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General Category => General Discussion => Archive of Lengthy Threads => Topic started by: ciao_yall on July 25, 2020, 11:36:58 AM

Title: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on July 25, 2020, 11:36:58 AM
Just wrapped up Veep and Schitt's Creek. While I wait for the next Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, what are some other good series to watch?

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on July 25, 2020, 12:24:33 PM
Are you looking for newer series or any series recommendations? One that I think was underrated and overlooked was Galavant.  I started watching it while stretching after workouts a couple years ago and fell in love with it.  There are a bunch of good actors, fun and clever show tunes, and a pretty good story line.  It only lasted two seasons, unfortunately. 

We have been making our way through a number of series: The Wire, Breaking Bad, Firefly, Better off Ted, Babylon 5, Action, Arrested Development.  Now we are alternating between 24 and Battlestar Galactica (reboot).  If you would like any information or recommendations about any of the above, let me know.  One or both of us had seen all of these series previously.  We have a couple more on the agenda, probably ones you'd be familiar with and that at least one of us has seen (The Office, 30 Rock, West Wing, Psych, Once upon a Time, Lost).  We also have Killjoys, which neither of us have seen but was recommended by a friend. We try not to watch series until they're finished one way or another. Others I have really liked that were pretty dark but surprisingly good were Sons of Anarchy, The Shield, and Peaky Blinders (which I haven't finished). I also didn't finish Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt but thought that one was cute.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on July 25, 2020, 12:28:56 PM
The Man in the High Castle.  The story goes well beyond the original Philip K. Dick story but it's definitely worth a watch on Prime.

Broadchurch (I think we watched on BBC America, may also be on BritBox).  David Tennant (the 10th Doctor if you've a Whovian) and Olivia Colman are outstanding in a police drama on the Dorset coast.

The Good Place (Netflix).  An extraordinary comedy with a showrunner/writer who was able to infuse philosophy into comedy.  Ted Danson has never been better.

After Life (Netflix).  Ricky Gervais plays the most misanthropic, self-pitying bloke you have ever seen, who is contemplating suicide after the lost of his beloved wife.  Gervais specializes in playing unlikeable and he's no different here, but we still thought it worth a look.  You'll feel more sorry for him than hate him.

The IT Crowd (Netflix).  Dysfunctional computer nerds in the basement of a corporation run by an unstable, lunatic.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on July 25, 2020, 12:32:10 PM
Oh yes, +1 to Broadchurch, which also reminded me of Luther with Idris Elba.  Both are fairly dark detective stories.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: onthefringe on July 25, 2020, 12:43:23 PM
+++ many to The Good Place and Better off Ted.

Bob's Burgers is light, soothing, and amusing.

I thoroughly enjoyed Orphan Black as well, and am now enjoying Fringe which I missed when it was originally out.

Can't really get into anything dark and heavy right now — Broadchurch, The Wire, and Breaking Bad are objectively well made, but I'm bouncing off them right now.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: downer on July 25, 2020, 12:53:33 PM
If you have Amazon Prime, then you have access to AcornTV, and you can get a lot of UK shows, and also Australian ones.

Such as:
Deadwater Fell, Vera, Doc Martin, Loch Ness, London Kills, Dead Still, 800 Words.

Some of them are pretty bad, but I find them comforting nevertheless.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on July 25, 2020, 01:01:48 PM
Quote from: onthefringe on July 25, 2020, 12:43:23 PM
Can't really get into anything dark and heavy right now — Broadchurch, The Wire, and Breaking Bad are objectively well made, but I'm bouncing off them right now.

I can totally understand this and would add to that caveat.  Although I love those shows, watching Breaking Bad in binge format a couple weeks ago was almost too much for spouse (who hadn't seen it but loved it though would have liked it spread out a bit more).  It wasn't so bad for me, but I already had a fair memory of major plot points and was familiar with the pacing. 

On a side note, the way you did your italics was smart, onthefringe! I kept going back and adding more shows to my lists and had to keep previewing to make sure the sets all worked out. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on July 25, 2020, 02:10:45 PM
I enjoyed the 5th season of Grantchester on PBS. The show is based on the "Sidney Chambers" series by James Runcie. The show isn't following the novels as closely as it did in the beginning. Also, a new vicar named Will Davenport arrived as a replacement for Sidney's departure.

Endeavour will start its 7th season on PBS next month. It's the prequel series to Morse and Lewis.  Shaun Evans plays the title character. Plus he's done work behind the camera, including directing an episode last season.

I re-watched Downton Abbey on DVD and enjoyed it. Also adaptations of Sense & Sensibility (2008) and Persuasion (2007).

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on July 25, 2020, 03:05:03 PM
Mr. Larimar and I both love Leverage. We have the whole series on DVD. It's a caper series, kind of a modern Robin Hood meets Mission Impossible. Can't wait for the upcoming series reboot!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: onthefringe on July 25, 2020, 03:13:07 PM
Quote from: Larimar on July 25, 2020, 03:05:03 PM
Mr. Larimar and I both love Leverage. We have the whole series on DVD. It's a caper series, kind of a modern Robin Hood meets Mission Impossible. Can't wait for the upcoming series reboot!

Yes, Leverage, Psych, and Monk all hit a sweet spot for me right now. They are all engaging, without being demanding.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Stockmann on July 25, 2020, 05:32:24 PM
Me and my wife have watched the first few Breaking Bad espisodes, which I'd watched before but she hadn't. It's the spirit of Greek tragedy meets modern narco-violence. So far we're liking it, in modest doses.
Other stuff we've been watching on Netflix:

-Black Mirror. Sometimes an episode has physics that is all wrong or the plot is too outlandish and so on, but my main problem with it actually is that it's too real. Most episodes are pretty well made.
-French drama La Foret - a few things I didn't like about the final episode, but otherwise excellent.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Parasaurolophus on July 25, 2020, 06:07:23 PM
Quote from: ciao_yall on July 25, 2020, 11:36:58 AM
Just wrapped up Veep and Schitt's Creek. While I wait for the next Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, what are some other good series to watch?

If you haven't seen The Thick of It, then do that. Then do yourself a solid and try Black Books and Fleabag.

Also, if Veep and The Thick of It were fun for you: Yes, Minister & Yes, Prime Minister.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on July 25, 2020, 06:16:26 PM
All BBC, all the way.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: polly_mer on July 25, 2020, 07:22:17 PM
Blocky and I watched Monk and Psych.  We're currently watching Burn Notice (an entertaining spy show).  I'm watching Chuck (another spy show).

Mr. Mer and I are watching Dark Shadows, the original sixties series on Amazon Prime.

Psst, if you highlight the words and click italicize, then the interface does the italics for you.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: RatGuy on July 25, 2020, 07:35:00 PM
One of my friends and colleagues was a science advisor for a number of shows, including BSG. Richard Hatch was his best friend. I don't have the heart to tell him that it's a little too intense for me.

I'm currently in the fourth season of Eureka, and I find it quite charming and entertaining. It fills the niche that Psych did for me, as others have pointed out. I'm also working my way through Brooklyn Nine-Nine, mostly because I thought The Good Place was amazing. I didn't think I'd like B99 at all, but six seasons in there are still laugh-out-loud moments.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: kaysixteen on July 25, 2020, 10:16:09 PM
As I recall, the new NBC 'Peacock' streaming service, which already shows both the 70s Galactica original and the 00s reboot, is also supposed to be having an all-new second reboot of the show?  Anyone seen it yet, or have info on it?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on July 26, 2020, 07:47:44 AM
Quote from: mamselle on July 25, 2020, 06:16:26 PM
All BBC, all the way.

M.

Yeah, BBC has some great stuff. Thumbs up for Pie in the Sky, Atlantis, and Merlin. Wish these were still on the air.


Larimar
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on July 26, 2020, 08:02:41 AM
Quote from: Larimar on July 26, 2020, 07:47:44 AM
Quote from: mamselle on July 25, 2020, 06:16:26 PM
All BBC, all the way.

M.

Yeah, BBC has some great stuff. Thumbs up for Pie in the Sky, Atlantis, and Merlin. Wish these were still on the air.


Larimar

A lot of their good stuff is on YouTube, too.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: AmLitHist on July 26, 2020, 08:22:08 AM
The Americans and Pure were two of my favorites in recent years.  (I don't know who has Pure streaming--while it was on-air, they used to have full episodes on WGNAmerica online. It ended way too soon after just two seasons.)

For old stuff, I've been working through the 5 seasons of the Dick Van Dyke Show, after Carl Reiner's passing.  I was a baby when it was on t.v. originally, but my sister (10 years older) loved the show, and I remember watching the reruns on a local station when I was a kid. I remember a few, but most are new to me. Some of the language and attitudes are dated, and it's a sitcom, so of course the set-ups are sometimes way over the top, but overall, the comedy holds up really well. I haven't made it through an episode yet without laughing out loud at least a couple of times.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on July 26, 2020, 09:54:45 AM
I'm taking note of all these recommendations, as it looks as if we'll be mostly at home for a very long time!  Here are some of mine:

My husband and I enjoyed all three seasons of The Detectorists (we had to pay for the third, but it was well worth it!).  The characters are quirky and charming in the way that one only seems to see on British shows.  The two main characters spend all their free time metal detecting...

We also worked our way through All Creatures Great and Small, which we saw when it first aired; it has not lost its appeal.

Recently, we finished watching The Good Place, which is one of the funniest shows we've seen in a long time.

Last fall, I watched Professor T. on Amazon, and enjoyed not only the very quirky characters, but also listening to the Flemish and relating it to my paltry German.  I looked for other shows in Dutch/Flemish and watched Nieuw Texas, which was funny, but little slap-stickier than I usually like.

Currently, we have started Parks and Recreation, which neither of us saw when it was on network TV. 

I've been watching a couple of Danish shows--on MHz Choice, The New Nurses (set in the early 1950s, when men were first admitted to Danish nursing schools), and on PBS Seaside Hotel.  I think both are quite good.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: downer on July 26, 2020, 10:00:31 AM
The MHz Choice service looks interesting. Does it have no ads once you pay the monthly subscription?

Seems like some of the shows on it are also available on other services. (e.g. A French Village is available through Amazon.) Any idea how it compares to other services?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: nonsensical on July 26, 2020, 12:06:53 PM
I really like One Day At A Time. It seems similar to Schitt's Creek in some ways (both are family shows, to me). I'm thinking especially of the Netflix version, which I've seen all the way through. I've been watching the original as well, though more slowly. It's also good, but doesn't grab me quite like the Netflix remake does.

Call the Midwife is another heartwarming show that's kind of about family (if you define family broadly - the nurses and midwives seem kind of like a family to me).

I also like Nurse Jackie, but it might not be a great recommendation for now if you're looking for lighter things. Nurse Jackie is about addiction and is a darker show than the other ones I'm recommending here.

I also re-iterate the recommendation for The Good Place, which is excellent in every way.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Parasaurolophus on July 26, 2020, 12:08:50 PM
Quote from: cathwen on July 26, 2020, 09:54:45 AM


My husband and I enjoyed all three seasons of The Detectorists (we had to pay for the third, but it was well worth it!).  The characters are quirky and charming in the way that one only seems to see on British shows.  The two main characters spend all their free time metal detecting...



It's just lovely!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: polly_mer on July 26, 2020, 12:35:14 PM
Did The Good Place get better after the first several episodes?  I stopped watching when it was airing the first time because it was just so bad.  I didn't even make it through the first season.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on July 26, 2020, 01:51:32 PM
Quote from: downer on July 26, 2020, 10:00:31 AM
The MHz Choice service looks interesting. Does it have no ads once you pay the monthly subscription?

Seems like some of the shows on it are also available on other services. (e.g. A French Village is available through Amazon.) Any idea how it compares to other services?

MHz Choice does run shows without ads.  And yes, some of the shows (but not all) are also available on Amazon.  I'm not sure how it compares to other services, except for offering shows from a number of European countries.  BritBox is limited to British shows, as is Acorn. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on July 26, 2020, 01:53:18 PM
Several years ago, I bought the complete Nicholas le Floch binge set from MHZ Choice Shop. The show is based on the eponymous novels by Jean-François Parot. (Some of the novels in the series have been translated into English) I'd seen a few episodes on TV at one point. It's a well-done historical mystery series.
Another short lived series on MHZ was Anno 1790--it's a police procedural set in 1790 Sweden.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on July 27, 2020, 01:04:51 AM
Quote from: polly_mer on July 26, 2020, 12:35:14 PM
Did The Good Place get better after the first several episodes?  I stopped watching when it was airing the first time because it was just so bad.  I didn't even make it through the first season.

The Good Place remains very consistent throughout its run. If you've watched several episodes of the first season and don't like it, then it's probably not for you.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: spork on July 27, 2020, 06:22:02 AM
If you like historical dramas, Chinese wuxia fantasies, or hot-white-guy-travels-to-exotic-land-and-meets-babes romances, I'll throw out Netflix's Marco Polo. Stellar international cast. High production value. Unfortunately Netflix canceled it after only two seasons because it cost so much.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on July 30, 2020, 02:09:54 PM
My suggestions, off the top of my head, (some are 'antenna/dumb' (D) tv and some are Netflix (N), Hulu (H) or Prime (P)):

The Twilight Zone (D)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (D)
The Night Gallery (H) & (P)
Star Trek (the original) (D), (H), (N) & (P)
Dr. Who (P)
Lucifer (N)
Good Omens (P)
The Durrells in Corfu (D) & ?
Two Broke Girls (D)
The Tick (P)
Future Man (H)
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (H)
Lost in Space (the original) (D)
The Carol Burnett Show (D) & (P)
The Flash (D) & (N)
Arrow (D) & (N)
Shaun the Sheep (P)
The Hollow (N)
Monk (P)
The Good Place (H)
Upload (P)
Futurama (H)
Bojack Horseman (N)
Schitt's Creek (N)
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (N)
Cowboy Beebop (H)
Supernatural (N)
Superstore (H)
Eureka (P)
The Umbrella Academy (N)
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: sprout on July 30, 2020, 03:08:22 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on July 30, 2020, 02:09:54 PM
My suggestions, off the top of my head, (some are 'antenna/dumb' (D) tv and some are Netflix (N), Hulu (H) or Prime (P)):

The Twilight Zone (D)

Twilight Zone is on both Netflix and Hulu (not sure about Prime).  But Netflix does not have season 4.  I assume there's some licensing weirdness.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on July 30, 2020, 03:59:09 PM
Quote from: sprout on July 30, 2020, 03:08:22 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on July 30, 2020, 02:09:54 PM
My suggestions, off the top of my head, (some are 'antenna/dumb' (D) tv and some are Netflix (N), Hulu (H) or Prime (P)):

The Twilight Zone (D)

Twilight Zone is on both Netflix and Hulu (not sure about Prime).  But Netflix does not have season 4.  I assume there's some licensing weirdness.

Good point. I forgot about that. I usually fall asleep watching The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents on dumb tv.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Wahoo Redux on July 30, 2020, 04:08:50 PM
Better Call Saul.
Better Call Saul.

Everyone!
Better Call Saul.

Which, of course, is a spin-off of the brilliant Breaking Bad.

And

Episodes
Episodes

Episodes (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1582350/) with Matt LeBlanc.  Absolutely hilarious and very, very smart. 

I have no idea why these are not the hottest shows in the world.

Ozark is also cool.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on July 30, 2020, 04:11:41 PM
Quote from: Wahoo Redux on July 30, 2020, 04:08:50 PM
Better Call Saul.
Better Call Saul.

Everyone!
Better Call Saul.

Which, of course, is a spin-off of the brilliant Breaking Bad.


I really want to watch this but see there is one more season to go (in 2021), so I have been holding off.  I've heard such great things.

Similarly, Ozark has been highly recommended but is a bit dark?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on July 30, 2020, 04:17:58 PM
Quote from: Wahoo Redux on July 30, 2020, 04:08:50 PM
Better Call Saul.
Better Call Saul.

Everyone!
Better Call Saul.

Which, of course, is a spin-off of the brilliant Breaking Bad.

And

Episodes
Episodes

Episodes (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1582350/) with Matt LeBlanc.  Absolutely hilarious and very, very smart. 

I have no idea why these are not the hottest shows in the world.

Ozark is also cool.

OMG. I forgot! Yes! Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: spork on August 03, 2020, 04:58:44 AM
Started season two of Umbrella Academy. So far, it's just as entertaining as the first season. Love the deadpan humor.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: sprout on August 03, 2020, 08:34:18 AM
Quote from: spork on August 03, 2020, 04:58:44 AM
Started season two of Umbrella Academy. So far, it's just as entertaining as the first season. Love the deadpan humor.

