winter olympics

Winter Olympics

Not quite as much buzz around this. It’s a triple hit because a) I don’t think people are ever as into the winter version b) we’re in a diplomatic boycott because China (human rights abuses, ethnic cleansing, etc.) c) we’re in a pandemic and China isn’t messing around (serious isolation and testing for both athletes and various staff).

So do we let it slide? I mean no. We’re still the most obnoxious country about our team spirit and athletic dominance. So we will continue to give it an eye.

How to watch: All the NBC channels will have pretty serious coverage. NBC, Peacock, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Olympics channel, nbcolympics.com. Sounds like nbcolympics.com will give you the schedule and coverage and you can drill down to any favorites. For most people tuning into primetime and seeing what they want us to see meets the mark.

When to watch: It’s happening! We’ve started competition and the Opening Ceremonies were Friday morning and being telecast tonight at 8pm. Closing will hit Sunday, February 20 at 8pm.

What to watch: I feel like figure skating is the gymnastics of winter. Apparently this year we’ve got a serious contender on the men’s side (though women could reportedly be shutout by all Russians). I still have a soft spot for both the Snowboarding Halfpipe and ‘old guy’ Shaun White trying to keep up with the kids. Who doesn’t want to gander some curling? And do you consider the various bobsleds or speed skating the swimming of the winter?

New competitions: Each Olympics gets to mix it up a bit and this year. Bobsled – Women’s Monobob, Freestyle Skiing – Men’s and Women’s Big Air + Mixed Team Aerials, Short Track – Mixed Team Relay, Ski Jumping – Mixed Team, Snowboarding – Mixed Team Snowboard Cross.

I mean honestly I don’t have time for this so I will admittedly dabble and then catch up on a couple best tv of 2021 candidates before I get that list together.

Are you in?

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new and noteworthy tv: 6/3-6/9

Working on the backlog as things simmer down, plus adding a bit of summer fare with things like Claws, The Bold Type, Animal Kingdom, iZombie, Elementary, and of course Luther.

  • Malibu Rescue (Net) Series Premiere, Monday – This comedy about aspiring junior lifeguards.
  • Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – Always a favorite so will likely tune in to the latest.
  • French Open (NBC) – NBC coverage picks up with Women’s semi on Thursday at 11am with the men’s and women’s finals Saturday and Sunday at 6am.

Returning streaming: Creative Galaxy (Am, Tuesday), Black Mirror (Net, Wednesday), The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu, Wednesday), 3% (Net, Friday), Designated Survivor (Net, Friday).

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 7/9-7/15

It wasn’t that long ago when I would be spending all my time this time of year watching Tour de France and Wimbledon. These days I limit myself to only catch the tennis majors starting at the semis (Thursday at 5am, ESPN) and although I still tune in for a little Tour preview I’m no longer scanning through three weeks of cycling. While I still enjoy the sporting the golden age of television makes me winnow back some of the things, though surprisingly I will still have time to watch summer favorite King of the Road.

  • King of the Road (Vice) Season Premiere, Tuesday, 9pm – Skateboard scavenger hunt, who are the new teams and new challenges?
  • The Outpost (CW) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 9pm – In this new fantasy offering a woman who is the last of her race looks for vengeance and deals with fanatics, mercenaries, and of course a supernatural power.
  • Harlots (Hulu) Season Premiere, Wednesday – I’ve never gotten started on Hulu and therefore Hulu shows.
  • Bonus Family (Net) Season Premiere, Sunday – Swedish dramedy reportedly has a nice touch dealing with a new couple their exes and their children.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 6/25-7/1

I’ve just wrapped up a suite of seasons: Mr Robot (still has some moments but s3 not up to the s1 high bar), Gianni Versace (pretty compelling story and storytelling), and Trust (interesting but not quite compelling), and also finally caught the last Legion (the weird of s1 couldn’t quite be held with any sense). For new summer fare I’m still sticking around to the somewhat interesting Dietland, and will give another episode to Yellowstone to see what they do with the parts of the show that I found a little intriguing, and the less interesting but lighter fare Reverie and Take Two (one episode wasn’t great but we’ll see if they can maintain the good fluff line). With not enough to keep me in, I had to pass on Love Is ___ , 100 Code, Cloak & Dagger, and American Woman.

  • Tour de France Preview (NBCSN) Tuesday 5:30pm – Tour de France, which I will likely refrain from watching, starts July 7.
  • Secret City (Net) Series Premiere, Tuesday – A dedicated journalist willing to risk her life and career to expose something.
  • Glow (Net) Season Premiere, Friday – A lot good going on in the first season of this so intrigued to see where they go with the very rough beginnings of lady wrestling.
  • A Very English Scandal (Am) Series Premiere, Friday – This three-part BBC miniseries follows Parliament member Hugh Grant trying to protect his political career from his scandalous affair with a stable boy.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 2/19-2/25

The Olympics continue so new shows are still a bit light. And while I’ve been trying to get a few best movies of the year in under my belt I need to commit to getting my best tv list out.

  • Marseille (Net) Friday, Season Premiere – Not rave reviews around this one but this battle for the control of the city keeps some entertained.
  • Seven Seconds (Net) Friday, Series Premiere – A Jersey City anthology crime drama starts with a black teen being hit by the car of a white officer and the cover up that follows looks like it has potential.
  • The Tick (Am) Friday, Mid Season Premiere – I got hooked on the quick six ep opener of this latest superhero show with a unique POV and am looking forward to seeing the next set of episodes hit.
  • Ugly Delicious (Net) Friday, Series Premiere – Chef brings friends along on a hunt for food.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 2/12-2/18

I’m leaning away from the Olympics in hopes that I’ll get a little way through my backlog or at least my to do list, but we’ll see.

