TV Tuesday - HBO Shows

Welcome to another edition of TV Tuesday ...

What We've Been Watching.

I'll admit upfront ... the TV shows featured this blog post were NOT watched while working out. These ones were were watched while snuggled in bed with the Hubs before going to sleep, with an occasional Sunday binge. And, these were all HBO series.

When I'm working out, I really like action/drama, things that get the adreniline pumping. I also enjoy a storyline that continues from episode to episode, keeping me coming back. So, I rarely (if ever) watch comedic sitcoms. I don't know if I would have watched VEEP or Silicon Valley on my own. But watching with Hubs, I enjoyed them both (I like watching HIM laugh as much as the comedy presented in the program). 

• VEEP: Hubs and I were fans of Seinfield, so it was fun to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus in an "other than Elaine" role. There was also "Buster" from "Arrested Development" (although he was still very Buster-like). I'm personally not very into politics ... and while I know this is fictional and not to be taken seriously, one has to wonder how much of the craziness behind the scenes actually goes on. It doesn't inspire much faith in the political process ... but it was entertaining. Currently we are caught up on the six seasons available.
• SILICON VALLEY:  I needed to watch this show with Hubs and see him laughing to appreciate much of it. It was pretty silly, and I certainly don't understand all the technology discussed or the start-up situations, but there were some memorable moments. It also currently has six seasons, and we've watched them all.

Now onto the longer dramas ...

Hubs and I have watched and enjoyed the HBO classics (Sopranos, The Wire, GOT, etc.) and finally got around to watching some of the more recent programming. Hubs originally watched season 1 of WestWorld on his own. He asked if I'd be interested, as he wouldn't mind re-watching it before the second season came out. We ended up watching both seasons together. Now, we are on The Newsroom, just finished the first season and are moving onto season 2. While WestWorld definitely earns it's TV-MA rating (with sex, language and violence) The NewsRoom is practically PG ... is this really HBO?

• WESTWORLD: I had only caught a preview here and there, and while it looked like something that would interest me, I wasn't upset when Hubs went in on his own. I never quite got around to starting it myself in the gym.  I ended up liking the first season. Quite crazy, but I'm into abnormal :)  The second season was a little too confusing ...
• THE NEWSROOM: I'd seen the clip with Jeff Daniel's answering a question in a political debate and hadn't realized it came from a show. I like Jeff Daniels (which is why it was hard to see him as a bad guy in Godless). I really found this fascinating as it features events that have happened in the recent past. Just like the newsroom it portrays, the show moves at break-neck speed. It reminded me a little of Veep in the way the characters interacted and worked together. Personal storylines are interwoven with the news stories and it kept me very interested all the time. 

So no ... chronologically, these aren't the last four shows we've watched upstairs, but as I let time lapse between blog posts, I'll often combine similar shows to feature here. We don't pay extra for HBO, it's a perk of our phone plan ... but I'm glad we have it. I've enjoyed what they offer.