We started season two this weekend too.  I like it possibly even better than season one so far.  The only annoying thing is the sound balance.  We have to watch with the remote in hand so we can turn the volume massively down when a music sequence comes on, and then back up to actually hear them talking.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on August 03, 2020, 09:33:18 AM
Quote from: sprout on August 03, 2020, 08:34:18 AM
Quote from: spork on August 03, 2020, 04:58:44 AM
Started season two of Umbrella Academy. So far, it's just as entertaining as the first season. Love the deadpan humor.

We started season two this weekend too.  I like it possibly even better than season one so far. The only annoying thing is the sound balance. We have to watch with the remote in hand so we can turn the volume massively down when a music sequence comes on, and then back up to actually hear them talking.

Same.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on August 03, 2020, 09:39:02 AM
Do you watch with subtitles? I think we started with Breaking Bad (which we mostly watched in Spanish subtitles but had to switch to English when the characters actually spoke Spanish), and we've done so ever since.  The volume balance is rarely optimal in any show or movie these days.  Having the subtitles on can be a little distracting depending on where they are placed, but it has really helped me follow the dialogue better and pick up on key aspects I would have missed by not hearing or mishearing what was happening.  I might have mentioned it elsewhere, but it was strange that Breaking Bad seemed to have different subtitle language options for each season! So I am not sure how much continuity would be possible for individuals who need the subtitles across the series and don't speak enough of the languages available. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: sprout on August 03, 2020, 09:58:09 AM
I almost always have the subtitles on, but I do like to be able to hear dialogue as well. There's such a huge difference in volume for Umbrella Academy that I either have to accept blaringly loud music, barely-audible dialogue, or adjusting volume as needed.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Morden on August 04, 2020, 07:11:27 AM
Speaking of subtitles--a good Norwegian detective series is Wisting (the characters speak Norwegian amongst themselves, though they switch to English when dealing with visiting American detectives).
I have also recently enjoyed the first two seasons of Fortitude, a British thriller series.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: wareagle on August 06, 2020, 05:53:13 PM
I just finished bingeing Rake on Netflix.  An Australian dramedy about a shyster lawyer that is irreverant, profane, and hysterical.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on August 06, 2020, 06:53:09 PM
I bought the complete "Hetty Wainthropp Investigates" box set. Dame Patricia Routledge plays the eponymous role. The series was on PBS's "Mystery!" in the late 1990s; the BBC canceled the series despite its success.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: polly_mer on August 07, 2020, 05:41:53 AM
Quote from: Morden on August 04, 2020, 07:11:27 AM
Speaking of subtitles--a good Norwegian detective series is Wisting (the characters speak Norwegian amongst themselves, though they switch to English when dealing with visiting American detectives).
I have also recently enjoyed the first two seasons of Fortitude, a British thriller series.

We have closed captioning on for everything and loved Fortitude.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on August 07, 2020, 11:20:43 AM
My husband and I just started Umbrella Academy last night and loved it!  We've seen only one episode and have not noticed the imbalance between music and dialog so far.  But, having been warned, I sat with the remote in hand just in case, and will continue to do so.  So, thanks for the multiple recommendations!

Another show on Netflix that I very much enjoyed is Fallet.  It involves a barely competent English detective who must go to Sweden to work with a barely competent Swedish detective on a case involving the murder of an Englishman in Sweden.  Most of it is in English, but the Swedish parts are subtitled.  It is very funny!

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on August 07, 2020, 06:27:03 PM
We started watching Monk, again, from the beginning. There's a Peacock TV short on Youtube with Monk, if anyone is interested.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4W2xmqjvx4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4W2xmqjvx4)
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on August 08, 2020, 04:25:49 PM
All this Swedish stuff is making me wish there were more of the original Wallander to watch (i.e., not K. Branaugh).

Very dear to my heart, that show was.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on August 13, 2020, 08:59:45 AM
Quote from: mamselle on August 08, 2020, 04:25:49 PM
All this Swedish stuff is making me wish there were more of the original Wallander to watch (i.e., not K. Branaugh).

Very dear to my heart, that show was.

M.
We have the original Swedish language "Wallander" on DVD in our library system!  Ours comes in bundled seasons/episodes in one case from the vendor.  (Example: One case has episodes 1-4)
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on November 02, 2020, 04:10:15 PM
Has anyone been watching anything good lately?

We finished 24 and have mostly been watching comedies since.  I got my husband hooked on Galavant.  We have also now watched The Office and 30 Rock and are currently working on Community.  Up after that are Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Parks and Rec.  We are also still working through Battlestar Galactica, season 4 now, but that can get heavy, and life is already heavy enough at times. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on November 02, 2020, 05:45:18 PM
I just suddenly ran out of Midsomer Mysteries (Season 20, I think) on YouTube.

Sigh.

I tried "Commander," but her dysfunctional sense of boundaries when it comes to relationships was too exasperating, I couldn't even get through the first half of the first one I watched.

Ended up seeing a very well-done mini-series film instead, "Father and Son," and am now casting about for another go-to BBC series to keep me from going back to "The Bill" for a bit (too, too, too addictive...!)

Started looking at a couple of very old John Thaw pieces...but, I dunno, live-in love triangles...not so much.

He and Dennis Waterman et al. in "The Sweeney" might do, if I can get past the bell-bottoms and sideburns...But I keep looking at them both and seeing their later personae in Kavanaugh, Morse, and "New Tricks," so...again...dunno.

AND I have a lot of other things to do anyway...

More experimentation needed.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on November 03, 2020, 11:10:24 AM
I recently finished Line of Separation, which I found riveting.  It is about a German town that gets split down the middle after the war as the border between East and West Germany is established.  On PBS, I just finished Last Tango in Halifax, which I liked very much.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: wareagle on November 03, 2020, 11:21:16 AM
I'm watching Blacklist on Netflix.  It's okay, if formulaic and fairly predictable.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: sinenomine on November 03, 2020, 11:37:51 AM
I just watched Temple on demand from my cable provider; engrossing and well-produced.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on December 04, 2020, 01:57:18 PM
We finally wrapped up the Battlestar Galactica reboot.  There were a lot of episodes or scenes that I enjoyed as much as the first time, but I was just less thrilled with it this time.  Maybe it's the pandemic.  We're still watching Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on the comedy side and have started a new sci-fi called Killjoys that reminds me of Firefly a bit.  It's got that mix of action and comedy.  Hopefully that will be a good complement, because the book we are currently reading is a bit depressing. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: jimbogumbo on December 04, 2020, 02:34:17 PM
Not sure anyone will agree with what I think "good" means after The Godfather fiasco. I've recently finished Season 4 of Fargo, and binged Stranger Things. Like them both, and hope to pick them both up when they return.

Earlier this year I binged OITNB, and Ozark. Enjoyed them both but liked the latter much more.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: kaysixteen on December 04, 2020, 09:05:54 PM
I am told that NBC is going to re-reboot 'Galactica' for its new Peacock streaming service?   Anyone know anything about this?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on December 05, 2020, 09:03:42 AM
Quote from: kaysixteen on December 04, 2020, 09:05:54 PM
I am told that NBC is going to re-reboot 'Galactica' for its new Peacock streaming service?   Anyone know anything about this?

Sorry, I think you asked about this before, and I meant to look it up because I was also curious.  I found a relatively recent article (https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2555850/battlestar-galactica-major-questions-we-have-about-the-new-peacock-series) that asks and sort of answer some questions about the series.  It sounds as though it wouldn't come out until at least late next year.  It is unclear exactly what shape it will take but will likely not be a direct "reboot" of the series with Edward James Olmos.  It could focus on other parts of the universe mythology.  It may or may not have of the original characters or actors from that series.  Another article shared a rumor that they may be looking for a non-binary actor to play Starbuck and may do gender-switching of roles again.  The director is the guy who did "Mr. Robot", and it is unclear if or to what extent the previous screenwriter will be involved, though it doesn't sound like much.  That's a summary of what I found just now, but there might be more info out there.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on December 05, 2020, 09:16:58 AM
My husband and I are finally watching Breaking Bad on Netflix and really enjoying it.  It is funny and horrifying all at once.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on December 05, 2020, 09:34:48 AM
Am on Season 6 of Sex and the City and, when it wraps, will switch to The Flight Attendant because it sounds interesting.

Currently enjoying Madame Secretary for the life and political lessons. Her outfits aren't as good as those on VEEP but I get it, it's not that kind of show.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on December 05, 2020, 09:39:40 AM
Anyone an Archer fan here? We are waiting until the series wraps to buy the whole thing, but I got season 3 (with my favorite episode) to counteract all the everything of this year.  Unfortunately, our favorites are spread out on seasons 1-4.  I may just cave in and get them at some point.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on December 05, 2020, 09:47:38 AM
We're watching the original Mission Impossible from the 60's here. It's an intelligent and fun show, groundbreaking for its time. The acting is mostly good. I also love the music. It's also fun to point out the plot holes, and the very dated fashions, sets, and vehicles are a hoot. Excuse me, they're groovy!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: nonsensical on December 05, 2020, 01:57:01 PM
We've been watching The Office - started in March and just finished the last episode now, so it's basically been keeping us company during COVID, and it's a bit weird to think about the continuation of COVID nonsense without the ability to relax with The Office and forget about disease for a bit. I'm very glad that we got to it before it leaves Netflix in a few months.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: spork on December 13, 2020, 02:56:14 PM
Quote from: nonsensical on December 05, 2020, 01:57:01 PM
We've been watching The Office - started in March and just finished the last episode now, so it's basically been keeping us company during COVID, and it's a bit weird to think about the continuation of COVID nonsense without the ability to relax with The Office and forget about disease for a bit. I'm very glad that we got to it before it leaves Netflix in a few months.

Oh my. I'm only on Season 5. I need to speed up.

Finished watching Queen's Gambit, which I really liked. I don't see how a second season could compare though, if one is in the works.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on December 13, 2020, 04:00:51 PM
I found the original Mouseketeer re-runs.

Bliss.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: jimbogumbo on December 13, 2020, 04:32:52 PM
I just realized last week that Nurse Jackie is on Netflix. But, it too goes away Dec. 30, so I'm on a binge.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: wareagle on December 14, 2020, 06:20:42 AM
Quote from: jimbogumbo on December 13, 2020, 04:32:52 PM
I just realized last week that Nurse Jackie is on Netflix. But, it too goes away Dec. 30, so I'm on a binge.

I binged it over October and November.  Excellent show.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: spork on December 23, 2020, 04:45:34 AM
I watched the limited series Waco on Netflix. I like Michael Shannon as an actor and think his performance was good. But I thought the story was not as complex as it could have been, and a noticeable portion of the dialogue was purely expositional. Same for some of the characters. The show does point out what happens when a government adopts a military posture against its own citizens.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: nonsensical on December 23, 2020, 05:30:35 AM
Quote from: wareagle on December 14, 2020, 06:20:42 AM
Quote from: jimbogumbo on December 13, 2020, 04:32:52 PM
I just realized last week that Nurse Jackie is on Netflix. But, it too goes away Dec. 30, so I'm on a binge.

I binged it over October and November.  Excellent show.

I agree! I've watched it twice. I liked Jackie much more the first time around, and it was interesting to see how my impressions shifted the second time around. But, the show was good both times.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: nebo113 on December 23, 2020, 05:54:44 AM
Quote from: Larimar on December 05, 2020, 09:47:38 AM
We're watching the original Mission Impossible from the 60's here. It's an intelligent and fun show, groundbreaking for its time. The acting is mostly good. I also love the music. It's also fun to point out the plot holes, and the very dated fashions, sets, and vehicles are a hoot. Excuse me, they're groovy!

I'm ancient enough to have watched it when it was being aired.  We called it MFR.....Mission F*cking Ridiculous....and watched avidly.  Also Hee Haw was and still is a big favorite.....as sexist as it is!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on December 23, 2020, 07:45:40 AM
I've been watching Fargo on Hulu.  It is good, especially if you like the Coen Brothers (although they don't direct the episodes, they do produce, and obviously it is inspired by the movie of the same name).  The series is done as an anthology, so each season stands alone and overall they are each quite good.  But the endings don't quite bring it all together and a little of the quirky Coen Bros style goes a long way for me.  Still, I do recommend.

I also recently watched Lovecraft Country on HBO.  This is a horror/adventure story, with Lovecraftian monsters and a civil rights angle.  It is an entertaining adventure and the acting is great, but the show can drag a bit and fully connects.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on December 23, 2020, 08:53:12 AM
Just told a friend who's in love with Lovecraft about this.

My French friends also like his work.

Not sure why--maybe they read it in English lit classes; they also love E.A.Poe...

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on December 23, 2020, 08:55:45 AM
What timing! I just wrapped up watching Sex and the City and a friend recommended Succession. Watched the first episode last night. Those people scare me a bit.

I'm also watching Madame Secretary.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on December 23, 2020, 08:56:28 AM
You should pair the latter with "Call Me Madam"!

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on December 23, 2020, 08:58:49 AM
Quote from: nonsensical on December 05, 2020, 01:57:01 PM
We've been watching The Office - started in March and just finished the last episode now, so it's basically been keeping us company during COVID, and it's a bit weird to think about the continuation of COVID nonsense without the ability to relax with The Office and forget about disease for a bit. I'm very glad that we got to it before it leaves Netflix in a few months.

Have you seen the article in The New Yorker about the recent reboom in interest in the show?

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/12/14/why-do-we-still-love-the-office
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: larryc on December 23, 2020, 03:03:54 PM
Letterkenny.

Figure it out.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Morden on December 24, 2020, 10:11:12 AM
The Detectorists--British comedy about people who enjoy metal detecting.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on December 24, 2020, 06:35:04 PM
Been watching Community.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: nonsensical on December 26, 2020, 12:58:46 PM
Quote from: ciao_yall on December 23, 2020, 08:58:49 AM
Quote from: nonsensical on December 05, 2020, 01:57:01 PM
We've been watching The Office - started in March and just finished the last episode now, so it's basically been keeping us company during COVID, and it's a bit weird to think about the continuation of COVID nonsense without the ability to relax with The Office and forget about disease for a bit. I'm very glad that we got to it before it leaves Netflix in a few months.

Have you seen the article in The New Yorker about the recent reboom in interest in the show?

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/12/14/why-do-we-still-love-the-office

I hadn't seen it before but just took a look now. It was interesting, thank you for sharing!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Langue_doc on December 29, 2020, 06:52:46 PM
The SYFY channel has been doing a two or three-day marathon of the Twilight Zone starting on New Year's Eve for several years now. This series used to be free on Amazon Prime, but not anymore.

The marathon starts at 2 AM tomorrow night. Enjoy! https://www.syfy.com/schedule
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on December 29, 2020, 07:33:41 PM
Quote from: Langue_doc on December 29, 2020, 06:52:46 PM
The SYFY channel has been doing a two or three-day marathon of the Twilight Zone starting on New Year's Eve for several years now. This series used to be free on Amazon Prime, but not anymore.

The marathon starts at 2 AM tomorrow night. Enjoy! https://www.syfy.com/schedule

Yay! We are old school over here and watch channels that we can see on our tv with the convertor box. The Twilight Zone is one of those shows we can see over the air. Old tech. We don't even have a smart tv. I guess I'm just resistant to spending money. As long as it still works, then I'll use it! :)

Well, we also have Netflix, Hulu and Prime, so....

We plan to watch the next season of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina which starts on New Year's Eve!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on January 11, 2021, 01:25:56 PM
We finished Parks and Recreation (which I just realized is its actual title... I thought it was Parks & Rec).  The seasons/episodes I had seen previously were just as great as before, and we both enjoyed the ones we hadn't watched.  Some of the final season episodes were really the highlight, I think.  Seems like they went all out.

We just started Eureka last night.  Neither of us had seen it before, and I was trying to recall where I had even heard of it.  Naturally, it was in this thread! Thanks for the recommendations.  It looks like evil_physics_witchcraft and Ratguy both suggested it.  We've only watched 3.5 episodes, but I agree that it is pretty charming, and we are enjoying it.  Speaking of Charming, I also have Once Upon a Time on tap for after this series.  We are also still watching Killjoys, which has improved and gotten its footing.  There are some annoying characters and iffy storylines, but it's pretty entertaining overall. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Descartes on January 11, 2021, 01:28:44 PM
Anyone watch A Teacher?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on January 11, 2021, 02:24:08 PM
My husband and I have been binge-watching Better Call Saul, which we like as much as Breaking Bad

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on January 11, 2021, 04:13:06 PM
I watched the newest season of Cobra Kai. Last week. I was never a big fan of the Karate Kid (a little before my time), but big fan of this show.

Quote from: cathwen on January 11, 2021, 02:24:08 PM
My husband and I have been binge-watching Better Call Saul, which we like as much as Breaking Bad.

