Alfonso Cuarón, Gael Garciá Bernal, and Diego Luna have new shows. Plus, 'Bad Monkey' and 'Slow Horses' finale thoughts, 'Saturday Night Live' at 50, an alternate 'Better Call Saul' history, and more
Once it popped into my head, I thought that this would either be the best or worst headline I ever wrote. Glad to have at least one vote for the former.
I loved it! Very side question: Do you write the heds for your RS stories, or even suggest them? I’m interested in that division of labor across the media. I love writing heds when it’s all I have to do, but after writing a story, it’s often just a matter of luck whether I am inspired or exhausted.
I do not write headlines for Rolling Stone, nor did I at The Star-Ledger. I do for the newsletter, for my old blog posts, and for a lot of stuff I did at HitFix and Uproxx — all of these being situations where I essentially act as my own editor. For the bigger publications, someone edits and packages my stuff, and they're better at that than I am.
Grew up in Trenton, NJ where the tabloid morning paper The Trentonian was known for its headlines, so grew up on puns - Pirates Deck Cards - and alliterations. Later turned my hand to them as an editor in college where my favorite was "Thompson Tip Tops Terps" topping a story about David Thompson beating Maryland in a game that preceded the Super Bowl. And got in trouble later when I worked at a Southern paper and headlined a story about installing new preservation HVAC system at the rectory of the convent in Italy that houses da Vinci's Last Supper: "Jesus Disciples to Dine in Comfort". I miss headlines.
I really liked Bad Monkey. It was peak Vince Vaughn.
You could argue there wasn't quite enough story for ten episodes, but I enjoyed the meandering giving the narrative time to breathe, especially compared to the crammed, super short seasons a lot of streaming shows have these days.
My husband and I were big fans. Peak Vince Vaughn is a nice escape from the stressful world right now. I'll watch Rob Delaney in anything. That set must have been a blast to work on. I wasn't familiar with Natalie Martinez—I hope she gets a lot of work, talented and gorgeous.
I came late to the party for Pachinko. Binged season one and up-to-date on season two. I can’t recall a series that brings me joy and breaks my heart at the same time. Incredible acting, and the only show that I don’t fast-forward the opening credits.
Alan has rightly complained about it for years now so it was good to read Joe Adalian's latest article confirming the movie-fication of tv production. Hard to keep track of plotlines for shows off the air for years. Severance will be an interesting test case. Glad to read elsewhere Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was filmed back-to-back seasons so the wait won't be as long.
I'm still living up to the Dad TV stereotype and still really enjoying Slow Horses. Agree with your take that it felt darker this season. Probably a necessity between River's messed up parentage, his grandfather's dementia, and the loss of Marcus. But yes, it would be nice to lighten things up. And more Gary Oldman is always welcome.
Watched the pilot of Bad Monkey and it didn't grab me much. I felt like there were a lot of lines that I knew intellectually were supposed to be punch lines but just didn't make me laugh. Weird for a Bill Lawrence show, because I really have enjoyed both Shrinking and Ted Lasso. It was breezy enough that I was saving it to binge through while on the treadmill.
Really enjoyed Slow Horses this season and particularly a couple things from the finale. 1) Spoiler from the book - in the book I think it was Jackson's who met with Claude (not Taverner) to get Moira's job back. I thought much better to have her do it herself. (Great Joanna Scanlan (Moira) TV show from England "No Offence" (antic police procedural if there is such a thing) well worth a watch. Oh and fun Australian show if you'd like another side of Hugo Weaving called "Love Me" also starring Bojana Novakovic (co-star of Alan Cummings vehicle "Instinct" a family-centered dramedy?) 2) Final silent scene between River and Jackson for some reason reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from Jaws where Scheider's son mirrors Scheider's actions as they are both sitting together.
On abandoned SNL bits, I have always had a soft spot for the Albert Brooks shorts (had already encountered his standup from the innumerable afternoon talk shows of the 60s-70s), particularly his "Famous School for Comedians". I still laugh whenever I recall him opening the door to a lesson on properly performing the Danny Thomas spit take. (That said I may be one of your few readers who recalls watching black and white reruns of the Danny Thomas show from back in the day.)
Some U.S. remember watching Danny Thomas episodes when they premiered on CBS. But that doesn’t make me feel old. There were a lot of much better shows around too.
I really enjoyed the J.K. Coe character on this season's Slow Horses. He sort of reminded me of Creed on The Office. Just tiny bits of weirdness slipped in in odd moments.
