# Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [July 9, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108 "2021-07-09T17:50:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 228
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2024, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4548 "2024-08-10T01:28:38Z")
Finished season three of “The Bear” and have mixed feelings about it. I was not a fan of the long meditative pauses, nor of the prolonged dialogs that were about five minutes past my patience and forbearance. And I loathed the “baby episode”. I could only take so much of Jamie Lee Curtis, even when she was younger and half naked; now she’s just annoying. We didn’t finish the episode. There is a season four in the works for release next year. I’ll probably watch it, just because I’m invested. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4549 "2024-08-13T15:16:37Z")
Just binged the two seasons of **Gangs of London** on AMC. I enjoyed it. Horribly gruesome over-the-top violence, but in a good way. There were a couple of WTF moments, which I’ll spoiler. If you’ve seen the series you might know what I’m going to point out: > **Summary** > > The evil family matriarch, Mariane, gets shot point blank by Ed. They are seated on a bench, each pointing a gun at the other and he pulls his trigger first. Boom, bullet to the chest and he leaves her sitting there, obviously dead. The she shows up later! At first I thought the character who saw her was hallucinating, but then others see her as well. Much later it is explained (unless I missed something) what happened. > > Then in another scene Sean is _shot in the head_. A cop looks at his body and radios “Sean is dead”. Then much later we find out that he survived being _shot in the head_. But, still enjoyable. One other really wild thing, when Mariane was torturing the captured assassin, she plays music by _The Platters_ ( **Only You** ) very loud on a loop. Really weird! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4550 "2024-08-13T16:29:27Z")
Gog help us, but we’ve launched into S27 of “Silent Witness”. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4551 "2024-08-13T17:26:25Z")
I’m 2 episodes in to season 3 of The Bear. So far… Episode 1: Nothing happens. Episode 2: Nothing happens, but with non-stop shouted f-bombs. I am _so_ done with this show. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4552 "2024-08-13T17:37:29Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I am _so_ done with this show. When I saw that they only dropped half the episodes, I initially thought “oh hell”. After watching the first half I thought “cancel streaming service”. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4553 "2024-08-14T01:00:43Z")
Just finished the first season of Fisk, the Australian sitcom about a socially-challenged woman attorney who goes to work for a small estate and probate law firm after losing her previous high-powered job due to some unnamed clash. It’s on Netflix. (I might have first heard about it in this thread.) It was very enjoyable and funny in a low-key way, and I laughed out loud a couple of times. Really looking forward to the 2nd season next. I read it’s even funnier. I see there’s a 3rd season due out this year. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4554 "2024-08-14T01:30:09Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > _I see there’s a 3rd season due out this year._ **Re: Fisk.** We liked it so much we watched it twice. Low-key is indeed an apt description. Can’t wait for a third season. We were looking for a half-hour comedy series to round out the evenings and decided to re-watch **The Detectorists,** a Britcom about two guys who spend an awful lot of their spare time metal detecting. Like Fisk, it’s very droll, if you like that sort of humor. Another British series we enjoyed very much is **The Bletchley Circle.** A group of women who had been code-crackers during WWII get together a few years later and use their talents to track down a serial killer. A gripping story and well-acted by the four principals. A short series with only 3 episodes. We’re looking forward to watching Season 2. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4555 "2024-08-14T02:29:10Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > Another British series we enjoyed very much is **The Bletchley Circle.** A group of women who had been code-crackers during WWII get together a few years later and use their talents to track down a serial killer. A gripping story and well-acted by the four principals. This sounds right up my alley. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4556 "2024-08-14T02:30:35Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > We’re looking forward to watching Season 2. I think season 2 moved to Canada. And it’s not great. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4557 "2024-08-14T03:18:04Z")
I’ll make that my next Australian watch once I finish The Slap ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4558 "2024-08-14T04:04:38Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > I just started watching NYPD Blue. I never watched it when it came out in 1993. 1993!! I’m only a couple of episodes in and so far so good. Come for the authentically gritty police drama, stay for Dennis Franz’s exposed buttocks. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4559 "2024-08-14T06:48:05Z")
There’s also a season of Bletchley Circle set in California. Not bad. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4560 "2024-08-14T07:41:52Z")
Oh you’re right, it was filmed in Canada but set in San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4561 "2024-08-14T13:34:14Z")
i love fisk. so very good. the cast is brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2024, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4562 "2024-08-14T13:51:58Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Come for the authentically gritty police drama, stay for Dennis Franz’s exposed buttocks. I thought of that when I started watching! I remember how that was a big event 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2024, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4563 "2024-08-16T18:42:33Z")
**Mr. Throwback** (Peacock). Down-on-his-luck sports memorabilia seller latches on to his boyhood friend, basketball star Steph Curry (as a version of himself). Curry is surprisingly good. His character has become something of a trope: ridiculously rich, generally benign, can spend lavishly at the drop of a hat, inside a bubble where his entourage have their own entourage. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4564 "2024-08-16T18:59:04Z")
Everything is in reruns so I signed up for Britbox for a month and watched _[Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_Didn%27t_They_Ask_Evans%3F_(2022_TV_series))_ a couple of days ago. This is a recent adaptation of the Agatha Christie story, directed by Hugh Laurie and released a couple of years ago. I’m not sure it’s a series, technically, as there are only three episodes totaling about three hours. But it’s good. Really well done. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4565 "2024-08-17T03:45:38Z")
Totally agree on Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?. Absolutely textbook example, IMHO, of the right way to embellish and “update” (and even somewhat—gasp!—diversify!) a classic period piece. Respect the source and the period in your use of dialogue (which doesn’t mean you can’t get away with inserting a few swears, of the sort that many interwar-era people would have actually used even if an Agatha Christie novel would never explicitly record them). Make a script that requires actual acting and—[clueless golden retriever trying to understand movies] what’s it called in film stuff when you can see something about the characters and their interaction just from non-plot-driven non-verbal behavior? Interpretation? Business? Directing? Shot composition? Visuals?[/cgrttum] Not just reciting sentences of plot exposition and provocative rhetoric hamhandedly trying to convey either Gee People Were Just Terrible Back Then or This Admirable Character Somehow Miraculously Understands What’s Bad About How Terrible People Were Back Then. Similarly, make the modification or “diversification” of supporting characters an opportunity to introduce some interesting people who make the story more interesting. Not just putting new cardboard masks and hats onto the original cardboard personae of a formulaic mystery novel. Use the comedy that’s in the source material, rather than trying to get your laughs by clumsily lampshading and mocking How Silly And Prudish And Unnatural People’s Manners Were Back Then. Agatha Christie is actually often a very funny writer, in spots, in an understated comedy-of-manners way, and the show gave space to that and built on it. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’m not sure it’s a series, technically, as there are only three episodes totaling about three hours. IIRC I originally viewed it in six separate installments, so maybe they bundled them? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4566 "2024-08-17T03:57:56Z")
Are you sure about seeing it (Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?) in six parts? IMDB says it aired in four segments of about 43 minutes in some countries (perhaps with commercials?) but in the United States, it is available on the Britbox streaming service without commercials and in three segments of about 58 minutes each. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2024, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/4567 "2024-08-17T04:03:40Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Are you sure about seeing it (Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?) in six parts? Nope, it’s entirely possible that I don’t RC. (Or maybe I watched the longer episodes in self-selected shorter chunks? Sounds like a level of self-control not typical of my viewing habits, though.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108.md?page=227) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108.md?page=229)