We just finished the British series Scott and Bailey, a cop show that is very woman-centric. Takes place in Manchester, complete with the accents (so you may need subtitles). Five seasons that hold together well. Solid acting, good plotting. Seems like there is a core of about 20 British actors who appear in everything. Airs on Amazon Prime.
We just started season 7 of Bosch (also Amazon Prime), which is the final season of the series. I really don’t care for Lance Reddick’s acting. Didn’t like him in The Wire, and don’t like him here, where he seems to be playing the same role. He’s just kind of. . .robotic. Like previous seasons, this one starts off with the actors seeming to not really want to be there. The Crate and Barrel characters seem forced. Hopefully it will smooth out, as I do like the series so far.
I have been watching hour long episodes during exercise, I have a TV and bluetooth headphones set up I front of the rowing machine so I have been getting through a few series , and my daughter ropes me into watching a few series with her so
Just did the two seasons of the OA. Loved it, the octopus bit was weird but enjoyed everything else. Suspension of disbelief needed for sure but there is good acting and good production and I found the story compelling.
Watched both seasons of For all Mankind , the alternate history space race. Really good as well.
Started the Godfather of Harlem, but alas only the first two were free .
Started the underground Railroad and just looked like it was going to be a hard emotional slog and not right for exercising to.
Just started The Morning Show, I guess it’s an updated The Newsroom.
Hoping we get some more altered carbon one day , Jack Ryan and The Expanse and looking forward to Foundation.
My wife and I started on Life in Pieces , season 1 and 2 had regular laugh out loud funny parts, the latter seasons everyone is getting too cartoonish and less funny moments , but still enjoyable.
I’m sure this thread will be full of current shows, so as a counterpoint… I’ve been ending my day (midnightish, after everyone else has gone to bed) with an episode of an old series I loved back the day.
It started when I watched Tim Roth in Tin Star, and thought back to how much I loved the show Lie To Me, where his schtick was observing people to catch them lying. It’s so much fun that I started rewatching The Mentalist from the beginning. And Burn Notice for a smart spy show (love how he narrates the capers: “You used to need an arsenal to take out a crimelord. These days, you just need a good hardware store…”).
I’ve decided that I love cop/spy shows where the protagonist uses their (superior) brain to cleverly uncover the truth. Any current shows like that?
My wife and I are into episode 7 of season 1 of Jack Lord-era, “Hawaii 5-0.” STINKEROO! It’s awful in every respect! We’re trying the MST3K method, but it’s not helping. This thing ran 12 seasons? Seriously? Why doesn’t Mr. Maudlin DO something before it’s too late? Oh, God!
I’ve just started watching Monsters at Work on Disney+ with my sister. It’s shockingly very good, and we were sad when we realised there were only 2 episodes available at the time.
I gave up on “The Stand” miniseries after two episodes. I got tired of the nonlinear storyline and the “let’s see how far we can go to gross out the viewer” mentality. I love the book, and have read it a few times. When I had trouble following this mess of a storyline, I could only imagine what someone who wasn’t familiar with the story in the first place would do.
On the advice of a co-worker, I tried watching Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime. Jeremy Clarkson, from Top Gear, buys a farm and tries his hand at farming.
I got about fifteen minutes into the first episode before I gave up. There are only so many times he can feign surprise and consternation every time he discovers that tractors, fertilizer and seed cost money and that farming is hard work.
I’m watching MASH, which I haven’t seen since it first aired. I’m at the point where Charles joined the crew. I like it, but I’m REALLY TIRED of Hawkeye’s libido.
Just finished Star Trek Picard and it was lovely. The story centers on the interior life of the old Admiral, who is resigned and disengaged as he convalesces in the family vineyard. Naturally trouble finds him, and Picard is on a race against time to rescue a synthetic woman in danger of the Tal Shiar. It’s not just about the external plot, but Picard’s journey as he faces the consequences of giving up on the people who needed him most. While it’s a cerebral tale, it’s got plenty of classic Trek action, and some great special guest appearances. The ending was perfect. I’d rank it alongside DS9 as best Trek ever. I don’t think I could choose.
If you liked Scott & Bailey (and haven’t seen it) same writer did Happy Valley which is fantastic though you do have to purchase it. It is worth every penny.
I adoredScott and Bailey. So much so that I stayed with The Shadow Line for way longer than I should have, just because it had Lesley Sharp (Scott) in it (she was great, the rest of it was … stylish but weird and ultimately pointless) but also got onto Unforgotten (lead by Nicola Walker who’s the crazy adult child of the serial killer in Season 1 of S&B - also brilliant) so that’s one plus and one minus.
Current binge, Black Sails - pirate adventure prequel to Treasure Island. The reviews of this are mostly terrible because even where the reviewers liked it they tended to focus on the hot pirate-on-pirate action (of which there’s admittedly plenty, but it’s so not the point of the show). A lot of the first season is setup, but once it starts paying off it is big on character studies of how to survive in a violent marginally-lawful society when you’re not a big bruiser who can beat down the opposition - most of the really interesting characters are living on their wits, having to think sharp and move quick to survive and make a place for themselves. I have no idea who streams it in the US, so I don’t know how easy it is to get hold of.
We gave up on The Walking Dead. The Negan plotline lasted far too long, and when they brought in that batshit crazy woman as the new villain, we decided we’d seen enough.
I thought the concept of re-imagining the Archie Andrews characters in a contemporary setting in Riverdale might be interesting, and for the first season of 13 episodes, it was. The second season of more than 20 episodes was considerably less so. The story arc just wasn’t good enough to stretch over that many episodes. The third season we stopped watching after 3 episodes.
In the Dark. I missed the entire second season (didn’t realize it was on until halfway through), but the show is amazing. Superb writing, complex characters. Murphy is manipulative, selfish, charming and secretly vulnerable, and fascinating to watch, while the others are also some of the most interesting on TV.
Kevin Can F— Himself. Two shows in one: an awful sitcom (think According to Jim) about a oaf of a husband and his long-suffering wife, and a drama about the wife who finally decides to murder him. The dramatic scenes – most of the show – follow her through revelations and attempts to set up her scheme. She is untrustworthy but more dramatically inept. Great characters outside the sitcom scenes (which is deliberately unfunny with overly broad humor and predictable situations). Annie Murphy is excellent as Allison.
Glad somebody started this thread in parallel with the movies thread.
I’m currently watching “I’m Sorry” on Netflix. Very entertaining comedy and not overwrought writing that clubs you over the head with messaging. Just fun.
I recently finished the last season of “Bosch” on Prime. Easily the weakest of the entire 7 seasons. It’s not that great of a show, to be honest. I think I just liked his house so much that I continued watching it for the hillside view. LA is a really ugly city.
I can watch that on Starz iirc. I loved this show! You’re spot on! Pretty realistic costumes and set in the heat sand, sun and marshes of Bahamas but was actually filmed in S Africa.
Even though the actors stayed grimy in their sweat stained clothes with dried blood or scars I did notice they kept pretty clean shaven with the same head styling in every episode.
The characters we’re colorful and entertaining but Max the Madame’s voice/ accent started to grate. The murderous brooding pirate Anne Bonny was portrayed by an English aristocrat, Lady Clara Paget. That cracks me up, she played it well.
Unless you’re Irish, turn on subtitles. The accents are a bit impenetrable.