Since December we have watched… (rankings are on a 5-star basis)
Sharp Objects. I think I mentioned this here before, but this was a 4.5 star show which dropped a full star because of a stupid reveal in the final 10 seconds. 3.5 of 5. (Netflix)
The Breakthrough - Swedish show about forensic genealogy. This one was weird in how it handled time - you’d hear a character say something like “THIS INVESTIGATION IS BEING SHUT DOWN MONDAY” and then weeks pass. 2 of 5 (it was probably better than that, but this is the only show on this list where I had to research what it was… which likely isn’t a good sign, overall.) (Netflix)
House of the Dragon - A slow starter which got better as time passed. 4 of 5. (HBO)
Big Little Lies - A fun soap-operaish romp about moms and their issues. I’m one of the few who enjoyed S2 a bit more than S1. 4 of 5. (HBO)
Gunpowder - I think I mentioned this already. Was kind of flat, little suspense, we merely watched it because Jon Snow was the lead. 2 of 5. (HBO)
Under the Banner of Heaven - OK, this one was fun. Mormons go crazy, the main character (also a Mormon) tries to Make Sense Of It All. I read that the LDS church did not like this show at all, and it’s obvious why. But I strongly recommend it. 5 of 5. (Netflix (I think. Could be HBO.))
His and Hers - Kind of like Sharp Objects, this one was reduced by a big reveal at the end of the show. 2.5 of 5. (Netflix)
Nine Perfect Strangers - S1. A group of people go to Nicole Kidman’s weird resorts and Things Happen While Our Characters Learn About Themselves. A lot of structural issues with this one - there are 9 strangers (plus one enigmatic resort owner, and 2 assistants), they spend 10 days in the resort, but there are only 8 hour-long episodes in the season.
You do the math.
Anyway, some of the characters were kind of background because the show creators didn’t give the writers enough time to flesh all but a few people out. 4 of 5. (HBO)
Nine Perfect Strangers - S2. Even more than the first season, this was a disjointed mess which probably should’ve been left on the option block. 2.5 of 5. (HBO)
Suddenly Amish - Now I don’t watch reality shows, the last time I watched a full season of one was 2001’s Murder in Small Town X (which wasn’t really a reality show, come to think about it). Other than a few episodes of Survivor to see what the fuss has been about, I’ve generally avoided the genre for 25, 30 years. (Didn’t help that the guy who won … Small Town X died in the WTC attacks a week after the show ended.)
Anyway, Inna and I wanted to see something involving another minor offshoot of Christianity and we stumbled across this show. Let’s just say that my avoidance of the reality show genre was not shaken by this one. Since we caught it while it was still in its original run, we started calling it “Dipshits” and we would ask ourselves “do we want to watch Dipshits or Diplomats tonight” because we were also watching (2 of 5)… (HBO)
The Diplomat. This was a fantastic show which probably blew past the believability barrier somewhere around episode 3, but fuck it. If it’s written (and acted) well, I’ll buy it. 5 of 5, can’t wait for season four sometime this November. Netflix.
Beef. I loved this show, about two people with anger issues getting angry at each other. 4.5 of 5. Netflix.