  • Olympics (NBC+) – Let the games continue.
  • The Bachelor Winter Games (ABC) Series Premiere, Tuesday – I don’t even know about this franchise but here’s another outing.
  • The Close (SundNow) Series Premiere, Wednesday – Created and performed by two deaf is said to bring a new perspective to familiar stories.
  • Everything Sucks! (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – A new 90s set show looks at the mix of a/v and drama in a high school in Oregon is getting some good buzz.
  • Mozart in the Jungle (Am) Season Premiere, Friday – Based on some reccos I’ve recently upped this on my list of shows to sample.
  • The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale (Net) Series Premiere, Sunday – A weekly comedy show looking at news and pop culture.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 2/5-2/11

This always brings up the question for me as to how much Olympics I want to watch, sometimes if I dabble too little I don’t have enough context to care, but I just don’t have the time to dedicate the following I might want, but with most shows taking a little hiatus maybe I do.

  • Olympics (NBC+) – We start the week off on Monday with a preview of the games featuring stories of the people that at this point they think we should watch, with prime time coverage kicking off on Thursday with the opening ceremony on Friday, check your local and extended channel listings for your faves, let the games begin!
  • Queer Eye (Net) Wednesday – We’re getting another round with a new Fab 5 and intrigued to see if this still captures the fun of the first.
  • Here & Now (HBO) Sunday, 9pm – Holy Hunter and Tim Robbins head up the family at the center of this new Alan Ball dramedy and sounds like it has some good ingredients but initially isn’t quite there yet.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 1/29-2/4

Not a ton coming in which is good because the backlog is getting deep.

  • State of the Union (Various) Tuesday, 6pm – Public address.
  • A.P. Bio (NBC) Thursday, 9:30 – Glenn Howerton stars in a role of failed philosophy scholar as rogue teacher.
  • Absentia (Am) Friday – The woman from Castle is now an FBI agent missing for 6 years to return to her life moved on without her and to become a suspect in new murders.
  • Altered Carbon (Net) Friday – Based on the cyberpunk noir futuristic novel
  • Kitten Bowl (Hall)/Puppy Bowl (AnPl)/Super Bowl (NBC) Sunday, 9am, 3pm – Something for everyone and the note here is This is Us holds the post slot so give your DVRs significant padding, though I’m about to break up with this show.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 1/22-1/28

I’m getting ready to do my best tv of 2017 and knowing that I can’t watch everything people love wondering what I’m missing and could cram in. And the new stuff keeps coming…

  • Mosaic (HBO) Series Premiere, Monday, 8pm – This drama is first shown via the Mosaic app as a sort of choose your own adventure then hits as a six-part linear miniseries about a disappearance of a woman, Sharon Stone, and two men in her life.
  • The Alienist (TNT) Series Premiere, Monday, 9pm – Based on the book a look at late 1800s murder investigation with Dakota Fanning, I’m already over these previews.
  • Baskets (Fx) Season Premiere, Tuesday, 10pm – This charming, kooky show returns.
  • Bellevue (WGN) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 10pm – Anna Paquin stars as a detective looking into a disappearance that may be linked to a murder 20 years ago.
  • Prison Playbook (Net) Series Premiere, Wednesday – This Korean show had an about to be major league baseball player landing in prison and navigating that world.
  • Let’s Get Physical (POP) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 8:30pm – In this comedy a man inherits the family gym and must compete against another gym.
  • Waco (Para) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 10pm – This six-part series looks at the events leading up to the standoff.
  • Breathe (Am) Series Premiere, Friday – This Indian psychological drama follows a Mumbai cop tracking seemingly unrelated deaths.
  • Britannia (Am) Series Premiere, Friday – 43AD the Roman Imperial Army heads to conquer Britannia.
  • One Day at a Time (Net) Season Premiere, Friday – This revisit to the series actually worked well for a fun and thoughtful comedy.
  • Australian Open (ESPN) Saturday/Sunday, 12:30am – Who will take the first major of the year?
  • Grammy Awards (CBS) Sunday, 7:30pm – A little song, a little award.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 1/15-1/21

Well I finally finished The Wire! And it was well worth watching, although it does hold the test of time it would have been nice to see some of the technology elements in real time. And now I’m continuing on with Deadwood and the rest of the roundup but starting to eye what missed series to visit next.

  • Australian Open (ESPN2) – First week play.
  • Black Lightening (CW) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 9pm – A superhero is drawn back into his old persona getting some initial good buzz.
  • The Paynes (OWN) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 9pm – A spinoff from Tyler Perry’s House of Payne starts with a road trip to Florida.
  • The Path (Hulu) Season Premiere, Wednesday – This cult show returns.
  • The Assassination of Gianni Versace (Fx) Season Premiere, Wednesday, 10pm – It’s reportedly not another OJ but still worth a look.
  • Corporate (Com) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 10pm – A new comic look work looking at two downtrodden employees of a multinational corporation.
  • Grace & Frankie (Net) Season Premiere, Friday – Though not earth shattering I have still be finding this show amusing.
  • Counterpart (Starz) Series Premiere, Sunday, 8pm – Espionage, intrigue, and government conspiracies oh and a parallel dimension J.K. Simmons
  • SAG Awards (TNT) Sunday, 8pm – Kristen Bell hosts.
  • The Resident (Fox) Series Premiere, Sunday, 10pm – This look from the POV of three different doctors at three different stages looks annoying from the previews but with some good talent I’ll still check it out.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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