# 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:** 287
**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:** [February 14, 2025, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5728 "2025-02-14T06:02:19Z")
And 5 episodes of season 2 aired so far. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2025, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5729 "2025-02-14T15:14:09Z")
My wife and I are working through _Home Economics_ and are on season 3 now. This is a funny show and I wish it got more than 3 seasons. I also remember watching the first season but not the other two so people like me may be the reason it didn’t last longer. Topher Grace, Caitlin McGee, and Jimmy Tatro are all siblings and are in different financial situations. They navigate the ins and outs of their finances, spouses and kids, and parents in the episodes. It does lean a bit hard on “what did we learn today” at the end of the eps but the characters are fun and have different quirks and the jokes are mostly character based. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2025, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5730 "2025-02-14T16:11:07Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > > [@GuanoLad](#): > > > > It’s not a continuation of s3, it is the entirety of s3. They originally aired on Syfy, now they are on Netflix, the show’s new permanent home. > > Netflix is just restreaming the SyFy episodes. According to Wikipedia, the series is moving from SyFy to USA for S4. Exactly. Netflix is absolutely not the permanent home for Resident Alien. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2025, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5731 "2025-02-14T21:06:22Z")
I was so sure that’s what I had heard. Though maybe it depends on your country, as international people such as myself have access to Netflix but not USA. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2025, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5732 "2025-02-14T22:10:48Z")
Unlike my old laptop, my new one has no problem logging into Apple+, so I can continue with **Severance**. ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5733 "2025-02-15T19:33:05Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > _School Spirts_ > > I thought my days watching a teen show ended with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. > > I’m throughly enjoying _School Spirts_. Maddie wakes up in the after life. Which for her, is the high school. It’s inhabited by a group of ghosts that try to help Maddie adjust. I find the other ghosts annoying. I think they may become more important later in the season. > > Any attempt to leave the school results in Maddie returning to where she died. > > Maddie can hear her old school friends and teachers conversations. She begins learning about their true personalities and secrets. The characters and intrigue gets more interesting with each episode. > > What happened to Maddie? She’s determined to find out. > > There’s 8 episodes in Season 1. It’s not a big commitment to watch. > > It’s airing on Paramount+. I agree in not wanting to watch another teen show but _School Spirits_ kept me watching through s1. I was disappointed that not all of s2 was out. I will say I don’t like how they went about solving the mystery by just assuming the next person they don’t like is guilty. It would have been nice if they had some idea of gathering clues, looking for facts, and being detectives. I am probably asking too much. I really want to keep watching and like _Resident Alien_ but I don’t understand why they decided to make Harry unlikeable. I don’t understand why people like him much less help him. He consistently berates or insults them but they keep coming back. It disappointed me. A rewatch of part of s1 made him worse, in my mind. As I said, I want to like it but they don’t give me anything to like. Amazon Prime, or some subscription through them, allowed me to watch e1 of _Severance_. I found predictable, especially the end reveal, but well done. I would watch more of it if it was on a service I had but I don’t have Apple+ and don’t want another streaming service. Thanks for the discussion! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5734 "2025-02-15T21:05:43Z")
I gave up on Resident Alien after Season 2. I felt like it turned into a different show. It started as a Sci Fi version of Northern Exposure. A fun comedy as the alien tried to fit into small time life. By season 2 they introduced the agents assigned to capture the alien. The focus of fitting into small town life changed. I read Wikipedia summaries and wasn’t interested in the direction of the show. ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5735 "2025-02-15T21:17:06Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > _I gave up on Resident Alien after Season 2._ As Season 3 has just dropped on Netflix, we watched the last episode of Season 2 in order to refresh our memories about what was going on. It helped a little, but neither of us could remember much of that. We then watched Season 3 Episode 1. It didn’t do much for us. And there’s much too much drama involving D’Arcy and Asta. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2025, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5736 "2025-02-15T21:42:33Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > We then watched Season 3 Episode 1. It didn’t do much for us. And there’s much too much drama involving D’Arcy and Asta. Yeah, they’ve moved more heavily into personal relationships, which doesn’t interest me at all. I’m trying to stick with it, but my attention wanders. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2025, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5737 "2025-02-16T11:25:29Z")
