Altman considered Tanner '88 has his most creative work. It isn't surprising that the miniseries is the only work to spawn an Altman directed sequel. Tanner on Tanner is a pretty good coda to the original miniseries; it has the same bone dry humor of the original. It has the sharp barbs at both politics and documentary filmmaking. (Tanner on Tanner is more a media satire than a political one) And it was nice seeing the characters 16 years later.
However, Alex Tanner is more of an object of derision than Jack Tanner was in the original. At no point in the original did it come across as if Jack Tanner was the butt of the joke-instead the absurd process of electing the president was what Altman and company was kicking. *Here* it feels much more targeted at Alex as a character. Of note there is a painfully awkward scene in which two women filmmakers are having to compete for a man's time because of a scheduling mix-up. The scene *in theory* is a very funny but as it plays out it is painful to watch because of the social coding and performances. It is a very sour scene. So sour in fact it feels like it belongs in a different series.
I don't think this is worthwhile to watch on its own; it's really an extension of Tanner '88 and while good in that context it depends on the first series for its vital spark.
However, Alex Tanner is more of an object of derision than Jack Tanner was in the original. At no point in the original did it come across as if Jack Tanner was the butt of the joke-instead the absurd process of electing the president was what Altman and company was kicking. *Here* it feels much more targeted at Alex as a character. Of note there is a painfully awkward scene in which two women filmmakers are having to compete for a man's time because of a scheduling mix-up. The scene *in theory* is a very funny but as it plays out it is painful to watch because of the social coding and performances. It is a very sour scene. So sour in fact it feels like it belongs in a different series.
I don't think this is worthwhile to watch on its own; it's really an extension of Tanner '88 and while good in that context it depends on the first series for its vital spark.