#189 Welcome to Crossing The Streams (Bonus Ep41) – Great TV binge watching suggestions!

CTS Announcer 0:01

Looking for your next TV show or movie to binge? Well buckle up, grab the remote and settle into your couch for this special edition of crossing the streams. We're here to help you tune in and get the most out of those 50 monthly streaming channels you're currently paying for. So without any further ado, here's your host of crossing the streams. Jeff Dwoskin

Jeff Dwoskin 0:29

Hey, oh, it is I Jeff Dwoskin host of classic conversations and your guide to this bonus episode of crossing the streams. What is crossing the streams? It's where we answer the universal question. I just finished binge watching something and I need to binge watch something else. What should that be? Well, you've come to the right place. We have binge watching suggestions at the ready our YouTube channel has over 96 hours of live show goodness for you. And of course we have these bonus episodes where we feed a few suggestions right to you that we pull from the various live shows today's segments come from Episode 8789 and 95. We're talking X Files we're talking selling the OSI and we're talking Welcome to Wrexham so all you have to do is sit back listen to me and my pals chatting about TV shows we think you should be watching Let's kick it off from Live episode 95 Howard Rosner is going to take us through Welcome to Wrexham take it away Roz. Alright, let's we got another one now. Yeah, go into Welcome to Wrexham. Yeah,

Howard Rosner 1:38

so this is one that I had heard about. And I knew it was out there. I hadn't watched it. I don't know why, but just started watching it and just rolled through the episode. Welcome to Wrexham is a documentary series. It's 18 half hour episodes, not even half hour, 25 minute episodes, and it stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhaney from mythic quest Always Sunny in Philadelphia. So it is a soccer documentary. But it is way more than that. It's actually less soccer than it is kind of a human interest story. So if you don't know you don't follow them at all. Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhaney in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic bought Wrexham Football Club, which is a team in Wales in the English fifth division. So the English top flight is teams that you may have heard of Manchester United Liverpool arsenal, my team run our other star of this show and I are big English Premier League fans, the top flights called the Premier League and then there's the next fight called the championship League One League Two and then what's called the National League, which is where Wrexham is right now. So they bought this team. And what's really interesting in watching this is they didn't know each other. Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds had never met they had only known each other from communicating via social media. Rob McElhaney became a fan of soccer watching with one of his primary writers for mythic quest, who's British and a huge soccer fan. And he would watch it when they were in the writers room and see why so excited. Rob is a Philadelphia guy obviously, and a huge Eagles fan big Philadelphia sports fan. So he started realizing the passion for the sport and he became passionate they talk about in the first episode how he decided he wanted to buy this team, but he couldn't afford it on TV star money. He needed movie star money and then he goes more specifically I needed superhero movie star money. He reaches out to Ryan Reynolds and the two of them via zoom at the time because it was middle of the pandemic decide that they're going to buy this team. So Wrexham Football Club, like I said, is in the fifth tear, but Wrexham itself is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, I think club team in the world. And their stadium, which is called the racecourse is the oldest international football stadium in the world, which is amazing dates back to the early 1800s. So there's a ton of history and Wrexham itself is a town in northeast Wales, which has a ton of history. So they kick off with them kind of presenting to the board Wrexham Football Club years earlier had been screwed over by an owner who was buying the team solely to buy the stadium and tear it down and build real estate development. They the team and the fans forced him out and needing to buy the team the fans got together and in 24 hours got enough money together to buy the team itself not the stadium so they had to convince the trust of the city that they were not in it just for the glitz and glamour and you know it wasn't a lark, just something vanity for them to do When and they really weren't, which is cool, it's cool to see them kind of do it. So gets into the end of 2020. For those of you especially that have watched Ted lasso, the couple of seasons, you know, kind of vaguely what the relegation system is in English football, which is every season, the top three or four, depending on what tier teams in the standings will go up to the higher league. And from that higher League, the top three or or the bottom three or four teams will go down. So Wrexham is at the lowest point be below them is semi professional, the difference in player salary, a premier league player, and the top average is about $4.9 million is the average salary, whereas it's about 42,000 for a player in the National League Wrexham is right now. So it's a big deal. Every step you go up, the team makes more revenue, but so do the player. So it's it's a huge career deal. It's a huge business deal for the team to go up. And it kicks off with them during the end of the 2020 1920 season trying to trying to make their way or 2020 21 Season trying to make their way and they just fall short at the end of it. And then it picks up with the off season them having to you know, get rid of a bunch of players get new players, get a new manager decide to make changes to the stadium to improve it, which was a major part of what they committed in their business plan. So there's that there's bits and pieces of soccer, but it is so much more than a soccer documentary. It really there's significantly more on screen time for citizens of Wrexham talking about how much the team means to them how much it means to the city, how they live and die truly with the success of the team. There's episodes where there's a great episode, I think it's about six or seven, where it's Ryan Reynolds and Rob doing kind of skits, just basically talking about Wales itself and educating people on Wales the language they do almost a cooking show with a woman talking about great Welsh delicacies they do kind of a talk show where they're interviewing people about Wales itself. Super. It's a super interesting show. If you're a soccer fan, I think you'll love it. Because there are great elements of how the building a soccer team and kinda like you know, just like hard, the HBO hard knocks, you get the behind the scenes of them trying to build a team. You get to see Robin Ryan interact, which is really funny. They're two great sarcastic, great improvisers in the comedies that they've done and you get that for sure you get really educated but then you do get some melodramatic follow some of these people characters from the town Wrexham and what they're going through, you know, a guy who's 96 years old, and has been going to matches since his father took them when he was seven. They'd been through every flight of English football in his lifetime. And now 1514 years down at the bottom of football just like when are we going to get back on the level and then you know, just other people a guy going through a divorce and just trying to be happy through wrexham's You know, attempt to get promoted the cheering for the team as being a major connection with his kids as he's got as the family is going through this divorce. So it's, it's a really, really it's an exceptional series. It is like I said, it's there. 2728 minute episodes, so you can plow through six, eight and nine no problem. It's really, I mean, a really, really it's easy to watch. It's just, it's on Hulu, but also was on FX as well because of the popularity of Wrexham via social media especially Ryan Reynolds, social media they do one time they talk about statistics they go combine Ryan and Rob have like 45 million followers on Instagram and Twitter and then they do a bar chart that shows that like 92% is Ryan Reynolds it's pretty funny

