Punch Drunk TV

Aaron here. I'm back from Texas and I have stories: I went to a rodeo. I ate bbq. I hung out at the ranch where "Dallas" was filmed. Good times...? That said, I'm curious -- is there a TV show you love that has made you want to visit the locale it takes place in? "Friday Night Lights" made me want to go to Texas. So there's that. 

Also, big apologies to our Canadian listeners! We never mean to imply being Canadian is a bad thing. Just some of the shows that come out of Canada have a specific look and feel that is quite different from American shows. Seriously, we're sorry. 

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK:

• Aside from Samurai World, there will be five other mysterious parks featured in "Westworld" Season 2 — this according to the website DelosDestinations.com.
• Bryan Fuller has exited "Amazing Stories" citing creative differences with Apple.
• "The Big Sick's" Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon are teaming with "SMILF's" Lee Eisenberg and "Master of None's" Alan Yang to develop "Little America." According to THR, "Little America" will be an immigration-themed anthology series and "is based on the true stories featured in Epic Magazine. It is described as a funny, romantic, heartfelt and inspiring look beyond the headlines at the lives of immigrants in America at a time when their stories are more relevant than ever."
• Joel McHale has a new show coming to Netflix on Sunday, Feb. 18 called "The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale." The premiere episode will welcome Kevin Hart as a guest, with appearances by Alison Brie, Mike Colter, Paul Reiser, Jodie Sweetin and Jim Rash. Much like he did on "The Soup," McHale will take an absurdist look at pop culture, as well as news from around the world.

It's Winter Olympics time, dear Clinkers! What is your favorite Winter Olympics sport?

AARON LOSERS: "9-1-1," "The Cloverfield Paradox" and "Altered Carbon"
JACK'S LOSERS: "AP Bio" and "Altered Carbon"
AARON'S FENCERS: "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Channel Zero: Butcher's Block"
JACK'S FENCERS: "Dirty Money," "Channel Zero: Butcher’s Block" and "Coach Snoop"
AARON'S WINNERS: "SNL" (Natalie Portman's Rap 2), "2 Dope Queens" and "This Is Us" (Super Bowl episode)
JACK'S WINNERS: "The Good Place," "Absentia," "#MeToo, Now What?" and "Fred Armisen: Stand up for Drummers"

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Welcome to Episode 85.

As always, #ClinktheDrink.

Hey Clinkers, Aaron here -- I am out of town this week so welcome to an episode Jack and I recorded on a Monday. We never record on Mondays. It was weird.

In this episode, we cover the pending return of "Magnum P.I.," The CW's new "feminist" angle for "Charmed" and the awful new version of WGN America. Also, Aaron had an Aziz Ansari conundrum he really needed to work out ... just listen, you'll see.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK:

• 19.8 million viewers tuned into the 60th Annual Grammys, which is a 24% drop in ratings from 2017 — and it's an all-time low in viewership for the awards show
• CBS officially ordered reboots of "Cagney and Lacey" — described as "a reboot of the iconic series about two female police detectives and friends who keep the streets of Los Angeles safe" —  and "Magnum P.I." — described as "an update of the classic TV series and is set in Hawaii. It follows Thomas Magnum, a decorated ex-Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator."
• SYFY has renewed "Happy!" for Season 2
• Netflix has renewed "Fuller House" for Season 4
• The CW has officially ordered a pilot for the new "Charmed" reboot series. It's been a year since the network announced the show, which was originally supposed to take place in the '70s. The network has allegedly scrapped the '70s theme for a "feminist angle," according to the show's official synopsis. The synopsis goes on to say, "the sisters will use their witchy powers for 'vanquishing supernatural demons, tearing down the patriarchy, and maintaining familiar bonds.'

AARON'S LOSER: "Bellevue"
JACK'S LOSER: "Bellevue"
AARON'S FENCERS: "Disjointed," "The Van Jones Show" and "Our Cartoon President"
JACK'S FENCERS: "SNL," "Britannia" and "Step Up: High Water" (even though, this is really one of Jack's winners)
AARON'S WINNERS: "SNL," "A Futile and Stupid Gesture," "Mosaic" and "The Royal Rumble"
JACK'S WINNERS: "A Futile and Stupid Gesture," "American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace," "The Good Place," "I’ll Have What Phil’s Having" and "Counterpart"

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Welcome to Episode 83.

