Yes, today, I’m going to unveil The Commish’s “Streaming Mount Rushmore”, which is what I know all of you have been anxiously awaiting this season, but first … not so fast, my friend … we had some SPFL action last weekend to summarize.
Midgets 160.9 — No Names 76.9: In the much touted battle of winless squads, the Bitter Midgets opened up a can of something and doubled up the still winless No Names. The Midgets were led by the Motown Duo of TJ Hockenson (39.9) and Jared Goff (31.3) while the No Names were waylaid by having only one player over 20 points (Derrick Henry 25.9) and Javonte Williams’ terrible knee injury (4 points).
Moops 132.1 — Bull Rings 85.4: The Mayberry crew eased to win number three, led by Joe Burrow (22.5) and Saquon Barkley (21.3) while the Rings had Chris Olave (16.7) and Lamar Jackson (16.1). Ugh.
Corn 141.1 — Megatron 108.9: The Corn cruised to a victory, captained by DangeRuss Wilson (27.8) and DK Metcalf (21.9) while the Ghost was also hurt by Jonathan Taylor’s sprained ankle. Deebo Samuel (25.9) and the Eagles D (25) were leading Megatron performers.
Monkeys 171.1 — Lightning 159.0: Two powerhouse teams met in this showdown with the Thunder Monkeys came out on top thanks to … and much to the chagrin of the Bitter Midgets ownership group … the 49ers D (30) and Tee Higgins (27.4), while the Lightning were led by Josh Jacobs (37.3) and Cooper Kupp (26.2).
Heroes 171.6 — Turtles 170.8: Game of the Week! Less than one point…. both teams over 170 total … that’s fun to track! Unless you’re on the losing end, of course. The Heroes pulled off the big win, led by Miles Sanders (32.3) and Justin Jefferson (31.1), while the Turtles were led by Austin Ekeler (36.2) and Jamaal Williams (27.8).
Bright 1s 109.2 — Piranha Brothers 91.4: This one was probably deep on the channel list on Directv, but a win is a win, and the Bright 1s got one, thanks to C Mac (26.6) and Lenny Fournette (18.7) while Travis Kelce (24.2) and Courtland Sutton (16.2) were leading PB’s.
I won’t start recapping standings just yet, but it’s fun to look at the Matt Foley Division and see five — count ’em — five teams at 2-2 and one lonely 0-4 squad. But it’s early enough for anything to happen!
Next Week
- Moops/Lightning (this is supposedly a #3 vs #2 team, but Vegas odds show GL -19 right now…)
- No Names/Heroes
- Midgets/Bull Rings
- Megatron/Piranha Brothers
- Turtles/Bright 1s
- Monkeys/Corn
I still have five outstanding league dues, but I’m not going to name names or anything because I’ve had at least one offer to pay recently, but I’ve just been so out of sorts and out of pocket that it’s on me that it hasn’t happened. So, I’ll pursue it further as the leaves start falling. No worries.
STREAMING MOUNT RUSHMORE
Okay, this is so subjective and so unrelated, but it was fun for me to do. Mrs. Commish and I are a little late in the streaming/binging game, but we’ve started a fairly healthy list of shows we’ve watched (and want to watch) and not too long we had a discussion of what shows we’d put on our “Mount Rushmore”, meaning top four shows we’ve binged … so far. Unlike the real Mountain, we can make changes as we go.
Our parameters were: (a) it can’t be an active show that we are still watching or has more seasons to release (this eliminates shows like Yellowstone, What We Do In the Shadows, Ted Lasso, Cobra Kai); (b) it can’t be something we watched back in the day (like Seinfeld, Cheers, The Office, my ultimate warm blanket shows); (c) it can’t be a one season, limited series (like Band of Brothers — which would be atop my mountain any day otherwise, the Haunting of Hill House, or Mare of Easttown); and (d) this should go without saying, but … we have to have watched it! There are dozens of great shows we haven’t touched yet — Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian, Curb Your Enthusiasm, etc. Which means we are open to some suggestions, like Shane’s recent suggestion of The Terminal List.
(Quick Commish Review: It was good, I enjoyed it and it was worth my investment of time. I probably won’t sign up for the second season simply because it was a little confusing and hard for me to keep straight. I’m a simple minded, very linear thinking kind of dude and don’t like to use too many brain cells at night. I’ll tell you who should watch this, our mutual friend, the No Names GM, who taught me everything I know about the military industrial complex and conspiracy theories).
Before revealing my list, I should point out, I’m not a trained entertainment reviewer or anything. I’ll leave that to the other Perry Brothers. I’m just a simple guy. I’m probably very milquetoast and mainstream in my lists. If I like a song, I don’t care if it’s critically acclaimed. I can’t base my judgments on cinematography or pacing or anything. I like stories, I like good laughs or cries, and I love characters that are developed and performed and become real people to me. So with that …
Wait, I’ve never been to Mount Rushmore, but I’m assuming there’s an outer courtyard below the mountain with some monuments and tablets listing other people and events that are meaningful and related, so my Outer Courtyard of Binge Streaming includes:
- Mr. Mercedes (outstanding acting, especially Brendan Gleeson)
- Vice Principals (just … wild … and fun … and so over the top. Loved it. Only two seasons.)
