Halt and Catch Fire is always my go-to answer to the question "what's the best show people have never watched?" It truly was an exceptional show that, as you say, grew and changed significantly as it ran. While we watch the internet fall apart around us, I often think of those last few seasons and the promise and excitement tech once held; I hope more people discover it because it feels more and more relevant all the time.
"At ATX, Bishé got choked up talking about how the experience essentially ruined her for television, because the character she got to play was so much richer and more challenging than anything she’d been offered before or since."
I had some complicated feelings when I turned on "Madame Web" and there she was.
I'll check on people sometimes and learn they were on whole shows I've never heard of. Seven episodes of something called "Super Pumped" for Kerry. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kyle Chandler, and Uma Thurman. What?!
Yesterday I found myself wondering what happened to the woman from Cabin In The Woods and I learned that there was a three-season show on CBS called "Zoo" starring her and James Wolk about "a rash of violent animal attacks." 39 episodes!
Super Pumped: about the founding of Uber, produced by the Billions guys.
Zoo: Brian Grubb's favorite show ever. He tried repeatedly on our old podcast to get me to watch it. Then, while I was off one week, he had fellow Zoo nut Caroline Framke on to talk about it while I wasn't there to put my foot down.
A couple years ago I tried a couple episodes of Halt and it was good, but I never had a strong urge to keep going. It kind of seems like it’s another show that gets great if you can just stick it out several episodes - which is infuriating. In Alan I trust, so I’m gonna give it another go.
I did watch Fantasmas last night and enjoyed it a lot. I can’t wait for episode two.
I've liked Tierney ever since NewsRadio, and I was especially impressed with what she brought to her small part in The Iron Claw. She has one scene in that movie that's just devastatingly sad.
This post is very much in my wheelhouse - Maura Tierney love, HACF love.
I think my next rewatch is gonna be ER, but I'm currently doing The Sopranos as well as an entire Friends rewatch. I haven't been this uninterested in new/currently airing shows in years! (I know it's the delayed effect of the strikes, but also maybe the larger conservative mood among TV execs).
The only current show I'm really into ATM is Evil. Did you ever write about Evil?
I may have written about it once or twice when it was on CBS and/or All Access. But that's another one I'm way behind on. I actually began trying to catch up with where I left off (late in season 2), and then I went to ATX, and now the rest of that will have to wait until I redo all of HACF.
Halt and catch fire being locked behind a service no one has is so annoying. Alan the avalanche episode where you and Brian talked about about it being one of the best shows on television was actually where I found it and just feel in love with it after watching it so thank you.
HUGE fan of Halt and Catch Fire, which you turned me onto in one of your lists- I watched the whole thing as I recovered from surgery, then watched it again right after in an effort to get my wife into it, which failed, but I kept watching anyway! Toby Huss, Kerry Bishé and Scoot McNairy made me a fan of each of them- such great work- especially from Kerry!!! (Was already a fan of Mackenzie Davis and had just seen her in the wonderful Station Eleven).
Tried Halt when it first aired and couldn't get into it, but have been meaning to retry forever. Speaking of treadmill watching, how appropriate of a show is it for gym viewing?
There's a decent amount of sex, especially in the first season, but nothing super explicit, if that's your concern. It moves a bit slower than is helpful for me when exercising, or else it would be taking over for ER for the time being.
I was reluctant to even sample HOTD based on that last season of GOT. We liked some of the performances but didn’t finish S1.
You seem to have an extra, errant word at the start of ¶2 of the Fantasmas review, Alan — “Torres alum himself…” — or I’m really not reading it right.
Evil is worth everyone at least sampling from the start to see if it’s for them, in my opinion, knowing that it only becomes more itself as it goes on. I don’t love every last thing about it but on the whole find it a real hoot; great cast, Katja Herbers most of all.
Rewatching HotD S1 partially out of boredom, partially because I wanted to give S2 a decent chance of working. Not thrilled to see the negative reviews but I figured S2 would suffer from HBO's choice to continue filming S2 during the writers' strike, meaning they had to film some episodes from original scripts with no option for rewrites or reshoots. Even having seen it before, all the time jumps and recasting/aging up of characters remains frustrating to watch.
It is really sad how incredibly boring The Acolyte is, I had hope Headland could persevere.. I hear Ep 3 is actually very good but the show can't sustain that high watermark. Oh well.
As you said, those latter seasons of ER are a slog but you have to keep watching for Maura Tierney! I’d never seen the show until 2021 when my husband and I got hooked and watch an episode or two (or more!) every night for four months. We wanted to watch to the end but omg was it bad after season 8! And weird. But Maura Tierney who I’d first seen in The Affair was the reason I kept watching.
I read Queenie a couple of years ago and was devastated to finish it. That was a world and a character I could have spent much more time with. I’ve been traveling the past few days and haven’t been able to start the show but am excited to learn it at least starts well!
The loveliest show on TV is back, "Trying" (Apple+). It's S4 and as good as ever. Lots of laughs, warmth, and good feelings. This show should be talked about more.
Halt and Catch Fire is always my go-to answer to the question "what's the best show people have never watched?" It truly was an exceptional show that, as you say, grew and changed significantly as it ran. While we watch the internet fall apart around us, I often think of those last few seasons and the promise and excitement tech once held; I hope more people discover it because it feels more and more relevant all the time.
Haven't watched Halt and Catch Fire, but my answer to that question is/was The Leftovers.
i rewatched Halt recently and i could not wait to get to the "NIM" episode because that is the one that always stuck with me. what a show.