Alan, you are my Friday TREAT. About this latest Season of “Slow Horses” — although I didn’t miss a moment, it was not as satisfying to me as the previous 2, and the opener nearly lost me. I ran over to the credits to see if they had hired new writers, that’s how concerned I was.
SPOILER-
I missed Jackson Lamb/Gary Oldman. I want HIM, and his merry chemistry in the office pool making their constant magic. I don’t want him just for laughs’ it’s his pathos that slay me. Interesting that it was Marcus’s tragedy that touched me most, his arc— the best written piece, and it was a sub plot! —The S/M Downton Abbey crap, not so much. GET GARY BACK IN HARNESS, I say!
The first couple of Bad Monkey episodes were entertaining, but man I thought that show fell off a cliff. All the characters became so grating, along with the narration.
I don't know yet. There was eventually a Sopranos Sessions audiobook (not narrated by me or Matt), but not one for Breaking Bad 101. I think Abrams takes these on a case by case basis.
As a Carl Hiasaan fan who was very disappointed in the movie Striptease, I had a lot of hope for Bad Monkey. But it didn’t work for us. Vince Vaughn was just playing Vince Vaughn and I got tired of him quickly. The narration was so unnecessary in much of the show. When I met Hiasaan at a book reading many years ago I suggested that Harrison Ford would be perfect for one of his ongoing characters Skink. Carl hadn’t thought of it but saw the irony of Ford playing against stereotype. “But first somebody will have to option the books” he said. As Harrison has aged, he’d even better suited but has also started playing offbeat characters. Jeff Bridges would also be perfect. I would prefer those books be turned into a series. Watching Bad Monkey, which we probably won’t finish, only made us want to go back and see Better Call Saul for a much better version of this kind of series.
There are 8 books featuring Skink and the first, Double Whammy would be a great way to start.
Slow Horses was fun and had some great twists, but it seems to be increasingly dependent on impossible scenes with being pushed . That said we do look forward to more of this show.
Enjoyed Bad Monkey enough to watch more. There was way too much narration but the cast worked great and Yancy is the Fletch we've been missing.
However, I really didn't like the way they handled the Dragon Queen's end. Playing it as a cliffhanger felt cheap and started the finale on a really sour, distracting note that didn't feel like it paid off in anything other than very cliched ways. I'll watch more but they need to find better tonal balances for a number of elements (the Tom Petty songs were sometimes too on the nose).
I figured she would die, but yeah, it could have been done better.
Really, I was hoping Egg would figure out what happened and do something to Eve and Nick. Instead, he shrugged and basically resigned himself to working for a couple of assholes until they died.
Overall, I enjoyed the season, and Vaughn as Yancy could keep going (I know there's a second book to base another potential season on, but the creators would be reworking other titles after that), but maybe 7-8 episodes is the sweet spot.
I’ve been leery of actually watching Saturday Night. Jason Reitman had an incredible run with Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air, and Young Adult, but I’m a huge fan of early SNL, I don’t react well to biopics where I just can’t reconcile the actors with the real people they’re playing, and I’ve read multiple reviews voicing disappointment with the undercooked female roles.
One thing I love about early SNL is those oddball segments, from Albert Brooks' short films to Mr. Bill to Harry Anderson’s stand-up magic spots later on, not only on their merits but for the sheer variety and sense that something could fly in from left field; that aspect of the show mostly lives on now through surprise appearances by old cast members, friends/family of the host, and the occasional newsmakers dropping in as themselves on Update.
1) I never saw the resemblance between River and his half-brothers. It would have been great to go full Tatiana Masslany and have Lowden play all the roles.
2) As Jacl was approaching Harkness's table at the beginning of episode to 6, I said said 'Hi, Dad'. Was close--the actual line was 'Hello,Dad'.
I agree with your observations about the finales of Bad Monkey & Slow Horses. Lucky for me, I have Slough House in my TBR pile. I'm glad to see Disclaimers will be around to fill the void left by Bad Monkey & Slow Horses seasons ending.
Definitely down for another Vince & Carl collab, but 6 episodes max. This one wore out its welcome at episode 8, and that’s generous. Very fun when it worked though.
The title of this pleased me. :)
Once it popped into my head, I thought that this would either be the best or worst headline I ever wrote. Glad to have at least one vote for the former.
I loved it! Very side question: Do you write the heds for your RS stories, or even suggest them? I’m interested in that division of labor across the media. I love writing heds when it’s all I have to do, but after writing a story, it’s often just a matter of luck whether I am inspired or exhausted.
