April 12, 2020
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Chris Martin, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live at Home, Saturday Night Live Season 45, SNL, SNL At Home, SNL Season 45, Tom Hanks
CREDIT: NBC/YouTube Screenshot
Saturday Night Live Season 45 wasn’t meant to end early, after all. Social distancing restrictions might make a live broadcast a little difficult right now, but they haven’t diminished our capacity to create and consume comedy. Thus, we have our first ever “SNL at Home” episode. It’s all pre-recorded, but so was a significant portion of the 1984-85 season, and that was a great year!
Tom Hanks and Chris Martin are officially announced as the host and musical guest, and I see no reason not to include this episode towards the official all-time ledger. Erg, Hanks has now entered diamond status as a ten-time host!
On to the show, which begins with the cast quickly saying hi via Zoom and then goes into an at-home-ified opening montage. Meanwhile, I prepared for the show by running about 12 miles on Saturday morning, going to bed early, getting plenty of z’s, and then watching the sketches early on Sunday (as per usual). Bananas seem important in this era (and all the time), so I had one with my cereal for breakfast.
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April 10, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Podcasts, Sports, Television
American Dad!, Cate Blanchett, George St. Geegland, Gil Faizon, Insecure, Joel McHale, John Mulaney, Ken Jeong, Mrs. America, NBA Horse Challenge, Nick Kroll, Oh Hello, Oh Hello the P'dcast, Saturday Night Live, SNL, SNL At Home, The Darkest Timeline, The Darkest Timeline podcast, The New Abnormal, The Strokes, What We Do in the Shadows
CREDIT: FX/YouTube Screenshot
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
TV
–SNL at Home (April 11 on NBC) – A remotely produced new episode of Saturday Night Live.
–Insecure Season 4 Premiere (April 12 on HBO)
–Killing Eve Season 3 Premiere (April on AMC and BBC America)
-NBA HORSE Challenge (April 12 on ESPN)
–American Dad! Season 17 Premiere (April 13 on TBS) – Still one of the most consistent shows on the air!
–Mrs. America Series Premiere (April 15 on Hulu) – Starring Cate Blanchett as Phyllis Schlafly.
–What We Do in the Shadows Season 2 Premiere (April 15 on FX)
Music
-The Strokes, The New Abnormal
Podcasts
A couple of great-so-far podcasts have recently launched:
–The Darkest Timeline – Community co-stars Joel McHale and Ken Jeong answer your questions.
–Oh, Hello: the P’dcast – Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland have discovered a new medium in which to deliver their tuna.
April 9, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Television
30 Rock, American Dad!, Atlanta, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Black Mirror, Bojack Horseman, Community, Inside Amy Schumer, Nathan for You, Review, Rick and Morty, TCGS, The Chris Gethard Show, The Eric Andre Show, The Last Man on Earth, Too Many Cooks, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks The Return
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
In assembling my picks for the best TV episodes of the past decade, I noticed that I was leaning heavily on the comedy side. This was unsurprising, as I tend to watch more sitcoms than dramas. But the difference was even more pronounced than usual. I think that makes sense, because on average, comedies tend to be specifically designed on an episodic basis moreso than dramas.
I should also note that I did not limit shows to any prescribed maximum. You’ll notice that certain programs keep popping up, like Community and Nathan for You. They deserve it, as they’re the types of shows that revolutionized themselves on the regular.
So here are the television morsels from the 2010s that shine within the context of their full works and also stand brilliantly on their own.
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April 3, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Television
Community, Jeopardy!, Jimmy Kimmel, Modern Family, The Good Fight, The Last O.G., Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
TV
–Community on Netflix (Started streaming on April 1) – The greatest show of the 2010s is finally streaming on the biggest streamer around.
–Jeopardy! College Championship (April 6-17, Check local listings)
–The Last O.G. Season 3 Premiere (April 7 on TBS)
–Modern Family Series Finale (April 8 on ABC)
–Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Revival Premiere (April 8 on ABC) – Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel!
–The Good Fight Season 4 Premiere (April 9 on CBS All Access) – I’m still a few seasons behind, though.