As always, #ClinktheDrink.

In Episode 83, we're talking the delightful aroma of American Crime Story star Darren Criss and the awful scent of bad dates. 

Seriously, though, we have a lot to discuss. From a wonderful new food series on Netflix to Lifetime's trainwreck of a Corey Haim/Corey Feldman biopic to a surprise series that has prompted Jack to keep his Starz subscription, we end up talking a lot. Not to mention, Aaron hasn't left the house in a few days -- so he's hopped up on sugar and whiskey.

We are now on Google Play, Player.FM and Spotify. So come find us. And if you're listening to us on iTunes, welcome! Please give us a review while you're there!

Now, without further ado...

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK:

• FX ordered a "What We Do In the Shadows" series from Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement.
• The Season 8 midseason premiere of "The Walking Dead" will run 82 minutes (not including commercials). It'll act as a send-off for the latest main character to die.
• Season 2 of "Riverdale" will feature a musical episode inspired by Stephen King's "Carrie." It'll air on April 18th and “feature 11 songs and be framed as a documentary about the high school theater production filmed by Jughead Jones.”
• "Murphy Brown" is returning to CBS for 13 episodes in the 2018-2019 season. Show creator Diane English and star Candice Bergen are signed on for the reboot.
• Meryl Streep has signed on to star in Season 2 of "Big Little Lies." She will play Mary Louise Wright who is described as a woman concerned for the well-being of her grandchildren following her son's death.

AARON'S LOSERS: "Let's Get Physical" and "A Tale of Two Coreys"
JACK'S LOSERS: "Let’s Get Physical"
AARON'S FENCERS: "End of the Fxxxing World" and "Child Support"
JACK'S FENCERS: "Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams," "Black Card Revoked" and "Trolls: The Beat Goes On"
AARON'S WINNERS: "Somebody Feed Phil"/"I'll Have What Phil's Having," "Drunk History,"SNL's" Fresh Prince of Bel Air parody, "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" and "Counterpart"
JACK'S WINNERS: "Counterpart"

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Welcome to Episode 83.

As always, #ClinktheDrink.

Hey Clinkers, today is a special one. Not only are you getting our voices in your ears in this new episode of Punch Drunk TV, we're also guests on the newest episode of The Shock Waves podcast. Finally, after all these years, Jack and I get to express our love of horror (movies and TV) on a podcast.

Not only was it cool being guests on the show, our friendship with Rob G and Elric Kane go back a bit ... so it was a fun experience had by all. Also, special guest Brea Grant joined us in the chat. 

Anyway, enough on with the show!

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK:

• "The Walking Dead" has been renewed for a 9th season. Scott Gimple has been elevated to the new role of Chief Content Officer, overseeing "The Walking Dead" TV universe, which includes "The Walking Dead," "Fear the Walking Dead" and future brand extensions. Writer/co-executive producer Angela Kang will be the new showrunner.
• All fifteen seasons of ER are now available for streaming on Hulu. As well, George Clooney will make his return to TV — directing and starring in the Hulu six-episode limited series adaptation of "Catch 22," based on Joseph Heller's classic WWII novel.
• Freeform is rebooting "Party of Five" with a timely immigration twist. The reboot follows the Buendias children as they navigate daily struggles to survive as a family after their parents are suddenly deported back to Mexico.
• Graham Linehan, the original creator of The IT Crowd, is teaming with NBC to adapt the series for American audiences. This is the network's third attempt to do so.
• NBC has picked up an untitled Bad Boys spinoff, starring Gabrielle Union.
• John Cena will host a new game show on Nickelodeon called "Keep It Spotless." According to the press release, it'll have “kids competing in a variety of physical and paint-filled challenges” where the goal is to not touch any paint. At the end of each round, some tech will scan each kid and scientifically determine how much paint got on them, with the winners being the ones who stayed the cleanest.