Great show. I can't wait for season 5 to get to Netflix.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on January 11, 2021, 06:34:00 PM
The new adaptation of All Creatures Great and Small premiered on PBS last night:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/all-creatures-great-and-small/ (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/all-creatures-great-and-small/)
It was a delightful watch! The original series is available on DVD, however, it wasn't part of the "Masterpiece Theatre" brand. (If you happen to own the original series on DVD, the "Masterpiece" logo isn't on it) I haven't seen the original; my library has copies of it on DVD.

Someone posted about watching "Sex & the City" not too long ago.  And just like that, there's a reboot of the show on the way for HBO!  Of the gang, Kim Cattrall won't be reprising her role as Samantha Jones.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on January 11, 2021, 07:20:53 PM
I was just about to post and say I don't think I can transition over from the original ACG&S version, especially the ones with the first Helen.

I'll probably just watch all the old ones all over again.

It would feel...disloyal...somehow...

;--}

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on January 12, 2021, 07:43:58 AM
We have recorded All Creatures Great and Small but haven't had a chance to watch it yet.  I'm dying to see it.  I've seen the trailers, and of all the characters, I think that the new, younger Mrs. Hall will be hard to get used to.  The actor who plays Tristan was in The Durells in Corfu. It's a similar kind of role—the slightly less responsible/unsettled younger brother.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on January 12, 2021, 09:09:17 AM
Ah, but who can match the young, gangly, wild-eyed Peter Davison?

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on January 12, 2021, 09:14:21 AM
Sex and the City was surprisingly entertaining for me.  A friend let me borrow the first seasons of that and The Sopranos, and I wasn't sure I'd get into either of them but ended up enthralled with both.  There were a lot of issues with Kim Cattrall and other cast members, so I'm not surprised she won't be taking up her role again.  Definitely looking forward to Better Call Saul once it wraps up.  And I have heard great things about Cobra Kai!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on January 12, 2021, 09:34:36 AM
Quote from: ab_grp on January 12, 2021, 09:14:21 AM
Sex and the City was surprisingly entertaining for me.  A friend let me borrow the first seasons of that and The Sopranos, and I wasn't sure I'd get into either of them but ended up enthralled with both.  There were a lot of issues with Kim Cattrall and other cast members, so I'm not surprised she won't be taking up her role again.  Definitely looking forward to Better Call Saul once it wraps up.  And I have heard great things about Cobra Kai!

I just finished watching all 6 seasons. Carrie was a big whiner who never got better, and she and Big were a train wreck together. Miranda was the character I related to best, though in the late 90's early 00's I dressed almost exactly like Charlotte.

A few friends of mine are/were huge fans of the show I saw the first movie when it first came out, despite never having seen the show so I kind of knew where everything was going to end up anyway.

Won't give away spoilers if you decide to keep watching beyond the first few seasons.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on January 12, 2021, 09:58:40 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on January 12, 2021, 09:34:36 AM
Quote from: ab_grp on January 12, 2021, 09:14:21 AM
Sex and the City was surprisingly entertaining for me.  A friend let me borrow the first seasons of that and The Sopranos, and I wasn't sure I'd get into either of them but ended up enthralled with both.  There were a lot of issues with Kim Cattrall and other cast members, so I'm not surprised she won't be taking up her role again.  Definitely looking forward to Better Call Saul once it wraps up.  And I have heard great things about Cobra Kai!

I just finished watching all 6 seasons. Carrie was a big whiner who never got better, and she and Big were a train wreck together. Miranda was the character I related to best, though in the late 90's early 00's I dressed almost exactly like Charlotte.

A few friends of mine are/were huge fans of the show I saw the first movie when it first came out, despite never having seen the show so I kind of knew where everything was going to end up anyway.

Won't give away spoilers if you decide to keep watching beyond the first few seasons.

I actually did end up watching all seasons of both shows, and I think I saw the both movies of SATC at some point.  Totally agree with your thoughts on the characters and dynamics.  But I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the show overall.  Despite the setting, there were some very relatable situations.  I guess the same is true for The Sopranos, as I don't actually live that life either, but I found a lot of that very relatable.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on January 12, 2021, 12:41:26 PM
I started watching Grimm on Prime. Predictable, but the universe is interesting. It seems like a new animorph-type character is introduced each episode.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on January 12, 2021, 07:11:55 PM
Quote from: cathwen on January 12, 2021, 07:43:58 AM
We have recorded All Creatures Great and Small but haven't had a chance to watch it yet.  I'm dying to see it.  I've seen the trailers, and of all the characters, I think that the new, younger Mrs. Hall will be hard to get used to.  The actor who plays Tristan was in The Durells in Corfu. It's a similar kind of role—the slightly less responsible/unsettled younger brother.
Anna Madeley, who plays Mrs. Hall, has been in other shows and movies. These are the three I best remember seeing her: Miss Ravillious, the accessories dept. head on "Mr. Selfridge" 1st season, Lucy Steele in Sense & Sensibility (2008), and Isabella Beeton in "The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton" (2006).

Callum Woodhouse played Leslie Durrell on the "Durrells in Corfu." It's his 2nd round with animals as part of the show.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Economizer on January 16, 2021, 09:40:11 AM
I don't know if it, a wildlife show, can be termed a series but I found "Hope in the Wild" to be very entertaining. The main subjects were animal recuperation although the program is quite informative and features a gentle and mild humor.

Today the opening spoke of groundhogs, saying that they, those, were commonly called woodchucks. I did not know that! I do think that beavers more readily deserve that distinction though. But, who am I to say. The very mention of the word woodchuck, however, causes me to ask, myself, "How many?".

This episode also featured successful and ongoing treatment of a variety of avian and marine creatures. Their handling was quite a chore and exciting to watch! Oh, and quite a few young chicks were in the action, and I ain't talkin' birds. The principle, Hope, is more my speed though, but then I digress.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on January 17, 2021, 11:32:01 AM
Absolutive and I just started the BBC miniseries of 'Cranford'. I'd been putting it off because I'd read that it also included some other Gaskell novellas and I wanted to read them first, but we had ice cream and wanted to watch something, so we dove in. I must say, the seams where My Lady Ludlow was tacked onto Cranford show badly. The plots intersect at one point when the Cranford people get some ice from My Lady Ludlow's ice house, but otherwise it's two entirely distinct stories alternating scenes with each other.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on January 17, 2021, 07:34:27 PM
Quote from: ergative on January 17, 2021, 11:32:01 AM
Absolutive and I just started the BBC miniseries of 'Cranford'. I'd been putting it off because I'd read that it also included some other Gaskell novellas and I wanted to read them first, but we had ice cream and wanted to watch something, so we dove in. I must say, the seams where My Lady Ludlow was tacked onto Cranford show badly. The plots intersect at one point when the Cranford people get some ice from My Lady Ludlow's ice house, but otherwise it's two entirely distinct stories alternating scenes with each other.
I remember watching that show and "Return to Cranford" when they broadcasted on "Masterpiece."  Fun TV trivia fact: the show was shot in historic Lacock, UK. The village has been used for numerous period TV shows and movies.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on February 07, 2021, 10:49:34 AM
Just wrapped up


Am now starting season 2 of Big Little Lies.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on February 08, 2021, 09:37:00 AM
We just finished Eureka last night.  I was worried that it wouldn't wrap up well, but I thought the finale was very satisfying overall.  We really, really enjoyed this show.  Aside from one or two characters that I personally could not stand, the characters were pretty consistently and well written, some of the episodes were completely awesome, and it really just hit all the right notes.  Funny, sad, sweet, everything.  It also seems as though it would be a total blast to act on that show.  Very relatable stuff, set in a scifi-ish context.  I'm grateful for the recommendations here! It was SO good.  I'm sad that it's over and am sure we will be rewatching this one.

Since we had become so enthralled with Eureka, we had set Killjoys aside completely, but will finish up the final two seasons over the next week or so.  It's really got potential, and there are definitely highlights, but I still think it's trying too hard to be cool. 

We also have Once upon a Time to start at some point, and I picked up Psych to add a little more humor in to the mix.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on February 08, 2021, 10:00:37 AM
I'm thinking of returning to Waterloo Road...I watched it all a couple of years ago.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Langue_doc on February 08, 2021, 02:36:07 PM
I like the earlier episodes of "Law and Order"--the ones with Michael Moriarty, Chris Noth, Jerry Orbach, and their L&O contemporaries. The early Sam Waterston/ Adam Hill episodes were also good. All five boroughs were represented, along with all levels of society, all immigrant communities, and all kinds of accents, local as well as ESL. The episodes were so New York. In one of the earlier episodes, the character played by Chris Noth was banished (transferred) to Staten Island because he slugged a politician; cops still get transferred to SI. The later episodes started dragging--the characters and the script got to be boring. I'm the prototypical old fogy, which explains my disdain for the later episodes and most of the spin-offs.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 08, 2021, 03:38:47 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on February 08, 2021, 09:37:00 AM
We just finished Eureka last night.  I was worried that it wouldn't wrap up well, but I thought the finale was very satisfying overall.  We really, really enjoyed this show.  Aside from one or two characters that I personally could not stand, the characters were pretty consistently and well written, some of the episodes were completely awesome, and it really just hit all the right notes.  Funny, sad, sweet, everything.  It also seems as though it would be a total blast to act on that show.  Very relatable stuff, set in a scifi-ish context.  I'm grateful for the recommendations here! It was SO good.  I'm sad that it's over and am sure we will be rewatching this one.

Since we had become so enthralled with Eureka, we had set Killjoys aside completely, but will finish up the final two seasons over the next week or so.  It's really got potential, and there are definitely highlights, but I still think it's trying too hard to be cool. 

We also have Once upon a Time to start at some point, and I picked up Psych to add a little more humor in to the mix.

Eureka was pretty good. There is a crossover with Warehouse 13 that is kind of cute.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on February 08, 2021, 04:21:06 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 08, 2021, 03:38:47 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on February 08, 2021, 09:37:00 AM
We just finished Eureka last night.  I was worried that it wouldn't wrap up well, but I thought the finale was very satisfying overall.  We really, really enjoyed this show.  Aside from one or two characters that I personally could not stand, the characters were pretty consistently and well written, some of the episodes were completely awesome, and it really just hit all the right notes.  Funny, sad, sweet, everything.  It also seems as though it would be a total blast to act on that show.  Very relatable stuff, set in a scifi-ish context.  I'm grateful for the recommendations here! It was SO good.  I'm sad that it's over and am sure we will be rewatching this one.

Since we had become so enthralled with Eureka, we had set Killjoys aside completely, but will finish up the final two seasons over the next week or so.  It's really got potential, and there are definitely highlights, but I still think it's trying too hard to be cool. 

We also have Once upon a Time to start at some point, and I picked up Psych to add a little more humor in to the mix.

Eureka was pretty good. There is a crossover with Warehouse 13 that is kind of cute.

OMG.  I hadn't heard of that show either, but I looked up the episode that happened in Eureka and remember it now.  Is Warehouse 13 also good? If so, we will check that one out, too.  I'd like to see what happens in the first part of the crossover! Now I'm going down the rabbit hole of whether the Donovans from the two shows are related.  I guess I hadn't noticed the same last name.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on February 08, 2021, 04:26:34 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on February 08, 2021, 04:21:06 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 08, 2021, 03:38:47 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on February 08, 2021, 09:37:00 AM
We just finished Eureka last night.  I was worried that it wouldn't wrap up well, but I thought the finale was very satisfying overall.  We really, really enjoyed this show.  Aside from one or two characters that I personally could not stand, the characters were pretty consistently and well written, some of the episodes were completely awesome, and it really just hit all the right notes.  Funny, sad, sweet, everything.  It also seems as though it would be a total blast to act on that show.  Very relatable stuff, set in a scifi-ish context.  I'm grateful for the recommendations here! It was SO good.  I'm sad that it's over and am sure we will be rewatching this one.

Since we had become so enthralled with Eureka, we had set Killjoys aside completely, but will finish up the final two seasons over the next week or so.  It's really got potential, and there are definitely highlights, but I still think it's trying too hard to be cool. 

We also have Once upon a Time to start at some point, and I picked up Psych to add a little more humor in to the mix.

Eureka was pretty good. There is a crossover with Warehouse 13 that is kind of cute.

OMG.  I hadn't heard of that show either, but I looked up the episode that happened in Eureka and remember it now.  Is Warehouse 13 also good? If so, we will check that one out, too.  I'd like to see what happens in the first part of the crossover! Now I'm going down the rabbit hole of whether the Donovans from the two shows are related.  I guess I hadn't noticed the same last name.

Oh, yes, Warehouse 13 is very cool!

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 08, 2021, 08:04:15 PM
Quote from: Larimar on February 08, 2021, 04:26:34 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on February 08, 2021, 04:21:06 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 08, 2021, 03:38:47 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on February 08, 2021, 09:37:00 AM
We just finished Eureka last night.  I was worried that it wouldn't wrap up well, but I thought the finale was very satisfying overall.  We really, really enjoyed this show.  Aside from one or two characters that I personally could not stand, the characters were pretty consistently and well written, some of the episodes were completely awesome, and it really just hit all the right notes.  Funny, sad, sweet, everything.  It also seems as though it would be a total blast to act on that show.  Very relatable stuff, set in a scifi-ish context.  I'm grateful for the recommendations here! It was SO good.  I'm sad that it's over and am sure we will be rewatching this one.

Since we had become so enthralled with Eureka, we had set Killjoys aside completely, but will finish up the final two seasons over the next week or so.  It's really got potential, and there are definitely highlights, but I still think it's trying too hard to be cool. 

We also have Once upon a Time to start at some point, and I picked up Psych to add a little more humor in to the mix.

Eureka was pretty good. There is a crossover with Warehouse 13 that is kind of cute.

OMG.  I hadn't heard of that show either, but I looked up the episode that happened in Eureka and remember it now.  Is Warehouse 13 also good? If so, we will check that one out, too.  I'd like to see what happens in the first part of the crossover! Now I'm going down the rabbit hole of whether the Donovans from the two shows are related.  I guess I hadn't noticed the same last name.

Oh, yes, Warehouse 13 is very cool!

Yup. If you like sci-fi, history and various mythologies, then you'll probably like it too.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on February 09, 2021, 07:45:05 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 08, 2021, 08:04:15 PM
Quote from: Larimar on February 08, 2021, 04:26:34 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on February 08, 2021, 04:21:06 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 08, 2021, 03:38:47 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on February 08, 2021, 09:37:00 AM
We just finished Eureka last night.  I was worried that it wouldn't wrap up well, but I thought the finale was very satisfying overall.  We really, really enjoyed this show.  Aside from one or two characters that I personally could not stand, the characters were pretty consistently and well written, some of the episodes were completely awesome, and it really just hit all the right notes.  Funny, sad, sweet, everything.  It also seems as though it would be a total blast to act on that show.  Very relatable stuff, set in a scifi-ish context.  I'm grateful for the recommendations here! It was SO good.  I'm sad that it's over and am sure we will be rewatching this one.

Since we had become so enthralled with Eureka, we had set Killjoys aside completely, but will finish up the final two seasons over the next week or so.  It's really got potential, and there are definitely highlights, but I still think it's trying too hard to be cool. 

We also have Once upon a Time to start at some point, and I picked up Psych to add a little more humor in to the mix.

Eureka was pretty good. There is a crossover with Warehouse 13 that is kind of cute.

OMG.  I hadn't heard of that show either, but I looked up the episode that happened in Eureka and remember it now.  Is Warehouse 13 also good? If so, we will check that one out, too.  I'd like to see what happens in the first part of the crossover! Now I'm going down the rabbit hole of whether the Donovans from the two shows are related.  I guess I hadn't noticed the same last name.

Oh, yes, Warehouse 13 is very cool!

Yup. If you like sci-fi, history and various mythologies, then you'll probably like it too.

Okay, you both have convinced me.  It's on the short list.  Thanks for the heads up!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on February 20, 2021, 06:34:24 PM
I found out the other day "Downton Abbey" will be available again on PBS Passport starting Feb. 27th! Just one catch: only for 2 years.
I've seen the show on my local PBS station several times and on DVD. Still one of my fave "Masterpiece" shows.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Langue_doc on February 20, 2021, 07:34:17 PM
Quote from: hmaria1609 on February 20, 2021, 06:34:24 PM
I found out the other day "Downton Abbey" will be available again on PBS Passport starting Feb. 27th! Just one catch: only for 2 years.
I've seen the show on my local PBS station several times and on DVD. Still one of my fave "Masterpiece" shows.

I think you can watch DA on Amazon Prime.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on February 21, 2021, 08:55:58 AM
Big Little Lies was awesome! I was afraid too much starpower in one series would over-egg the pudding but it was really amazing to see such talent working together so beautifully. The story was great, the scenery was excellent... loved it.

Now I am watching Barry and Girls (both on Amazon Prime).

I have also been watching movies - rewatched Life of Brian, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (forgot how screamingly funny both were) and Julie and Julia.

