TV: What TV series are you currently watching/recently watched?

[Jovavic]

Into season 2 of Alice in Borderland, interesting show with a Squid Game twist

 

[I am not exposed]

Just finished American Primeval. Really well done. Showed the brutality of that era. Betty Gilpin continues to play annoying characters.

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

Finished watching a few more shorter series:

Dekalog - If this counts as TV. More of a collection of ten short films. 1, 5, 6, 9 and 10 stand out as the best ones but they were all very good. I've put Kieslowski on my list to check out his other films now after watching this.

The Inbetweeners (UK) - This was a riot. Sort of the UK's version of Superbad. Way funnier than I expected it to be. Probably couldn't keep some of the same jokes if they tried making it today, though. They ended it at a good time as the two films they made after didn't quite live up to the same quality as the series.

The Hour - A period drama where drinking and chainsmoking are common in the workplace, and the infidelity of a lead male character is a focal point? Definitely the UK's version of Mad Men. Though not quite as good. The look of the show and the cast were great - Romola Garai was a standout among those I wasn't familiar with before (I also liked the addition of Peter Capaldi in season 2). Ultimately, the show - like pretty much all British dramas that I've seen - was let down by the writing. A little too soapy at times, and some of the storylines weren't given enough time to develop. A good, but not great show.

The Vietnam War - Ken Burns' 17-hour documentary on the Vietnam War. Thought it was great. Opened my eyes to a lot of things I was only vaguely, or not at all aware about before. Peter Coyote is the perfect narrator for these kinds of docs, IMO.

The White Lotus (season 1) - I enjoyed this one quite a bit, too. Quite similar to some of the themes and tone found in films like The Menu and Triangle of Sadness. Like those films, there seems to be very mixed opinions among viewers on this show. Lots seem to either really hate it or really love it. I would fall closer to the latter group. It was like watching a train derailment that you can't look away from. Going to watch season 2 next. Season 3 also upcoming with a great cast by the looks of it, with Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, and Parker Posey.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Finished watching a few more shorter series:

The White Lotus (season 1) - I enjoyed this one quite a bit, too. Quite similar to some of the themes and tone found in films like The Menu and Triangle of Sadness. Like those films, there seems to be very mixed opinions among viewers on this show. Lots seem to either really hate it or really love it. I would fall closer to the latter group. It was like watching a train derailment that you can't look away from. Going to watch season 2 next. Season 3 also upcoming with a great cast by the looks of it, with Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, and Parker Posey.

Loooooove White Lotus! The tension is so palpable and the over-the-top personalities make for some really fun situations. Season 2 has a bit of a different feel to it, but still great! So excited for season 3 this weekend.

 

[Ceremony]

The Inbetweeners is a classic. The American version was heinous.

Finished S4 of Dexter last night. I was surprised by how good John Lithgow was. A good mix of charming and creepy.

 

[Peasy]

Stop watching Dexter now

 

[Ceremony]

Stop watching Dexter now

Given how S4 ended and given the amount of spinoff shite there's been since I'm not hopeful, but I'm in for the lot.

 

[Jovavic]

Given how S4 ended and given the amount of spinoff shite there's been since I'm not hopeful, but I'm in for the lot.

Well, we warned you.

Don't know why Alice in Borderland gets slept on, it's better than Squid Game (unless the last two episodes i have left really go poorly) Sulfuric Acid waterfall deaths were pretty gnarly.

 

[PanniniClaus]

Finished watching a few more shorter series:

Dekalog - If this counts as TV. More of a collection of ten short films. 1, 5, 6, 9 and 10 stand out as the best ones but they were all very good. I've put Kieslowski on my list to check out his other films now after watching this.

The Inbetweeners (UK) - This was a riot. Sort of the UK's version of Superbad. Way funnier than I expected it to be. Probably couldn't keep some of the same jokes if they tried making it today, though. They ended it at a good time as the two films they made after didn't quite live up to the same quality as the series.

The Hour - A period drama where drinking and chainsmoking are common in the workplace, and the infidelity of a lead male character is a focal point? Definitely the UK's version of Mad Men. Though not quite as good. The look of the show and the cast were great - Romola Garai was a standout among those I wasn't familiar with before (I also liked the addition of Peter Capaldi in season 2). Ultimately, the show - like pretty much all British dramas that I've seen - was let down by the writing. A little too soapy at times, and some of the storylines weren't given enough time to develop. A good, but not great show.

The Vietnam War - Ken Burns' 17-hour documentary on the Vietnam War. Thought it was great. Opened my eyes to a lot of things I was only vaguely, or not at all aware about before. Peter Coyote is the perfect narrator for these kinds of docs, IMO.

The White Lotus (season 1) - I enjoyed this one quite a bit, too. Quite similar to some of the themes and tone found in films like The Menu and Triangle of Sadness. Like those films, there seems to be very mixed opinions among viewers on this show. Lots seem to either really hate it or really love it. I would fall closer to the latter group. It was like watching a train derailment that you can't look away from. Going to watch season 2 next. Season 3 also upcoming with a great cast by the looks of it, with Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, and Parker Posey.

What platform for the Vietnam war?

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Silo (Season 2) - Not sure why this show isn't getting more hype. It's absolutely fantastically done. It's a mystery box type show, but one that is not afraid to take chances. The series premiere and Season 2 premiere in very different ways are very unconventional openers for seasons that few shows would have the guts to try to film the way that they did. The motives of perseverance, order vs freedom, the power of human curiosity come through strongly throughout the series that's written really well and acted even better by a fantastic cast that all pretty much nail their roles. I recently finished the books series this is based on and I'd argue so far the show has surpassed the books. The final scene of Season 2 really ups the mystery and sets the stage for a very interesting final two seasons.

