February | 2015 | Screen Stuff Podcast

Fresh Off the Boat, Better Call Saul, and Togetherness, plus other screen stuff we’re watching.

Paul and Elgin talkin’ about

Shows they’re catching up on (e.g., Downton Abbey); SNL’s 40th anniversary; and Neil Patrick Harris projects.
ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat, based on the memoir by Eddie Huang. Is the first sitcom centered on an Asian American family in 20 years a breakthrough or a bust? Is it racially progressive or racist? We discuss the accents, the sometimes satiric tone, and the general verisimilitude of the show (based on our personal experiences as Asian American guys). We also chat about Huang’s misgivings about his memoir being turned into a network comedy, which must by definition appeal to a wide audience to stay on the air.
AMC’s Better Call Saul, starring Bob Odenkirk and produced by Vince Gilligan. Is the prequel (of sorts) to Breaking Bad more than just a revisiting of familiar territory from a different angle? If so, what else is the show doing? If not, does it matter?
HBO’s Togetherness from the ubiquitous Duplass brothers. What does this show about angsty white middle-class family and friends offer that other shows about angsty white middle-class family and friends don’t? And whatever it is, is that worth tuning in for? (Is Amanda Peet miscast as an insecure single woman approaching middle age?)

Screen Stuff Podcast