Political Animals....

[tarrantula]

....since that seems to be our nature, thought that some might enjoy the USA network's weekly series by the same name. Main characters are Bill and Hillary prototypes. The series is better written than most TV series efforts. Sigourney Weaver plays the Secretary of State, whose exhusband is a philandering ex President who still wants to be a player on the political scene. She wants to be President. Sounds cheap and silly, but the characters are well played and the writing is good. Sigourney Weaver does a first rate job as the Hillary character and the guy playing her ex husband is first rate. If you decide to watch(it's on Monday nights) try to find a rerun of the first episode on the internet. I noticed replays on daytime TV as well.


Web, this is something that I think both you and Annach would enjoy. Not comedy,nor partisan, but done in a way that is both lighthearted and a very serious version of the way things work in Washington.



On the topic of good series on non traditional networks, USA is advertising some other new shows that seem interesting to those who have grown tired of inane sitcoms full of weak sexual and bathroom jokes. Last year I followed "Boss" and "Homeland". Can't wait for their new seasons.
This post was edited on 7/17 12:17 PM by tarrantula

 

[WebSpinner]

T, DVRed it but have not had time to view it yet but will, thanks for the preview.

 

[WebSpinner]

T, just watched the pilot or first episode and really enjoyed it other than having to watch guys french kiss, which seems to be a prerequisite now from hollywood for most tv series. kind of figured everything that happened before it happened but i do that in books, films, tv. have the series DVRed so will enjoy the rest of the episodes. it advertises it as a "limited series" which i guess means they shot a few episodes and will see how it goes before ordering a full year. really like all of the original series on usa, and all of the cable networks, THE KILLING, SUITS, WHITE COLLAR, BURN NOTICE, for example. seems as though all of the networks are doing singing, dancing and other reality shows and the independents are buying good series.

 

[tarrantula]

Spinner, Thanks for the heads up on that group of series...I was not familar with any except Suits and will check them out. Boss and Homeland are both outstanding, but if you missed last years episodes, you ought to go to hulu.com and check them out.

 

[WebSpinner]

forgot to mention DAMAGES, THE CLOSER, both, unfortunately entering their final seasons, MAD MEN. THE KILLING is excellent but as you recommended above, you need to see it from the beginning as it is a continuing show and the first two seasons are connected about 26 episodes or so. i found the first season on my daughter's netflix and then DVRed the second on my tv. am sure there are others i have not seen that are very good as well. was listening to an interview with a local houston guy who produces one of the shows on cable and he says that a lot of hollywood folks are now preferring cable because it gives them a lot of freedom that network tv cannot allow. not sure how these shows work, do the networks and cable channels negotiate before they are made or are they made, a pilot, a couple of episodes, and they try and sell them to a channel? one thing for sure, if you do start watching THE KILLING, you will never move to seattle, think it is raining every day there though i did read that it was shot in vancouver but the drops plays a big part in the show, engulfs you.

 

[WebSpinner]

T, DVRed a couple of movies off of turner classic movies, BROTHER RAT and forget the second one but another "RAT" movie about vmi. the movie was made from a play written by two vmi grads and is kind of funny,silly and takes place at vmi and in lexington, have not finished the first one yet but the big item is a championship, guess the old BIG FIVE, baseball game between the keydets and the cavaliers. very young ronald reagan and eddie albert are two of the stars and for those of us who remember vmi being a first class school and very good in sports in the old days, kind of neat to watch.

 

[tarrantula]

Spinner...I remember the old movie..was a big VMI guy as a kid. Lived in Roanoke when they played the VPI-VMI game at Victory Stadium on Thanksgiving and that was a must see event. We went to The Greenbrier Classic Golf Tournament a couple weeks ago. The resort was closed to all but families of the golfers, so we stayed in Lexington and commuted. Ate our meals in a bunch of college bars in Lexington that were reminiscent of Phils. A good college experience in that area in those days..lots of girls schools close enough for easy road trips..Hollins, Randy Macon Womens, Sweet Briar and Southern Sem. I dated a Southern Sem girl for a couple years. Old times/good times.
This post was edited on 7/23 7:26 PM by tarrantula

 

[WebSpinner]

as a kid, got to a vmi vs tech thanksgiving game at victory when up visiting my dad's family in roanoke. think both schools, at that time were military only. always respected vmi, still do and too bad their athletic programs, specifically football, are not as good as in the old days. read today that eddie albert played his role both on broadway and the movie of BROTHER RAT. really cool to see him and reagan as young guys.....think the movie came out in '39.

 

[WebSpinner]

T, another series i like is JUSTIFIED, with timothy olyphant about a us marshall working in KY. think just completed its 3rd year and not sure if coming back but if it does, worth watching. i love the DVR, just do as many series as i can and then watch when i can, discard those that do not interest me and get the entire series if good.

 

[tarrantula]

Don't know if you were aware that Eddie Albert was a much decorated soldier in WW2.This may have been on the board earlier, but Lee Marvin won the Navy Cross and was wounded at Iwo Jima. Marvin always downplayed his own heroics saying that the bravest man he ever saw in combat was another actor, the guy who played Captain Kangeroo. On the topic of great series..Band of Brothers and The Pacific were extremely well done.

 

[WebSpinner]

thanks for that, must confess, my memories of eddie albert were from playing in the tv show, GREEN ACRES with eva gabor, i believe, when he was much older. of course, arnold the pig, stole that show.