# 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:** 255
**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:** [November 21, 2024, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5088 "2024-11-21T15:08:59Z")
We watched the first episode of Landman with John Hamm and Billy Bob Thornton. It’s about Texas oil rigs. We liked the first episode so we’ll continue. I love Billy Bob, but if I didn’t know his voice I would never have known it was him. He’s had major face work done. It doesn’t look like him anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5089 "2024-11-21T18:52:24Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I mentioned awhile back upthread that I started watching ‘Dark Winds’ based on some recommendations here, and I’m enjoying it a lot. > > Question for those of you who’ve seen the show and read the Tony Hillerman books that the show is based on: are the supernatural elements in the show also part of the book series? For example, in ep.3 that I just watched, an Indian woman puts a voodoo-style ‘curse’ on another woman using a personal belonging, causing the ‘cursed’ woman to be bit on the neck by a black widow spider and die. > > I read several of the books, and I don’t remember any of that-- I just remember the books being police procedural murder mysteries set on a Navaho reservation, without any supernatural hijinks. But it’s been awhile since I read any of them. I’ve read all of the books (I think) and IIRC, Chee was studying to be a shaman. It may have just been a way for Hillerman to write about Navaho beliefs & superstitions, but I don’t remember anybody successfully using magic or voodoo. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5090 "2024-11-21T21:38:48Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Question for those of you who’ve seen the show and read the Tony Hillerman books that the show is based on: are the supernatural elements in the show also part of the book series? Sorta- some of the natives believe in it, but IIRC they have no direct effect anyone can see. > [@Bumbazine](#): > > but I don’t remember anybody successfully using magic or voodoo. Right- but of course if you believe in a curse, it can work- sorta. ---
**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:** [November 21, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5091 "2024-11-21T21:44:51Z")
> [@Bumbazine](#): > > I’ve read all of the books (I think) and IIRC, Chee was studying to be a shaman. > It may have just been a way for Hillerman to write about Navaho beliefs & superstitions, but I don’t remember anybody successfully using magic or voodoo. I agree. Hillerman used it as a device to give a nod to the traditions and beliefs, and the series of novels intertwines those beliefs with actual police work, but there aren’t any mystical occurrences that I can recall. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5092 "2024-11-21T21:53:09Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > My wife and I started watching _Matlock_ and turned it off after 10 minutes (first conference room scene where she asks to be hired) because it seemed so smarmy. Every single character was just chewing the scenery…like in middle school productions. Yes, that scene was deliberately that way…and it did not reflect the reality of the situation. I also didn’t care for the office characters much. I wasn’t into it until about halfway through, and I saw what they were doing, and it was not what I thought. Watch the entire episode, and if you still don’t care for it, that’s fine. It’s the Kathy Bates character that drew me in. So far, all the office politics is a bit cheesy (i.e. typical for a network dramedy). ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2024, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5093 "2024-11-21T22:31:52Z")
Thanks for the input and comments! We’ll probably give it another shot. ---
**Author:** ![Ash\_trav511](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@Ash\_trav511](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ash_trav511)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5094 "2024-11-22T06:39:37Z")
Watching Monk in Netflix…into season 2 now and liking so far. Main characters Monk, Sharona and the police captain are beautifully etched out and the actors did a great job ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5095 "2024-11-22T13:28:44Z")
Using our free sample of AppleTV+, we finally got to see **Masters of the Air.** Not as good as **The Pacific** or the superior **Bands of Brothers,** it was still a good watch. It took a few episodes before we warmed up to the characters, but the flying sequences were outstanding. And that final episode, with the POW’s endless marching and the discovery of the death camps, was harrowing. If you’ve seen the other two series and have not seen this one, do so if you have the opportunity. You will not be disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5096 "2024-11-22T18:26:25Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Right- but of course if you believe in a curse, it can work- sorta. I assume because of the ‘placebo effect’? The victim would have to know about the curse and believe in voodoo (or whatever magic) for that to work, and I don’t remember if she did in the story. I also don’t understand how a curse could persuade a spider to bite somebody. As an aside, I was bitten by a black widow when I was in my 20s. I had a goose egg sized, somewhat painful, lump on my leg for over a month, but no other ill effects. Out of curiosity I did some research and was told that for a black widow bite to be lethal the victim would have to have an underlying health problem or infirmity, or so said the authorities available to me at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5097 "2024-11-22T19:29:31Z")
