The good, the bad and the silly

WHEN season six of HBO’s Game of Thrones was being aired, I was part of a group chat that would discuss each episode after its primetime airing every Monday.
Stuff like “That b*****d must die”, “Hodor means hold the door?”, “Tommen jumped!!!” and “Jon Snow lives!” went back and forth between a small group of devoted fans who had one thing in common – the mythical world of Westeros.
There are very few series that could match what Game of Thrones has, but I would say that HBO’s current hot ticket Westworld, with its constant surprises, comes close.
Who is a host (an android) and who is not is one of the constant questions viewers keep asking each time they tune in.
Whether finding out that Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright), the head of the Westworld programming division and creator of artificial people, is a host himself, or watching Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris deliver subtle yet effective performances as ruthless men who will stop at nothing to get what they want, we sit through it all entranced.
The problem is, both series take a very long time to produce. Game of Thrones’ season seven is only scheduled to air in July 2017, while Westworld, which was renewed for a second season, will (according to reports) probably only return in 2018.
That is a long wait, but for fans it will be worth it.
Too bad the same cannot be said for some other shows.
The season seven premiere of The Walking Dead got people chatting initially, but things have started to die down (pun intended) as more and more fan favourites are snuffed out.
It is rare indeed nowadays to find TV shows that spark a high level of interest.
There was a time when reality shows such as American Idol, The Amazing Race (US version), Survivor and MasterChef (Australia and US) got everyone talking.
Somehow, we don’t talk about Asian productions such as The Amazing Race Asia (now into its fifth season) or the forgettable MasterChef Asia (no sign of season two) or Asia’s Got Talent with that same fervour.
Most of the time, we do have fun trashing the especially bad shows.
Take Quantico for example.
After all the scheming and backstabbing she faced in season one, it’s hard to believe that Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra) is willing to go through even more of the same with the CIA in season two. That girl sure likes to get into trouble.
I know MacGyver (Lucas Till) is smart but in one episode, he is seen using a windscreen wiper pump to draw out blood from a man’s lungs – that’s really over top, not to mention unsanitary!
Then again, there is a lot about the new MacGyver show that is unappealing.
Also, how come on Empire season three, Kitty (guest star Mariah Carey) is seen wearing skimpy clothes in a studio while recording a love duet with a gay Jamal (Jussie Smollett)?
But then, this is Mariah Carey, and she apparently dresses like this all the time.
There is more nonsense on TV out there, which makes for great dinner conversations.