All this media consumption has given me a great appreciation of talent and the hard work that goes into making these shows.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: EdnaMode on February 21, 2021, 02:36:31 PM
I just finished Line of Duty. It was quite enjoyable, especially the growth of DS Arnott's character over the five series. Now... if only they could get back to filming, I need to know who H is!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Charlotte on February 21, 2021, 05:19:36 PM
I've been watching For All Mankind. The second season has just begun and I'm happy to hear it was renewed for a third season!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on April 14, 2021, 08:53:28 AM
We wrapped up Psych and set Once Upon a Time aside for a bit to watch a new pair of shows: Pushing Daisies and the HBO Chernobyl miniseries.  Pushing Daisies is almost too adorable to stand.  It's funny and sweet and a little sad at times and very enjoyable to watch.  Definitely some fun characters and situations.  We just started the second and final season of that one.

Obviously, Chernobyl was quite the opposite, and the sweetness and comedy of Pushing Daisies was certainly not able to offset the tragedy of the miniseries.  My husband had been interested in watching it.  Me, not so much.  I'm really glad that I did.  I thought it was amazing and a pretty fascinating and intriguing story well told.  Since we finished it last night, I did a little more reading on the miniseries and found that there was some liberty taking by the creators of it, and I'm not surprised that there are complaints of a biased perspective unfavorable to the Soviet Union.  I'm also not surprised that the miniseries and those who made and acted in it earned so many nominations and awards for their work.  It's hard to say that I wish it had been longer than five episodes of around an hour each, given that the topic is so real and tragic, but I would put it near the top of shows I've watched.  It was also very difficult to watch at times, seeing what a nuclear disaster can do (especially to human bodies), but there were some incredibly brave people involved in trying to address the disaster, and it was almost worse to see the bureaucratic BS and secrecy portrayed that appeared to create unnecessary obstacles and make the situation so much worse.

ETA: For those who also enjoy the "real people" wrap ups at the end of historically based movies, the miniseries had one that gave some more detail about the people involved, which I definitely appreciated.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on April 14, 2021, 09:54:38 AM
I have been curious about Chernobyl, because I heard that one of my favorite actors is in it, Robert Emms. I don't think I'll actually see the show, though, because I don't think I could take seeing a portrayal of what severe radiation poisoning can do to people.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on April 14, 2021, 10:14:50 AM
If it helps, Larimar, the more graphic portrayal of the radiation poisoning takes up very little of the show, and you would probably be able to tell when it's coming and avoid it pretty well or turn away during those parts.  I believe it's confined to the hospital setting and to just a few characters who you would expect to see deteriorate from their exposure, for example.  But I can understand not wanting to take that chance, too.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on April 14, 2021, 10:20:41 AM
Started watching Transparent. Amazing show.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Morden on April 14, 2021, 10:53:57 AM
QuoteI just finished Line of Duty. It was quite enjoyable, especially the growth of DS Arnott's character over the five series. Now... if only they could get back to filming, I need to know who H is!

If you liked Line of Duty, you might want to try Save Me (UK series); it's from the makers of Line of Duty. You might also enjoy Kiri and Happy Valley (both UK series).
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on April 14, 2021, 11:03:20 AM
Quote from: ab_grp on April 14, 2021, 10:14:50 AM
If it helps, Larimar, the more graphic portrayal of the radiation poisoning takes up very little of the show, and you would probably be able to tell when it's coming and avoid it pretty well or turn away during those parts.  I believe it's confined to the hospital setting and to just a few characters who you would expect to see deteriorate from their exposure, for example.  But I can understand not wanting to take that chance, too.

Thanks, ab_grp.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: EdnaMode on April 14, 2021, 11:29:00 AM
Quote from: Morden on April 14, 2021, 10:53:57 AM
QuoteI just finished Line of Duty. It was quite enjoyable, especially the growth of DS Arnott's character over the five series. Now... if only they could get back to filming, I need to know who H is!

If you liked Line of Duty, you might want to try Save Me (UK series); it's from the makers of Line of Duty. You might also enjoy Kiri and Happy Valley (both UK series).

Thanks! I love me some UK police/law dramas. Will have to see if I can find those.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Istiblennius on April 14, 2021, 12:28:15 PM
I'm finally all caught up on The Expanse series - both the show on Amazon Prime and the book series. This may be the only time where I can't decide which I like better. If you liked Battlestar Gallactica, its a good choice.

I'm also a fan of Endeavor on Prime - so much that I went and looked for the Inspector Morse series and was sad to discover what a dirtbag young Endeavor Morse grows up to be.

The Flight Attendant (HBO Max) was the other show I've really enjoyed recently, although its kind of wrenching if you have the experience of a family member who is an addict of any kind.

Quote from: Larimar on April 14, 2021, 09:54:38 AM
I have been curious about Chernobyl, because I heard that one of my favorite actors is in it, Robert Emms. I don't think I'll actually see the show, though, because I don't think I could take seeing a portrayal of what severe radiation poisoning can do to people.

Chernobyl is probably the best television I've watched in the last 2-3 years. But it's pretty heartbreaking, and you are right to be cautious about the portrayal of radiation poisoning, although I agree that it is clearly signalled and can be avoided if you feel like that would make it watchable for you.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on April 14, 2021, 07:24:36 PM
I remember Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham getting circulation mileage at the library when it first came out. Plus the author won the 2020 Carnegie Medal for Non-Fiction.

I'm watching "Atlantic Crossing" on PBS's "Masterpiece." It's the story of Crown Princess Martha of Norway and her friendship with FDR during WWII.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on April 15, 2021, 12:14:26 AM
Quote from: Istiblennius on April 14, 2021, 12:28:15 PM
Chernobyl is probably the best television I've watched in the last 2-3 years. But it's pretty heartbreaking, and you are right to be cautious about the portrayal of radiation poisoning, although I agree that it is clearly signalled and can be avoided if you feel like that would make it watchable for you.

Thanks, Istiblennius.

Quote from: hmaria1609 on April 14, 2021, 07:24:36 PM
I'm watching "Atlantic Crossing" on PBS's "Masterpiece." It's the story of Crown Princess Martha of Norway and her friendship with FDR during WWII.

My in-laws are watching that too, and they say it's really good.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on April 15, 2021, 02:53:04 AM
Quote from: ab_grp on April 14, 2021, 08:53:28 AM
We wrapped up Psych and set Once Upon a Time aside for a bit to watch a new pair of shows: Pushing Daisies and the HBO Chernobyl miniseries.  Pushing Daisies is almost too adorable to stand.  It's funny and sweet and a little sad at times and very enjoyable to watch.  Definitely some fun characters and situations.  We just started the second and final season of that one.

Obviously, Chernobyl was quite the opposite, and the sweetness and comedy of Pushing Daisies was certainly not able to offset the tragedy of the miniseries.  My husband had been interested in watching it.  Me, not so much.  I'm really glad that I did.  I thought it was amazing and a pretty fascinating and intriguing story well told.  Since we finished it last night, I did a little more reading on the miniseries and found that there was some liberty taking by the creators of it, and I'm not surprised that there are complaints of a biased perspective unfavorable to the Soviet Union.  I'm also not surprised that the miniseries and those who made and acted in it earned so many nominations and awards for their work.  It's hard to say that I wish it had been longer than five episodes of around an hour each, given that the topic is so real and tragic, but I would put it near the top of shows I've watched.  It was also very difficult to watch at times, seeing what a nuclear disaster can do (especially to human bodies), but there were some incredibly brave people involved in trying to address the disaster, and it was almost worse to see the bureaucratic BS and secrecy portrayed that appeared to create unnecessary obstacles and make the situation so much worse.

ETA: For those who also enjoy the "real people" wrap ups at the end of historically based movies, the miniseries had one that gave some more detail about the people involved, which I definitely appreciated.

I absolutely loved Pushing Daisies, but Absolutive couldn't get into it, so my planned rewatch of it fizzled out.

Now I'm enjoying Ruth Goodman's BBC series about living in the olden days (Tales from the Green Valley, Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm), in which she and some archeaologists take over a farm and try to make it run for a year using only period-era technology and food and so on.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: downer on April 18, 2021, 04:58:41 AM
While I'd love to binge on cutting edge documentaries raising my social consciousness and my artistic sensibilities, if I were a better person, the truth is that I love soap-y series and undemanding detective series. I can watch or half-watch them while doing something else.

My most recent find is The Brokenwood Mysteries. A New Zealand series on Prime. It's very satisfying, and if I happen to nod off for a bit, there's no problem picking up the plot later on.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on April 18, 2021, 05:49:16 PM
Quote from: downer on April 18, 2021, 04:58:41 AM
My most recent find is The Brokenwood Mysteries. A New Zealand series on Prime. It's very satisfying, and if I happen to nod off for a bit, there's no problem picking up the plot later on.
This show was on our local PBS station on Thursday evenings a few years ago.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Faith786 on April 18, 2021, 06:07:02 PM
During this pandemic I finished things on Netflix, not really tv series:
-Merlin (British)
-Once upon a time
-The 100
-Away
-Nightflyers
-still waiting for Van Helsing final season
-still waiting on Lost in Space final season
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on May 10, 2021, 11:30:05 AM
Quote from: RatGuy on July 25, 2020, 07:35:00 PM
I'm currently in the fourth season of Eureka, and I find it quite charming and entertaining. It fills the niche that Psych did for me, as others have pointed out. I'm also working my way through Brooklyn Nine-Nine, mostly because I thought The Good Place was amazing. I didn't think I'd like B99 at all, but six seasons in there are still laugh-out-loud moments.

I think this was the only reference to Brooklyn Nine-Nine in the thread, and I feel the same way about it (though only on season 2).   My previous impression was that Andy Samberg can be a bit much (and sometimes he is a little in the series), but there are some completely hilarious moments and episodes, and I've really grown to enjoy the ensemble cast.  I have probably mentioned liking comedies that are also touching at times, and so far this one fits that bill well.  There are already a couple lines my husband and I keep repeating.  I'm glad to hear it stays this way at least until season 6!

And, related to Eureka (which we also loved), we are nearing the end of season 3 of Warehouse 13, which was recommended in this thread.  I'm not sure I like the characters quite as much as in Eureka (well, there is one I have come to like a lot, but I think that person might have just departed), but the episodes are pretty entertaining and clever with the various artifacts causing trouble.  Definitely enjoying it and looking forward to seeing where the story goes.   Interesting to see guest stars from other shows and movies, too!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: onthefringe on May 10, 2021, 02:01:08 PM
Early in the semester, as part of a "check in" and "humanize the instructor" survey, I let my students suggest television series for me to try, and over the course of the semester I periodically checked back in with ones I had tried. This resulted in me:

Watching all of Queen's Gambit — absolutely stunning to watch, and very engaging while watching. Looking back though, I think there's a bit less 'there' than it appears.

Watching all of Bridgerton — what you would get if a Georgette Heyer novel and a soft core porn cinemax movie had a baby. But I totally enjoyed it anyway.

Watching most of BunheadsGilmore girls meets Center Stage. Cute and fluffy.

Watching series one of The Sinner Dark anthology series with each season focused on a (troubled, damaged, etc) cop figuring out why someone committed a crime. Pretty over the top.

Watching seasons 1 and 2 of Crazy Ex Girlfriend — Great depiction of a person struggling with psychiatric issues (the main character moves from New York to California because she runs into a boy she had a crush on at summer camp and insinuates herself into his life). With very funny song and dance routines papering over raw psychological issues. Still watching this one, but slowly, since fringehusband can't stand it.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on May 10, 2021, 05:10:35 PM
Mr. Larimar and I have recently discovered Phineas and Ferb. It's a cartoon kids' show, featuring a pair of stepbrothers who each day build an over-the-top scale structure, machine, or feature, and their teenage older sister keeps trying to get them in trouble for it. She always fails because they have Ferris Bueller's kind of luck! Oh, and there's the boys' pet platypus who's actually a 007-style undercover secret agent. Yes, it's nutty. Though it's aimed at kids, there are plenty of gags for the adults too. Not all of the jokes work, and there have been a few clunker episodes, but in general the show is so silly and nutty it's hilarious and cute. It's just right for evenings when you just want to veg out on the couch and watch something light and absurdly funny. My favorite episode so far is their Star Wars parody, which uses the Back to the Future 2 technique of taking one story and interweaving another into it. They have the original Star Wars story happening, and interweave the Phineas and Ferb characters into a tangential plot. I laughed really hard.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 10, 2021, 08:02:52 PM
Re watching the X-files.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Charlotte on May 11, 2021, 07:51:12 AM
Watching The Kominsky Method. It's hilarious. Reminds me a bit of Grace and Frankie.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: FishProf on May 11, 2021, 08:00:23 AM
Quote from: Larimar on May 10, 2021, 05:10:35 PM
Mr. Larimar and I have recently discovered Phineas and Ferb. It's a cartoon kids' show, featuring a pair of stepbrothers who each day build an over-the-top scale structure, machine, or feature, and their teenage older sister keeps trying to get them in trouble for it. She always fails because they have Ferris Bueller's kind of luck! Oh, and there's the boys' pet platypus who's actually a 007-style undercover secret agent. Yes, it's nutty. Though it's aimed at kids, there are plenty of gags for the adults too.

Mom, Phineas and Ferb are making a title sequence!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on May 11, 2021, 08:08:30 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 10, 2021, 08:02:52 PM
Re watching the X-files.

I rewatched these a few years ago - the first several seasons are great! I still occasionally rewatch a monster of the week episode.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on May 11, 2021, 08:29:28 AM
I watched all three seasons of True Detective recently. Seasons one and three are very good; season two is just too convoluted and hard to follow. Good performances throughout.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on May 11, 2021, 10:38:46 AM
Quote from: FishProf on May 11, 2021, 08:00:23 AM
Quote from: Larimar on May 10, 2021, 05:10:35 PM
Mr. Larimar and I have recently discovered Phineas and Ferb. It's a cartoon kids' show, featuring a pair of stepbrothers who each day build an over-the-top scale structure, machine, or feature, and their teenage older sister keeps trying to get them in trouble for it. She always fails because they have Ferris Bueller's kind of luck! Oh, and there's the boys' pet platypus who's actually a 007-style undercover secret agent. Yes, it's nutty. Though it's aimed at kids, there are plenty of gags for the adults too.

Mom, Phineas and Ferb are making a title sequence!


Yes, yes they are!

Hey, where's Perry?




Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: clean on May 11, 2021, 11:04:03 AM
We just subscribed to an extended Direct TV package that includes Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.  I know (because my parents have had it for some time) that there will be 'seasons' and many of the shows that are currently 'new' to us will soon be watched. 

We have been watching Murder She Baked, and somthing like Gourmet Detective (or gourmet murders).  There is now a Crossword Murder show.

Before bed we tune in to Murder She Wrote... so I suppose that I have entered the final stages of existence, or at least the initial stages of retirement!!

Last night I had to record the Season ONE, Episode ONE Murder She Wrote.  I then set the recorder to record the entire first season (which should take until Friday night to record.)  Im  not sure how long it will take to watch them, though! 


Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Parasaurolophus on June 11, 2021, 09:45:57 PM
We just finished Netflix's The Serpent. It's okay, but


Seriously, wtf?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on June 22, 2021, 07:07:20 AM
Two new shows in my queue, which meant upgrades to AMC+ and HBO Max...

Kevin Can F*** Himself with Annie Murphy from Schitt's Creek.

Hacks with Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder

Enjoying these strong women-oriented shows.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Morden on June 22, 2021, 08:45:18 AM
We are Lady Parts--British sitcom about a punk band made up of Muslim women
Brassic--British sitcom about group of thieves in Northern England
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: fishbrains on June 22, 2021, 09:16:20 AM
We have not had independent confirmation of this, but I believe my son has now watched every episode of Emergency! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency!)) at least three times now. He is working through Adam-12 this summer.

Another unintended consequence of our refusing to pay for cable or streaming services.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on June 22, 2021, 11:24:42 AM
I'm re-watching all of "Miranda" in order.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on June 22, 2021, 05:29:15 PM
Quote from: ciao_yall on June 22, 2021, 07:07:20 AM
Two new shows in my queue, which meant upgrades to AMC+ and HBO Max...

Kevin Can F*** Himself with Annie Murphy from Schitt's Creek.

Hacks with Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder

Enjoying these strong women-oriented shows.

My wife and I watched the first season of Hacks and enjoyed it very much.

I'll also recommend Mare of Easttown to you, since you have HBO and since it is another strong woman-oriented show.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on June 22, 2021, 07:08:55 PM
Quote from: mamselle on June 22, 2021, 11:24:42 AM
I'm re-watching all of "Miranda" in order.

M.

This was a funny show.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on June 23, 2021, 03:42:12 AM
Yes.

Sweet-silly-slapstick in a tightly written, out-there acting world.

I just started Season 2 last night (allowing myself one every other night or so...)

