# 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:** 322
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6428 "2025-05-21T23:25:55Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > > [@Scoobysnax](#): > > > > After the first season I am probably going to switch over to watch **Chernobyl**. > > Share your thoughts. I’ve not seen this one but it was widely acclaimed. In my opinion one of the best shows in the last decade. > [@Scoobysnax](#): > > It is the same with the Disney Marvel series; they have produced way too many mediocre shows. I gave up in the first episode of Echo and Secret Invasion and only made it a few episodes into Moon Knight and She-Hulk. The four you mention are widely different in quality and tone. _Secret Invasion_ was a mess and seems to be totally insignificant to the MCU. _She-Hulk_ was messy but fun in the same way the comic book is. _Moon Knight_ and _Echo_ I enjoyed. Echo managed to have a much different feel that most of the MCU and every appearance of this Kingpin is great. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2025, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6429 "2025-05-21T23:39:47Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > You must have very high standards Mostly I just prefer documentaries to docu-dramas. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2025, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6430 "2025-05-22T00:35:16Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > Mostly I just prefer documentaries to docu-dramas Same here. If I wanted to see something that didn’t truly happen, I’d just watch fiction instead. ---
**Author:** ![Chelonaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@Chelonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chelonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6431 "2025-05-22T12:13:23Z")
Started **The Studio** on Apple TV+, and like earlier posts in the thread I found it tough going. Pros: it looks good, has a great soundtrack (quiet drum improvisations in the background or Satie-like jazz piano), and some fun ideas. Okay: all the fictional movie executives/office workers are scumbags, but they’re mostly quite interesting scumbags. Cons: more hollywood navelgazing about how awful hollywood is. And its very cringe. I feel better about **Bad Monkey**. Read a lot of Hiaassen about 20 years ago, but not the source for this. AFAIR they were a breeze to read but I generally found his lead characters bland, and his villains so self destructive they didn’t really feel like a threat. He wrote really good secondary characters and I liked his Florida of offbrand theme parks, bass fishing competitions and dastardly bound-to-fail real estate scams. Two episodes in. I could do with less captain obvious narration, but the actors are good, half the scenes take place on a beach, harbor or boat, the mystery is not that mysterious, but I want to see it resolved. ---
**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:** [May 22, 2025, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6432 "2025-05-22T14:53:47Z")
Watched the first few eps of **North of North** on NFLX. A gentle comedy about life in an Arctic village in Canada. Actually filmed on site, as far as I can tell. The main character is a young Tlingit woman from Southeast Alaska, playing a young Inuit woman who is finding her way. Not riotously funny, but warmly amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6433 "2025-05-22T15:15:05Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > > [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > > > Disney bought the richest sci fi universe ever created, and beat it to death with a stick labeled “Stupid”. > > Episode VII is terrific. Shame they had zero plan going forward. I recently watched the entire series with my young son long after all the dust settled and besides The Holy Trilogy I think The Last Jedi stands out as the best of the lot. It’s not perfect, but it’s mostly a Band-Aid to the mistakes of the past and it showed a way forward for the franchise away from white suburban tween boys. Focus on the desperate weak good guys fighting the institutional big bad while also turning the themes on their head. For instance, ‘wreathed hives of scum and villainy’ come in all variety of economic classes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6434 "2025-05-23T19:02:20Z")
> [@Scoobysnax](#): > > I am starting with the first season of **True Detective**. It stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as two detectives investigating a serial killer. I really didnt like that show- the later burnt out Woody was so over the top it ruined the series. And the later investigation was really pointless- does that dept have unlimited funds? > [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Disney bought the richest sci fi universe ever created, and beat it to death with a stick labeled “Stupid”. Oh please- many of the Fans her have opinions that only “A New Hope” is great- the next two are okay- good, and everything else is total garbage. So how can Disney ruin what the "true fans’ say is unwatchable garbage? ---
**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:** [May 23, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6435 "2025-05-23T19:14:56Z")
> [@Scoobysnax](#): > > I am starting with the first season of **True Detective**. > [@DrDeth](#): > > I really didnt like that show I’m just the opposite. I enjoyed Season 1…I thought McConaughey was excellent. Season 2…not so much. Haven’t watched Season 3. But I did watch Season 4, and I enjoyed that one as well. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6436 "2025-05-23T19:20:56Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > I thought McConaughey was excellent. Yes, he was. It was Harrelson I didnt like. ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6437 "2025-05-23T19:23:06Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Oh please- many of the Fans her have opinions that only “A New Hope” is great- the next two are okay- good, and everything else is total garbage. So how can Disney ruin what the "true fans’ say is unwatchable garbage? I have always felt that Star Wars fans, myself included, consider the original trilogy to be far better than they actually are. If I were to see them for the first time as a 50 year old I probably would not enjoy them as much as I did when I was 8-10. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6438 "2025-05-23T19:24:47Z")
I believe that can be true, AND the sequels and prequels can still be far worse than the originals. ---
**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:** [May 23, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6439 "2025-05-23T20:48:57Z")
I started on **Until I Kill You** on Britbox. Holy crap, that’s one dark series. Based on true events in the UK involving a serial killer. ---
**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:** [May 23, 2025, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6440 "2025-05-23T21:58:10Z")
We watched the first episode of **Parasyte: The Grey** on Netflix. It’s a Korean adaptation of a Japanese manga about parasites from space taking over human bodies. Basically _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_ with some well done, but derivative (demogorgonish) creature design. The main character is a woman who was only half taken over by her parasite. Her two halves have to work together to avoid the other parasites and the human team formed to hunt them down. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6441 "2025-05-23T22:54:42Z")