> [@Bumbazine](#): > > Out of curiosity I did some research and was told that for a black widow bite to be lethal the victim would have to have an underlying health problem or infirmity, or so said the authorities available to me at the time. To be fair, the _thing_ in that episode was definitely no Black Window spider. [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](https://i.imgur.com/kqPhCl0.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5098 "2024-11-22T19:42:19Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > Using our free sample of AppleTV+, we finally got to see **Masters of the Air.** Not as good as **The Pacific** or the superior **Bands of Brothers,** it was still a good watch. If you liked those I would recommend **[Generation Kill](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0995832/)** about a Marine Recon Unit in the Iraq War. I enjoyed **A Man on the Inside** , the new Netfix show with Ted Danson going undercover in a retirement home. It’s billed as a “crime comedy” but it’s just as concerned with themes of family and aging. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5099 "2024-11-22T21:44:13Z")
> [@Ash\_trav511](#): > > Watching Monk in Netflix…into season 2 now and liking so far. Main characters Monk, Sharona and the police captain are beautifully etched out and the actors did a great job I liked the early Monk, when Monk was a brilliant detective with a quirk. Later one it became a man with quirks and comedy relief cops. > [@Bumbazine](#): > > I assume because of the ‘placebo effect’? The victim would have to know about the curse and believe in voodoo (or whatever magic) for that to work, and I don’t remember if she did in the story. > I also don’t understand how a curse could persuade a spider to bite somebody. Right, and yeah, no - spells dont work on spiders. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5100 "2024-11-22T22:00:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I liked the early Monk, when Monk was a brilliant detective with a quirk. Later one it became a man with quirks and comedy relief cops. I quit early. I turned it on once and yeah, the officers were beyond zany. It had really changed…for the worse to an occasional viewer. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5101 "2024-11-22T22:20:49Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > To be fair, the _thing_ in that episode was definitely no Black Window spider. > > [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](https://i.imgur.com/kqPhCl0.jpeg) What did you think was off about it? An actual black widow spider has a larger abdomen in relation to its body than the spider in the screenshot from the show, but size-wise and otherwise I don’t think it was that off. > **Summary** > > [https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S3wiZMFCygNk5q47o5GsEY-1200-80.png](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S3wiZMFCygNk5q47o5GsEY-1200-80.png) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2024, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5102 "2024-11-22T23:21:42Z")
The size is _way_ off. As is the shape and color. It is wrong in almost every way possible to be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5103 "2024-11-23T00:43:21Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > To be fair, the _thing_ in that episode was definitely no Black Window spider. > > [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](https://i.imgur.com/kqPhCl0.jpeg) You’re right. Mea culpa. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5104 "2024-11-23T01:31:03Z")
I just gave up on _Brilliant Minds_. It’s been a little iffy for me from the beginning because of the flashbacks to the main character’s relationship with his mother. But this week’s episode jumped the shark. ---
**Author:** ![Ash\_trav511](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@Ash\_trav511](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ash_trav511)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5105 "2024-11-23T09:05:53Z")
I just loooooooved Big Bang Theory…still watch a few episodes every now and then ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5106 "2024-11-23T13:29:20Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > The size is _way_ off. As is the shape and color. It is wrong in almost every way possible to be wrong. Fair enough. My main issue is not how it looked, but the fact that a show I’m otherwise enjoying has this cheesy supernatural subplot element that feels shoehorned in. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5107 "2024-11-23T16:39:39Z")
I stumbled upon _Mrs. Sidhu Investigates_ on my library’s Hoopla App. Nice little mystery series. Mrs. Sidhu is a caterer who stumbles upon murders (probably a good reason not to hire her :)). She’s extremely likeable and uses her cooking (which is extremely good) to get witnesses to open up to her. DCI Burton, who is the chief investigator, keeps trying to get her to leave things alone, but Mrs. Sidhu is so charming – and feeds him important clues – so that he is forced to accept her. The contrast between the bubbly Mrs. Sidhu and the clinically depressed Burton makes a nice contrast. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108.md?page=254) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108.md?page=256)