THE NEW SHOW TO WATCH: "The Alienist" (premieres Monday, Jan 22)

AARON'S LOSERS: "LA to Vegas," "The Path" and "The X-Files" 
JACK'S LOSERS: "Hot Streets"
AARON'S FENCERS: "End of the Fxxxing World"
JACK'S FENCERS: "Black Lightning," "Alone Together" and "Somebody Feed Phil"
AARON'S WINNERS: "Black Lightning," "The Last Man on Earth," "Philip K Dick's Electric Dreams ("Kill All Others")" and "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman"
JACK'S WINNERS: "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction," "Last Man on Earth," "The Toys That Made Us" (He-Man/She-Ra Episode) and "Corporate"

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Welcome to Episode 82.

As always, #ClinktheDrink.

Happy New Year, Clinkers!

It's been almost a month and we're finally back. Did you guys have a great holiday season? We hope so. Over the past week, Aaron has been working the TCA (Television Critics Association) Winter Tour and shares some stories ... spoiler: Cowboy Brendan Fraser is the best Brendan Fraser ...

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK:

• According to Roseanne Barr, Dan didn't die in the Season 9 finale of "Roseanne."
• FX officially ordered "Mayans MC," the "Sons of Anarchy" spinoff, which will premiere sometime late 2018 or early 2019.
• Showtime canceled "White Famous." Hulu renewed "Runaways" and "Future Man."
• Hulu has ordered a "monthly horror anthology series" from Blumhouse. It'll be part of the Hulu's Originals slate and will feature 12 self-contained stories — a new episode premiering each month over one year. The first episode will premiere in October.
• Rose McGowan has a new docuseries called "Citizen Rose" coming to E! On January 30th. It'll document her life of activism following the Harvey Weinstein bullshit.
• "Bojack Horseman" is being shopped around for syndication to cable.
• Ryan Murphy says "American Horror Story" Season 8 will take place 20 years in the future.

AARON'S LOSERS: "Bright," "9-1-1" and "The X-Files"
JACK'S LOSERS: "9-1-1" and "The X-Files"
AARON'S FENCERS: "The Punisher," "Grown-ish" and "Black Mirror"
JACK'S FENCERS: "Unikitty," "The End of the F**king World" and
"Shut Eye"
AARON'S WINNERS: "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams" and "The Chi"
JACK'S WINNERS: "Devilman Crybaby," "The 2018 Rose Parade with Cord & Trish)," "The Toys That Made Us" and "The Chi" 

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Welcome to Episode 81.

As always, #ClinktheDrink.

It's our final episode of the year which means it is time to put together our "Best Of" lists. And we do so, towards the end of the episode. But there's still just so much to discuss ... like the Japanese tradition of eating fried chicken on Christmas ...

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK:

• NBC is considering rebooting "The Office" for the 2018 - 2019 TV season. TVLine says that the plan is for the show to remain at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, with a mixture of new and old cast members—though Steve Carell will not be involved, and the network is reportedly still searching for someone to play the new boss.
• Ian McKellen is insulted by the idea of someone else playing Gandalf in Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" TV series. According to the AV Club, he doesn’t specifically say that he wants to reprise his role on Amazon’s prequel, but he does note that he’s canonically still young enough to play Gandalf since the character is “over 7,000 years old.”
• NBC's next live musical event will be "Jesus Christ Superstar." Alice Cooper will play King Herrod and John Legend has just been cast as Jesus. The musical will air on April 1.

AARON'S LOSER: "A Christmas Story Live"
JACK'S LOSERS: "A Christmas Story Live" and "Saturday Night Live" 
AARON'S FENCER: "Easy" 
JACK'S FENCERS: "Riverdale," "Trollhunters" and "Bob’s Burgers"
AARON'S WINNER: "The Exorcist" and "Wormwood"
JACK'S WINNERS: "Runaways," The Middle" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"

OUR TOP 10 SHOWS OF THE YEAR:

Aaron's choices:

1. "The Leftovers"
2. "The Handmaid's Tale"
3. "Legion"
4. "Master of None"
5. "Twin Peaks"

Jack’s Choices

1. "Runaways"
2. "Late Night with Seth Meyers" (Also, "Desus & Mero")
3. "American Gods"
4. "Rick & Morty"
5. "Feud: Bette and Joan"

2018 SHOWS WE'RE HYPED FOR:

"The X-Files" (Returns January 3 to FOX), The Coen Brothers' "Ballad of Buster Scruggs" (Coming to Netflix sometime in 2018), "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams" (Coming to Amazon on January 12), "The Twilight Zone" reboot (Coming to CBS: All Access), "Legion" Season 2 (February on FX), "Luther" Series 5 (Coming to BBC sometime in 2018), "Castle Rock" (Coming to Hulu sometime in 2018) and "Westworld" Season 2 (Coming to HBO in the spring).

