Series you've recently watched, are now watching or have given up on

Cafe Society
4308

Just finished ‘Jury Duty’, a limited series on FreeVee. It’s a mockumentary about a fake trial where everybody is an actor except for one regular citizen ‘juror’ who thinks it’s all real. The jurors are sequestered, providing a lot of opportunities to interact with the unknowing guy, and a lot of situations are engineered to try to make him (at least mildly) angry or uncomfortable.

So it’s basically a huge elaborate prank that could have been a cringe-fest, but it walks a fine line and it’s actually very funny and even kind of sweet. James Marsden, the only recognizable actor on the show, is hilarious as a douchey version of himself, who’s an alternate juror. The unknowing ‘mark’, Ronald Gladden, is a big part of what makes it work-- he handles all the weirdness with a lot of positivity and charm, and actually does a great job when he’s appointed jury foreman by the ‘judge’.

Here’s an old thread I found on the show-- I almost posted to that thread, but the last post is a year old, so I thought I’d leave the sleeping zombie in peace:

4309

True, I was going to mention that. The Swedish court system is even more different than the French one from what we see in the US and Canada. But it’s the story line and the acting and production quality that really carries this series. Forgot to mention, this is a Netflix original. It’s what Netflix calls a limited series, meaning the six episodes comprise the complete story – no sequels.

4310

I agree 100%. I loved this show - one of the funniest things I’ve seen on TV in ages. They really did manage a tightrope act in a lot of ways; it’s amazing it’s as good as it is - so many things could have gone wrong.

4311

I know-- the final episode is interesting because it gets ‘behind the scenes’ and shows several instances where the directors thought they may have mis-stepped or overplayed some scene, and given things away, but fortunately it didn’t happen (unless, of course, he did figure it out at some point and was convinced to play along. But if so, he did a pretty good acting job pretending to be surprised at the end). Also, what if the ‘mark’ turned out to be a completely unlikeable jerk, and / or refused to sign a release to use the filming? It would all have had to be scrapped.

Fun fact: I noticed the name of the actor who played the judge was Alan Barinholtz, and wondered if he was any relation to actor / comedian brothers Ike and Jon Barinholtz. Yep, he’s their father.

4312

Here’s a list of them, in order of being published. I don’t know if I’ve read all of them, but I have read a sizable percentage.

4313

Thanks! Available as kindle editions, I’m psyched. :+1:

4314

A true quid pro quo!

4315

Wouldn’t they have him sign before filming? Like, they’d give him every reason to think he was being asked to sign a release for using all the footage they were ready to film if he starts doing ‘juror’ stuff in a real case — all while the release form is merely worded in terms of filming him at the courthouse or the hotel or whatever — and if he says ‘no’ right then, they shrug and ask Acceptable Candidate #2 to give permission? And even if they have to move on to #3 or #4 before they get someone’s consent, that’s, what, minutes out of one work day?

4316

I wondered about that, since he knew of some of the filming process, supposedly for a serious documentary on the jury process. But there was a lot of secret filming with hidden cameras as well, and the whole concept of what he would have agreed to up-front was false.

I mean, IANAL, but maybe they could have drawn up some release form paperwork that was weasel-worded in such a way as to cover them even if he didn’t understand the real purpose of the filming. But I have a feeling that would not stand up in court-- not even in a real trial.

4317

The first season of Dark WInds mashes some things together, including introducing Jim Chee very early (compared to the books), but it’s generally all for the better.

4318

Be forewarned that they can be a bit repetitive. Also, don’t expect any blockbuster endings or epic battles. That’s not Hillerman’s style. They are, however, informative about the Southwest Indian tribes, how they think and act.

4319

I’ve also read a sizable percentage of Hillerman’s books, and it’s the people and how they live their lives that were more interesting to me than most of the plots. Although none of them were outright bad IIRC.

