Editor's Note: Fresh off of a couple of weeks of madness trying to get The Chinese Revolution - Good Thing, Bad Thing? (Part Two) published and available for your viewing pleasure . . . I was planning on taking this week off of writing. But it always feels weird and unnerving to me when I see the blog dormant.
So here I am, dancing like a monkey for you, begging for a quarter.
There are many shows produced for television today. In 2021 alone, there were literally over 550 different shows produced for the various streaming services, cable and broadcast channels.
So why then does silver-screen smörgåsbord feel so unfulfilling? Why then does it feel more difficult than ever to find something worth watching? Short answer: most of the shows produced over the last 5 years or so suck balls (testicles).
While we may be in an era of abundance, it cannot be mistaken for a Golden Era of Television. Luckily for you, I have impeccable taste when it comes to movies and film and I'm generous enough to provide you with some guidance on what to watch.
Who doesn't love a good recommendation?
Now, the following list not intended to be a list of THE BEST SHOWS, or even, BART'S FAVORITE SHOWS - it's just a list of shows that I think are good and that you should watch. These are shows that aren't new or particularly old. One of them isn't even a show. They're listed in no particular order and are here for your consumption. Good, I'm glad we understand each other.
On to the list.
Patriot (2015)
The premise of Patriot boils down to "John Tavner is a depressed, nearly catatonic, intelligence officer assumes the role of mid-level employee at a Milwaukee industrial piping firm to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Chaos and hilarity ensues.
This is probably one of the most cleverly written dark comedies written in the past 20 years and I think you, me and whomever else reads this are the only people who will watched the show.
If I had to compare it to something else you might have seen, the tone and vibe of Patriot closely resembles the 2008 film In Bruges. The show goes from clownish to extremely violent and back again within the same scene and without blinking an eye.
Patriot is filled with really outstanding performances from actors you've seen in other things (Red from That's 70's Show, except he's a cocaine addicted piping savant) and the ridiculous plot probably more closely aligns with how American intelligence operates than we'd like to admit.
Sadly, Patriot only lasted two seasons on Amazon Prime. Season One is a masterpiece. Season Two is still very entertaining.
If you already subscribe to Amazon Prime, you should watch Patriot. I mean, that's it - it's really, really good. You're an idiot if you don't watch this show.
Entourage (2004)
This show you know.
You can call it "bro humor". You can call it "male escapism". You can call it whatever you want, but Entourage was the last show on television that accurately depicted how men talk amongst themselves and what they talk about.
I don't think any show has been subjected to more journo hypocrisy than Entourage over the past two decades. When the show premiered in 2004, Entourage hailed by The New York Times as "smarter, more original, and more amusing" than anything else on network television. Fast forward to today Entourage has become the go-to punching bag for talentless TV journos trying to explain why if you don't watch Dear White People you're a bigot or something.
Regardless, Entourage is an absurdly fun show to re-watch. It's the perfect show to have on while you're doing something else. The episodes are short, fast-paced and full of legitimately funny jokes and premises.
This is not to say that Entourage is a substance-less dude-bro show. I have tasked myself with writing a more in-depth examination on the virtues of Entourage one day, but for now here is a summarized version - Doug Ellin's writing is superb, the acting is better than you'd think, the show is shot beautifully and is pleasant on the eyes, yes there are great boobs, no the boobs are not overly gratuitous. More than anything, Entourage captures male relationships in a way that resonates with me as authentic, despite the setting of four friends living a Hollywood dream.
You should watch Entourage again. If I haven't convinced you, do it solely for Jeremy Piven's performance as Ari Gold, which has somehow become underrated as time has passed.
Also, if you're already a fan of the show, you should check out Victory the Podcast, hosted by Doug Ellin, Kevin Connolly and Kevin Dillon. It's one part reminiscing and recapping episodes of the show and one part guys busting balls, talking about their lives and relationships.
Internet Historian
This isn't even a television show. It's a YouTube channel produced by an anonymous New Zelander with the smoothest fucking voice this side of Auckland.
If you're like me and you didn't pay attention to internet culture from the Golden Era 2010-2018, then Internet Historian is the perfect way to see what you missed out on . . . like when a bunch of retards planned to storm Area 51:
What started as a small channel that documented famous events in internet history (like when 4Chan trolled Shia Lebouf's He Will Not Divide Us art exhibit thing) evolved into long form documentaries on notable events in video game development history and then into multiple channels covering a ton of wild shit.
This dude has almost 4 million subscribers and he's still criminally underrated appreciated. The production quality of his videos has gotten better and better, his writing is fantastic and his comedic delivery is perfect.
Simply put - we make YouTube videos here at Flappr and I know that our videos will never be nearly as good as Internet Historian videos. I'm jealous of how good Internet Historian is at making me laugh.
If you're not into YouTube or internet culture stuff, then his channel might seem intimidating at first, but seriously. . . just watch his stuff. It's outstanding.
Oh, and go watch The Chinese Revolution - Good Thing, Bad Thing? (Part Two) while you're at it:
Thanks for stopping by. Happy Wednesday and God Bless America.