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on July 07, 2021, 12:39:27 PM
Came across a series on Netflix "Lupin".  Set in Paris (dubbed dialog) and inspired by the old Arsene Lupin stories.  An immigrant from Senegal sees his father wrongfully accused of a crime.
When he grows up, he adopts the persona of the gentleman criminal Arsene Lupin to right the wrongs done to his father.  The dubbing is atrocious, but if you can get passed that, it's quite an engaging series.  If the lead actor (Omar Sy) speaks English, he could give Idris Elba a run for his money.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: marshwiggle on July 07, 2021, 12:45:19 PM
Quote from: secundem_artem on July 07, 2021, 12:39:27 PM
Came across a series on Netflix "Lupin".  Set in Paris (dubbed dialog) and inspired by the old Arsene Lupin stories.  An immigrant from Senegal sees his father wrongfully accused of a crime.
When he grows up, he adopts the persona of the gentleman criminal Arsene Lupin to right the wrongs done to his father.  The dubbing is atrocious, but if you can get passed that, it's quite an engaging series. If the lead actor (Omar Sy) speaks English, he could give Idris Elba a run for his money.

We found it easier to watch in French with English subtitles, for this reason.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on July 07, 2021, 12:48:58 PM
Finished Miranda.

Now re-watching all of "Lewis."

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on July 07, 2021, 02:21:38 PM
Hacks and Kevin (see upthread) are taking too long with new episodes, so I am filling in the blanks with...

30 Rock Can't believe I missed this the first time around! Missing the mid-aughts fashion.

One Mississippi And now I have a girl crush on Tig Notaro. Except she looks too old to be playing the character she is, but maybe it's because she had been ill? Anyway, trying to remember she is probably supposed to be 10 years younger than she is so the show makes more sense.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on July 07, 2021, 07:06:32 PM
Quote from: mamselle on July 07, 2021, 12:48:58 PM
Now re-watching all of "Lewis."
M.
Enjoy! It's incredible how long Kevin Whately played Robert "Robbie" Lewis over the years. Quite a number of well known British actors appeared during the show's 8 seasons. Our local PBS station ran the complete "Lewis" as part of Thriller Thursdays at one point.

Of interest, I found the "Inspector Lewis" page on the "Masterpiece" website:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/inspector-lewis/ (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/inspector-lewis/)
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Harlow2 on July 08, 2021, 05:47:10 AM
The Unforgotten returns this Sunday on PBS and then Prime. Superb writing and acting  (UK; Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaktar star). Haunting, multi-layered look at the excavation of memory and evasiveness as two detectives take on cold cases.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: AmLitHist on July 08, 2021, 10:46:02 AM
Has anyone here watched Bosch on Amazon, and is it worth my time to commit to it?  I've seen passing references online and done a bit of very cursory searching about it.  I love old film noir from the '40s and modern network procedurals like the original NCIS and the two FBIs. I don't care for the Dick Wolfe NBC shows (Chicagos and Law & Orders).  Bosch seems like a mix of the straight procedural with the noir that I might like.  I don't really want to invest several hours just to walk away, though, if forumites can help with some reviews.

Other suggestions for shows that might fill the bill are also welcome. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: larryc on July 08, 2021, 10:54:10 AM
We dipped into Apple TV (you might have a free subscription if you bought an iPhone recently) and found to gems, which I am sure have been mentioned upthread:

1/ Ted Lasso is a cure for what is wrong with the world. Funny, smart and relentlessly positive. I have never seen anything like it. We binged the ten episodes of the first season and then binged them again.

2/ For All Mankind is an alternative history of the 20th-century space race, in which the Russians got to the moon first. It draws on all of the latest scholarship of NASA, so you have Operation Paperclip and Hidden Figures and the women Mercury astronauts, but everything goes in a different direction. In each episodes the the timeline diverges a bit more from our own (TV in the background: "Today the Equal Rights Amendment was signed into law by President Ted KEnnedy..."} and that part is a lot of fun. The series is the brain child or Ronald Moore, of the rebooted Battlestar Galactica fame.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on July 08, 2021, 11:25:38 AM
Quote from: AmLitHist on July 08, 2021, 10:46:02 AM
Has anyone here watched Bosch on Amazon, and is it worth my time to commit to it?  I've seen passing references online and done a bit of very cursory searching about it.  I love old film noir from the '40s and modern network procedurals like the original NCIS and the two FBIs. I don't care for the Dick Wolfe NBC shows (Chicagos and Law & Orders).  Bosch seems like a mix of the straight procedural with the noir that I might like.  I don't really want to invest several hours just to walk away, though, if forumites can help with some reviews.

Other suggestions for shows that might fill the bill are also welcome.

We loved Bosch - all 7 seasons.  Interesting characters, often solving moral dilemmas.  Not especially violent.  Titus Welliver is great as Bosch, Lance Reddick plays an interesting chief of police (is he a good guy or a bad guy?) and 2 older detectives - Crate and Barrel - are a hoot.  Lots of politicking mixed in with policing
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on July 08, 2021, 01:00:06 PM
Quote from: secundem_artem on July 08, 2021, 11:25:38 AM
Quote from: AmLitHist on July 08, 2021, 10:46:02 AM
Has anyone here watched Bosch on Amazon, and is it worth my time to commit to it?  I've seen passing references online and done a bit of very cursory searching about it.  I love old film noir from the '40s and modern network procedurals like the original NCIS and the two FBIs. I don't care for the Dick Wolfe NBC shows (Chicagos and Law & Orders).  Bosch seems like a mix of the straight procedural with the noir that I might like.  I don't really want to invest several hours just to walk away, though, if forumites can help with some reviews.

Other suggestions for shows that might fill the bill are also welcome.

We loved Bosch - all 7 seasons.  Interesting characters, often solving moral dilemmas.  Not especially violent.  Titus Welliver is great as Bosch, Lance Reddick plays an interesting chief of police (is he a good guy or a bad guy?) and 2 older detectives - Crate and Barrel - are a hoot.  Lots of politicking mixed in with policing

I've never seen the show but read almost all the books.

Very tangled, very well- managed.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: EdnaMode on July 08, 2021, 04:50:30 PM
Quote from: mamselle on July 07, 2021, 12:48:58 PM
...

Now re-watching all of "Lewis."

M.

Oh, I thoroughly enjoyed "Lewis." I've been thinking of buying a PBS subscription just to watch it again. I enjoyed the interaction between Lewis and Hathaway.

I just finished watching both series of "Manifest" on Netflix. It was interesting, I got drawn in more than I thought I would. A friend thinks I need to watch "A Discovery of Witches" so I may see about getting a free week of whatever streaming service I don't have (don't remember where it is off the top of my head, but not Netflix or Prime, which I do have) and check it out.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: onthefringe on July 21, 2021, 05:55:47 PM
Ted Lasso which was just as sweet and wholesome as everyone said it was

Leverage Redemption Parker and Eliot are still my favorites. Interested to see where they go after the first couple (which were very clearly based on the Sackler family....)
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on July 21, 2021, 06:45:11 PM
You folks going to watch The Chair on Netflix?

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: onthefringe on July 21, 2021, 07:00:05 PM
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on July 21, 2021, 06:45:11 PM
You folks going to watch The Chair on Netflix?

That's quite a cast! I feel like David Morse would make a very intimidating Dean. I can see giving it a shot...
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on July 21, 2021, 07:29:55 PM
Finished Lewis, doing Morse now.

I suppose if I'm working backwards, I'll have to catch up on Endeavor after that; saw a few of the early ones but none after the 1st season.

Then....hmmm....There are several seasons of "Vera," and "Call the Midwife," and whole decades of "The Bill" to return to.

Have to balance these carefully between getting actual work done, and...well...

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on July 22, 2021, 11:42:38 AM
Leverage Redemption! I've now seen the first 8 episodes.

Loved the original Leverage. The new reboot is also good so far, but doesn't quite seem to have found its footing yet. I like the new character Breanna. She's got bright and talented and spunky and quick-learning but inexperienced and sometimes too impulsive down.  Harry Wilson seems a bit stiff and flat though. I'm not thrilled that the writers seem to have undone a lot of the character development Parker went through over the course of the original series. Sophie's grief over Nate, however, I think is working.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: AmLitHist on July 22, 2021, 02:22:14 PM
I started season 1 of 24 over the weekend.  Oh.....my......GOSH!  I saw and loved the final few seasons, but was in grad school/caring for Mom/had 2 teen girls when it was first on.  It's great to go all the way back and see how solid it was from the start.

I knew, but had forgotten, that this premiered November 6, 2001--less than 2 months after 9/11.  It's very much a show of its time, but it also holds up 20 years later.

Anyone else here a Blacklist fan?  I know I'm in the minority, but I'm fine with the end of this most recent season. I've always been Team Red all the way.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on July 22, 2021, 02:49:24 PM
Quote from: AmLitHist on July 22, 2021, 02:22:14 PM
I started season 1 of 24 over the weekend.  Oh.....my......GOSH!  I saw and loved the final few seasons, but was in grad school/caring for Mom/had 2 teen girls when it was first on.  It's great to go all the way back and see how solid it was from the start.

I knew, but had forgotten, that this premiered November 6, 2001--less than 2 months after 9/11.  It's very much a show of its time, but it also holds up 20 years later.

Anyone else here a Blacklist fan?  I know I'm in the minority, but I'm fine with the end of this most recent season. I've always been Team Red all the way.

24 is definitely a heart pounder at times! Aside from some annoying characters and the amount of disbelief one needs to suspend, we really enjoyed it (I've seen it twice through).

As for Blacklist I think I have seen at least the first season, maybe part or all of a second.  I really liked that one too but just lost track of it at some point.  Is it pretty good throughout? Maybe we'll pick it up if so.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on July 25, 2021, 03:51:28 PM
I guess I haven't update our watching in a while? We finished up Schitt's Creek a couple weeks ago.  It's kind of a weird and surprising show.   Took a while to get into (maybe due to the pacing? figuring out the "world" of the Roses?), but we really ended up enjoying it, and it wrapped up well.  Final scene was on point.

We took up Ugly Betty in its place, which I had seen but my husband hadn't.  I think it's a pretty sweet show, definitely a lot of drama, and some good characters.  Just started Season 2.

Last night we finished Warehouse 13, which I didn't get into as much as Eureka, but I thought that some of the plot points were pretty clever, and the finale was great.  I might have changed a couple things, but I really liked it.  One of the other final episodes ("Savage Seduction") was also a lot of fun.

So our replacement for that one is Heroes, which is another one I've seen that my husband hasn't.  It's been a while, so hopefully it has held up.  Starting that one tonight.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on July 25, 2021, 07:30:49 PM
Still going through "Morse," also did one marathon session with the older (Roy Marsden) version of Dalgleish, which was broken up into 5 segments, 45 min. to an hour each, which I hadn't counted on.

I usually enjoy Martin Shaw's work but for some reason when I tried to watch one of his versions, awhile ago, it seemed "off" to me somehow. I've read all the books, some of them more than once, and I had a leaner, more lyrical person in mind, somehow.

While very long, the Marsden version seemed to fit better. Not sure how to schedule them in, once I start a plot I don't like interrupting it, but I'll probably watch more of those if I can figure out a way to do so.

Anyway, back to Morse for now...

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on August 07, 2021, 12:21:03 PM
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on July 21, 2021, 06:45:11 PM
You folks going to watch The Chair on Netflix?

Wow, I would definitely be remiss in my professional obligations if I did not watch it. I have set the reminder.

In the meantime, I am teetering on the edge of falling down the pit of The Untamed. The special effects are not great, and the subtitles are pretty rough so I can't comment on the writing, but the costumes and scenery are visually stunning, and people whose opinion I respect fell for it hard. Certainly a slow-burn queer romance (happy chaos sunshine + grumpy uptight stormcloud) set in Ancient Chinese Fantasyland, which was based on a cult hit webnovel and has been given FIFTY HOURS of high-budget video adaptation that simultaneously censors all the queer elements (because China) while putting in as many of the queer-coded hints as it can sneak past the censors*, is definitely worth my attention. Plus, it's very pretty from what I've seen.

*Lots of long burning eye contact, I've been promised, plus a rabbit motif which seems, in China, to be a queer-coded symbol.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on August 07, 2021, 03:48:22 PM
Finished Morse, now on Kavanaugh, QC.

I suppose it will be Judge Dean, George Gently, or a Touch of Frost next, unless I can get through more Dalgliesh...

Hmmm....or, I might have missed one of the R. Randall episodes...

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on August 07, 2021, 07:27:13 PM
Quote from: mamselle on August 07, 2021, 03:48:22 PM
Finished Morse, now on Kavanaugh, QC.
M.
I've heard of that show! It wasn't part of the "Mystery!" lineup on PBS. Amazing that John Thaw was doing "Morse" and "Kavanaugh, QC" concurrently in the '90s.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on August 07, 2021, 07:45:06 PM
I just saw the last one of Kavanaugh (very good): sorry that season 6 only had 1 episode.

Watching "Killer Waiting," now; will see what's next after that.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Morden on August 16, 2021, 08:23:12 AM
"De Dag"--Belgian crime series (so subtitles). I think they only have one season, but it's really good. One episode is from the police perspective, and then the next goes over the same ground from other perspectives. Interesting cliff hangers to keep you guessing.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on August 16, 2021, 08:50:15 AM
French or Flemish? (Title looks like the latter, but with Belgium, one never knows!)

M.

ETA: Never mind, I looked it up. Can't find the English subtitles and (my family being Wallonnais) I have a bit of a reluctance to try to figure out Flemish! (Unless I'm missing something somewhere....) - M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Morden on August 16, 2021, 09:16:57 AM
It was Flemish (though with a number of French phrases thrown in), but the version I saw (CBC Gem) came with English subtitles.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on August 16, 2021, 10:03:04 AM
Ah, ok, I'll look for that.

See, since 1538, the Flemish (Dutch, really) were supposed to leave Belgium to the Belgians, sooo...

(I try to be ecumenical in such matters, but it's hard...oh--hope you're not Flemish!)

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Morden on August 16, 2021, 10:18:43 AM
Quotesince 1538, the Flemish (Dutch, really) were supposed to leave Belgium to the Belgians, sooo..

I hadn't realized that. It does make for a very interesting linguistic mix. I don't know Dutch, but know a bit of German, so could recognize some bits from that along with the French phrases. Plus the English swear words, of course.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on August 16, 2021, 02:26:51 PM
Yeah, I started out thinking inclusively, but attended a Belgian holiday party once where it was very clear that the Flammands were in charge and they looked down their noses at anyone speaking French--comme moi--and then ran into issues where my cousin lives in which the upscale decisions in the north were hurting the southern folk who'd been done out of jobs in the coal pits (usual issues, as here in the US and in the UK), and the Flammands were behind that, and....ummm....

I'm usually very open to options and collegiality and all, but I've become a bit politicized when it comes to things Belgian!

And I, also speak a tiny bit of German, and started thinking I could hear and understand things on the trains, and in the newspapers, and then decided I didn't feel like trying anymore--it wasn't their country to begin with!!

Sorry....

OK, back to your regularly-scheduled TV program discussions...

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: jimbogumbo on August 16, 2021, 02:37:09 PM
Quote from: mamselle on August 16, 2021, 02:26:51 PM
Yeah, I started out thinking inclusively, but attended a Belgian holiday party once where it was very clear that the Flammands were in charge and they looked down their noses at anyone speaking French--comme moi--and then ran into issues where my cousin lives in which the upscale decisions in the north were hurting the southern folk who'd been done out of jobs in the coal pits (usual issues, as here in the US and in the UK), and the Flammands were behind that, and....ummm....

I'm usually very open to options and collegiality and all, but I've become a bit politicized when it comes to things Belgian!

And I, also speak a tiny bit of German, and started thinking I could hear and understand things on the trains, and in the newspapers, and then decided I didn't feel like trying anymore--it wasn't their country to begin with!!

Sorry....

OK, back to your regularly-scheduled TV program discussions...

M.

It is related to Monty Python's Flying Circus. After all, they are Belgian!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on August 17, 2021, 02:59:09 PM
Quote from: Morden on August 16, 2021, 08:23:12 AM
"De Dag"--Belgian crime series (so subtitles). I think they only have one season, but it's really good. One episode is from the police perspective, and then the next goes over the same ground from other perspectives. Interesting cliff hangers to keep you guessing.

It's Dutch (Vlaams) for The Day. (I've lost most of it, but my first language was Dutch.)

