IC and MIR discuss Showtime Series (spoilers)

[Institutional Control]

First I’d like to discuss this season of Billions.  MIR, are you caught up?


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[MakeItRain]

I like this thread!

Yeah, I always watch billions as it's aired or soon thereafter. I really like this season, a lot, and before the finale I hated last season. I was way over the Wendy and Axe thing. I also felt like the Axe character became a parody of itself. They did a really good job with closing the door on him and bridging to Prince.

What I like the most about this season is that they are constantly shifting who's going to be the baby face and who's going to be the heel. In past seasons it felt like the tried to trade the bad guy role between Axe and Chuck year to year, this season it seems each of them does something great and something mumped up each episode.

The only thing I'm annoyed with this season are the constant clunky sports analogies. You can tell the producers and writers are nerds that kinda like sports but not really, no one talks like that. Price posting the wooden pyramid was ridiculous. I know they are illustrating another difference between Axe and Prince, Axe was the music guy, Prince is the sports guy.

Man, if I were Andrew Cuomo I'd hate the crap out of this season, they got homeboy looking like the biggest bozo of all time.

[Institutional Control]

When I learned that Damien Lewis was leaving, I was a bit disappointed but I think the show really needed a new character to focus on and I like this season better.

I always go back and forth on my like and dislike of Chuck but I really dislike him this season. His character is far too petty this season.

Why I have never realized that Kate Sacker was so tall.  In most scenes, she is towering over the other women and a lot of the men.

I'm with you on the analogies.  The first couple of seasons I loved all the movie, music and sports analogies but it's become weird that every single character uses them.  In real life, most people don't use them in every discussion.

[Institutional Control]

I assume you watched Ray Donovan.  Did you like the movie?  I loved the series and I guess the movie games some closer to the characters but I didn't love it.

[MakeItRain]

I'm sure you know the actress who plays Sackler is Ahmad Rashad and Phylicia Rashad's (Claire Huxtable) daughter.

I have not watched Ray Donovan or Shameless, the most watched Showtime shows. I didn't catch either of them when they started and I never had the urge to catch up. My wife did binge Shameless but I never did.

I started watching Showtime in very early 2018 with The Chi and Our Cartoon President starting at nearly the exact same time. I started seeing Billions promos and a couple of the sports podcasts I listen to talked about it all the time, so I decided to try to binge seasons 1 & 2 on a trip to the UK that I took in January of 2018, season 3 started in March of 2018 when season 1 of The Chi wrapped up. From January 2018 on, I watched nearly everything that Showtime has done because I like it all. The most notable thing that they've started since then that I didn't watch was the reboot of The L Word.

I can't even decide what my favorite Showtime series has been, they've been on a hell of a streak. Honestly, I think Your Honor has been my least favorite Showtime series, but I still liked it at least a little and I'll be there for season 2.

I used to be an HBO guy but they've really leaned hard into the fantasy/sci Fi genre and that's not for me. Showtime does almost none of those, just very well made dramas, comedies (not enough of these), and docs. I feel about Showtime like most people feel about Netflix.

[Institutional Control]

I did know because a couple of seasons ago, I stalked her imdb and wikipedia pages to find other shows she had been in.

Dexter was the primary reason I began watching Showtime.  I quit Dexter about 4 seasons in but picked up Ray Donovan.  I resisted Shameless until Covid hit and we needed something to watch.  It took about 2 months to watch every season.

I love City on a Hill and American Rust.   Like you, I watch and will continue to watch Your Honor but I don't love it, it's just ok.

I liked The Comey Rule and Escape at Dannemora.

I'm still pretty a faithful HBO fan but it's weird that Showtime shows don't ever get much buzz in comparison.

[kstate4life]

I hope I am allowed to chime in here...

I am a Showtime fan as well.  Shameless is what got me to subscribe.  I loved that show, and watched every episode.  Just one of those shows that can make you feel better about anything you are going through cause it's not near as bad as that show kinda thing. 

I was the same with Dexter, watched 3 seasons, then quit. 

I binged all of Homeland, another great show!  Still hooked on Billions.  I am a big Damien Lewis fan (started with Homeland), so I was a little bummed he left Billions, but I am very happy with where they are going with the show now.

Recently watched Yellowjackets and American Rust, both were great as well!

[Institutional Control]

Yellowjackets is on my list of shows to watch when I get caught up.

[star seed 7]

How soon does Damien Lewis leave billions? I have specifically not watched that show because I can't stand looking at his dumb face.

[kstate4life]

How soon does Damien Lewis leave billions? I have specifically not watched that show because I can't stand looking at his dumb face.

End of Season 5.  You probably shouldn't watch, ha!

[Institutional Control]

libbot.7 hates gingers.

[star seed 7]

libbot.7 hates gingers.

Not true, I'm a great fan of gingers!

[MakeItRain]

I hope I am allowed to chime in here...

I am a Showtime fan as well.  Shameless is what got me to subscribe.  I loved that show, and watched every episode.  Just one of those shows that can make you feel better about anything you are going through cause it's not near as bad as that show kinda thing. 

I was the same with Dexter, watched 3 seasons, then quit. 

I binged all of Homeland, another great show!  Still hooked on Billions.  I am a big Damien Lewis fan (started with Homeland), so I was a little bummed he left Billions, but I am very happy with where they are going with the show now.

Recently watched Yellowjackets and American Rust, both were great as well!

Yellowjackets seems like weird HBO'y, is it? I think the show I'm looking forward to returning the most is We Hunt Together, I really got into that.

Also IC, Showtime doesn't get the buzz that HBO does because they literally have like 1/3 of the subscribers, HBO has 74 million and Showtime has 27 million.

[kstate4life]

I hope I am allowed to chime in here...

I am a Showtime fan as well.  Shameless is what got me to subscribe.  I loved that show, and watched every episode.  Just one of those shows that can make you feel better about anything you are going through cause it's not near as bad as that show kinda thing. 

I was the same with Dexter, watched 3 seasons, then quit. 

I binged all of Homeland, another great show!  Still hooked on Billions.  I am a big Damien Lewis fan (started with Homeland), so I was a little bummed he left Billions, but I am very happy with where they are going with the show now.

Recently watched Yellowjackets and American Rust, both were great as well!

Yellowjackets seems like weird HBO'y, is it? I think the show I'm looking forward to returning the most is We Hunt Together, I really got into that.

Also IC, Showtime doesn't get the buzz that HBO does because they literally have like 1/3 of the subscribers, HBO has 74 million and Showtime has 27 million.

Yeah it is, but not SciFi really.   More psychological.  It is an entertaining story line for sure.  I started watching it at the same time I started Lost (had never seen it before).  Had to quit Lost because watching two shows about plane crashes at once is just too much!  Also Lost doesn't really hold up to today's tv standards.

[MakeItRain]

I'm very much looking forward to the First Ladies miniseries.