A long long time ago before the Internet existed in its present state, we had to find out information in different ways. Wisdom from elders was one of them. Libraries of course was another. If your family was rich enough, you may have even owned your own set of encyclopedias.
The information I am going to talk about today wasn't found in any of those places. Instead, it was found at your local grocery store. You could get a condensed version in your daily newspaper, but nothing could beat having a fresh copy of the weekly TV Guide in your hand.
As you can see, the site still exists, but like I said, the TV Guide predates the Internet. I am sure many members of the SilverBloggers community will remember having to lookup what shows were on what channel each night of the week.
I remember in the late summer they would release a special issue. It was extra thick and it would tell you all the new shows that were coming out that fall. I remember pouring over it again and again trying to figure out what I would watch. If I remember correctly, each member of my family would have a different color pen to mark the shows that they wanted to watch.
That experience is the inspiration for this (and future) posts. I was calling it "What I'm Watching" or something similar, but I felt like being a bit nostalgic. So let's get to it!
Outer Banks
If I remember correctly, I talked about this show a long time ago. In fact, I think it was probably a couple of years ago when the first season was released. I will explain how I know that in a couple of seconds. Within the last year, season 2 was finally dropped, and more recently the made season 3 available.
@mrsbozz and I were kind of out of stuff to watch, so we decided to circle back to Outer Banks and check out season 2.
I've gotta be honest, this show is horrible. The acting is really subpar, the premise is kind of ridiculous, and the characters do all the stupid stuff that you know they shouldn't do, but you expect them to do anyway.
That being said, it has a really nostalgic feel that my wife explained as a modern version of "The Goonies". Make no mistake though, this show is geared towards today's teenagers. I honestly feel that is part of the reason the acting is so bad.
This past weekend I was talking to my niece when we met for lunch and she wholeheartedly agreed that the acting is horrible. Then she said this and it made me understand the draw. Her take is, season 1 came out during the pandemic when everyone was in some form of lock down. This show about kids basically living on their own in a virtual paradise and having adventures gave people of that time a lot of feels.
Never underestimate the power of escapism. I get it now. @mrsbozz was ready to stop watching. I encouraged her to continue because after all there is a bit of a treasure hunt in the plot and if you know me, you know I am a sucker for a treasure hunt.
If you want some mindless fun, go ahead and let your self get sucked into Outer Banks. Just be ready to let reality and rational decisions slide for an hour or two. We are just about done with season 2 and will likely be starting season 3 this weekend. Wish me luck!
Abbott Elementary
This comedy about an elementary school in one of the major cities in Pennsylvania is one of @mrsbozz and I's favorites. Abbott Elementary has a bit of a "Office" feel in that it is filmed by a camera crew in the same interview style.
Obviously, part of the reason my wife and I love this show so much is the fact that we both work in the public school system. While we aren't in the inner city and some of the topics are overly dramatized, there is also a lot of topics and parts of the show that really hit home for us.
I will point out if you watch the show, don't take the principal seriously. That is one character that I think they are way off on. I have seen bad principals in the past, but they really went over the top on that character.
Like I said though, there are some things that they really get spot on. For example, there was a recent episode about charter schools and while they might look good on paper, you soon realize all the drawbacks and how they effectively undermine the public school system.
It's no wonder so many people hate public schools, we aren't even given a chance. Anyway, Abbott Elementary is a must watch for me. It's got some good side plots and it never fails to give me a laugh or two when I need it.
Picard
I'll be honest with you, I wasn't very impressed with the first season of Star Trek: Picard. Being a huge fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, I had really high hopes for this show. I don't honestly remember why, but there was something about the first season that just fell flat with me.
I'm not a quitter though, so I decided to give season 2 a go. While it was definitely better than season 1, I can't say as though it was my absolute favorite. There were some surprises in the show that made it pretty cool, but I won't talk about those too much in case you haven't seen it yet.
I have heard that season 3 so far is the best yet. I don't think all of the episodes are out yet, and I likely won't watch season 3 until they are. I don't like having to wait around for episodes to come out!
After seeing some of the guest stars that are supposed to be on tap, I am looking forward to seeing the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard. If you liked season 1, then you will likely love season 2. If you were a fan of The Next Generation, you are going to want to watch it anyway, no matter how good or bad it is. Just for some closure and continuity.
The Company You Keep
The Company You Keep is a new how that @mrsbozz and I started watching on ABC. It is only about three episodes in so far, but I found the premise intriguing so I asked her if she wanted to give it a shot.
Like most shows that her and I enjoy, I have little doubt this show will likely get canceled before it even finishes a season or two once again leaving us hanging (I'm looking at you "The Following, "Prodigal Son", and countless others).
I don't think I am giving anything away when I tell you one of the main characters is a con man, the other is a CIA agent and it would appear the show is based on them keeping their real occupations from each other.
Of course there is a lot more details than that, but I will let you watch and figure it out for yourself. The male lead is Milo Ventimiglia from "Heroes" and "This is Us" fame. My wife and I really enjoyed "This is Us", so that is part of the reason I decided to start watching this show.
I am already starting to question how they are going to keep the plot going into multiple seasons, but like a good treasure hunt story, I also love a good love story. What can I say, I'm a sensitive guy.
Plus, in the very first episode they gave cryptocurrency a bit of a spotlight, so that is cool. Of course it was criminals using it, so perpetuating that narrative is never a good thing, but at least they were using a hardware wallet.
It's nice to see that even Hollywood knows "Not your keys, not your crypto".
I'm looking forward to seeing where The Company you Keep takes us. I just hope it doesn't get cancelled.
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