Jeff Dwoskin 9:27

All right rise that was welcome to Wrexham Wrexham I barely knew him. Sorry. I have next Ron lipid is going to take us through selling the OSI take it away Ron said in selling the OSI.

Ron Lippitt 9:43

Oh dear lord, listen, I you know, I am not such a reality television guy. And this was served up to me by Netflix and I just figured you know what, I've got nothing better to do. Let me let me check out an episode of selling the OSI and let's just see see what it is and maybe I'll report on it, you know, on the show and just, you know, talk about whether it held my attention, or whether I laughed or whatnot. And I just let me just start off by asking, has anybody seen this?

Unknown Speaker 10:10

Now, what is the OC, Orange County, California? Oh, that's what I thought

Jeff Dwoskin 10:14

was right. Oh, see was a TV series from two things.

Ron Lippitt 10:17

That's right, you'll see. So this is a real estate reality television show. What's interesting about this show is keep this in mind that this is the latest iteration of the exact same formula and franchise as about a half a dozen other shows just like it and we could probably extrapolate that to probably 30 other shows, just like in terms of what it is they're, they're trying to actually achieve. There's no moral redeeming value with the show, whatsoever. They they're literally spoon feeding the American idiots exactly what they want. And let me just add further, it's on Netflix. So there's no FCC, there's no regulations on what they can or can't say or show or do. It is an unbridled mess that unfolds white before your very eyes. That sounds amazing, right? So I just want to say, you know, just purely on that basis alone, it is our rec, interesting. Like, there are limitations to things like Keeping Up With The Kardashians and some of the other just complete mess shows that somehow hold our attention. This is a I would say they took it and put it on steroids is the best way I can describe that. One of the shows that it's compared to is a European show called Love Island, which I wouldn't expect any of you guys to know. But you what you should know about love Island is that love Island was the highest rated show in the UK had 57 episodes as number one in the UK, all because they had the exact same formula as this, you could make an argument that the bachelor and bachelorette which is a franchise that has absolutely exploded into the American psyche, and now has actually two different forms of each show. being served up to us audiences isn't. Now Netflix, like I said, giving you exactly what you want. It's just another iteration of an absolutely bonkers formula. This time being you know, real estate show. This is a follow up to a show that nobody ever saw on network television called selling sunset. I don't know if anybody's heard of that show. So it follows the exploits of a Los Angeles based real estate firm called the Oppenheim group, which is owned by these twin dudes 45 year old guys who are mega mega successful selling the Sunset Boulevard area of Los Angeles. And they built this thriving practice and, and the show covered the exploits truly of a real estate real estate show. What's interesting about that, on a personal level, Howard, you know, our good friend, Brian's brother, actually developed a reality television show also about the exploits of selling real estate. In his particular case, it was about selling real estate to professional athletes, particularly ones who came into brand new contracts. I thought that was an interesting formula to find out what young people who suddenly come across millions of dollars, what kinds of things they would buy, and how a real estate agent can help guide a very personal yet important decision about their their real estate choices. This however, is not that because what this is, is basically about a dozen Los Angeles overly hot, overly a moneyed young people who use real estate to be the worst absolute versions of themselves, in lying, cajoling, spreading falsehoods about each other about their competitors, doing whatever it takes to sell these deals. And the way this is covered and followed makes you love. Some of them makes you hate some of them. And I just have to tell you as terrible as you feel this episode finishes, and you're like, I cannot believe I just watched 48 minutes of this AI system where you find yourself a day later saying hey, I wonder what happened with Angie. I wonder if Nick ever got that deal. I wonder the opening scene of of episode one they're selling $100 million Lagoona property 100 million dollars you know someone's gonna get a $6 million commission on this deal. I think it was actually less than that but something like that and it's a scramble it's a fight and and now you're wondering who's going to get that deal and how they're going to sell it and and who's going to have sex to make it happen and who's going to lie about someone's mother and who's going to have a big party and invite the right people to it. And I just want to point out that this is an absolute symbol of America. It is a perfect show for audiences that want nothing to think about. They don't want to look at the news. They don't want to hear about anything real. They just want to see beautiful people screw each other all in the name of selling deals with real estate and if that's what you're looking for, and if that's the kind of release that you expect and desire from your television show, particularly on a network like Netflix, where you have everything available in terms of nudity and violence and and all the horrible things that they can offer you on Netflix, this is your show ladies horrible.