Mythic Quest (Season 4) - Honestly this show is still chugging along really well. I actually found Episode 3 of S4 to be one of best of the entire series. I'm not generally a fan of Rob McElhenney but I really think he has a done a masterful job of playing up his normal crazy guy character BUT this show actually presents the character as a real person unlike some of his other stuff which is just caricature level ridiculous. If you haven't watched the special lockdown episode that aired between season 1 and 2, go back to watch that. It might be the best "Covid" episode any show ever put down, really captured the ups and downs of the pandemic filled with jokes as well as a very touching ending. This show can fall into sitcoming tropes at times, but does well it with alot of heart ala Brooklyn 99 or Parks and Rec, IMO.

Skeleton Crew - Solid if unspectacular is how I can best describe this. Jude Law does a great job working with the kids for much of the show. Clearly marketed at a younger demographic, but I think there's something in there for everyone. It does not reach the heights of early Mandalorian, but exceeds some of the more recent lowlights of the Star Wars streaming such as Book of Boba Fett. Entire story was fairly by the numbers and they don't quite wrap everything up leaving room for a S2 or for this to play into the bigger MandoVerse, but overall a quality show that's worth the time to watch it.

Squid Game (Season 2) - I had no idea how they could live up the suspense and crazy twists from the first season in Season 2. And it appears the showrunners couldn't figure it out either. Despite the best efforts of lead actor Lee Jung-Jae the second season appears to be a bit of a mess. Doesn't help that this season appears to be little more than part 1 of season 2 as we have to wait until later this year for part 2 which will be season 3. I'll probably finish it out this year, but honestly this show probably would have been best just left as a limited 1 season series. @Jovavic above mentioned Alice in Borderland, if you are looking for a Squid Game type show to watch I reccommend that one, it's great from start to finish (only 2 seasons but still).

Paradise - I started watching this due to Sterling K Brown's star factor. Secret service protecting the President, some kind of conspiracy about a murder. Ok seemed like fairly standard show that we've seen variations on before. This...is not that. I don't want to get into spoilers, but this show actually has a rather shocking twist at the end of the premiere episode and completely molds into a very different genre of show. Yes the murder mystery remains at the central core of the show, but bigger questions and bigger mysteries lie just off screen to date (only 4 eps released as of this writing). I'm not saying that this show will be anything great, but now it has me hooked. We'll see how they are able to stick some landings as some of the mystery box elements start to get pulled back and we get some explanations.

The Bad Batch (Seasons 1-3) - I watched the first season when it was released and it just never stuck with me like the Clone Wars cartoon did. I just didn't find the Bad Batch themselves all that interesting. With a few shows wrapping up in January I decided to give this another go. The first season is up and down, IMO. But in the second season the expanded focus on the galaxy at large I think really helps the show find it's legs. The episodes with Crosshair and the ones with the Imperial Senate are perhaps my favourite of the series as they explore how to transition the Republic into the Empire. I am still currently late in the 2nd season, but I feel like this show it's just finally hitting it's stride more than 60% of the way into it's total episode count.

 

[I am not exposed]

Finished watching a few more shorter series:

Dekalog - If this counts as TV. More of a collection of ten short films. 1, 5, 6, 9 and 10 stand out as the best ones but they were all very good. I've put Kieslowski on my list to check out his other films now after watching this.

The Inbetweeners (UK) - This was a riot. Sort of the UK's version of Superbad. Way funnier than I expected it to be. Probably couldn't keep some of the same jokes if they tried making it today, though. They ended it at a good time as the two films they made after didn't quite live up to the same quality as the series.

The Hour - A period drama where drinking and chainsmoking are common in the workplace, and the infidelity of a lead male character is a focal point? Definitely the UK's version of Mad Men. Though not quite as good. The look of the show and the cast were great - Romola Garai was a standout among those I wasn't familiar with before (I also liked the addition of Peter Capaldi in season 2). Ultimately, the show - like pretty much all British dramas that I've seen - was let down by the writing. A little too soapy at times, and some of the storylines weren't given enough time to develop. A good, but not great show.

The Vietnam War - Ken Burns' 17-hour documentary on the Vietnam War. Thought it was great. Opened my eyes to a lot of things I was only vaguely, or not at all aware about before. Peter Coyote is the perfect narrator for these kinds of docs, IMO.

The White Lotus (season 1) - I enjoyed this one quite a bit, too. Quite similar to some of the themes and tone found in films like The Menu and Triangle of Sadness. Like those films, there seems to be very mixed opinions among viewers on this show. Lots seem to either really hate it or really love it. I would fall closer to the latter group. It was like watching a train derailment that you can't look away from. Going to watch season 2 next. Season 3 also upcoming with a great cast by the looks of it, with Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, and Parker Posey.

The inbetweeners is a good representation of what school life is like in the UK. Or certainly was when I was going to school in the 90s.

The dance scene from the first film makes it worthwhile!



edit. for Uni life, check out Fresh Meat. Not quite as laugh out load as the Inbetweeners, but still amusing. And gives a good account of what Uni life is like in the UK. It even has one of the same actors (Joe Thomas).

 

[GIADF]

Given how S4 ended and given the amount of spinoff shite there's been since I'm not hopeful, but I'm in for the lot.

It was really bad in real time from S4, especially when you were waiting a week between episodes.

But it's not nearly as bad when you have a full season available to binge and just push through it.

Something about having to wait 3 months or whatever to get through a bad season that you just couldn't quit was way harder than what you have on your hands ahead.

 

[Bone Density]

Gomorra on Max about a Camorra clan in Naples, Italy. You have to watch it in Italian though, the English dub ruins it. It's nasty but interesting and shot very well.