Barstool DVR Round Up Blog

I got a chance to bang out a lot of TV on my flights to and from Italy and there’s been some shows, both new and old, worth talking about so I figured we’d round em all up here:

Sons of Anarchy – Final Season

I hate to say it because I’m a big fan of Kurt Sutter and Sons, but this season has been pretty brutal. No other way around it. Its just kind of a shit show. There’s always been a ton of clubs and a plethora of characters to keep up with but these days it just seems like its all over the map. If you compare this season to the early days with Opie or the middle seasons when the Jax/Clay feud was inevitably coming to a head, it just seems so sloppy. Not since the club spent like 10 episodes in Ireland in Season 3 has the show dragged this much. It just seems like theres been a ton of gun fights and slaughters and over the top shit and not as much of the character conflict which is when this show is at its best. Still 6 episodes left, and obviously the impending atomic bomb of Jax learning the truth about everything will certainly be satisfying, but if we’re being honest about the first half of the final season, not good. To be honest its probably a show that didn’t need 7 seasons in the first place, and it certainly doesnt need 90 minutes a week at this rate. Still looking forward to the conclusion of a very good and fun show, but its a struggle at the moment.

Vikings

I quickly mentioned this on Clem’s blog the other day but I just got through season 1 of Vikings on the History Channel and it is phenomenal. Its a normal scripted show, not like a History Channel sort of documentary or anything. Ragnar Lodbrok is one of the most badass characters on TV. Its just a nasty, grimy, violent portrayal of the Vikings the first time they sailed west to raid the shores of England. Its kinda fun because you’re straight up rooting for the bad guy. Like yea they have honor and are men’s men and shit like that, but they are flat out raping and pillaging for the fun of it and you cant help but root for them. There’s 2 seasons so far, I recommend diving into them

Manhattan

Best new show I’ve watched all year right up there with The Leftovers. Its about the Manhattan Project out in New Mexico with rivalry camps trying to beat the Nazis to the punch on creating the world’s first atomic bomb. Its on WGN, which is weird as fuck. But dont let that deter you. A lot of great TV shows started on networks that at the time you never would have considered watching (AMC, FX, BBC etc etc) The acting in it is tremendous and the story lines about these obsessive scientists and the ends justify the means/good of the few vs the good of the many mentality makes for a lot of tense and thought provoking TV. Its officially been renewed for Season 2 so no need to worry about it getting canceled since its lost on WGN. Also, Marv from Home Alone is in it.

Homeland

Havent even watched an episode yet. Granted I’ve been away but I just didnt even have much desire to pick up this show again. Crazy how far it has fallen for me. Season 1 was one of the best seasons of TV ever and now I dont even care to watch. I’m sure I’ll catch back up or binge Season 4 on a rainy day at some point but I think for the most part I finally reached my breaking point with this show.

The Affair

Its on right after Homeland. Havent gotten a chance to watch this yet either but Kmarko and several other Stoolies have given me the heads up on it. Its about a couple having an affair and the first half of the episodes are told through the guy’s point of view and the second half is from the girls, so you dont know who to trust or whats really going on. Its got McNulty and dude from Charlie Conway. A few episodes in now, so there’s time to jump on for the rest of the season. Thats what I plan to do.

How To Get Away With Murder

Good new show to watch with your Roommate. Its not groundbreaking TV but its a show you both will enjoy. Its from the same chick who created Scandal so chicks are going nuts for it. It follows this bad ass sassy black chick lawyer and her top law students as they take on impossible cases. Simultaneously while each week they solve another case, theres a who-dun-it story line where the law students have murdered someone. Each week we see the murder from a different character’s point of view as they try to hide the evidence and get away with it. Hence, the How To Get Away With Murder double meaning.

Blacklist

Blacklist has finally just reached the level of being an awesome show. It pains me because I know if it was on HBO or Showtime or even a channel like FX it could be even better. They’re constrained by network TV rules a little bit but James Spader is awesome and the week to week villains they come up with each episode are so fucking creative. For a time this show was kinda like The Following, i.e. completely ridiculous but entertaining. I think season 2 has been better than that, and I think its just a really solid show at this point. Sill unrealistic of course but really good stuff.

The Shield

If you’re looking for a old school show to go back and binge or relive, The Shield is it. I feel like it gets completely lost in the mix when people are talking about The Sopranos and The Wire and Oz and all the shows that paved the way for this so called Golden Age of Television we’re in now. Michael Chiklis and the Shield deserves every bit if the respect those other shows get. Vic Mackey was an anti-hero right alongside Tony Soprano back when Walter White was still Malcolm In The Middle’s dad. I’ll put season 5 up against any season of any show, thats how good Forest Whitaker was in it. Its on Amazon Instant.