A quick search turns up a bunch of entries here for Taskmaster so I don’t know what I can add to the discourse other than all of the episodes are available on YouTUbe.
Something my teen and I found at the end of last year was Gary and His Demons. We found it very humorous. Gary is a middle aged “chosen one” and is kind of a putz. He has an anime-esque transformation sequence that he pulls out sometimes.
Brand New Cherry Flavor on Netflix.
Pretty dark stuff. A talented aspiring filmmaker signs a contract with a Hollywood producer to write and direct a feature film based on a short film she (the aspiring filmmaker) has made. Then she rejects his sexual advances, and he takes her off the project and brings in another director. He has stolen her movie, and she wants revenge. Along the way, we get voodoo-like curses, zombies, a woman puking up newborn kittens, a weird supernatural creature harassing the main character, and more. If you want some meaning that’s deeper than just going along for the ride with a horror series, take is as a story about the spiritual cost of revenge.
Not sure I’d rate it highly enough to call it a favorite, but I like it. And it was cool to see Manny Jacinto (Jason in The Good Place) turn up as one of the main character’s friends.
I never read the Clavell novel, but I am an addict for this time period and place and have seen the 80’s Series. I am one episode in and I am completely on board. They are doing a fantastic job. The lead is a poor man’s Tom Hardy which makes this almost a Taboo Prequel and I am here for it.
The Tourist will have to go on hold for awhile as I watch what I can of Shogun.
Here’s one out of the Wayback Machine: Insight episodes, from the 60s-70s. Kind of a Catholic Scolding version of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The moralizing is ham-fisted, especially in the earlier episodes. Sex is bad unless it’s done the way the Church approves. Actually, everything everyone does is a sin if it’s done in any way different than if they had a priest standing there giving step by step instructions. “Insight” very much unwitting lacked insight into the paradox of Catholicism: offering a symbolic piece of bread a communion, but with the other hand a slap of alienation.
However, the acting is really well performed. As an anthology show produced in LA, it attracted the same actors who were working on prime time network shows. They were often paid at scale, but unlike their appearances on the Tonight Show where they also received only scale, they couldn’t have hoped for raised audience recognition from a syndicated show that a lot of affiliates used as FTC-mandated public interest filler at low-ratings time slots. Actors, writers and directors like the chance to stay sharp with stories that they can dig into, and Insight gave them that opportunity.
I also enjoyed it (from some of the guys in the Canadian sketch comedy group Picnicface). It’s on Amazon Prime in Canada.
I have been telling my SO that actor is a Tom Hardy clone and he thinks I’m crazy. I’m going to show him this…
Season 2 of The Tourist has landed on Netflix. A very dark and very funny Australian effort about a man who has a grim past and total amnesia.
More like, they were raving about the first season. Season 2 is pretty universally considered to be terrible, and Season 3 was at least better than 2.
I’ve been enjoying this series. The characters are charming, there hasn’t been any skeevy pervert stuff, and I’m genuinely curious to know what happens next.
I also started watching the Korean martial arts fantasy series Alchemy of Souls. So far, so good: the special effects are decent, the story is a bit silly but it hasn’t been too taxing on my brain so far.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m only half paying attention or because they’re introducing too many characters, places and things in the first couple of episodes (probably both), but I’m getting a bit confused by all of the names flying around. It kind of takes the drama out of portentous lines like:
The Ravenclaw is really Slitherin, the assistant gryffindor of Hufflepuff!!!
(except more Korean)
Some news about Evil. As most of us know, Season 4 was delayed by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. It now appears from this article that weekly episode broadcasts will begin in May, and also that this is the last season. It was also announced that there will be four subsequent specials after the season ends.
I quite enjoyed the first three seasons and look forward to the final season and followup episodes.
I saw it in its first run there in 2019, and while some parts were hard to watch (one of those that were hard to watch for me was when Gypsy and Nick were at that motel, and a certain child kept whining for something out of a vending machine, IIRC), I thought it was a very true-to-life dramatization of that Munchausen-by-proxy affair (BTW, I have pre-ordered it on Blu from Amazon; did you know that it was coming out on physical media?).
We are still watching Toyko Vice. Almost done with season 1, and the show is still very good. Looking forward to starting Season 2.
Good news about Evil.
Season 4 of Blown Away is up on Netflix. Glass blowers compete for prizes.
Yes, there’s been a lot more world-building than I expected. It’s not just about some adventurers fighting their way through a dungeon to rescue someone and eating monsters on the way anymore.
Started watching Resident Alien and am finding it quite funny. Does it hold up in the long run?
I’ve seen maybe 7 of the episodes and I guess it is ok. I’ll keep watching a few episodes any time there’s nothing better.
We finished the first season of True Detective. Very good! At points all of the names that were brought up were confusing me. I couldn’t remember who was who for a while. We started watching Will Trent (S1). IDK - I can’t connect with any of the characters. It seems really flat to me.
Yeah, I’m wondering how the premise will hold up over the longer term without repeating itself or jumping the shark. Whenever the lead character attempts to laugh, it cracks me up though.
Second season of Resident Alien was pretty good, I won’t have the third for months probably.
I was happy through Season 2 as well. My wife and I often find that things around the house are Some Bullshit.