What are you watching in 2025?

[Billy Hoyle]

Curious what you and Wades thought of Only Murders in the Building now that the second season ended. I thought the second half was good. I don't think it hit the high bar the first season set, but was still really good overall.

Loved it, and the last episode was excellent (the slow-motion scene was hilarious). However, it seems like the Paul Ruud character/storyline was a late addition once a third season was greenlit.

[MU82]

Saw a couple more. The first two are still may favorite, so maybe take the recommendation with a grain of salt. But the others are interesting too. I am always fascinated by related stories being told in wildly differing styles.

You want some syrup on that waffle? Only kidding ... thanks for the update.

[wadesworld]

I've been watching a number of baking shows on Netflix. Obviously Great British Bake Show is great. School of Chocolate was cool, what they can create is insane.

Just started watching Bake Squad. Cool concept. My problem is that it SEEMS the people they chose to make the desserts for SEEM like they'd have no problem paying for nice/expensive desserts for their parties. I thought it was a HUGE missed opportunities to choose people who couldn't otherwise afford high quality desserts.

[warriorchick]

Ok, I just watched the trailer for that and I have absolutely no idea what in the hell it is. None. Intriguing.

You may want to ease into it by watching a couple of episodes of his earlier show "Nathan for You". Make sure one of them is the episode about Dumb Starbucks.

[The Sultan]

Very interesting angle of journalistic approach from the deadspin guys to "expose espn" while making the story as much about T'eo as possible.

Yeah, I just watched this last night and this is what stuck out to me. How on earth did they think that this was going to be about the media and not Te'o? Here is the original article titled "Manti Te'o's Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax."

https://deadspin.com/manti-teos-dead-girlfriend-the-most-heartbreaking-an-5976517

Sure they mention that ESPN and CBS did stories on this, but there isn't a lot of criticism in this article about the media coverage. The Deadspin reporters seem to be trying to cover their ass more than anything else.

Anyway, I agree with the other comments here about Te'o. Incredibly sympathetic figure who was just naiive - and completely lost control of the narrative as the story was developing and couldn't put the genie back in the bottle.

That being said, I don't really agree with his view that this impacted his professional career. The big knock on him coming out of college was that he lacked athleticism and was playing in a system that really played to his strengths. (Running downhill to take on runners while the DL occupied the blockers.)  That style of MLB, in the mold of Mike Singletary, isn't really what NFL LBs do any longer.  They need to be better in pass coverage, and Te'o wasn't great at that. 

When it was all said and done, he was on a roster for six full seasons - missing most of his fourth due to injury. Then was on a practice squad and/or played partials seasons for two more.  Not a great career by any means, but hardly a complete bust.

[JWags85]

That being said, I don't really agree with his view that this impacted his professional career. The big knock on him coming out of college was that he lacked athleticism and was playing in a system that really played to his strengths. (Running downhill to take on runners while the DL occupied the blockers.)  That style of MLB, in the mold of Mike Singletary, isn't really what NFL LBs do any longer.  They need to be better in pass coverage, and Te'o wasn't great at that. 

When it was all said and done, he was on a roster for six full seasons - missing most of his fourth due to injury. Then was on a practice squad and/or played partials seasons for two more.  Not a great career by any means, but hardly a complete bust.

Yea, I mean he was still a high second round pick.  I feel like LB is a notorious position where great college players don't always translate cause the speed and athleticism needed in the NFL isn't as necessary to be a stud college player.

And once he was in the league, if he was an above average LB, no NFL team would care if he got catfished in college.

[cheebs09]

Yea, I mean he was still a high second round pick.  I feel like LB is a notorious position where great college players don't always translate cause the speed and athleticism needed in the NFL isn't as necessary to be a stud college player.

And once he was in the league, if he was an above average LB, no NFL team would care if he got catfished in college.

AJ Hawk seems to be a good example of this. He wasn't really a game changer in the NFL despite being a top 5 pick. I would say he got the brunt of fan criticism due to his game not translating as well to the NFL as the fans hoped.

[The Sultan]

I was so excited when the Packer drafted three time All Big Ten LB Abdul Hodge in the third round way back when....

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Finally started watching the new season of Stranger Things.  The episodes are longer than I remember past seasons, but I don't notice the length as the seem to fly by.

And welcome back Kate Bush & Freddy Kruger!

[JWags85]

AJ Hawk seems to be a good example of this. He wasn't really a game changer in the NFL despite being a top 5 pick. I would say he got the brunt of fan criticism due to his game not translating as well to the NFL as the fans hoped.

All those big OSU linebackers.  Bobby Carpenter was a top 20 pick that same year and was just meh in the NFL.  James Laurinaitis was 3x First team All B10, 2 time 1st Team AA and was just a guy in the NFL.

[MUfan12]

Got through the first four episodes of "Welcome to Wrexham" on FX and have enjoyed it thus far. Not the hardest hitting docuseries by any stretch, but entertaining.

[MU82]

Saw a couple more. The first two are still may favorite, so maybe take the recommendation with a grain of salt. But the others are interesting too. I am always fascinated by related stories being told in wildly differing styles.

Watched the first two. It's ok, one of those things I might flip on if I'm just looking to kill 15 mins. Not bad, but obviously not The Boys (nor did you say it was).

[wadesworld]

I don't know what to make of Nine Perfect Strangers. Sometimes it seems like it wants to be a comedy, other times a drama. Pretty weird show.

The Bear was good but not great. Too fast paced. Not sure if a second season was picked up or not but I'd give it a go.

Going to probably give The Patient a try.