- Deadwood (it took us a few episodes to buy in, but I’m so glad we did. Ian McShane as Swearengen=magic)
- Hell on Wheels (Bohannon, The Swede, so many names and faces still come to mind)
- Six Feet Under (mesmerizing opening theme, super satisfying finale, this one made an appearance on our Mount for a while before relegation)
- Big Love (holy cow, another smorgasbord of acting chops and another one that was relegated. This was one of the first shows we “binged”.)
- Justified (okay, this was awesome. And it came recommended to me by another SPFLer, the Greased Lightning owner. My only complaint was the episode when Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder said “App a laish un”. Come on now! Still, great series. This was the most recent relegation from the mountain).
- LATE EDIT: If the show had ended after 5, 6, maybe 7 seasons, Supernatural would at least be in the courtyard and a contender for the Mount. Sam and Dean; the Kansas theme song; a different monster every week; road trips; diners; man, it was awesome. I bought the Funko Pops. I bought the cookbook, but it got so confusing and so misguided (stick to the monsters, man!), that after 12.5 seasons out of 14 … we gave up. Unprecedented abandonment by the Commish and Mrs.
COMMISH’S MOUNT RUSHMORE
- Friday Night Lights: I am ashamed to say as an unabashed football fanatic and one who had heard how great this show was for years, we just finished it up last month. And we’ve still not stopped missing Coach and Tammy Taylor. And Tim Riggins (also on The Terminal List BTW!). And Matt Saracen. Dang, I loved this show. And it wasn’t the football, it was the actors and the characters. And the Taylors’ marriage was so … chef’s kiss. Can’t recommend it enough.
- Longmire: We turned to this after finishing Justified. Scenery is amazing, but it’s the gravelly lead actor and his merry band of slight misfits that had Mrs. Commish and I clamoring to finish dinner every night and settle in for a few episodes of “Walt”.
- Ozark: Another show that’s out there, unbelievable, but oh so, wonderful. First of all, I love Jason Bateman to the uttermost and just love watching him on screen, but Laura Linney and Julia Garner, holy cow. An awful bunch of people that I would do anything to help, LOL! This one is pretty secure on the mountain.
- The Americans: I don’t expect to live to see this one toppled. Maybe it’s because I’m a 1980s kid. Maybe it’s the killer soundtrack. But this one is the king. Outstanding acting, writing and the garage scene at the end of the series is just indescribably wonderful. We often talk about what the Jennings’ are doing right now, as if they’re real people. This one is just begging for a follow up movie (not a series, don’t mess with perfection!).
So there you have it. Let me know if you have any thoughts, comments, or suggestions, but that’s what we have loved so far. Right now, we are about to jump back into the recent season of Cobra Kai to try and soothe our hurt emotions from leaving the Taylors of Friday Night Lights behind.
Best wishes and … hey, enjoy the football.
The Commish
Since you threw it out there, I wanted to share my Mount Rushmore of bingeworthy shows utilizing your parameters.
1. Mad Men: This is my favorite show of all time. Jon Hamm’s portrayal of the womanizing Don Draper, the lovely January Jones as his wife, Betty, and many other finely acted characters weave you through the 50s into the 70s through 7 amazing seasons. Oh, the days of day drinking on the job….
2. Eastbound & Down: Much like Vice Principals, and the newly released Righteous Gemstones, Danny McBride knows how to make a man laugh at some of the most crass things ever created for television. There’s heavy drug use, nudity, and a lot of wild times, but it is FUNNY!
3. The Affair: This one isn’t for everyone, but the way the stories are told…each episode being broken into two parts, with each half being told from the point-of-view from one of the characters was a first for me. It really makes you think about how each of us see things differently. The finale has Fiona Apple singing The Waterboys’ “The Whole of The Moon” in what has been one of my favorite endings to a series ever. https://youtu.be/3dZ5KjFLxgA
4. Deadwood: As a lifelong western fan, I’ve enjoyed watching The Outlaw Josie Wells with my papaw at a young age, going to the movies with my dad, David Bowen, and his son, Zach to see the different interpretations of Wyatt Earp on the big screen. “I’m your huckleberry” gets traded for “When I say, ‘Go f… yourself, Sherrif,’ will you put that down to drunkenness or a high estimate of your athleticism?” and Timothy Olyphant & Ian McShane are some of the best in the business.
Other shows that I have loved in my time…some that are still on today.
-Californication
-The Big C
-Dexter
-The United States of Tara
-Shameless
-True Blood
-The Wire
-Homeland
-Season 1 of True Detective
-Baskets
-Taboo
-The Tudors
-Rome
-Big Little Lies
-Westworld
-Mare of Easttown
-The Night Of
I could go on and on. HBO, Showtime, and FX create some amazing shows, and there’s so much to watch these days that it’s impossible to watch them all.
Awesome list (especially Deadwood! I’m a sucker for westerns no matter what). You named some that I’d actually forgotten about and have seen some episodes but never actually binged per se, but still worthy of discussion.