Jeff Dwoskin 15:22

You describe the best show ever. All right, selling the OSI I think you know if that's your kind of thing, and whether you'd like that show or not definitely sounds like some fun mindless entertainment. All right, and our final spotlight of this bonus episode is from Live episode 89. The X Files Scott Curtis, friend of the show and host of the amazing podcast behind the bits. Take it away, Scott, take us through the X Files. Hello,

Scott Curtis 15:53

my name is Scott Curtis and I'm watching The X Files all the way through for the third time. And if you know me, you know that I am not an Ostalgie type of guy. I don't care about anything that happened in my past I just look at the future. But the X Files came to me at a time when my kids were little and it was like the only show that really spoke to me so I like never missed an episode. I always watched them live when they were first aired anytime I could. And I absolutely loved it. So probably five or six years ago, I did a second run through on it and I loved it again. Now I'm doing the third run through and I'm about halfway through season two and I'm starting to pick everything apart and it's I'm starting to second guess everything that I loved but fantastic show I mean the writings good the way they put everything together all the conspiracy, conspiracies and stuff like that. It's just that David the company was not that great of an actor when he first started he got better and I remember him getting better but man those first few episodes and that really the whole first season it's like the most wouldn't act and you've ever seen so here I am. I'm recommending The X Files because David do company is such a badass. But no i i It's it's one of my it's one of my favorite all time shows. And it's kind of disappointing looking at it at this age now that everything that I loved about it, I'm starting to think maybe the third time around wasn't the best idea. But I don't know if you've experienced if you've ever watched any series three times, but oh, yeah, I did. I did Breaking Bad three times and all three times were good.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:43

I have to say while for Breaking Bad. It's like breaking bad to me. Like if someone said watch Ozark again. And believe me I thought it was like it was one of the best series of Overwatch but Breaking Bad, same thing. It's just it was a it was a hard it was a draining it took it took a lot out of you. I rewatched the sopranos recently and loved that experience. I think sometimes though, like, I don't know that they anticipated the binge, right? Yeah, when DVDs came out and and they hope they invented that whole concept of Oh, they'll buy people buy entire seasons on TV. It opened up an entire industry that I don't think they saw coming, but it will allow people to watch things in rapid succession. Even watching week to week you have you know, you don't fully retain everything. But if you're watching something three shows and three hours, which people do Yeah, you know, then yeah, you can start to see things like we've probably watched friends 50 times. And at some point, you're like, wait a minute, this contract totally contradicts what Todd talked about The X Files Oh, in general, like

Scott Curtis 18:47

basically, basically what it is, is, you know, David to Cavani plays a character whose sister was abducted when they were children. And so he's Fox Mulder and he was in the FBI as a profiler, criminal profiler, but he's always wanted to investigate this supernatural stuff. And he got the opportunity to do it when they opened the X Files, and then they sent Gillian Anderson as Dana Scully to be kind of his foil. So she she doesn't believe in any of this stuff. So they kind of play off each other. And, you know, it starts out really looking like a pretty simple two dimensional type show. It's basically it feels like okay, they're gonna have a weird case, they're gonna solve it, they're gonna go on to the next one. But then even in the first season, these little conspiracy things start creeping in like the government is there's a shadow government behind some of the alien stuff and I don't want to give away everything but the there's puppet masters in different fields doing different things and are they leading Fox and scaly to these things? was on purpose or our fox and scaly getting into or Mulder and Scully? Are they getting into stuff that they shouldn't and it's really kind of cool how they they kind of throw him in and then they pull them back and throw him in and pull them back. And the cool thing about it is you never really know who you can trust and you know, the big thing about is trust no one you never know who's trustworthy until the end. And they did 10 seasons, so you just don't know eases. Wow, I didn't know that. Yeah, that's a lot. Yeah. And they did so many cool things. And you talk about Breaking Bad. So Aaron, Paul and Bryan Cranston both had roles in The X Files, and so many other characters came out of the X Files. They created kind of a cool like universe within itself. They did two movies. The last two seasons came out I think, were 2017 and 2018. Dos seasons were a little bit lackluster. It wasn't wasn't the same type of energy. But it tied a few things up. It's got Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 21:06

when did it originally air like when was the start date? I

Scott Curtis 21:08

believe it was 9292 or 93. Eternity.

