Overview of The Watch — “Is ‘Sterling Point’ the Show of the Summer? Plus, ‘Tires’ Season 3”
Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald cover a loose, wide-ranging TV conversation that starts with industry news and ends with two summer standouts: Amazon’s Sterling Point and Netflix’s Tires season 3. Along the way, they talk about a new Richard Price/Steve Zaillian project at Netflix, FX’s Sons of Anarchy reunion series Legends, the evolving way TV gets made, and why younger viewers are reshaping what “classic TV” means.
Major TV News and Development Updates
Richard Price + Steve Zaillian reunite for Netflix
- The hosts are excited about a new crime drama adaptation of Ghetto Side.
- It reunites:
- Richard Price (The Night Of, Clockers, Lush Life)
- Steve Zaillian (Ripley)
- They note the project feels like it “should” have been at HBO, given both creators’ histories, but Netflix swooped in.
- Their big takeaway: this is a major prestige-TV get for Netflix and a promising project for viewers who liked The Night Of or Ripley.
Charlie Hunnam’s Legends at FX
- FX is developing Legends, a Sons of Anarchy reunion comedy/drama.
- Premise: the cast reunites at a fan convention and things spiral out of control.
- The hosts compare the concept to Galaxy Quest-style meta storytelling:
- Not just a reunion
- More like the cast’s real-life dynamics becoming the subject
- They see it as a smart, playful way to revisit an old IP without doing a straight reboot.
The changing shape of TV production
- They discuss how modern TV production often means:
- Actors are shot out quickly
- Coverage is stitched together more flexibly
- Scenes can feel less “all in the room together” than older TV
- They note that digital/VFX manipulation is becoming more common in ways viewers may not fully realize.
- Their broader point: TV production is increasingly shaped by logistics, schedules, and technical workarounds.
Sterling Point Is the “Show of the Summer”
What they liked
- Sterling Point has become an unexpected hit in their households.
- They praise it as:
- A very watchable summer YA show
- Intoxicating and easy to binge
- More textured than it may first appear
- Kaya jumps in to say the show has:
- Confusing parentage/mystery plotlines
- An inherited island
- A white-box luxury setting that feels almost too pristine
- A straightforward but effective love triangle
Why it works
- They credit creator Megan Park and executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage for making the dialogue and blocking feel natural.
- They compare the show’s appeal to the classic CW/teen-drama era, especially The O.C.
- One of the best outcomes of Sterling Point for them was that it led directly to a rewatch of The O.C. with a younger viewer.
The larger generational observation
- Younger viewers will happily watch older TV as if it were brand-new.
- The hosts note that this changes the way shows age:
- Less waiting week to week
- More total immersion
- Less concern about “catching up” in a traditional sense
Tires Season 3: Even Better Than Expected
Their overall reaction
- They agree Tires has become a legitimately strong workplace sitcom.
- The show is set in a tire shop in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and stars:
- Shane Gillis
- Steve Gerben
- John McKeever
- Chris’s main argument: there is no reason this show should be this good, or look this good, or feel this lived-in — but it does.
Why they think it works
- The show starts star-driven, but expands into better ensemble comedy as it goes.
- They especially praise:
- Stavros Halkias as an MVP this season
- The way side characters are getting richer material
- The comedy feels:
- Observational
- Self-aware
- Less like a “vehicle” and more like a real ensemble workplace comedy
What stands out about Shane Gillis
- They say Gillis doesn’t need to make a sitcom, which is part of why the project feels interesting.
- The show comes off as a real collaboration among friends rather than a packaged brand extension.
- They admire that:
- It’s shot in a grounded way
- It doesn’t feel over-produced
- It’s willing to be funny without over-explaining itself
- They also note the subtle self-awareness in the show about Gillis’s public persona.
Favorite bits discussed
- The season’s workplace and offsite scenes
- The “women in business” episode
- A sequence where Gillis and Cal revisit old haunts and end up at a family fun center
- A bathroom/urinal scene that they found especially strong and unexpectedly emotional
Meta Talk: Reboots, Reunions, and “Galaxy Questing” TV
The idea
- The hosts float the concept of “Galaxy Questing” a TV show:
- Taking a beloved cast and making the reunion itself the story
- Rather than simply rebooting the original series
- They think this could work especially well for casts with real chemistry or deep behind-the-scenes history.
Shows they mention as candidates
- Sons of Anarchy
- The Good Wife
- Parks and Recreation
- Mad Men
- Deadwood
- Twin Peaks
Their key point
- A meta-reunion format can be more interesting than a straight revival because it lets creators explore:
- Fame
- Aging
- Legacy
- Interpersonal history
- The gap between public image and private reality
Closing Notes and What’s Coming Next
- They tease upcoming coverage of:
- Lanterns
- Lioness
- Furiosa
- They end by thanking Kaya and Sarah for production help.
- Overall, the episode is a mix of:
- TV industry news
- Summer-show recommendations
- Meta commentary on the changing shape of TV
- Light, self-aware banter about celebrity, fandom, and the podcast’s own identity