We answer some questions from our vaunted Tumblr ask box, which Margaret swears she won’t get upset about but then she totally does. It leads to a discussion of how important objectivity is to reviews and whether it exists at all (hint: it isn’t and it doesn’t). Then, we talk about the first episode of Netflix’s Never Have I Ever, a teen comedy that is definitely narrated by tennis legend John McEnroe.

SHOW NOTES:

Ask Us Questions On Tumblr, You Cowards: https://atvpodcast.com/ask

Never Have I Ever: https://www.netflix.com/title/80179190

John McEnroe Gets Mad, This Is Just One Of The Times When This Happens, Also When Are We Getting A Movie Where Matthew Rhys Plays John McEnroe, I’m Just Saying, No That Shia LeBeouf Movie Doesn’t Count: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ransFQVzf6c&t=4s

This week we have: sad dirgeses about two recently announced cancellations, bad one picks from the fall TV lineup in which we have the deepest confidence, good one picks about which we're.... like..... IDK.... maybe!!!??!?! about, more uncertain squeaky uptalk than you can shake a stick at, and a full minute of Margaret explaining a driving game called cows that anyone other than Margaret would surely have trimmed out of the episode, but it's too late for you hos as neither responsible host was here to intervene. Links of pertinence: 

• Venture Bros. cancellation
• High Fidelity's cancellation, Alison Herman's thoughtful observations on the shortening lifespans of streaming TV shows, and the creators' interview about where they intended to take Season 2. 
• Kathryn's Bad One
• Margaret's Bad One
• Andrew's Bad One
• Margaret's Good One
• Andrew's ... goood one???????
• and Kathryn's Good.... one?
• And!! Our new TV Book Club: Netflix's Never Have I Ever, watch the pilot for next week! 

And, last but never least, please enjoy John Brown's portrait from the National Portrait Gallery, one of Margaret's very favorite works of art. 

Inspired by the absurd, impossible inescapability of 2020, we decide to take a trip to TV past. A fateful trip. A three hour tour, if you will. (Okay fine, this episode isn't quite that long.) 

First we have a chat about our own personal histories with Nick at Nite, and then turn to the bizarre phenomenon of Gilligan's Island. At one point, the fact that the castaways are able to bake a pie renders Kathryn speechless for over a minute. 

This week, we talk about the bizarre experience of watching a COVID-era awards show (in this case, the VMAs), and then we talk about the first episode of HBO’s Lovecraft Country. It’s a horror show that is surprisingly tolerable for people who don’t normally like horror! And it’s an interesting way to deal with the fact that HP Lovecraft’s work is both foundational to the sci-fi genre AND written by a deeply racist dude.

SHOW NOTES:

Kathryn on the uncanny valley VMAs: https://www.vulture.com/2020/08/vmas-2020-took-place-nowhere.html

Lovecraft Country on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/lovecraft-country