Unknown Speaker 21:13

Yeah. Was it always on Fox? Right? Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:16

Yeah. We say what is it on? Fox? But what is it streaming on now? It stream it was live on 93 to 2008. Teen There you go.

Scott Curtis 21:25

So who lives where I watch it now. Yeah, they've got all seasons.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:31

Talk to me about the smoking man. Cigarette smoking man.

Scott Curtis 21:34

Oh, man. He's just such a bad guy. I mean, he that's one guy you could trust to be a bad guy. He was he was behind everything. There's a really cool episode. I can't remember what episode it is. But Ghana passes. Mulder where, okay, smoking man is staying and molder confronts him. And this is I think it's fairly early in season two. And because I just watched that not too many days ago. And the funny thing is, is he really admits that he's just a cog in a machine. You know, he says, I've got some power I've got I've got no family. Nobody cares if I die, but I'm just doing what I know how to do. And it really sums up what he is in that small conversation. I mean, that conversation went on for like two minutes. That's because Moeller was going to kill him. And then he decided not to it's really interesting that he is just pretty much summed up in that, in that whole conversation. I'm just, I'm just a cog in the machine

Jeff Dwoskin 22:32

and doesn't take company leave the series at one point

Scott Curtis 22:35

he does. I think it was like season seven or eight they brought in. What's his name? The guy that was in Terminator two. Robert Patrick. Yeah, they brought him in. They brought they brought another one in for scaly. So, you know, the company was, I think was doing some movies or something like that. And so he skipped out for a while. I know Gilly and Anderson skipped out for a while. So you know, they they came in and out. I mean, I thought from what I remember everybody, they just that whole Ryan Patrick season, but I thought he was really good.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:10

Yeah, he was 2000 2002 which is probably when the original series ended, and then they picked it back up in 2018 for that, right, yeah, that was a long time between the reboots and stuff and the movies. I remember always being okay.

Scott Curtis 23:24

Yeah, the first one I was pretty disappointed with the second one I like

Jeff Dwoskin 23:27

better do you think this series was kind of a of its time type thing?

Scott Curtis 23:31

You know, it's so funny. I dig some episodes and some episodes I just I get lost i i just don't care. I know that wasn't my attitude the second time through first time through I was glued to the screen. Second time I'm just kind of reliving everything and taking in what I missed because you know you miss stuff when you got little toddlers running around and stuff. So I'm being dedicated to watching I really dug at this time. I'm just, it's just a more critical I don't know if it's, if it's of its time, or if it's you know, I'm just moving on. So good. I mean, if you got something that you want to watch and want to give it a shot, I would give that first season to try if you hate it, then don't watch anymore. If you like it, then it keeps getting better.

Jeff Dwoskin 24:17

193 now 217 Some episodes, how many episodes?

Scott Curtis 24:24

Yeah, they did 20 Some per season by

Jeff Dwoskin 24:26

now. Gillian Anderson was in 217 episodes, Fox was in 193. So that's the most assuming Jillian was in all of them. So they couldn't do more actually. So that's a lot of TV to catch up on our our episode. I'll wait 45 minutes or so. So it's on Hulu. And we you can watch the evolution of David Duke company becoming a good actor. Yeah. Okay.

Bob Phillips 24:54

Yeah, one of the greatest scenes ever in a comedic movie that I just found out the other day was ad lived it was in zoo Landry? Yes. What do you Oh really? I just I just told you that was such a nice little bottle. Yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 25:13

it's funny that's funny All right Scott Curtis from behind the bits podcast check out his podcast. If you love The X Files, check out classic conversations episode 178. I interviewed William B. Davis the cigarette smoking man himself. Great episode. All right. So you got the X smiles selling the OSI Welcome to Wrexham sounds like you've got a lot of homework ahead. Yeah, I'm not going to keep you any longer head on over the couch. Grab your comfy spot, grab the remote, cross your own streams, and we'll see you next time.

CTS Announcer 25:51

Thanks for listening to this special edition of crossing the streams. Visit us on YouTube for full episodes and catch us live every Wednesday at 9:30pm Eastern time. Now turn this off and go watch some TV. And don't forget to tell your family. I'll be busy for a while.

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