"At ATX, Bishé got choked up talking about how the experience essentially ruined her for television, because the character she got to play was so much richer and more challenging than anything she’d been offered before or since."
I had some complicated feelings when I turned on "Madame Web" and there she was.
She was the mom who was in the Amazon studying spiders when she died!
But, yes, it was disheartening to check her IMDb after the panel and see that was her most recent credit.
I'll check on people sometimes and learn they were on whole shows I've never heard of. Seven episodes of something called "Super Pumped" for Kerry. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kyle Chandler, and Uma Thurman. What?!
Yesterday I found myself wondering what happened to the woman from Cabin In The Woods and I learned that there was a three-season show on CBS called "Zoo" starring her and James Wolk about "a rash of violent animal attacks." 39 episodes!
Super Pumped: about the founding of Uber, produced by the Billions guys.
Zoo: Brian Grubb's favorite show ever. He tried repeatedly on our old podcast to get me to watch it. Then, while I was off one week, he had fellow Zoo nut Caroline Framke on to talk about it while I wasn't there to put my foot down.
she's really been so invisible since the show ended. it sucks.
A couple years ago I tried a couple episodes of Halt and it was good, but I never had a strong urge to keep going. It kind of seems like it’s another show that gets great if you can just stick it out several episodes - which is infuriating. In Alan I trust, so I’m gonna give it another go.
I did watch Fantasmas last night and enjoyed it a lot. I can’t wait for episode two.
Halt and Catch Fire has been on my To Watch list for quite a while. Bumping it to the top of the list based on this.
I just watched it for the first time! Really great.
I've liked Tierney ever since NewsRadio, and I was especially impressed with what she brought to her small part in The Iron Claw. She has one scene in that movie that's just devastatingly sad.
This post is very much in my wheelhouse - Maura Tierney love, HACF love.
I think my next rewatch is gonna be ER, but I'm currently doing The Sopranos as well as an entire Friends rewatch. I haven't been this uninterested in new/currently airing shows in years! (I know it's the delayed effect of the strikes, but also maybe the larger conservative mood among TV execs).
The only current show I'm really into ATM is Evil. Did you ever write about Evil?
I may have written about it once or twice when it was on CBS and/or All Access. But that's another one I'm way behind on. I actually began trying to catch up with where I left off (late in season 2), and then I went to ATX, and now the rest of that will have to wait until I redo all of HACF.
You're not missing much when it comes to post-strike new TV.
Halt and catch fire being locked behind a service no one has is so annoying. Alan the avalanche episode where you and Brian talked about about it being one of the best shows on television was actually where I found it and just feel in love with it after watching it so thank you.
HUGE fan of Halt and Catch Fire, which you turned me onto in one of your lists- I watched the whole thing as I recovered from surgery, then watched it again right after in an effort to get my wife into it, which failed, but I kept watching anyway! Toby Huss, Kerry Bishé and Scoot McNairy made me a fan of each of them- such great work- especially from Kerry!!! (Was already a fan of Mackenzie Davis and had just seen her in the wonderful Station Eleven).
I'm very much looking forward to that H&CF panel when it hits youtube (and to more H&CF content in this space!).
Tried Halt when it first aired and couldn't get into it, but have been meaning to retry forever. Speaking of treadmill watching, how appropriate of a show is it for gym viewing?
There's a decent amount of sex, especially in the first season, but nothing super explicit, if that's your concern. It moves a bit slower than is helpful for me when exercising, or else it would be taking over for ER for the time being.
Yeah, I'm just looking to avoid any parent complaints at the YMCA, especially since my wife is the HR coordinator there. 😬 Thanks!
I was reluctant to even sample HOTD based on that last season of GOT. We liked some of the performances but didn’t finish S1.
You seem to have an extra, errant word at the start of ¶2 of the Fantasmas review, Alan — “Torres alum himself…” — or I’m really not reading it right.
Evil is worth everyone at least sampling from the start to see if it’s for them, in my opinion, knowing that it only becomes more itself as it goes on. I don’t love every last thing about it but on the whole find it a real hoot; great cast, Katja Herbers most of all.
Rewatching HotD S1 partially out of boredom, partially because I wanted to give S2 a decent chance of working. Not thrilled to see the negative reviews but I figured S2 would suffer from HBO's choice to continue filming S2 during the writers' strike, meaning they had to film some episodes from original scripts with no option for rewrites or reshoots. Even having seen it before, all the time jumps and recasting/aging up of characters remains frustrating to watch.
It is really sad how incredibly boring The Acolyte is, I had hope Headland could persevere.. I hear Ep 3 is actually very good but the show can't sustain that high watermark. Oh well.
As you said, those latter seasons of ER are a slog but you have to keep watching for Maura Tierney! I’d never seen the show until 2021 when my husband and I got hooked and watch an episode or two (or more!) every night for four months. We wanted to watch to the end but omg was it bad after season 8! And weird. But Maura Tierney who I’d first seen in The Affair was the reason I kept watching.
Holy crap. We just watched Fantasmas. Can't wait for more of it.
I read Queenie a couple of years ago and was devastated to finish it. That was a world and a character I could have spent much more time with. I’ve been traveling the past few days and haven’t been able to start the show but am excited to learn it at least starts well!
The loveliest show on TV is back, "Trying" (Apple+). It's S4 and as good as ever. Lots of laughs, warmth, and good feelings. This show should be talked about more.