My Mother in Law was Flemish and never did forgive Monty Python for their "Dirty Fat Belgian Bastards" routine.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on August 19, 2021, 08:39:39 PM
We watched the first few episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers over the last couple of nights. Not brilliant, but it is a fun watch and the cast is great.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on August 20, 2021, 05:57:02 AM
My husband and I have been watching The Kominsky Method (Netflix) and highly recommend it!  Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin are the two main characters—an acting teacher (MD) and his agent (AA) who are also best friends.  It is sharp, funny, sad, quirky, and thoroughly enjoyable. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on August 21, 2021, 01:55:25 AM
Absolutive and I watched the first two episodes of The Chair last night. It was okay, I guess, but it gives me hives to watch the hot mess professor be such a hot mess in front of his class. Aside from the excessive grandeur of the faculty offices (one professor complains about being moved to a shithole office in the basement of the gym, which is larger and better lit than my office), which is a universal constant in academia on screen, it rings mostly true. I've definitely had some of the conversations that they have.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on August 23, 2021, 09:55:57 AM
Quote from: ergative on August 21, 2021, 01:55:25 AM
Absolutive and I watched the first two episodes of The Chair last night. It was okay, I guess, but it gives me hives to watch the hot mess professor be such a hot mess in front of his class. Aside from the excessive grandeur of the faculty offices (one professor complains about being moved to a shithole office in the basement of the gym, which is larger and better lit than my office), which is a universal constant in academia on screen, it rings mostly true. I've definitely had some of the conversations that they have.

As someone trained in healthcare, I simply cannot watch medical shows.  The first year of any such program is about patient care.  But by the 2nd season, they are usually about who is boning who in the linen closet and any healthcare as is shown is usually some fascinoma that any clinician may see once in a career.  Boring.

So I went into watching The Chair expecting it to be completely unrealistic.  And it wasn't.  Yeah, some parts are over the top in order to drive the plot, but some of it rang true.

Certainly enrollment issues and tenure concerns are pretty universal.  The crisis in the humanities seemed accurate.  The tension between how Moby Dick could be taught in a traditional fashion or how it could be taught a la Hamilton could be real.  A dept chair catching hell from both above and below seems accurate.  That meeting student demands for a socially just campus will never happen fast enough for those students to appreciate just how slow change occurs or to appreciate that things may be better than they were - that rang true.

Less accurate - a single faculty member in control of a colleague's tenure decision.  No way.  A faculty member conspiring with IT to find out who has been posting nasty reviews on RMP - preposterous. That the IT department is actually helpful in any way shape or fashion - pure fiction That one poorly timed and failed joke is enough to launch dismissal proceedings against a tenured prof - unlikely.  A suspension maybe, getting canned, I doubt it.

Not at my place but maybe at yours - some aged old codger of a professor constantly asleep and passing gas.  Never seen one.  The charming, mid-career, man-child professor who leaves chaos in his wake and thinks others will clean up his mess.  Not in my dept, but maybe in yours.  WAAAY too many parties, dinners, fundraisers, cocktail hours.

What I thought was good - there is no real "bad guy" in the show.  The complaints of students, faculty, administrators were all taken seriously.  The budget obsessed Dean was not a boogie man, but just another mid level number cruncher trying to keep the lights on.  The old and venerable faculty still had passion for their work - although that passion did not trickle down to the undergraduate level and their sense that perhaps their time has passed.

Overall, the show is enough "inside baseball" to get the attention of the professoriate, but not so abstruse as to be ignored by the general public.  I give it a solid B.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on August 25, 2021, 01:48:52 AM
Quote from: secundem_artem on August 23, 2021, 09:55:57 AM
Less accurate - a single faculty member in control of a colleague's tenure decision.  No way.  A faculty member conspiring with IT to find out who has been posting nasty reviews on RMP - preposterous. That the IT department is actually helpful in any way shape or fashion - pure fiction That one poorly timed and failed joke is enough to launch dismissal proceedings against a tenured prof - unlikely.  A suspension maybe, getting canned, I doubt it.

Yeah, the whole RMP thing was funny but ridiculous. Although my IT department is really superb, and in one case helped me determine that an administrater had genuinely falsified an email, which had severe consequences for a student, and led directly to that admin person 'resigning'.

As for the poorly timed joke--this hot mess professor did not just make a poorly timed joke. He'd been not showing up to class and neglecting his students as well. He'd been eating up all his professional capital for a while, and he strikes me as the type of professor who is popular with some students, but may well have generated complaints with others. I myself would not like being accused of being high on the first day of class and disbelieved when I say I did the reading, and it looks like this is the sort of thing he does regularly. Some students think it's cool and all, but others may well have been submitting complaints for years. If you do that on top of an offensive joke that goes viral, I could see it getting as far as a dismissal proceedings. (Yes, I recognize that his previous offenses were not shown onscreen, but maybe they're all there in the paperwork brought to the meeting that never gets read onscreen.)

Quote
Not at my place but maybe at yours - some aged old codger of a professor constantly asleep and passing gas.  Never seen one.
I didn't hear the gas, but we definitely had an old codger falling asleep during talks.

QuoteWhat I thought was good - there is no real "bad guy" in the show.  The complaints of students, faculty, administrators were all taken seriously.  The budget obsessed Dean was not a boogie man, but just another mid level number cruncher trying to keep the lights on.  The old and venerable faculty still had passion for their work - although that passion did not trickle down to the undergraduate level and their sense that perhaps their time has passed.

Yes, I agree here. It would have been too easy to make a joke about cancel culture, and it didn't, really. I admit I laughed a lot as the students seized on the boneheaded things Prof Hot Mess kept saying ('I wouldn't use the stories of Jewish refugees here, if I were you' was a great line), but they weren't wrong to seize on them. He did a terrible job. For someone as hip and with it as he is, he should know that 'I'm sorry you feel . . .' is an offensively bad apology, and it was good that the students called him out on it--especially because they did give him a chance. They listened, they thought about it, they engaged with him thoughtfully and then they decided that he still sucked and hadn't made it right.

Quote
Overall, the show is enough "inside baseball" to get the attention of the professoriate, but not so abstruse as to be ignored by the general public.  I give it a solid B.

I'd put it at B+/A-. Don't forget that the hilarious kid was genuinely hilarious in that weird-ass creepy way that smart kids have.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on August 25, 2021, 10:27:00 AM
I also watched The Chair and enjoyed it a lot. The writers obviously did their homework about university life, while also taking some liberties and exaggerating quite a bit. Putting aside accuracy, the show had good performance and managed to be both funny and emotionally effective. I agree with ergative that B+/A- is about right
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on August 27, 2021, 03:33:32 PM
Just happened across a very interesting (albeit older) series on British comics, interviewed by Dawn French (late 2000s).

This one is of John Cleese:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDryok7xeTo

There are several more, of both male and female comedy performers, very insightful, engaging, and of course, at times, funny, too.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: little bongo on August 31, 2021, 09:04:13 AM
Just finished watching all six episodes of The Chair, and I enjoyed it overall. I was a bit put off by the portrayal of the hot mess professor--as something of a professional hot mess myself, I'll just say that we don't all make Wile E. Coyote faces into the camera as we get a bad idea to steal airport carts and scooters and get into cartoon-style crashes. But a lot of the troubled-department political stuff elicited some understanding head-nods from me, and I recognized many of the faculty characters as pretty accurate, considering there's some exaggeration factor involved for comic purposes. The titular chair's family issues rang true for me as well.

The Chronicle has some pretty snappy commentary on the series episode-by-episode:

https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-chair-episode-6-the-department-chair-goes-back-to-the-classroom-finally

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: lilyb on August 31, 2021, 09:17:51 AM
I also just finished and enjoyed The Chair. The earlier episodes somehow were both hyperbolic/satirical, yet also cut too close to the bone (especially administrative pressures on chairs). It wasn't all doom and gloom, though. I found the season finale quite moving.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: dr_codex on August 31, 2021, 04:31:36 PM
Quote from: lilyb on August 31, 2021, 09:17:51 AM
I also just finished and enjoyed The Chair. The earlier episodes somehow were both hyperbolic/satirical, yet also cut too close to the bone (especially administrative pressures on chairs). It wasn't all doom and gloom, though. I found the season finale quite moving.

My own Chair found that the series hit close to home. Too close to home, in some cases.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on August 31, 2021, 05:55:56 PM
I just read the New Yorker review, here:

   https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/30/sandra-ohs-masterly-performance-of-empathy-in-the-chair

Haven't watched it, though.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Parasaurolophus on August 31, 2021, 09:47:20 PM
Well, I've been bingeing Heartland, so there.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on September 01, 2021, 02:57:54 AM
Quote from: mamselle on August 31, 2021, 05:55:56 PM
I just read the New Yorker review, here:

   https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/30/sandra-ohs-masterly-performance-of-empathy-in-the-chair

Haven't watched it, though.

M.

We read that too. I definitely felt like the reviewer was watching the show from the position of one of the Old Guard, and missed the point in a couple of places.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: downer on September 01, 2021, 04:06:31 AM
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on August 31, 2021, 09:47:20 PM
Well, I've been bingeing Heartland, so there.

I watched seasons 1-13. Must be close to 200 episodes. Great scenery and great acting by the horses.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Hibush on September 01, 2021, 05:51:24 PM
Quote from: mamselle on August 31, 2021, 05:55:56 PM
I just read the New Yorker review, here:

   https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/30/sandra-ohs-masterly-performance-of-empathy-in-the-chair

Haven't watched it, though.

M.

Two quotes from that New Yorker review that are worth copying:
"I don't know anyone who has gone through the trouble of becoming a professor with the express goal of ending up as a department chair. The role draws on organizational skills that many academics have made a career out of avoiding."

"One complication of institutional diversity is that diverse faces can now lead institutions that are in free fall. "

The former reminds us of why we have some of the ineffectiveness we have. The latter of the inequity of diversifying leadership just before the fall.

I have only seen the trailers. I'm in a department where we are really stressing about the aging of our faculty. But we are chipper youngsters compared to this bunch! Where are the vibrant faculty in their 30s and 40s?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on September 02, 2021, 07:18:45 AM
Quote from: Hibush on September 01, 2021, 05:51:24 PM

I have only seen the trailers. I'm in a department where we are really stressing about the aging of our faculty. But we are chipper youngsters compared to this bunch! Where are the vibrant faculty in their 30s and 40s?

Adjuncting, until they decide that there are no FT jobs around. Then, in new non-academic careers doing quite well.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: dr_codex on September 02, 2021, 08:58:46 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on September 02, 2021, 07:18:45 AM
Quote from: Hibush on September 01, 2021, 05:51:24 PM

I have only seen the trailers. I'm in a department where we are really stressing about the aging of our faculty. But we are chipper youngsters compared to this bunch! Where are the vibrant faculty in their 30s and 40s?

Adjuncting, until they decide that there are no FT jobs around. Then, in new non-academic careers doing quite well.

The grad students, covering the classes.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on September 20, 2021, 05:26:32 PM
We watched "The Chair" and thought it was pretty good. Relevant.

Currently, we are watching "Y: the Last Man." Probably not the thing to watch during a pandemic...
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on September 20, 2021, 08:03:22 PM
Re-watching all the old 'Bergerac,' on Season 3 now.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on September 21, 2021, 08:04:37 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on September 20, 2021, 05:26:32 PM
Currently, we are watching "Y: the Last Man." Probably not the thing to watch during a pandemic...
We've got that adult graphic novels series (the basis for the show) in our library collection holdings.  It's also available in omnibus editions.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on September 21, 2021, 08:15:28 AM
We finished Ugly Betty.  I thought I had seen the whole series before but didn't remember much of the final season happenstances.  I still enjoyed it as much as the first time.  Some of the antics are definitely over the top, but it's such a cute show with some good themes.  Now we're on Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 7 and are going through it way too quickly.  Still watching Jericho for the sci-fi/drama part of our viewing. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on September 21, 2021, 02:19:32 PM
Quote from: hmaria1609 on September 21, 2021, 08:04:37 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on September 20, 2021, 05:26:32 PM
Currently, we are watching "Y: the Last Man." Probably not the thing to watch during a pandemic...
We've got that adult graphic novels series (the basis for the show) in our library collection holdings.  It's also available in omnibus editions.

I haven't read the comic, but I think SO has.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on September 22, 2021, 12:03:11 AM
Discovered What We Do in the Shadows on the recommendation of a friend. What a hoot and a half! Wonderful casting, delightful fun being had with a goofy premise. I can only get the first two seasons for free with my existing access and streaming subscriptions, but I'm considering spending real money to get the third season.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: sprout on September 23, 2021, 11:05:55 AM
Quote from: ergative on September 22, 2021, 12:03:11 AM
Discovered What We Do in the Shadows on the recommendation of a friend. What a hoot and a half! Wonderful casting, delightful fun being had with a goofy premise. I can only get the first two seasons for free with my existing access and streaming subscriptions, but I'm considering spending real money to get the third season.
If you like that, you'd probably enjoy Wellington Paranormal too. (If you have HBO Max.)  It follows a couple of hapless Wellington beat cops who are put in charge of investigating potential paranormal happenings by their somewhat-paranormal-obsessed captain.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on September 23, 2021, 07:27:15 PM
Quote from: ergative on September 22, 2021, 12:03:11 AM
Discovered What We Do in the Shadows on the recommendation of a friend. What a hoot and a half! Wonderful casting, delightful fun being had with a goofy premise. I can only get the first two seasons for free with my existing access and streaming subscriptions, but I'm considering spending real money to get the third season.

We started watching it too. Hilarious.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on September 24, 2021, 09:58:49 AM
Quote from: ergative on September 22, 2021, 12:03:11 AM
Discovered What We Do in the Shadows on the recommendation of a friend. What a hoot and a half! Wonderful casting, delightful fun being had with a goofy premise. I can only get the first two seasons for free with my existing access and streaming subscriptions, but I'm considering spending real money to get the third season.

Great show! Hulu is releasing new episodes every week.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: RatGuy on September 24, 2021, 10:51:51 AM
To get me into the Halloween spirit, I'll probably watch "Midnight Mass" on Netflix. I'm a big fan of Mike Flanigan in general (we really liked "Haunting of Hill House" and "Oculus,") so I'm willing to give his new one a chance.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on September 24, 2021, 04:32:37 PM
Latest TV shows...

Alpha House - Takes place during Obama administration and quite prescient!
30 Rock - Yeah, can't believe I didn't watch it the first time around. Wow, mid-aughts fashion is already looking dated!

Eagerly awaiting...
White Lotus - Just wrapped up, eagerly awaiting the next season.
Succession - SEASON 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hacks - When it finally comes out of the HBO Max jail and I can watch it on a real TV without all the extra gizmos.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: downer on September 24, 2021, 06:20:28 PM
Could there be anything more pleasurable than watching another season of the Great British Bake Off/Baking Show?

Not for me.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: larryc on September 25, 2021, 10:03:54 AM
I was on a Delta flight heading for vacation on Cape Cod when I noticed the TV show called High Town set on Cape Cod.

It is really terrible.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: jimbogumbo on September 25, 2021, 04:15:45 PM
Quote from: larryc on September 25, 2021, 10:03:54 AM
I was on a Delta flight heading for vacation on Cape Cod when I noticed the TV show called High Town set on Cape Cod.

It is really terrible.

You will be thrilled to learn there is a Season 2 about to start.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on September 30, 2021, 11:37:23 PM
I've been enjoying the odd episode of The Untamed. Great costumes, pretty scenery, nice music, good wigs. Lots of actors not afraid to vamp and chew the scenery. I recommended it to my mother, but even with appropriate explanation of context and expectation setting, she evidently found it not to her liking, judging from her most recent email, which read only, 'You have got to be kidding.'

Anyone else here enjoying some extremely extra Chinese fantasy drama? Great costumes, good wigs!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on October 01, 2021, 05:58:21 AM
Nearly done with Bergerac, just found Shoestring.

I keep thinking I might want to go back and pick up Vera and Midwives after that.

M.
   
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on October 01, 2021, 09:08:45 AM
We watched Squid Game over the last week. It is great (Parasite meets Hostel), but not for the squeamish. Did anyone else watch it?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on October 04, 2021, 06:30:56 PM
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on October 01, 2021, 09:08:45 AM
We watched Squid Game over the last week. It is great (Parasite meets Hostel), but not for the squeamish. Did anyone else watch it?

I'm 5 episodes in.  It's fascinating.  Highly recommended, but as you say, not for the squeamish.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on October 14, 2021, 05:19:35 PM
Just wrapped Alpha House.

Now watching The Chair on Netflix. Yeah, hits freakishly close to home.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on October 14, 2021, 05:40:26 PM
Finished Bergerac.

Sigh. I liked the bicultural/bilingual dimensions, it seemed more ventilated and alive, especially since they avoided all the stupid cliches about French culture, at least most of the time.

I also realized the secretary in the first three seasons is now Fleur on M.Murders...funny turn-around.

I'll wait a couple days to start Shoestring, I think.

Have to let the palette clear, you know?

