# 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:** 464
**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:** [July 5, 2026, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9268 "2026-07-05T18:32:06Z")
I finished watching the last season of ER. It had its ups and downs, but overall it was clear why it lasted such a long time. During the first run, I stopped watching some time in season 10 where Dr. Romano got killed by a helicopter. I thought that was pretty silly at the time, but the award for the most ridiculous episode would have to go to season 13’s episode “Murmurs of the Heart” where: - Dr. Kovac gets kidnapped at gunpoint by his arch-enemy (Forest Whitaker) - Dr. Pratt gets arrested and thrown in jail - Dr. Gates’s ex-girlfriend has an overdose and – in her dying breath – she tells him he has a daughter - Nurse Taggart’s son lights an apartment building on fire Sweeps week! ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9269 "2026-07-05T18:47:46Z")
We started on Margo’s got Money Trouble and binged through to episode 4. We liked it, funny, no doubt less funny stuff is coming, great cast Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer , Nick Offerman,and others. To be resumed after the long weekend . ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9270 "2026-07-05T20:15:23Z")
I might give that a try, since **The Night Of** just went from “now watching” to “recently given up on.” I finished episode one barely giving a crap about the accused (protagonist?), and then episode 2 started with me hearing the little twerp’s voice again and I couldn’t stand it. I just had this visceral, negative reaction. I think first I’m going to check out **Vikings: Valhalla** though. The original series ended like a limp fart (really a bad call trying to make the most pathetic ruthless murderer of the series also the central protagonist of the latter part of the series, and then expect me to feel sympathy for him as he dies crying like a little baby on the battlefield). ---
**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:** [July 5, 2026, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9271 "2026-07-05T21:28:48Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > I think first I’m going to check out **Vikings: Valhalla** though. Ooh, my wife and I loved Vikings(agree on its ups and downs, though). We disliked Vikings: Valhalla. Did not watch past season 1. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9272 "2026-07-05T22:05:52Z")
I was scrolling Netflix and discovered that we never finished season 3 of **Alice in Borderland**. I think we were befuddled by the rules for the Zombie game in episode 3 and switched to something else. On second viewing we had a better grasp on the rules (You really have to give this show your full attention to know what’s going on) and got hooked into watching the rest of the season. The next two and a half episodes were very satisfying, though the extended “where are they now” prologue comprising nearly half of ep. 6 was boring and unnecessary, as was the tease (_à la_ Squid Game) of an unlikely American sequel. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9273 "2026-07-05T22:09:28Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > During the first run, I stopped watching some time in season 10 where Dr. Romano got killed by a helicopter. I thought that was pretty silly at the time, After getting his arm chopped off by a similar helicopter. Damn silly. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2026, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9274 "2026-07-05T22:12:04Z")
I think it was the _same_ helicopter. Apparently it held a grudge against him for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9275 "2026-07-05T22:29:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think it was the _same_ helicopter. Apparently it held a grudge against him for some reason Given the ridiculousness of the show in later episodes, I can believe that . At least the didnt have it tracking him down at home, ala Landshark. Knock knock Who’s there? Killer Helicopter! 🙀 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9276 "2026-07-05T22:38:00Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > > [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > > > I think first I’m going to check out **Vikings: Valhalla** though. > > Ooh, my wife and I loved Vikings(agree on its ups and downs, though). We disliked Vikings: Valhalla. > > Did not watch past season 1. In what I fear is a recurring theme, I was non-plussed by episode one. Made it about halfway through and just didn’t care about anyone or anything it was showing me. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2026, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9277 "2026-07-05T23:10:12Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > In what I fear is a recurring theme, I was non-plussed by episode one. Made it about halfway through and just didn’t care about anyone or anything it was showing me. The original had Ragnar as a big feature of the show. Travis Fimmel played that character so well, it really sold the whole show. Later, Bjorn is pretty solid to watch, but so is the “evil/crazy” son. The show fizzled, though. It’s final season just didn’t go anywhere interesting. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9278 "2026-07-06T05:37:08Z")
> [@liirogue](#): > > I’ve got 3 free months of Apple, so I need to check that out. Dickinson is very good if you can handle the period piece + contemporary sensibilities math. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9279 "2026-07-06T10:33:39Z")
We really liked this series but there was a point where it went very dark and I had to take a break from it. It is just so funny, we weren’t prepared… We were able to come back to it and finish and do highly recommend it. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9280 "2026-07-06T14:06:37Z")
> [@liirogue](#): > > I’ve got 3 free months of Apple, so I need to check that out. I plan on watching **Ted Lasso** and **For All Mankind**. Any other recommendations are welcome! You can try _Star City_, which is a currently-running sidequel of _For All Mankind_ told from the Russian POV. (I started watching the first episode of that, then decided to wait for the season to finish before watching, so I can’t say how good or bad it is.) ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9281 "2026-07-06T16:19:35Z")
I hadn’t heard of that one - I’ll add it to the list if I end up liking For All Mankind. And @zbuzz thanks I’ll add it to the list as well, but probably more towards the bottom. It seems well-reviewed but I’m not a big Emily Dickinson fan, so not the target audience. I’ve made it through the first season of **Clarkson’s Farm** and will see how the second season is. Clarkson is (or is scripted to be) quite a buffoon, but he also seems to genuinely care for the land and animals under his care. I obviously can’t speak to the economics of running a farm in the UK, but dang that’s a lot of work for barely any money. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9282 "2026-07-06T16:24:32Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > You can try _Star City_ I’m tempted since I liked _For All Mankind_ till the last season lost me completely. Is the series mostly about space or mostly about how eeeevil the commies are? if the former I’ll give it a try. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9283 "2026-07-06T16:49:16Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Is the series mostly about space or mostly about how eeeevil the commies are? As I mentioned, I’m putting off watching it until the season finishes, but this is from the Google AI summary (it gives links, I didn’t search down which cited article it came from) > It’s a paranoid thriller that explores the Soviet space program from behind the Iron Curtain, focusing on cosmonauts, engineers, and intelligence officers at the secret training base, with a tone closer to a Cold War spy story than the original series. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9284 "2026-07-06T16:58:46Z")
I think it’s also fair to point out that Clarkson doesn’t know what he is doing and wastes a lot of time effort and money in running the operation. Legitimately, farming is a hard business, but he makes it harder on himself. Plus the effort and headbutting with locals over non-farming activities like a store that banks on his celebrity. He comes off pretty sympathetic given his genuine interest in the work and caring for his livestock, but every once in a while I remind myself of the situation. ---
**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:** [July 6, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9285 "2026-07-06T16:59:54Z")
Gotcha, not for me then, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![liirogue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dbc845/32.png) [@liirogue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liirogue)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9286 "2026-07-06T17:18:17Z")
Oh yes, I’ve never seen someone so eager to spend $10k to make $1k. But I’m assuming at least some of that is scripted to play up what an idiot he is for conflict and amusement. He’s a rich man that can afford to throw some money around, and he very much does so just because he can. I mean, who in their right mind actually buys a Lamborghini tractor?? ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2026, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108/9287 "2026-07-06T19:53:22Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > **The Night Of** just went from “now watching” to “recently given up on.” I finished episode one barely giving a crap about the accused Really? From what I remember, the first episode was completely riveting. The series overall was good, although it did get a bit ridiculous the longer it went on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108.md?page=463) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/series-youve-recently-watched-are-now-watching-or-have-given-up-on/946108.md?page=465)