Category Archives: If We Controlled Your Remote

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If We Controlled Your Remote… 2/12/20

Posted on February 12, 2020 by

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Jenny’s Choice

It’s been 20 years (the show premiered in May 2000) and 40 seasons of Survivor. That seems crazy, doesn’t it? What’s even crazier is that tonight, 20 of the previous winners are back to compete for not $1 but $2 million! If you’ve been around since the beginning, you’re going to recognize many of the names, but if you’re like me and haven’t watched in a big handful of seasons, you won’t recognize some of them too.

First, here’s a list of the competing players:

Adam Klein (28), Winner of “Millennials vs. Gen-X” (2016); Amber Mariano (40), Winner of “All-Stars” (2004); Ben Driebergen (36), Winner of “Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers” (2017); Danni Boatwright (43), Winner of “Guatemala” (2005); Denise Stapley (48), Winner of “Philippines” (2012); Ethan Zohn (45), Winner of “Africa” (2001); Jeremy Collins (41), Winner of “Second Chance” (2015); Kim Spradlin-Wolfe (36), Winner of “One World” (2012); Michele Fitzgerald (29), Winner of “Kaôh Rōng” (2016); Natalie Anderson (33), Winner of “San Juan del Sur” (2014); Nick Wilson (28), Winner of “David vs. Goliath” (2018); Parvati Shallow (36), Winner of “Fans vs. Favorites” (2008); Rob Mariano (43), Winner of “Redemption Island” (2011); Sandra Diaz-Twine (44), Winner of “Pearl Islands” (2003) & “Heroes vs. Villains” (2010); Sarah Lacina (34), Winner of “Game Changers” (2017); Sophie Georgina Clarke (29), Winner of “South Pacific” (2011); Anthony “Tony” Vlachos (45), Winner of “Cagayan” (2014); Tyson Apostol (39), Winner of “Blood vs. Water” (2013); Wendell Holland (35), Winner of “Ghost Island” (2018); & Yul Kwon (44), Winner of “Cook Islands” (2006).

If you read that list closely, yes, you’ll have noticed both Boston Rob AND his wife Amber are playing. I’m super excited about that. I love them both. But my pick has to be Ethan Zohn, who I remember watching and rooting for during the Africa season. He is a soccer guy, and my brother and sister both grew up playing soccer, so I was drawn to him from the beginning, and he was just a nice guy. Since his season, he survived cancer, so he’s feeling super lucky and happy to be back. I wasn’t thrilled about Parvati, although I read an interview where she talked about how much she’s changed since her season, and I was pretty happy about that until I saw another clip of her and it sounded like same old, same old. Another one I’m super not happy about being back is Sandra, who has already won twice. It isn’t that I care that she’s won twice, but it’s how she won. I know, I know… My like of Boston Rob to the contrary, I like to root for the players who play fairly, do well on the challenges, and don’t backstab their way through the game. And yes, I’m well aware that’s part of how the game is played! LOL But it doesn’t have to be. *shrug* Regardless, it should be a lot of fun being back with some of our favorite previous winners and seeing how they handle the new twists and turns that have cropped up since their original time on the show.

On tonight’s 2-hour episode, “Greatest of the Greats,” former champions battle it out in a classic Survivor challenge to ring in their first immunity win, while also navigating an all-new twist involving fire tokens.

Don’t miss seeing how this hopefully epic season begins tonight on CBS at 8/7c.

I’ll also be watching Chicago Med, The Goldbergs, Schooled, America’s Top Dog, Chicago Fire, Guy’s Grocery Games, Modern Family, Lego Masters, Single Parents, 68 Whiskey, Chicago PD, Criminal Minds, & Stumptown.

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If We Controlled Your Remote… 2/11/20

Posted on February 11, 2020 by

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Jenny’s Choice

Something pretty awesome is happening tonight – and no, I’m definitely not talking the New Hampshire primary, although that factors in. The Conners will be airing a special live episode on both the East & West Coast broadcasts. New coverage of the first-in-the-nation primary will be incorporated into the story in real time as the results roll in during the evening.

In the live episode, titled, “Live from Lanford,” Mark is watching the results of the primary for a school report with Harris who is apathetic to the electoral process and believes money’s influence in politics means real change is impossible. The rest of the Conners share their differing takes on why they all think everyone should vote, including their working-class perspective that you may have to vote for a candidate you don’t love but one that will “screw you the least.” All of this happens against the backdrop of romance when Louise gets an opportunity that might send her away from Lanford, prompting the family to interfere in Dan’s complicated relationship with her by throwing Louise a surprise going-away party, creating major new tensions between Dan and his daughters.

This is, by far, the closest thing I’ve seen on TV that fits with my view on politics in the last decade. And the Conners are a family very much like a lot of American families in the middle of the country in their income bracket. So it’ll be very, very interesting to see how they handle it – both just the whole live aspect and the fact that it will probably change at least somewhat from one airing to the other as results come in and are verified. I’m hoping that ABC.com or Hulu or somewhere will have both airings available after so everyone can see them both!

Don’t miss the fun tonight on ABC at 8/7c.

I’ll also be watching NCIS, Chopped, FBI, & FBI: Most Wanted.

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If We Controlled Your Remote… 2/9/20

Posted on February 9, 2020 by

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Phoebe’s Choice

So there are several HBO seasons that I have been waiting for anxiously. At least two I can think of. But I don’t watch their coming attractions, so I had no idea that Avenue 5 was about to drop last month, so I understand if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s a science fiction comedy that stars Hugh Laurie (I heard he did this show called House?) as Ryan Clark, the captain of the wayward deep space cruise ship called Avenue 5. The ship and the companies which run it are owned by Herman Judd, who lampoons on the ship as a passenger. The expensive space cruise ship was recently struck with a disaster that killed one of its engineers and knocked them off-course, extending their journey by at least six months.