> [@Scoobysnax](#): > > I have always felt that Star Wars fans, myself included, consider the original trilogy to be far better than they actually are. I saw A New Hope first run in a theatre, and yes, it was amazing and almost life changing. We made it a point to stand in line to see the next two as soon as they came out- Day 1. > [@Frodo](#): > > I believe that can be true, AND the sequels and prequels can still be far worse than the originals. I wont argue with that, IV was truly amazing at that time, V and VI were pretty damn good. At that time i would say A+ ,A and B+ I, II, II were entertaining with some great moments but overall disappointing and more like C- C+. But in any case, there are lots of haters- even here- who think epi I- Phantom Menace is a F- piece of crap. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_McQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Steve\_McQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_McQwark)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6442 "2025-05-23T23:25:31Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Watched the first few eps of **North of North** on NFLX. A gentle comedy about life in an Arctic village in Canada. Actually filmed on site, as far as I can tell. The main character is a young Tlingit woman from Southeast Alaska, playing a young Inuit woman who is finding her way. Not riotously funny, but warmly amusing. We watched this a couple of weeks ago. We enjoyed it - warmly amusing is a good appraisal of it. I was googling about the show and apparently the lead actress, Anna Lambe, is from the village where they filmed. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6443 "2025-05-23T23:35:56Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I watched the first 3 episodes of Chernobyl (on a plane). It looked great, but I’m not a big fan of dramatizations of real events; there were a couple of dramatized scenes that made me roll my eyes. I absolutely agree. It is one of those situations where the more you know about a subject, the less impressive the show was. What was impressive about the series were the sets: the phones, filing cabinets, clothes, etc. were absolutely perfect, but they missed the mark on Soviet culture and the history. > **[What HBO’s](https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/what-hbos-chernobyl-got-right-and-what-it-got-terribly-wrong)** > > The show’s creators imagine confrontation where it was unthinkable—and, in doing so, they cross the line from conjuring a fiction to creating a lie. “Unfortunately, apart from these striking moments, the series often veers between caricature and folly. In Episode 2, for example, the Central Committee member Boris Shcherbina (Stellan Skarsgård) threatens to have Legasov shot if he doesn’t tell him how a nuclear reactor works. There are a lot of people throughout the series who appear to act out of fear of being shot. This is inaccurate: summary executions, or even delayed executions on orders of a single apparatchik, were not a feature of Soviet life after the nineteen-thirties. By and large, Soviet people did what they were told without being threatened with guns or any punishment. Similarly repetitive and ridiculous are the many scenes of heroic scientists confronting intransigent bureaucrats by explicitly criticizing the Soviet system of decision-making. In Episode 3, for example, Legasov asks, rhetorically, “Forgive me—maybe I’ve just spent too much time in my lab, or maybe I’m just stupid. Is this really the way it all works? An uninformed, arbitrary decision that will cost who knows how many lives that is made by some apparatchik, some career Party man?” Yes, of course this is the way it works, and, no, he hasn’t been in his lab so long that he didn’t realize that this is how it works. The fact of the matter is, if he didn’t know how it worked, he would never have had a lab.“ ---
**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:** [May 24, 2025, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6444 "2025-05-24T00:15:51Z")
> [@Steve\_McQwark](#): > > the lead actress, Anna Lambe, is from the village where they filmed. Wow, did I get some bad information! I know I read online that she was Tlingit, but that was clearly not so. ---
**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:** [May 24, 2025, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6445 "2025-05-24T04:29:26Z")
> [@Chelonaut](#): > > Cons: more hollywood navelgazing about how awful hollywood is. And its very cringe. I’ve given up on it. I really wanted to like it, but after the first episode, the cringe became the message and there was nothing else. The first episode with Martin Scorsese still cracks me up, though. ---
**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:** [May 24, 2025, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6446 "2025-05-24T06:21:44Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > > [@JohnT](#): > > > > Probably going to finish _The Good Place_ tonight, and unlike most here, I found it quite the slog. > > > > The cast was great. The characters all had fantastically funny moments. It was interesting seeing philosophical theories being played out in real time. > > > > It was (is) overwhelmingly cutesy, gratingly punny, and sometimes dumb… > > I might agree with some of your criticisms if they were solely about Season 4. I think S4 is the weakest of the four seasons (S1 and S3 are the best, in my view). In S4 they seem to be running out of ideas. TBH I took a break about halfway through, but will go back and finish it. If they had quit at S3 they would have gone out on a high note and left fans clamoring for more. With S4, I found myself thinking “I see why they stopped”. My final conclusion – and recommendation for those who might want to try watching – is that **The Good Place** is unique, creative, very funny in many places, and well worth watching **but** … you might consider quitting after Season 3. If it intrigues you so much that you want to go on to S4, by all means do so. But I paused my viewing at about the 4th or 5th episode of S4 meaning to get back to it, and that was two and half months ago, so I guess it’s officially abandoned. But the first three seasons were excellent, with S1 and S3 being the best. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2025, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/6447 "2025-05-24T12:18:01Z")
> [@Scoobysnax](#): > > I have always felt that Star Wars fans, myself included, consider the original trilogy to be far better than they actually are. If I were to see them for the first time as a 50 year old I probably would not enjoy them as much as I did when I was 8-10. Finally some people addressing the taboo thing which I have thought since the 80s (that and the Beatles being overrated), the first was great when I was a kid (but I grew up), the twist made the second movie probably the best, the third was a piece of crap (getting Han out of that shrink wrap, and teddy bears for toy merchandise?), but people seem to suffer from mass amensia for the series every few years and forget the lack of quality of the original movies, then are shocked as the prequels are crap, then the sequels are crap, and come back to me to tell me that the fifteenth reboot be it Mandalorian, or Andor, is great, and are utterly shocked when I point out the memory they’ve long since blocked out like an abuse victim, that the originals weren’t all that in the first place. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108.md?page=321) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108.md?page=323)