We’re re-watching Veep from the beginning. It moves fast since the episodes are only half an hour long. Almost more than any other series (maybe Arrested Development comes close) this show makes me laugh almost continuously in some episodes. It’s nice watching it for a second time so I can relax and catch all the jokes. When I watched for the first time, I’d sometimes laugh so loud and long, I’d miss some jokes. We’re two episodes into season two when Kevin Dunn and Gary Cole joined the cast. Great casting choices.

In season one there was a woman SS agent who didn’t get much screentime (and what she got was fleeting and in the background), but she looked so much like Hugh Laurie to me that I did a double take.

So nice to go to bed after laughing until my ribs hurt.

4320

I’ve been watching Slow Horses on Apple TV+. It’s really good, but you have to really pay attention to pickup on what’s going on, at least in the first season. Though that’s partly because the relationships between characters, offices, and the main mystery are really convoluted (not in a bad way, but in a conspiratorial kind of way, perfectly suitable to a spy thriller). A third of the way through the second season (they’re only 6 episodes each) and I suppose it’s TBD whether it will turn out I’ve missed important details that will leave me googling episode summaries near the end. Even if I have, it’s very watchable one a surface level and the quality there’s been no drop in quality since the the first season.

As for another Apple TV+ series, Dark Matter… snooze fest. The first two episodes dropped together, and I just couldn’t be arsed to watch the second. It’s a wonder I even made it through the first. Looks like episode 8 is on its way this week, but I won’t be catching up to it.

On Amazon, I caught Them, season one, which came out a few years ago, but apparently season two just came out a few weeks ago? Anyway, I really like it. Each season is different (kind of like AMC’s The Terror), and like The Terror’s first season at least, the natural elements are horrible enough that the supernatural elements really are secondary until near the end, with much of the “horror” coming from mundane things like white supremacy, racist policing, and racist housing policies. Plus some patriarchy thrown in for good measure. Both seasons are set around LA, with season one taking place in a 1950s suburb, and season two shifting to the late 80s and early 90s (the real-world backdrop for the Rodney King beating). And unlike The Terror, the second season of Them is just as engaging as the first (by contrast, I found the real-life horror of season two of The Terror to be too disconnected from the supernatural elements, and also very lacking in focus—did not care for it).

Finally, I can’t recommend Interview With a Vampire enough. I believe it’s actually an AMC series, but season one was free on Prime (although, I think I saw it might be going away or have gone away?). Like Them, season two just dropped (but on a weekly release schedule). I’d love to watch it, but unfortunately I can’t bring myself to pay for AMC’s streaming service (much as I love Mad Men, I just can’t bring myself to pay for such a niche streaming service).

4321

I’ve read the books and loved them. I’m half afraid to watch the series, but enough positive comments are pushing me that way.

4322

I love the Slow Horses books, too, and can recommend the show highly. It’s pretty darn faithful - not perfect, but remarkably close. You should give it a try.

4323

I will!

4324

Devs

I’m two episodes into this mini-series and it is pretty good. It’s about a secret computer project that is so top secret, it has security through the roof. A guy gets invited to join it and he begins to discover what the project is and what they are trying to do.

It’s from Alex Garland, who I really like. He wrote and directed the entire show, too.

I hope it has a somewhat satisfying resolution.

4325

Ripley on Netflix.

Thought this was superb. Acting, direction, editing and most of all photography were tremendous. I got a real feeling of anxiety throughout the series. The was one glaring plothole though, which I will hide here.

why on earth would newspapers not carry a photo of Greenleaf when he was missing and a suspect in a murder investigation?!

4326

Police Squad!
I received the DVD Box Set of every single episode of this 80’s classic. I’m 2/3rds of the way through, only 2 more episodes to go!

It actually holds up fairly well for a 40+ year old comedy series. Exceptionally juvenile, which is why I loved it as a pre-teen, but not mean spirited. Mrs. Cheesesteak did say that the Japanese Garden gag was “not right”. Lots of subtle humor, you have to pay attention or you miss half the jokes.

4327

I loved the episode, “The Butler Did It” and Lorne Greene’s cameo was outstanding.