I’ll mention two completely different series. I’ve just finished watching _Yes, Minister_ for probably the third time. And even the third time around, I’m impressed by how clever it is. Nigel Hawthorne is particularly fine as the smug and utterly cynical Permanent Secretary who usually (but not always) brilliantly outwits the Minister to get his way. I suppose I could go on to watch _Yes, Prime Minister_ but I don’t recall that being as good. Jim Hacker’s craven fear of the PM and the officials of the PM’s office is often a big part of the story lines. Without this tension, I think the sequel series loses some of its comedic effect. The other one I just started is _The Good Place_, which I was interested in because of how widely acclaimed it was. The problem is I’m not a big fan of fantasies. It’s well acted and lavishly produced and has fine comedic touches, but I’m not sure if I’m going to stick with it. I’ve just seen the first two episodes so far. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2025, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5738 "2025-02-16T12:33:33Z")
I watched _Yes, Minister_ and _Yes, Prime Minister_ as a teen on PBS in the probably late 1980s, and liked it then. A few months back I watched the first episode in anticipation of watching them all, but it just didn’t grab me. (I almost quit _The Good Place_ after the first couple of episodes, but I stuck with it and it became Must See TV.) ---
**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:** [February 16, 2025, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5739 "2025-02-16T12:35:44Z")
Aa for older British shows, I’ve been slowly going through _The Wombles_ for the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2025, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5740 "2025-02-16T13:52:18Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The other one I just started is _The Good Place_, which I was interested in because of how widely acclaimed it was. The problem is I’m not a big fan of fantasies. It’s well acted and lavishly produced and has fine comedic touches, but I’m not sure if I’m going to stick with it. I’ve just seen the first two episodes so far. I would suggest sticking with it through the end of the first season, or at the very least the next two or three episodes. (When it first aired, I didn’t think from the promos that it was a show I’d be interested in. But I watched it one weekend when NBC re-aired the first four episodes, and I was hooked.) ---
**Author:** ![Raza](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raza/32/213_2.png) [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5741 "2025-02-16T14:48:42Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I would suggest sticking with it through the end of the first season, or at the very least the next two or three episodes. I strongly agree. It’s a relatively short season, and the payoff is worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2025, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5742 "2025-02-16T15:45:10Z")
_The Good Place_ is one of those rare series that has a very distinct beginning, middle, and end, and doesn’t stay around too long. Right now you’re at the beginning, and the plot hasn’t really been set in motion yet. Not everyone likes the same things, of course, but if you quit after two episodes, you’ll miss out on what’s about to become a very interesting story. I’d echo @Shoeless’s suggestion to give it at least the first season. If it hasn’t grabbed you by then, it isn’t for you. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2025, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5743 "2025-02-16T16:01:36Z")
I bailed early on both _The Good Place_ and _Shitz Creek_. The sudden praise during seasons two encouraged me to pick them back up and I never regretted it. Now I actually look for shows that were mostly ignored until season 2. It’s easier to get through the necessary buildup if you know there is actually a payoff. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2025, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5744 "2025-02-16T16:11:12Z")
_Parks & Rec_ and _30 Rock_: both had bad first seasons, made some tweaks, and in Season 2 became great. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2025, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5745 "2025-02-16T16:12:42Z")
I think the same thing was true of Seinfeld. It got a lot better after the first season. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5746 "2025-02-16T16:31:21Z")
IIRC, _Cheers_ was one of the lowest-rated, if not THE lowest-rated, show in its first season. Several years later, it was #1. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2025, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/5747 "2025-02-16T16:45:50Z")
_MASH_ was nearly cancelled after its first season as well. In fact, the last episode of season one plays much like a series finale. The apocryphal story is that the wife of Fred Silverman, CBS’s VP of programming, liked it and convinced him to give it one more season to catch on. Spoiler alert: It did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108.md?page=286) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108.md?page=288)