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on October 15, 2021, 05:02:31 AM
Leverage: Redemption has dropped the second half of their first season!! "The Bucket Job" is a bomb, but "The Jackal Job" is quite good. As of now I've seen up through "The Hurricane Job" & am enjoying it.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on October 16, 2021, 08:07:08 AM
Just wrapped "The Chair." Hmm.

Thoughts?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on October 16, 2021, 08:41:27 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on October 16, 2021, 08:07:08 AM
Just wrapped "The Chair." Hmm.

Thoughts?

I thought it was pretty good. Effectively blends comedy with drama and packed an emotional punch. The portrayal of, and commentary on, the academic workplace is pretty accurate and sharp as well, although obviously exaggerated.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on October 19, 2021, 10:44:15 AM
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on October 16, 2021, 08:41:27 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on October 16, 2021, 08:07:08 AM
Just wrapped "The Chair." Hmm.

Thoughts?

I thought it was pretty good. Effectively blends comedy with drama and packed an emotional punch. The portrayal of, and commentary on, the academic workplace is pretty accurate and sharp as well, although obviously exaggerated.

I liked it up until the final episode. Can't say much more without spoilers.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on October 19, 2021, 03:14:52 PM
Shoestring is good. I'll have to follow Treavor Eve further, it appears.

Very sorry he decided to stop after just two seasons, but he then had a quite varied career, so maybe that was a good move.

Very, very odd seeing two major early characters from "The Bill" in the same Shoestring episode the other evening; also A. Badland and Diamante Lil, both from Bergerac, were in the previous episode there.

And Badland has of course turned up at Midsomer as Fleur.

I recall now thinking her eyes looked familiar and being unable to place her; it's funny following someone like that so much later and realizing finally that you were right, you did know her, you just couldn't ever have figured out wherefrom.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on October 20, 2021, 05:41:31 PM
Just started Season 4 of Goliath.  I don't know if the show has a different show runner or something but the aesthetic, pacing, visuals are WAY different than the first 3 seasons and the plot seems to be skipping around a lot.  Frankly, the show looks like somebody just watched Blade Runner 12 times back to back and then started filming Goliath.  I like Billy Bob Thornton and JK Simmons.  Beyond that, the jury is still out. (no pun intended)
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on October 21, 2021, 06:26:11 AM
My husband and I watched all four seasons of Goliath.  We liked it, mainly; although I thought season 2 was just too weird and gruesome. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on October 21, 2021, 10:57:55 AM
We finished Jericho a couple nights ago, the show about the aftermath a town has to deal with after the appearance of a mushroom cloud.  Lots of very timely material with political struggles and threats to society and humanity of various kinds.  There are only two seasons, the second of which is only about 7 episodes, and there were two finales shot (in case the show got renewed and in case not) that are included in the DVD set.   It was entertaining, and there were certainly some characters to like or not like and root for or against.  I guess they tried to extend it a bit after cancellation with some graphic novels, but I doubt we'll read them.  Still, we enjoyed the show.  Now we've started Seinfeld from the pilot on as a companion to Alias.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: dr_codex on October 24, 2021, 11:15:29 AM
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on October 16, 2021, 08:41:27 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on October 16, 2021, 08:07:08 AM
Just wrapped "The Chair." Hmm.

Thoughts?

I thought it was pretty good. Effectively blends comedy with drama and packed an emotional punch. The portrayal of, and commentary on, the academic workplace is pretty accurate and sharp as well, although obviously exaggerated.

My Dean couldn't watch past the first episode because too much of the commentary was on point. He's seen almost everything in the series happen.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on October 24, 2021, 11:52:31 AM
Quote from: dr_codex on October 24, 2021, 11:15:29 AM
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on October 16, 2021, 08:41:27 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on October 16, 2021, 08:07:08 AM
Just wrapped "The Chair." Hmm.

Thoughts?

I thought it was pretty good. Effectively blends comedy with drama and packed an emotional punch. The portrayal of, and commentary on, the academic workplace is pretty accurate and sharp as well, although obviously exaggerated.

My Dean couldn't watch past the first episode because too much of the commentary was on point. He's seen almost everything in the series happen.

I thought it was pretty on-point as well. Especially the Dean. Ew.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Wahoo Redux on October 24, 2021, 12:30:31 PM
Quote from: ciao_yall on October 24, 2021, 11:52:31 AM
Quote from: dr_codex on October 24, 2021, 11:15:29 AM
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on October 16, 2021, 08:41:27 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on October 16, 2021, 08:07:08 AM
Just wrapped "The Chair." Hmm.

Thoughts?

I thought it was pretty good. Effectively blends comedy with drama and packed an emotional punch. The portrayal of, and commentary on, the academic workplace is pretty accurate and sharp as well, although obviously exaggerated.

My Dean couldn't watch past the first episode because too much of the commentary was on point. He's seen almost everything in the series happen.

I thought it was pretty on-point as well. Especially the Dean. Ew.

Whoever the writers are they studied up on the controversies and challenges facing the humanities----although the series is pretty over the top, which is necessary.  If people knew what our daily routines were like they would be bored to tears.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Wahoo Redux on October 24, 2021, 12:32:52 PM
Been watching Midnight Mass on Netflix.  Soap opera meets horror.  Hokey melodrama combined with bad vampire special effects but some excellent acting and compelling good story.  I am enjoying it quite a bit.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: sprout on October 25, 2021, 12:20:26 PM
Quote from: Wahoo Redux on October 24, 2021, 12:32:52 PM
Been watching Midnight Mass on Netflix.  Soap opera meets horror.  Hokey melodrama combined with bad vampire special effects but some excellent acting and compelling good story.  I am enjoying it quite a bit.

I enjoyed that too.  It had some different elements that I haven't always seen in vampire stories.  And I thought the reactions and behaviors of the townspeople were actually quite plausible (given the situation and the personalities involved, one in particular).
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Morden on November 10, 2021, 08:46:51 AM
C'est comme ça que je t'aime--a French Canadian comedy. We're watching on CBC Gem with the English subtitles, but it might be available elsewhere. The same writer did Série Noire which we haven't seen yet.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on November 10, 2021, 09:02:23 AM
Watching:

Succession Season 3

And 2 old reruns:

30 Rock - Season 5. Getting a bit stale but still fun.
Jane The Virgin - I don't know how I tripped into it as it doesn't tick any of my boxes but it's a really good show!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on November 10, 2021, 10:55:20 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on November 10, 2021, 09:02:23 AM
Jane The Virgin - I don't know how I tripped into it as it doesn't tick any of my boxes but it's a really good show!
Material from 1st season shows up in Snow Falling by Jane G. Villanueva (2017)!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on November 23, 2021, 11:15:23 AM
We're somewhere in the middle of Seinfeld at this point.  I'm sure I had seen most, if not all, of the episodes at least once, though I started watching a couple seasons in.  I've seen some several times.  But it has been really interesting to watch them in order.  There are so, so many references that get thrown in and brought back up across episodes.  I've also been interested to see how the show evolved with casting choices and so forth.  And there are so many funny plot lines I remembered that were in different episodes than I had recalled.  It's held up pretty well for me overall.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Parasaurolophus on November 23, 2021, 04:09:24 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on November 23, 2021, 11:15:23 AM
And there are so many funny plot lines I remembered that were in different episodes than I had recalled.  It's held up pretty well for me overall.

Yeah, it's weirdly disorienting.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on November 23, 2021, 06:50:14 PM
I watched the 6th season finale of "Grantchester" on Sunday night. Whew, what a season! It opened in summer 1958 with the Grantchester gang going to a holiday camp.
Also, production for 7th season is done.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on November 27, 2021, 07:19:47 PM
Just found "Raffles"!

Like a prelude to Brett's "Sherlock" in reverse.

Pleasant and wacky and very knowing, as well as debonair.

Happy.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Harlow2 on November 30, 2021, 05:04:44 PM
James May oh Cook.  The conceit of the 7-part series is that it is being filmed and photographed for a new cookbook.  The banter between  May, the directors, and his "home economist" ( aka professional cook who stays in a closet until he needs her) is frequently quite funny, and there is real cooking going on ( none of it haute cuisine).  Lots of play with the fourth wall.  On Prime
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on December 03, 2021, 10:10:27 AM
Mythic Quest. Workplace comedy about a computer game company, and something about the combined affection and ribbing of nerdery with the simultaneous fully understood problems associated with gamer culture and tech companies, with the wonderful cast and hilarious dialogue, is exactly my jam. I inhaled the first season today while on the couch recovering from a cold.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Harlow2 on December 10, 2021, 10:30:08 AM
Shetland: the new season is now up on prime. Moody and beautiful murder mystery with a great cast and scenery.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on December 30, 2021, 03:21:54 PM
Quote from: Harlow2 on December 10, 2021, 10:30:08 AM
Shetland: the new season is now up on prime. Moody and beautiful murder mystery with a great cast and scenery.

I just heard about this series from a friend.  It sounds like it's worth checking out!

We wrapped up Seinfeld and started Friends, which I have also seen most episodes of but not in order.  We had also planned to pick back up with Alias, but I convinced my husband to check out an episode of Downton Abbey.  That way, in case he had no interest, we could just put it aside.  Well, he is totally into it.  There is a lot of "ooooooohing" going on with all the eavesdropping, gossip, and backstabbing.  We've only watched about 4 episodes, but I think he's hooked.  Maybe I'll watch the whole series this time instead of stopping after a few seasons.  I think the movie is included as well.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on December 30, 2021, 05:25:18 PM
Just wrapped 30 Rock and Succession. I thought there would be an Episode 10 of Succession but I guess E.9 was the final? Okay.

Now starting Call My Agent on Netflix.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on December 31, 2021, 07:48:55 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on December 30, 2021, 03:21:54 PM
We wrapped up Seinfeld and started Friends, which I have also seen most episodes of but not in order.  We had also planned to pick back up with Alias, but I convinced my husband to check out an episode of Downton Abbey.  That way, in case he had no interest, we could just put it aside.  Well, he is totally into it.  There is a lot of "ooooooohing" going on with all the eavesdropping, gossip, and backstabbing.  We've only watched about 4 episodes, but I think he's hooked.  Maybe I'll watch the whole series this time instead of stopping after a few seasons.  I think the movie is included as well.
Enjoy!  I bought and own the DVD box set of the series after its run on PBS.  The movie wasn't included so I bought that separately.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Parasaurolophus on December 31, 2021, 08:18:43 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on December 30, 2021, 03:21:54 PM
Quote from: Harlow2 on December 10, 2021, 10:30:08 AM
Shetland: the new season is now up on prime. Moody and beautiful murder mystery with a great cast and scenery.

I just heard about this series from a friend.  It sounds like it's worth checking out!

We wrapped up Seinfeld and started Friends, which I have also seen most episodes of but not in order.  We had also planned to pick back up with Alias, but I convinced my husband to check out an episode of Downton Abbey.  That way, in case he had no interest, we could just put it aside.  Well, he is totally into it.  There is a lot of "ooooooohing" going on with all the eavesdropping, gossip, and backstabbing.  We've only watched about 4 episodes, but I think he's hooked.  Maybe I'll watch the whole series this time instead of stopping after a few seasons.  I think the movie is included as well.

Shetland is especially fantastic for what it gets right (police not cutting corners, sensitive reatments of sexual assault, etc.).

If you like Downton, you'll also love The House of Eliott.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on December 31, 2021, 08:36:30 PM
Yes, "House of Elliott" was my 'first' BBC/ITV series, I've never gone back since....

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Langue_doc on January 01, 2022, 09:12:03 AM
I watched some of the earlier episodes of Law and Order yesterday. Good script, good acting, and so very New York.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on January 01, 2022, 11:31:43 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on January 01, 2022, 09:12:03 AM
I watched some of the earlier episodes of Law and Order yesterday. Good script, good acting, and so very New York.

We binge watched 5 seasons of Law & Order UK.  Not sure how accurately it reflects legal issues and how crime is viewed in the UK, but there seemed to be a whole lot of speeches coming from the lawyers in the courtroom and juries appeared to be easily influenced by the defendant having had a hard life or lousy parents.  Justice in the US seems to be much more Old Testament
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on January 01, 2022, 12:00:35 PM
I put The House of Eliott on our watch list.  Thanks for the recommendations, Parasaurolophus and mamselle!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on January 02, 2022, 02:29:37 PM
I'm going nuts over a series that only ran a couple seasons, but it's insanely good....if very, very unusual.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sviYYLp0VHc&list=PL3wXW4qdCvpi6ZpUactbVa5z7_Vc95W15&index=6

The stars are unbelievably good, and very true-to-life.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on January 15, 2022, 01:47:37 PM
The 2nd season of "All Creatures Great & Small" premiered this past Sunday (1/9).  It was great to see the Dales again. In the first few minutes, James Herriot was in his native Glasgow.

I found out it's been renewed through 4th season:
https://tellyvisions.org/2022/01/10/all-creatures-great-and-small-will-return-seasons-3-and-4 (https://tellyvisions.org/2022/01/10/all-creatures-great-and-small-will-return-seasons-3-and-4)
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on January 15, 2022, 11:16:17 PM
Back in Vera-land...

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: clean on January 23, 2022, 04:46:39 PM
Resident Alien restarts in a few days!
The first season was being shown on TV last night (on Sci Fi I think).

Im looking forward to its return!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on February 19, 2022, 07:43:39 AM
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on June 22, 2021, 05:29:15 PM
Quote from: ciao_yall on June 22, 2021, 07:07:20 AM
Two new shows in my queue, which meant upgrades to AMC+ and HBO Max...

Kevin Can F*** Himself with Annie Murphy from Schitt's Creek.

Hacks with Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder

Enjoying these strong women-oriented shows.

My wife and I watched the first season of Hacks and enjoyed it very much.

I'll also recommend Mare of Easttown to you, since you have HBO and since it is another strong woman-oriented show.

We finally got to start watching Mare of Easttown and blew through the first 3 episodes last night.  I wanted to stay up and watch the remainder.  It took a little bit to get into, and I don't personally agree with the accents (so that was a little jarring), but it's definitely intriguing.  In a lot of ways, it reminds me of The Killing, both in terms of the plot and the feel.  That one also has a strong female lead.  I don't think I got to see that entire series so might have to pick that up as well.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on February 20, 2022, 10:06:22 AM
We ended up watching an episode of Mare of Easttown during lunch yesterday, which is unheard of for us (being that it is an hour long), and then finished it last night.  Whew! We both thought it was excellent.  Quite the little mystery (or several), but also so tragic and emotional, which was unexpected.  There are a couple parts that didn't quite click into place for me, so I need to think about them a little more, as it's a fairly complicated story.  But the acting was great, and just... wow!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on February 22, 2022, 07:30:53 PM
I watched the adaptation of Julian Fellowes's Belgravia on DVD from the library. It was a limited run mini-series on Epix. I'd read the novel so I went in knowing what would happen.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on February 22, 2022, 07:48:08 PM
Quote from: hmaria1609 on February 22, 2022, 07:30:53 PM
I watched the adaptation of Julian Fellowes's Belgravia on DVD from the library. It was a limited run mini-series on Epix. I'd read the novel so I went in knowing what would happen.

I'd be interested to hear what you thought of it (I mean, if there are spoilers about what happens, please omit them, as I have no idea what that limited run series is about).  Given how much we liked Downton and are looking forward to The Gilded Age if/when it's out on DVD, it would be great to have another of his to look for.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on February 25, 2022, 07:54:17 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on February 22, 2022, 07:48:08 PM
I'd be interested to hear what you thought of it (I mean, if there are spoilers about what happens, please omit them, as I have no idea what that limited run series is about).  Given how much we liked Downton and are looking forward to The Gilded Age if/when it's out on DVD, it would be great to have another of his to look for.
I thought it was good weekend watch. There are 6 episodes and a bonus featurette on the making of the show on the DVD.

The story first opens in 1815, the Duchess of Richmond hosts a legendary ball in Brussels. The Trenchards are invited by Edmund Bellasis, who's related to the Duchess.  When word of Napoleon's arrival is delivered, the ball abruptly ends. In 1841, the Trenchards move to Belgravia, a new area for the wealthy in London. Anne Trenchard meets Edmund Bellasis's mother during afternoon tea, setting events in motion.
I enjoyed both the novel and adaptation. Edinburgh's New Town stands in for Belgravia.

Of note: Julian Fellowes visits Goodwood, the family seat of the Dukes of Richmond in the documentary "Great Houses with Julian Fellowes." The legendary 1815 ball is mentioned--Fellowes looks at the guest book.

