right now in casting.  The live-action remake of "Lady and the Tramp" was set in 1909, and it featured an mixed race upper-class couple as Lady's owners.

Do you remember the Cherrios "mixed race ad" and the "controversy" it caused?  That was only seven years ago.

https://www.today.com/news/cheerios-ad-mixed-race-family-draws-racist-responses-6C10169988

And now, you see mixed race couples in ads all over the place.  Which is absolutely fine of course, but it shows how much things have changed in less than a decade.

[JWags85]

Do you remember the Cherrios "mixed race ad" and the "controversy" it caused?  That was only seven years ago.

https://www.today.com/news/cheerios-ad-mixed-race-family-draws-racist-responses-6C10169988

And now, you see mixed race couples in ads all over the place.  Which is absolutely fine of course, but it shows how much things have changed in less than a decade.

Right and I don't think anyone here has an issue with that, as it's more reflective of the current world.

But when you're casting for historical/period pieces, it just seems silly, much less making that historical inaccuracy a plot point, it just seems revisionist, that's all.

[shoothoops]

Do you remember the Cherrios "mixed race ad" and the "controversy" it caused?  That was only seven years ago.

https://www.today.com/news/cheerios-ad-mixed-race-family-draws-racist-responses-6C10169988

And now, you see mixed race couples in ads all over the place.  Which is absolutely fine of course, but it shows how much things have changed in less than a decade.

Loooooooong overdue to reflect day to day life in society. Perhaps Netflix can now address casting darker shades of color for its original series and movies. It has long had a stigma for that. Progress is slow.

As for the show "Bridgerton," Shonda Rhimes writes and casts characters based on her experiences and interests, as well as for people watching at home today. 

[JWags85]

Loooooooong overdue to reflect day to day life in society. Perhaps Netflix can now address casting darker shades of color for its original series and movies. It has long had a stigma for that. Progress is slow.

As for the show "Bridgerton," Shonda Rhimes writes and casts characters based on her experiences and interests, as well as for people watching at home today.

Didn't realize she experienced the queen being a POC in early 19th Century England.

I'm all for equal representation and casting, but if I created a show about Song Dynasty and made the Emperor a Caucasian and his chief advisor a Latino gentleman, people would be like WTF at best and pissed at worst.

Whitewashing in casting is bad.  Underrepresented women and minorities in lead roles or central characters is bad.  Both are in the process of being evolved and changed, which is great.  Shoving "underrepresented" demographics into period pieces or roles where they don't make sense to overcorrect or pander to a certain demographic is also bad and feels foolish.

[Galway Eagle]

Didn't realize she experienced the queen being a POC in early 19th Century England.

I'm all for equal representation and casting, but if I created a show about Song Dynasty and made the Emperor a Caucasian and his chief advisor a Latino gentleman, people would be like WTF at best and pissed at worst.

Whitewashing in casting is bad.  Underrepresented women and minorities in lead roles or central characters is bad.  Both are in the process of being evolved and changed, which is great.  Shoving "underrepresented" demographics into period pieces or roles where they don't make sense to overcorrect or pander to a certain demographic is also bad and feels foolish.

+1

[shoothoops]

Didn't realize she experienced the queen being a POC in early 19th Century England.

I'm all for equal representation and casting, but if I created a show about Song Dynasty and made the Emperor a Caucasian and his chief advisor a Latino gentleman, people would be like WTF at best and pissed at worst.

Whitewashing in casting is bad.  Underrepresented women and minorities in lead roles or central characters is bad.  Both are in the process of being evolved and changed, which is great.  Shoving "underrepresented" demographics into period pieces or roles where they don't make sense to overcorrect or pander to a certain demographic is also bad and feels foolish.

Julia Quinn and others disagree. Anyone w/even the slightest familiarity of Shonda Rhimes' work knows how she works.

Many period pieces have historical inaccuracies, The Crown etc...where's the outrage. Bridgerton has modern music and some have mentioned the interesting physical depictions of the White Elizabethans in the show. I believe you called the historically inaccurate music "incredible" in a recent post.

It's often interesting what does and doesn't bother some people.

[drewm88]

Shoving "underrepresented" demographics into period pieces or roles where they don't make sense to overcorrect or pander to a certain demographic is also bad and feels foolish.

Who cares? It's not a documentary. Why are certain fictitious elements ok and others not?

[Galway Eagle]

Who cares? It's not a documentary. Why are certain fictitious elements ok and others not?

My personal take on these situations is always if this were a movie based on my life how much fictional/creative liberty would I be cool with them taking?

I also think Wags' point about a reversed situation, not even necessarily a white person, but say a Hispanic actor/actress playing an Asian or black non fictional character wouldn't go over well so I don't think it's offensive to at least have a discussion of "well maybe this should be a two way street"