May 10, 2020
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
Boyz II Men, Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live Season 45, SNL, SNL At Home, SNL Season 45
CREDIT: NBC/YouTube Screenshot
Whoa-whoa-whoa, Saturday Night Live Season 45 wrapped things up before the dates in May even hit double digits. Well, actually, while the finale began airing on May 9, most of it aired on May 10, as this late night sketch show typically airs most of its episodes in the early morning hours (which of course feel more like night).
But no matter what particular minutes this 18th episode of Season 45 aired, it was indeed the season finale. Kristen Wiig wasn’t officially announced as the host during the opening montage, but she certainly performed more hostly duties than any of the other stay-at-home guests, so we’ll call her the host. And as for the music, we’ll take it II Motownphilly with some Boyz II Men (featuring Babyface).
As for my state of mind while watching, I cooked up some scrambled eggs that I started chowing into right as I summoned up the cold opening. I considered just having a quick bowl of cereal, but since it’s Mother’s Day, I decided I must get eggy with it. I added some milk to make it fluffy. It spilled a little out of my teaspoon, but not enough so that the dish up didn’t end up sufficiently fluffy.
Note: in honor of the holiday, all of my grades for this episode will be mom-based.
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May 8, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Garry Marshall, Hayley Williams, Justin Roiland, Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Mother's Day, Petals for Armor, Saturday Night Live, SNL, SNL At Home, SNL Mother's Day, Solar Opposites, The Happy Days of Garry Marshall, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Valley Girl, Valley Girl 2020
CREDIT: Netflix
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Valley Girl (Streaming May 8)
TV
–Solar Opposites Season 1 (May 8 on Hulu) – New animated series about a family of aliens from Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland.
–SNL at Home Season Finale (May 9 on NBC)
–SNL Mother’s Day Special (May 10 on NBC) – A compilation episode the day after the season finale?! Count me in!
–Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend (May 12 on Netflix) – Kimmy does choose-your-own-adventure!
–The Happy Days of Garry Marshall (May 12 on ABC) – Please, call him Garry!
Music
-Hayley Williams, Petals for Armor
May 5, 2020
jmunney
Comedy, Television
Ben Schwartz, improv, long-form improv, Middleditch & Schwartz, Thomas Middleditch
CREDIT: Jeffery Neira/Netflix
I watched the new Middleditch & Schwartz improv specials on Netflix recently, and I decided to collect my thoughts on them in the form of the question-and-answer information-gathering segment that typically kicks off a long-form improv session.
Is there anyone here who did anything interesting the past few weeks?
I watched some improv specials on Netflix!
Okay, I think I heard someone say they watched improv?
Yeah. On Netflix.
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May 1, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Television
Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, Jeopardy!, Jerry Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill, Ken Jennings, Rick and Morty, The Mandalorian
CREDIT: Netflix/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
–Rick and Morty Season 4 Mid-Season Premiere (May 3 on Adult Swim)
–Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian Series Premiere (May 4 on Disney+) – Docuseries BTS look at our new favorite Star Wars show.
–Jeopardy! Ken Jennings Encore (May 4-15, Check local listings) – Encore presentations of the first and last games in Ken Jennings’ original run as well as the Greatest of All Time tournament.
Comedy
–Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill (May 5 on Netflix)
April 26, 2020
jmunney
Saturday Night Live, SNL Weekly Recaps, Television
2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Brad Pitt, Miley Cyrus, Saturday Night Live, Saturday Night Live at Home, Saturday Night Live Season 45, SNL, SNL At Home, SNL Season 45, What Up With That at Home
CREDIT: NBC/YouTube Screenshot
The SNL at Home experiment continues onward! For #2, we don’t have a host or musical guest this time, at least none officially announced during the opening montage. Although, Brad Pitt and Miley Cyrus essentially fulfill the same duties that Tom Hanks and Chris Martin did last time. I’d like to say for the official record books that they were in fact the host and MG, but I generally go by what Darrell Hammond (previously Don Pardo) says. (Though, for what it’s worth, Season 45’s Wikipedia page currently does list them as the host and MG.)
In a similar state of confusion, I went to bed on Saturday night planning on making scrambled eggs in the morning, but when I woke up, I was more in the mood for cereal, but when I made it to the kitchen, I was back to being in the mood for eggs. So, the rumors are true, I did cook some eggs and toast. It was the right call.
(One quick note so that we’re all on the same page: for as long as new episodes remain at home, I’ll aim to make my grades for the sketches wackier than usual.)
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April 24, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders, AWOLNATION, Bad Education, Beastie Boys, Beastie Boys Story, Normal People, Parks and Recreation, RuPaul's Drag Race, RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race
CREDIT: Apple TV/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
–Beastie Boys Story (Streaming on Apple TV+)
–Bad Education (Premieres April 25 on HBO)
TV
–RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race Premiere (April 24 on VH1)
–Normal People Series Premiere (April 29 on Hulu)
-A Parks and Recreation Special (April 30 on NBC)
Music
-AWOLNATION, Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders
April 17, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Sports, Television
Ben Schwartz, Chicago Bulls, Fetch the Bolt Cutters, Fiona Apple, Middleditch & Schwartz, One World: Together at Home, The Last Dance, Thomas Middleditch
CREDIT: Jeffery Neira/Netflix
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
TV
–One World: Together at Home (April 18 on Various Networks) – Concert special for covid-19 fundraising.
–The Last Dance Series Premiere (April 19 on ESPN) – 10-part documentary series about the final championship year of the 90s Chicago Bulls.
Music
-Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Comedy
–Middleditch & Schwartz (April 21 on Netflix)
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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