Last week, Captain Clark found himself once again facing the dissatisfaction of Karen, the Domme wife to rollover hubby Frank Kelly. Karen had been gathering complaints from the passengers to blindside Clark with. He invited her to a later private meeting to further discuss those issues, and she agreed. Meanwhile, Judd was putting together his plan to gather 500 shuttles to rescue the people on the Avenue 5 on the 48 hours they should hypothetically, sometime in the future, orbit Earth again. Nad, one of the crew PR guys, tried to work out couples therapy for an unhappy couple who were only there on the free ticket given to them by their friend Rav. Rav was the earthbound coordinator of the company who worked under Judd. Somewhere in there, we learned that back on Earth, Captain Clark was in a polyamorous relationship with both a man and a woman.

In an effort to stave off the threat of mutiny Karen posed, Clark offered her a swanky suite that used to belong to Dead Mary. All she had to do was accept the title and responsibilities of Passenger Liaison Officer. In this meeting, while totally tipsy, he accidentally spilled two secrets to her that his drunk self presumed she knew: A) that he was truly British, not American, & B) that he was a real captain, not an actor planted in the cruise to present a charming demeanor of calm amongst the tourists aboard. The trajectory math that was meant to cut their trip down to six months instead got re-calibrated to 3.5 when they counted in 500 extra passengers who Judd threw on board for profit. On Earth, Rav had a huge breakdown just before she had to face the press about the fiasco that was this cruise. Billie peeled back layers on Cpt. Clark to show him even the crew was not the crew. Karen warped the perceptions of the hostage passengers to usage their concerns, and this show gets legit lit.

On tonight’s episode, “Wait a Minute, Then Who Was That on the Ladder?” with Judd worried about his reputation, Iris arranges a meet-and-greet with several passengers in his luxury suite. Frustrated by a bridge crew with no answers, Ryan and Billie bond with the engineers below deck. Matt encourages Frank to become the man he always wanted to be.

Don’t miss the fun tonight on HBO at 10/9c.

Tonight also brings us the long anticipated macabre return of Kidding, the Jim Carey black comedy
on Showtime.

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If We Controlled Your Remote… 2/7/20

Posted on February 7, 2020 by

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Kyle’s Choice #1

Today, Apple TV+ has released the entire nine-episode first season of its new comedy Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet. The series is a workplace comedy that follows a video game company preparing to release the first major expansion to its massively popular Role Playing MMO game Mythic Quest. Creative Director Ian Grimm (Rob McElhenney, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) is a bit of an eccentric and is nervous about the release. He is constantly tinkering with the code and wants to delay the launch, but the rest of his team are ready to move forward. Ian is constantly butting heads with lead programmer Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao).

The series reminds me of Silicon Valley, if Pied Piper were a video game company. The show finds humor in the interactions between the departments of the company, from marketing, to the designers and coders, to the testers, the all-important (but obnoxious) gameplay streamers, the odd creative director, and even the head of HR, whom the employees treat like their personal therapist. The amazing cast also includes Danny Pudi (Community), David Hornsby (Good Girls), Jessie Ennis (Better Call Saul), and the hilarious (who knew?!) Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham (Homeland) as the game’s writer, who treats his work like he’s writing a Shakespearean masterpiece. Other characters include internal game testers Rachel (Ashly Burch, Critical Role) and Dana (Imani Hakim, Everybody Hates Chris), and 14-year-old YouTube gamer Pootie Shoe (Elisha Henig, The Sinner).

I checked out the premiere and really enjoyed it – there is some great chemistry between this ensemble cast. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the show. The series is co-created by Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Megan Ganz, who had all worked together on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The show has already been picked up for a second season, so there’s plenty more to come.

See the entire first season now on Apple TV+.
 
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If We Controlled Your Remote… 2/6/20

Posted on February 6, 2020 by , and

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Kyle’s Choice #1

Tonight, NBC kicks off the new comedy Indebted. Young parents Dave (Adam Pally, Happy Endings) and Rebecca (Abby Elliott, Odd Mom Out) are thrilled that they are finally beyond the years of changing diapers and dealing with crying babies and are ready to enjoy their married life. However, that quickly changes when Dave’s parents, Debbie (Fran Drescher, The Nanny) and Stew (Steven Webber, Wings), show up at their door. Years of mismanaging their money and spending beyond their means has finally caught up with Dave’s parents, and now they are broke. So while contractor Dave fixes up their home to sell, Debbie and Stew move in with him, and Dave and Rebecca soon discover that they need to act more like the parents to these child-like adults. Also living with them is Dave’s sister Joanna (Jessy Hodges, Barry).

While I wasn’t bowled over by tonight’s premiere, it did make me laugh a bit. Debbie and Stew can be a bit much after a while, but I did really enjoy the chemistry between Dave and Rebecca. The series has a wonderful cast – I am thrilled to have both Fran Descher and Adam Pally back on my TV – and so I’ll withhold final judgement on this show until I see a few more episodes.

On tonight’s premiere, “Everybody’s Talking About the Pilot,” young parents Dave and Rebecca end up having to take care of Dave’s parents, who have mishandled their finances and need help to pay down a sizable debt.

Meet the newest family on the block tonight on NBC at 9:30/8:30c.
 
Jump with us to see else we think you should watch. Continue reading →

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