March 27, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Beef House, Dua Lipa, Eric Wareheim, Future Nostalgia, Gigaton, Pearl Jam, Three Busy Debras, Tim & Eric, Tim Heidecker, Whose Line is it Anyway?
CREDIT: Adult Swim
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
TV
–Three Busy Debras Series Premiere (March 29 on Adult Swim)
–Beef House Series Premiere (March 29 on Adult Swim) – Tim & Eric’s latest venture.
–Whose Line is it Anyway? Season 16 Premiere – Improv institution returning a little earlier than expected.
Music
-Dua Lipa, Future Nostalgia
-Pearl Jam, Gigaton
March 26, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Television
30 Rock, American Dad!, Atlanta, Baskets, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Better Call Saul, Billy on the Street, Bob's Burgers, Bojack Horseman, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Community, Documentary Now!, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Halt and Catch Fire, Hannibal, Key & Peele, Mad Men, Man Seeking Woman, Nathan for You, New Girl, Pose, Review, Review (TV Series), Rick and Morty, The Eric Andre Show, The Middle, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks The Return
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
As a voracious consumer of Peak TV, I could have easily filled my list of the Best TV Shows of the 2010s with hundreds of entries. But instead, I chose to zero in on a golden set of 25 that I am absolutely sure I love and will continue to love for years to come. These are the shows that affected me profoundly when I first watched them and that continued to linger in my brain and my soul as the decade marched on.
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March 13, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
David Simon, Grouplove, Healer, Never Rarely Sometimes Always, The Hunt, The Plot Against America, Westworld
CREDIT: HBO
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–The Hunt (Theatrically Nationwide)
–Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Limited Theatrically)
TV
–Westworld Season 3 Premiere (March 15 on HBO)
–The Plot Against America Series Premiere (March 16 on HBO) – David Simon is at it again on HBO.
Music
-Grouplove, Healer
March 8, 2020
jmunney
Movie Reviews, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Daniel Craig, Elizabeth Warren, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 45, SNL, SNL Season 45, The Weeknd
CREDIT: Rosalind O’Connor/NBC
History shall remember that on March 7, 2020 (and in the wee hours of March 8), Daniel Craig hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time and The Weeknd performed as the musical guest for the third time. The last time March 7 fell on a Saturday, in 2015, Chris Hemsworth hosted and Zac Brown Band were the musical guest. And the last March 7 Saturday before that was in 2009, during which Dwayne Johnson hosted and Ray LaMontagne was the musical guest. (I was studying abroad in Australia at the time.) An encore presentation of that episode aired in the SNL Vintage time slot last night. Interestingly enough, Dwayne Johnson hosted once again on March 28, 2015, the very next episode after the Hemsworth/Zac Brown one. But right now, we’re here to discuss the Craig/Weeknd show. Let’s get to it!
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March 6, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Bacurau, Ceremony, Extra Ordinary, First Cow, Heavy Eyes, Onward, Phantogram, The Way Back, U.S. Girls, Will Forte, Women of Troy
CREDIT: HBO/YouTube Screenshot
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Bacurau (Limited Theatrically) – A Brazilian film about weird goings-on.
–Extra Ordinary (Limited Theatrically) – Irish movie with ghosts and Will Forte.
–First Cow (Limited Theatrically) – Delicious!
–Onward (Theatrically Nationwide)
–The Way Back (Theatrically Nationwide)
TV
–Women of Troy (Premieres March 10 on HBO) – Documentary about the 1980s USC women’s basketball team.
Music
-Phantogram, Ceremony
-U.S. Girls, Heavy Eyes
March 1, 2020
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Airport Sushi, David Byrne, John Mulaney, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 45, SNL, SNL Season 45
CREDIT: NBC/YouTube Screenshot
Hey, remember the ’90s? That was the decade when John Goodman hosted EVERY SINGLE SEASON of Saturday Night Live. Will the 2020s be the same deal for John Mulaney? His name is also John, after all, and he’s got a three-year streak going currently. It may have started in the 2010s, but maybe that will give him the momentum he needs to carry himself through another nine years. One of the musical guests during Goodman’s run was the legendary classic rock group Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and now Mulaney is being paired up with someone from the same well, as he’s joined by his Sack Lunch Bunch buddy, David Byrne.
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