I do not write headlines for Rolling Stone, nor did I at The Star-Ledger. I do for the newsletter, for my old blog posts, and for a lot of stuff I did at HitFix and Uproxx — all of these being situations where I essentially act as my own editor. For the bigger publications, someone edits and packages my stuff, and they're better at that than I am.
Grew up in Trenton, NJ where the tabloid morning paper The Trentonian was known for its headlines, so grew up on puns - Pirates Deck Cards - and alliterations. Later turned my hand to them as an editor in college where my favorite was "Thompson Tip Tops Terps" topping a story about David Thompson beating Maryland in a game that preceded the Super Bowl. And got in trouble later when I worked at a Southern paper and headlined a story about installing new preservation HVAC system at the rectory of the convent in Italy that houses da Vinci's Last Supper: "Jesus Disciples to Dine in Comfort". I miss headlines.
I really liked Bad Monkey. It was peak Vince Vaughn.
You could argue there wasn't quite enough story for ten episodes, but I enjoyed the meandering giving the narrative time to breathe, especially compared to the crammed, super short seasons a lot of streaming shows have these days.
Same. I liked it very much, including the way it mocked you for watching the recaps.
My husband and I were big fans. Peak Vince Vaughn is a nice escape from the stressful world right now. I'll watch Rob Delaney in anything. That set must have been a blast to work on. I wasn't familiar with Natalie Martinez—I hope she gets a lot of work, talented and gorgeous.
I came late to the party for Pachinko. Binged season one and up-to-date on season two. I can’t recall a series that brings me joy and breaks my heart at the same time. Incredible acting, and the only show that I don’t fast-forward the opening credits.
there's so many incredible scenes and acting but that monologue by the actor playing Kato revealing his past to Sunja blew me away.
Alan has rightly complained about it for years now so it was good to read Joe Adalian's latest article confirming the movie-fication of tv production. Hard to keep track of plotlines for shows off the air for years. Severance will be an interesting test case. Glad to read elsewhere Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was filmed back-to-back seasons so the wait won't be as long.
For those you haven't read it: https://www.vulture.com/article/severance-season-two-euphoria-season-3-why-so-long.html
I'm still living up to the Dad TV stereotype and still really enjoying Slow Horses. Agree with your take that it felt darker this season. Probably a necessity between River's messed up parentage, his grandfather's dementia, and the loss of Marcus. But yes, it would be nice to lighten things up. And more Gary Oldman is always welcome.
Watched the pilot of Bad Monkey and it didn't grab me much. I felt like there were a lot of lines that I knew intellectually were supposed to be punch lines but just didn't make me laugh. Weird for a Bill Lawrence show, because I really have enjoyed both Shrinking and Ted Lasso. It was breezy enough that I was saving it to binge through while on the treadmill.
Really enjoyed Slow Horses this season and particularly a couple things from the finale. 1) Spoiler from the book - in the book I think it was Jackson's who met with Claude (not Taverner) to get Moira's job back. I thought much better to have her do it herself. (Great Joanna Scanlan (Moira) TV show from England "No Offence" (antic police procedural if there is such a thing) well worth a watch. Oh and fun Australian show if you'd like another side of Hugo Weaving called "Love Me" also starring Bojana Novakovic (co-star of Alan Cummings vehicle "Instinct" a family-centered dramedy?) 2) Final silent scene between River and Jackson for some reason reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from Jaws where Scheider's son mirrors Scheider's actions as they are both sitting together.
On abandoned SNL bits, I have always had a soft spot for the Albert Brooks shorts (had already encountered his standup from the innumerable afternoon talk shows of the 60s-70s), particularly his "Famous School for Comedians". I still laugh whenever I recall him opening the door to a lesson on properly performing the Danny Thomas spit take. (That said I may be one of your few readers who recalls watching black and white reruns of the Danny Thomas show from back in the day.)
Best
Some U.S. remember watching Danny Thomas episodes when they premiered on CBS. But that doesn’t make me feel old. There were a lot of much better shows around too.
I really enjoyed the J.K. Coe character on this season's Slow Horses. He sort of reminded me of Creed on The Office. Just tiny bits of weirdness slipped in in odd moments.
Alan, you are my Friday TREAT. About this latest Season of “Slow Horses” — although I didn’t miss a moment, it was not as satisfying to me as the previous 2, and the opener nearly lost me. I ran over to the credits to see if they had hired new writers, that’s how concerned I was.
