What was on TV? Fri, Nov 26, 2004
It's Black Friday! Reviews of the MTV EMAs and Peep Show
20 years ago, people were rushing to buy DVD players, boxed sets of their favorite shows and HDTVs for Black Friday. But what could you watch on those TVs?
8:00 MTV EMA (recorded)
This was so fun. It was the Europe Music Awards, and it did not disappoint. It was very European, and also very MTV. It's a delightful combination.
Rome built a stage specifically for the occasion, full of screens and catwalks snaking between the crowds. It feels like a concert! There's some guy doing opera covers of all the year's top hits in taped segments (Yeah!, Toxic, and so on) and it rules every time. There are a couple of good performances, but the highlight is the Beastie Boys performing "An Open Letter to NYC." They're introduced by Kanye West and they all enter on bikes. Amazing.
The surviving video on YouTube has all the dialogue dubbed over in a Slavic language I can't identify, but it's still worth a watch.
Later Peep Show (recorded)
1x04 "Mark Makes a Friend"
Available on Tubi and most other ad-supported streaming platforms.
This episode is basically about Mark getting a man crush on his Black boss Alan Johnson, and it is SO good. As soon as Mark started fantasizing about saving his new friend should he be falsely accused of a crime, I knew I was in for a treat. This episode truly understands White obsession with Black people and culture. It feels years ahead of its time. And the Black friend is played by Paterson Joseph, who played Holy Wayne on The Leftovers and was so marvelous as the villain in last year's Wonka. Also he wrote a novel and it looks really good? Anyway, he's great, and it looks like he'll be returning to the series. I'm thrilled.
Late Night
Tonight's Conan wasn't very good. The Colin Farrell interview was the only segment I really liked. I'm also disappointed because I discovered that Arian Moayed (aka Stewie from Succession) was supposed to be on this episode while combing through his IMDB page. But he was nowhere to be found. Alas.
What Else Was On
On ABC, Mel Gibson guest starred on Complete Savages, the family sitcom based on his own life (yes, this was a real show).
TiVo Status
The three-hour Masterpiece Theater miniseries The Lost Prince and The Office Christmas Special from across the pond (2 hours), and the TNT movie The Wool Cap. 7 hours, with 21 hours of space left.