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Welcome to Episode 80.

As always, #ClinktheDrink.

It's Hanukkah time, y'all. Which means ... uh ... people are being subjected to Jew things. For instance, Jack shares a story about getting stuck in front of a Hanukkah parade in Beverly Hills. Throw them matzahs in the sky! L'Chaim, bitches.

Uh, we also have a new episode of Punch Drunk TV for you. #Blessed

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK:

• The Season 8 midseason finale of "The Walking Dead" brought in just 7.9 million viewers. This is the lowest midseason finale ratings for the show since Season 2, which drew 6.6 million viewers. That said, it was still TV's top-rated show of the night.
• Disney has officially purchased 20th Century Fox for $52.4 billion dollars. All the movie and TV properties Disney will get from the merger.
• Netflix and Dreamworks have partnered for six new shows in 2018 and a new "She-Ra" is on that list.

AARON'S LOSERS: "SNL," "The Goldbergs"
JACK'S LOSERS: "The Walking Dead," "The Fake News with Ted Nelms"
AARON'S FENCERS: "Judd Apatow: The Return" and "Black-ish"
JACK'S FENCERS: "Judd Apatow: The Return" and "Slutever"
AARON'S WINNERS: "Jean Claude Van Johnson," "The Punisher" and "Mr. Robot"
JACK'S WINNERS: "Black-ish" and "Runaways"

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Welcome to Episode 79.

As always, #ClinktheDrink.

Every December, Jack gets sick because, well, he's allergic to Christmas (he's actually allergic to pine). So, while we normally drink each week, he's extra loopy in this one because there's a bunch of cold meds pumping through his system. Now that we got that out of the way, let's have some fun ...

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK:

• “The Riverdale” spinoff series, “Sabrina,” has been picked up for two seasons by Netflix after originally being developed at The CW. The network ended up passing on it because of the “Charmed” reboot that is currently in development there.
• Bryan Fuller and Michael Green have exited “American Gods” over creative differences. Now Kristin Chenoweth is saying she may not return for another season.
• Season 4 of “Black Mirror” will premiere on Netflix on December 29th.
• Thanks to the backlash inspired by the the TruTV documentary, “The Trouble with Apu” — which points to minstrelry in the sense that a white actor is portraying an Indian character — Hank Azaria acknowledges the issue and says The Simpsons is “thinking about” changing how Apu is portrayed.

WHAT WOULD FOX LOOK LIKE IF DISNEY REALLY BUYS IT? Here's the Deadline link we reference in the episode if you want to follow along:  http://deadline.com/2017/12/what-happens-to-fox-if-disney-deal-happens-broadcast-news-sports-1202220975/

AARON’S LOSERS: "The Opposition with Jordan Klepper," "Blindspot" and "Joker’s Wild"
JACK’S LOSERS: "Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD"
AARON’S FENCERS: "Last Man on Earth," "The Drunk History Christmas Special" and "Dark"
JACK’S FENCERS: "Tarantula," "Riverdale," "Shut Eye" and "The Shannara Chronicles"
AARON’S WINNERS: "One of Us," "South Park," "Mr. Robot," "Vikings" and "Happy!"
JACK’S WINNERS: "Happy!," "South Park," "Master of None" and the CW superhero crossover event, "Crisis on Earth-X" 

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Welcome to Episode 78.

As always, #ClinktheDrink.

It's the first episode of December which means, it's time for eggnog and matzahs! We're back from Thanksgiving break, Y'all, and Jack enjoyed turning 25 years old again. He catches us up on his birthday shenanigans.