SPOILER-
I missed Jackson Lamb/Gary Oldman. I want HIM, and his merry chemistry in the office pool making their constant magic. I don’t want him just for laughs’ it’s his pathos that slay me. Interesting that it was Marcus’s tragedy that touched me most, his arc— the best written piece, and it was a sub plot! —The S/M Downton Abbey crap, not so much. GET GARY BACK IN HARNESS, I say!
The first couple of Bad Monkey episodes were entertaining, but man I thought that show fell off a cliff. All the characters became so grating, along with the narration.
for how great this show started, that finale was incredibly disappointing.
Moi tambien
Will the Better Call Saul book also be available as an audio book?
I don't know yet. There was eventually a Sopranos Sessions audiobook (not narrated by me or Matt), but not one for Breaking Bad 101. I think Abrams takes these on a case by case basis.
I have the Sopranos and the TV audio books, so fingers crossed for a BCS version, too. (Rewatching BCS atm, such a fantastic show!)
As a Carl Hiasaan fan who was very disappointed in the movie Striptease, I had a lot of hope for Bad Monkey. But it didn’t work for us. Vince Vaughn was just playing Vince Vaughn and I got tired of him quickly. The narration was so unnecessary in much of the show. When I met Hiasaan at a book reading many years ago I suggested that Harrison Ford would be perfect for one of his ongoing characters Skink. Carl hadn’t thought of it but saw the irony of Ford playing against stereotype. “But first somebody will have to option the books” he said. As Harrison has aged, he’d even better suited but has also started playing offbeat characters. Jeff Bridges would also be perfect. I would prefer those books be turned into a series. Watching Bad Monkey, which we probably won’t finish, only made us want to go back and see Better Call Saul for a much better version of this kind of series.
There are 8 books featuring Skink and the first, Double Whammy would be a great way to start.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/106705-skink
Slow Horses was fun and had some great twists, but it seems to be increasingly dependent on impossible scenes with being pushed . That said we do look forward to more of this show.
Enjoyed Bad Monkey enough to watch more. There was way too much narration but the cast worked great and Yancy is the Fletch we've been missing.
However, I really didn't like the way they handled the Dragon Queen's end. Playing it as a cliffhanger felt cheap and started the finale on a really sour, distracting note that didn't feel like it paid off in anything other than very cliched ways. I'll watch more but they need to find better tonal balances for a number of elements (the Tom Petty songs were sometimes too on the nose).
I figured she would die, but yeah, it could have been done better.
Really, I was hoping Egg would figure out what happened and do something to Eve and Nick. Instead, he shrugged and basically resigned himself to working for a couple of assholes until they died.
Overall, I enjoyed the season, and Vaughn as Yancy could keep going (I know there's a second book to base another potential season on, but the creators would be reworking other titles after that), but maybe 7-8 episodes is the sweet spot.
Vince Vaughn is great in this role. I enjoyed everyone in the cast but I think Vaughn makes it all work.
I’ve been leery of actually watching Saturday Night. Jason Reitman had an incredible run with Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air, and Young Adult, but I’m a huge fan of early SNL, I don’t react well to biopics where I just can’t reconcile the actors with the real people they’re playing, and I’ve read multiple reviews voicing disappointment with the undercooked female roles.
One thing I love about early SNL is those oddball segments, from Albert Brooks' short films to Mr. Bill to Harry Anderson’s stand-up magic spots later on, not only on their merits but for the sheer variety and sense that something could fly in from left field; that aspect of the show mostly lives on now through surprise appearances by old cast members, friends/family of the host, and the occasional newsmakers dropping in as themselves on Update.
With respect to Slow Horses:
1) I never saw the resemblance between River and his half-brothers. It would have been great to go full Tatiana Masslany and have Lowden play all the roles.
2) As Jacl was approaching Harkness's table at the beginning of episode to 6, I said said 'Hi, Dad'. Was close--the actual line was 'Hello,Dad'.
Lowden did play the one that went to David's house. We just never saw him clearly, and he was meant to be the one who most resembled River.
I agree with your observations about the finales of Bad Monkey & Slow Horses. Lucky for me, I have Slough House in my TBR pile. I'm glad to see Disclaimers will be around to fill the void left by Bad Monkey & Slow Horses seasons ending.
Definitely down for another Vince & Carl collab, but 6 episodes max. This one wore out its welcome at episode 8, and that’s generous. Very fun when it worked though.