[PGsHeroes32]

I don't know what to make of Nine Perfect Strangers. Sometimes it seems like it wants to be a comedy, other times a drama. Pretty weird show.

The Bear was good but not great. Too fast paced. Not sure if a second season was picked up or not but I'd give it a go.

Going to probably give The Patient a try.

Was renewed almost immediately

[muwarrior69]

Caught the first two episodes of Rings of Power on Prime. I believe Prime plans on at least 5 seasons; so far not bad and they spared no money on production values. Worth a look if you have Prime and enjoyed the Lord of the Rings.

[thebigjake]

You may want to ease into it by watching a couple of episodes of his earlier show "Nathan for You". Make sure one of them is the episode about Dumb Starbucks.

Co-sign on this. Going right to the Rehearsal without seeing Nathan For You first might make it a tough adjustment. It's such a weird vibe.

The Dumb Starbucks episode was brilliant.  Start with episode 1 though, the one about poop flavored yogurt. That will give you a sense of what the show was all about. Then go to Dumb Starbucks, you'll appreciate it more.

[StillAWarrior]

The Bear was good but not great. Too fast paced. Not sure if a second season was picked up or not but I'd give it a go.

That's one of the things that I liked about it. They captured the frenetic pace of working in a professional kitchen.

[JWags85]

Got through the first four episodes of "Welcome to Wrexham" on FX and have enjoyed it thus far. Not the hardest hitting docuseries by any stretch, but entertaining.

Its well done and entertaining.  The only slightly disappointing thing for me, and I guess I shouldn't be surprised, is that its clear the whole thing was a set up for the show/documentary.  And I wouldn't be surprised if FX/Disney put up the money for the club's purchase.

[🏀]

I really wish The Bear wasn't Chicago-based, I think I would have liked it a lot more. I'll watch season 2, but didn't grasp the hype.

[21Jumpstreet]

That's one of the things that I liked about it. They captured the frenetic pace of working in a professional kitchen.

Absolutely. And, it captures the frenetic pace of multiple high pressure decisions that mentally seem like it takes hours and hours only to see the clock tick off one hour. Was in the business thirty years, and a lot of the show triggers the anxiety and emotion of those three decades. A favorite podcaster of mine describes The Bear and a real restaurant as, "The never ending cascade of f@#%." Spot on.

[StillAWarrior]

Absolutely. And, it captures the frenetic pace of multiple high pressure decisions that mentally seem like it takes hours and hours only to see the clock tick off one hour. Was in the business thirty years, and a lot of the show triggers the anxiety and emotion of those three decades. A favorite podcaster of mine describes The Bear and a real restaurant as, "The never ending cascade of f@#%." Spot on.

I didn't work in professional kitchens nearly as long as you, but I do have that experience in my background so I know how it looks and feels. With The Bear, I really appreciate that they made the effort to get the language, technique, and a lot of other little things right. But I think that was the bare minimum that they needed to do to make a show that was believable in that industry. The fact that they also had the artistic vision to actually use their film-making techniques to create that frenetic (and, yes, anxiety inducing) pace is what put it over the top for me.

[brewcity77]

I really enjoyed The Bear, but some of those episodes were stressful to watch. The pilot and the penultimate episodes in particular were ones that left me feeling anxious after, even though I was just sitting on the couch.

Rings of Power looks very good so far. In terms of production value, I'm not sure anything has come close to this level. Simply beautiful and the world feels very lived in. Though people griping about a black elf (or Corlys Valeryon being the wealthiest man in Westeros) in worlds where magic and dragons exist are really stretching their personal grievance front.

[mu_hilltopper]

Been watching For All Mankind.  Very high quality .. interesting storylines, etc. 

Part space travel, part history, part drama.

[MU82]

I really enjoyed The Bear, but some of those episodes were stressful to watch. The pilot and the penultimate episodes in particular were ones that left me feeling anxious after, even though I was just sitting on the couch.

My son watched it before I did, and when I asked him for an instant review, he said:

"It's Lip from Shameless ... some pretty interesting food-prep scenes ... and a lot of screaming."

He went on to say that he liked it more than he thought he would, and he said he thought I'd also like it. And I'll agree ... I liked it more than I thought I would, too.

[MU82]

Really interesting article on how streaming is changing, and not for the better:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2022/09/07/streaming-tv-changes-crisis/?campaign_id=4&emc=edit_dk_20220908&instance_id=71369&nl=dealbook&regi_id=108420427&segment_id=105698&te=1&user_id=d36dcf821462fdd16ec3636710a855fa

The gist, for those without a WaPo subscription: There's a ton of content available, but too little of it is good. Streaming services are starting to cut their budgets, especially hitting their creative departments. Streaming services are starting to sanitize their offerings to make them "safer" -- more like traditional TV, which they once decried. They are all raising prices, making it just about as expensive to have several streaming services as it used to be for cable or satellite. Different devices work better with different channels, so many viewers feel they have to deal with multiple devices.

From the article:

Streaming television is going through an existential crisis, involving the people who make it and the viewers who watch it. Its revolutionary zeal has naturally faded, as that initial wave of near limitless expansion, boundless creative opportunities and vast archival choices crashes ashore, after a spate of megamergers and a drop in new subscribers.

Just when streaming has finally attracted more viewers than cable or broadcast TV, its major players are engaged in a long-predicted war for subscribers, who are becoming all too aware of rising subscription prices and, both subtly and directly, a change in what programs get made and how long they stick around. Commercials could soon become more common, and services may be bundled (for one low monthly price!), already triggering visions of a future that recalls the dark days of cable.