Then we talk a bit about the best video games based on TV shows. Aside from "South Park," which games would you choose? And while we're on the topic, which TV show should have its own video game? You know, aside from Anthony Bourdain ...

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

• Lennie James is leaving “The Walking Dead” and going to “Fear the Walking Dead.” Morgan Jones will become a series regular in the spinoff which is cool, but makes absolutely no sense unless the show will have a time jump in its next season.
• “Supergirl” nearly doubled its ratings as CW kicked off its annual DC crossover event, bringing in 2.7 million viewers on Monday
• Netflix has renewed “MST3K: The Return” for another season which will hit the streaming service in the “not-too-distant future,” according to Netflix.
• Amid sexual harassment allegations against Jeremy Piven, CBS has canceled “Wisdom of the Crowd.”
• MTV has greenlit “Jersey Shore Vacation,” reuniting the original cast of The Jersey Shore for a new series. It’ll premiere sometime in 2018 and comes from the same person behind the network’s other new reality series, “Floribama Shore.”
• Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon will host live coverage of the Rose Parade in an Amazon Prime Video live stream, presented by Funny or Die. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Ferrell and Shannon will emcee the special in-character as Cord Hosenbeck and Tish Cattigan, fictional local TV hosts who have covered the annual event for the past 25 years.”

AARON’S LOSERS: "Tin Star"
JACK’S LOSERS: "Deadly Dentists"
AARON’S FENCERS: "At Home with Amy Sedaris," "Lady Dynamite" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" 
JACK’S FENCERS: "Lady Dynamite," "The Floribama Shore" and "Godless"
AARON’S WINNERS: "Lethal Weapon," "Parts Unknown," "She’s Gotta Have It," "Marvel's Runaways," "Godless" and "Shot in the Dark" 
JACK’S WINNERS: "Marvel's Runaways," "Joker's Wild," "The Shannara Chronicles" and "Star"

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Welcome to Episode 77.

As always, #ClinktheDrink.

While you all are getting over those food comas, let's take a second and once again declare to the world: Happy Jacksgiving! Because, while it may have been Thanksgiving on Thursday, it was also Jack's birthday. 

What was the best thing you ate this week? What are you thankful for? Shout us out in the comments!

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK:

• "The Walking Dead" experienced another ratings drop in its 5th episode of Season 8. The episode brought in 7.8 million viewers which is a 10% drop from episode 4. The Season 8 premiere, which was the show’s 100th episode, brought in the lowest ratings for a season premiere since Season 3.
• Ellen Page will star in Netflix’s "Umbrella Academy" series as Vanya, the black sheep of the superfamily the series revolves around.
• CBS is developing a "Stripes" TV series. The adaptation comes from Trevor Moore, Sam Brown, and Zach Cregger from sketch group, The Whitest Kids U’ Know, and Ivan Reitman will even return to direct.
• Fred Armisen will write, executive produce and star in a new Spanish language half-hour series on HBO. The project is called "Mexico City: Only Good Things Happen," and it’s reportedly about a group of friends in a “dreamy version” of Mexico City who are “obsessed with horror films and monster makeup.”
• Neil Brennan, the co-creator of "Chappelle’s Show," is set to write and host a new Late Night series for FOX. According to Variety, it’ll be a “topical political and cultural talk show” that also has “sketches and man on the street segments.” The last late night show FOX had was "The Wanda Sykes Show" in 2009 — it lasted one season.

AARON’S LOSERS: "Saturday Night Live," "Future Man" and "Jim & Andy"
JACK’S LOSERS: "Future Man"
AARON’S FENCERS: "Bill Murray & Brian Doyle Murray’s Extra Innings," "The Punisher," "The Walking Dead" and "Stranger Things 2"
JACK’S FENCERS: "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" 
AARON’S WINNERS: "At Home with Amy Sedaris," "American Horror Story: Cult," "The Exorcist," "Mr. Robot" and "Marvel’s Runaways"
JACK’S WINNERS: "Marvel's Runaways," "The Shannara Chronicles," "The Good Place," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "The Trixie and Katya Show," "Night of Too Many Stars" and "The Last Man on Earth"

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Welcome to Episode 76.
As always, #ClinktheDrink.