I saved the soundtrack of the show on my YouTube list.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on March 16, 2022, 05:30:31 PM
We just started Grey's Anatomy (never seen it- first time viewers).
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: downer on March 16, 2022, 05:36:57 PM
Pieces of Her on Netflix is good. Based on a Karin Slaughter novel. Toni Collette is great. The difficulty is the same faced by most such series. The first few episodes are gripping and then you have to work harder to work out what the hell is going on.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: AmLitHist on March 18, 2022, 08:29:47 AM
Does anyone remember Crime Story, with Dennis Farina?  It lasted only two seasons, but it was one of my favorites, and I recently found it searching with my Fire Stick (on IMDB or Tubi, I don't recall which at the moment). Excellent writing, though the switch from Chicago to Vegas in the second season did it in; the cars, clothes, atmosphere of 1963 are all fabulous.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Istiblennius on March 18, 2022, 09:13:40 AM
Our Flag Means Death is well worth a watch (and I don't even like comedies).
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on March 18, 2022, 07:10:40 PM
I got the 1st season of "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" on DVD from the library. I saw it on "Masterpiece" and want to rewatch.  There's a season 2 coming later this year! They filmed in Belgrade, Serbia.

The new and 2nd season of "Sanditon" starts this Sunday night (3/20):
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/sanditon-s2-what-to-know-before-you-watch/ (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/sanditon-s2-what-to-know-before-you-watch/)
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: downer on March 29, 2022, 05:13:11 PM
I watched season 1 of Bridgerton. That was totally a guilty pleasure. Now I'm trying to resist season 2.

I just started Bad Vegan as a way of avoiding the ridiculous historical romance. I'm not sure it's a good trade off.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Harlow2 on March 29, 2022, 06:14:04 PM
Quote from: mamselle on January 15, 2022, 11:16:17 PM
Back in Vera-land...

M.

So glad you said that as I didn't realize there were new ones up. One of my favorites.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: kaysixteen on March 31, 2022, 09:53:33 PM
Anyone want to offer their impressions of the Law & Order reboot?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on April 01, 2022, 02:30:25 PM
That's great Sam Waterson was able to come back!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Wahoo Redux on April 01, 2022, 03:19:19 PM
Young Sheldon.

I was very dubious, but now I think it is very smart and very funny.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: clean on April 01, 2022, 05:02:31 PM
My bride and I dont miss Ghosts!

We really like season I of Resident Alien.  I have recorded all of Season II, but we are saving those for a binge watching time! 

Otherwise, I confess to be a big fan of Battle Bots!  (She doesnt leave the room when it is on, so I dont know if that means she is a a fan, but not willing to let me know!)

We watch Kat, but Im not sure I would miss it if it was gone.

We also watch Worst Cooks In America (the season is over for now, though).  I learn a few things, but mostly I see a lot of things in common with my bride and the show's people, but she would not likely agree with those observations. 

It is too new to know, but we watched one of the Julia Child Challenge shows.  The Bride was ready to try making a soufflé.  (I am not that brave yet). 

That seems to be our TV addiction update.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on April 01, 2022, 06:50:57 PM
Lizzo's Watch Out For The Big Grrrls (https://www.amazon.com/Lizzos-Watch-Out-Big-Grrrls/dp/B09KFGXCRP/?ref=DVM_US_DL_SL_GO_AST_BIGGRL22_mkw_smop5XQfJ-dc&mrntrk=pcrid_588188030793_slid__pgrid_135401664435_pgeo_1014221_x__ptid_kwd-1708501193037&gclid=CjwKCAjwxZqSBhAHEiwASr9n9Ba85el5ROlXtKNwanngX7LHWjrBkLzt3dzVXzZj4PcKj9v2ppyZkRoCPTgQAvD_BwE) on Amazon Prime.

So far, it's actually constructive and professional and supportive of the participants. I almost didn't watch because I hate reality shows. But I like this one.

Also watched...

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Morden on April 02, 2022, 11:50:03 AM
QuoteMy bride and I dont miss Ghosts!
Hi Clean, Are you watching the British Ghosts or the American Ghosts? We enjoyed the British one very much; we watched the first episode of the American one, but that's all.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: clean on April 02, 2022, 12:57:45 PM
The American one.  I am aware that it is based on the British one, but I dont usually watch Netflix, and if I can access it, I suspect it would be from there.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on April 11, 2022, 02:11:01 PM
Saw two of the three original Murdoch Mysteries series (Canadian, 2004) and can't get the third.

I'm giving up YT shows for the week, but will look more later.

Impressed by P. Outerbridge, his co-star, K. Hawes, and especially Flora Montgomery, whom I realized I'd seen in several other things elsewhere but--she was so good, I couldn't place them while watching--sign of an actor absorbed in the character at hand.

I sort-of liked the later series, but it's a bit hokey at times; this seemed better-done, and I really wished there had been more. (Outerbridge had a prior committment, so when the extension came through, he was unavailable).

M. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on April 16, 2022, 06:50:48 PM
The Flight Attendant - just watched S1E1 and I am hooked.
Barry is going to have a Season 3. Except I didn't like how Season 2 ended so we'll see.

Still wish Hacks were on regular HBO, not stuck on HBO Max which doesn't work on my TV. I loved S1E1 but haven't been able to watch since and I refuse to watch it on my computer. Principle of the thing.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: kaysixteen on May 04, 2022, 08:52:33 PM
Just got the great news that we will all soon get to find out what Red Foreman will be like as a grandpa, in the upcoming 'That '90s Show'.   Can't wait to see what they do with and in 1995.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: RatGuy on May 05, 2022, 09:31:55 AM
Trying to decide on our next series (my wife will only watch one at a time). She likes shorter runs with ongoing storylines and creepy central mysteries. So far friends have recommended Legion, The Leftovers, and Locke & Key. Any of those worth seeing or is there something else we migbt like? (She's gonna want to switch over to Stranger Things when the next season drops).
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: sprout on May 05, 2022, 01:47:35 PM
If you have Netflix, you might check out some of the Harlan Coben shows.  They're limited series (like 6-8 episodes, I think), each series based on a different mystery/thriller plot.  There are a handful of British ones I've enjoyed, and some non-English ones I haven't watched.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on May 06, 2022, 02:53:06 PM
Friends! Romans! Countrymen! Have you seen Black Sails? I've just finished season 2 (please don't spoil S3-4), and it is phenomenal. It started in 2014 and as far as I can gather never really garnered much attention beyond a very small group of die-hard fans, whom I have just joined, except now the Discourse has moved on, alas, and I'm now this person. (https://www.instagram.com/p/B03b3h9lRDE/). But, active fandom or no, it is a masterpiece of plotting and characterization: A bunch of pirates and pirate-adjacent people work in a the shifting sands of alliance and betrayal and selfish gain and ideals for The Greater Good to make outstanding television. It reminds me of the best bits of the later seasons of Deep Space Nine: Everyone has their own motivations, and sometimes they align and sometimes they don't. If you don't like a particular alliance, no worries--something will change dramatically soon. If you think two characters should team up, no worries--they will, eventually.

S1 starts a bit rough--the showrunners decided that they needed to add a great deal of shmex to go along with all the sweaty pirates--but once they got past that about halfway through the season and leaned instead into plotting and characterization, it becomes superb.

Has anyone seen it? Can I make anyone see it? It's so good
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Istiblennius on May 06, 2022, 03:20:54 PM
I enjoyed Black Sails quite a bit. It took me at least three episodes to figure out it was a prequel of sorts to treasure island.

Although their portrayals are completely different, Ray Stevenson in Black Sails and Taika Waititi in Our Flag Means Death both bring a lot of fun to the role of Blackbeard.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on May 06, 2022, 03:48:04 PM
Yes, I've been debating whether to reread Treasure Island or not. Basically all I remember about it is that there is treasure, and that Long John Silver has one leg. Both of these features have now been addressed in the show.  On the one hand, I like to avoid spoilers. On the other hand, this show is so good at keeping track of all the moving pieces that it might vastly improve if I have a sense of the final shape it's moving towards.

I've been very eager to see Our Flag Means Death, but it's not available in my country yet.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on May 07, 2022, 05:27:02 AM
I just show my music theory class clips from "Pirates of Penzance," (the Kline/Ronstadt version) to discuss patter songs and solo/chorus writing...does that count?

;--》

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ergative on May 08, 2022, 09:13:44 AM
Quote from: mamselle on May 07, 2022, 05:27:02 AM
I just show my music theory class clips from "Pirates of Penzance," (the Kline/Ronstadt version) to discuss patter songs and solo/chorus writing...does that count?

;--》

M.

I love that version.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on May 08, 2022, 05:25:20 PM
I directed a (pared-down) version of the show at a boy's camp the summer before it went up on B'way, so it was cool to remember that, as well.

I remember reading the Time Magazine review, which showed a photo of Kline and Ronstadt captioned "Sweet Savoyards."

;--}

I think my kidlets in theory class want to listen to (maybe learn) the "Elements" Song set to "Modern Major-General"

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on May 14, 2022, 09:39:18 AM
So far, Season 3 of Barry is really good!

Finished Season 1 of The Flight Attendant. I would watch Season 2 but my TV doesn't support HBO Max and it seems to be turning into some sort of Hannah Montana but in her 30's type of schtick.

Russian Doll on Netflix - hmm, intriguing. Will stick with it.

And I'm loving Black Lady Sketch Show.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on May 14, 2022, 12:01:00 PM
We just finished The Pentaverate on Netflix.  The critics panned it for being overly broad and just another excuse for Mike Myers to put on a ton of prosthetic makeup and speak in funny accents.  That's all true, but I'd still give it a solid C.  Those of you living in the Great White North (especially if from Toronto) may be able to pull a couple more laughs out of it than American viewers.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on July 04, 2022, 07:35:37 PM
*Bumping*
Watched the "Endeavour" season 8 finale on "Masterpiece Mystery" last night. Morse and fellow bus passengers had to go to an abandoned hotel during the height of a snow storm. As the night goes on, Morse discovers there's a murderer among the group from a crime at the hotel in 1963.

The popular prequel series will end with 9th season next year!

Here's the list of the 13 Inspector Morse novels by the late Colin Dexter with commentary by two fellow writers:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/endeavour-inspector-morse-books-in-order/ (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/endeavour-inspector-morse-books-in-order/)
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on July 05, 2022, 08:02:37 AM
I think I've read all or nearly all the books, and at one point had seen all the M.o.r.s.e. and Lewis shows available.

I'm behind on Endeavor. Must catch up.

Friends met Shaun/E. while visiting in Oxford once, said he was kind, witty, and talkative. It may have helped that one of my friends had done his grad work at the school.

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on July 07, 2022, 08:46:22 AM
Quote from: RatGuy on May 05, 2022, 09:31:55 AM
Trying to decide on our next series (my wife will only watch one at a time). She likes shorter runs with ongoing storylines and creepy central mysteries. So far friends have recommended Legion, The Leftovers, and Locke & Key. Any of those worth seeing or is there something else we migbt like? (She's gonna want to switch over to Stranger Things when the next season drops).

This is the only post I could find in the search referring to it, so I am curious if Ratguy ever ended up watching The Leftovers? We started it last night, just episode one.  My husband has seen season 1 before but doesn't think he saw 2 or 3.  The pilot was a lot! It's from the same guy as Lost (Damon Lindelof) and I guess has some similar aspects (e.g., philosophy, mysticism, WTF is going on).  The story is that something occurred, and 2% of the world's population vanished simultaneously.  The series seems to take place three years later and centered in a town in NY, with the people who didn't vanish trying to come to terms with the loss without knowing what happened or why.  Some people didn't lose anyone, some lost a few people, and there are cults that drew in others.  It was a pretty startling pilot, but I am intrigued.  I hope it's not one of those shows that is quirky and weird and doesn't pay off.  The reviews are mixed.  A lot of reviewers on IMDB gave it a 10/10, which is pretty amazing.  But, some felt it didn't go anywhere. 

It's tough to follow the series we just finished, The West Wing.  That is such a great show.   I've now seen it twice all the way through and would watch it again.  There aren't that many shows that make me want to google what's going on to learn more (e.g., about Supreme Court appointment rules, who has floor privileges in the chambers of Congress, other procedural details).  Some of the episodes are particularly highly rated (high 8s or 9), but there is one that just stays with me that has an average rating for the show (7.8), which is 5.4 Han.  On the whole, the series has some great characters and acting, interesting scenarios, drama, action, romance, humor... it's got it all.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on July 26, 2022, 01:57:26 PM
We finished The Leftovers last night.  Wowee.  I am not even sure how to sum that one up.  It had some of everything.  It was deeply sad at times and hilarious at others.  I thought the writing was extremely clever.  I'm not sure it all makes sense to me, but it certainly made an impression.  As I noted in my previous post, it was definitely startling at times and very dark.  But overall it is a story about human relationships to a large extent that transcends particular contexts.  I read somewhere that it is considered episodic, in that from episode to episode the story doesn't necessarily continue linearly and pick up from where it left off.  There are some ensemble episodes and some focused on a particular character.  Sometimes I forgot we were even in the same episode because of the strange twists and turns the storytelling takes.  Even though it aired a few years ago, I was glad to find some online recaps that filled in some blanks where I missed details.  I don't think every question I had was answered by the series finale (by far) but am not unsatisfied with how it was wrapped up.  We also have Lost (which I have seen but my husband hasn't) to watch but are going to go through a progression to get out from under the dark before we go back to that kind of mystical mystery.  So now we are watching Friday Night Lights.  We intend to follow this up with Revenge, Luther before Lost
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on September 04, 2022, 11:05:29 AM
Friday Night Lights is now in the bag.  I had already seen it but enjoyed watching it again, and my husband also thought it was a very good series.  I'm sure it's not a surprise that although it's nominally football-focused, it's really about life and relationships and politics and diplomacy and etc.  Aside from some (IMO) strange story lines, including some that just end abruptly, it's pretty consistently great.  I think I may have oversold it as uplifting, which it is, but it does deal with a lot of dark territory as well.  Kind of like Pretty Little Liars, one wonders how high school students get away with so much.  We start Revenge this evening.  We're still watching Frasier as our short comedy sidekick.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: jimbogumbo on September 04, 2022, 11:36:35 AM
Finished Better Call Saul (stupendous!) and Animal Kingdom (really enjoyed the series).

On to season two of The Righteous Gemstones and season 3 of Barry.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on September 04, 2022, 01:13:02 PM
Re-watching The Vicar of Dibley.

M>
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Istiblennius on September 08, 2022, 09:03:18 AM
The blennius fam is so far having a great time with Rings of Power. We're enjoying speculating on the possible identity of certain characters, dissecting the diversions from Tolkein lore and how they work (for us, they do mostly work so far), and just overall enjoying the show and nerding out (case in point: our 15 minute "argument" over the proper pronunciation of Gil-Galad).
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on September 09, 2022, 11:08:30 AM
Just finished The Sandman on Netflix.  It's apparently based on a series of Neil Gaiman comic novels.  As such, it reads more like 11 free standing episodes with 1 underlying plot that does not even appear in every episode.  Special effects are pretty cool.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on September 16, 2022, 08:01:01 AM
TV - it's been a minute. The current rotation includes:

A League Of Their Own - just wrapped. Much more complex than the original movie.
Paper Girls - almost wrapped. More sci-fi effects than I usually go for but enjoying the story.
Kevin Can F*ck Himself, Season 2. Story is going strange places.
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window - very dark comedy.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on September 16, 2022, 08:07:09 AM
Back to Midsomer. Someone's posted a bunch of shows I've never seen before....

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on October 04, 2022, 11:54:07 AM
Watched 1.5 episodes of Breaking Bad and I'm already exhausted. They kept it up for 5 seasons??
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on October 04, 2022, 12:30:11 PM
Quote from: ciao_yall on October 04, 2022, 11:54:07 AM
Watched 1.5 episodes of Breaking Bad and I'm already exhausted. They kept it up for 5 seasons??

We binged this about 2 years ago (I had seen it previously), and my husband liked it quite a lot but thought that it might be better spread out a bit.  He found it pretty exhausting and overwhelming. 

Should be finishing up Revenge and Frasier this week or so.  Next... maybe Lost and either Veep or Hot in Cleveland? I haven't seen either of the comedies but have heard they are both funny.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on October 04, 2022, 05:47:37 PM
Quote from: secundem_artem on September 09, 2022, 11:08:30 AM
Just finished The Sandman on Netflix.  It's apparently based on a series of Neil Gaiman comic novels.  As such, it reads more like 11 free standing episodes with 1 underlying plot that does not even appear in every episode.  Special effects are pretty cool.

Solid show with good special effects and a cool premise. I thought it was great for the first few episodes, but overall it was too all over the place for me to get totally invested. I never read the comic, but may check it out now.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on October 05, 2022, 09:39:04 AM
Quote from: ab_grp on October 04, 2022, 12:30:11 PM
Quote from: ciao_yall on October 04, 2022, 11:54:07 AM
Watched 1.5 episodes of Breaking Bad and I'm already exhausted. They kept it up for 5 seasons??

We binged this about 2 years ago (I had seen it previously), and my husband liked it quite a lot but thought that it might be better spread out a bit.  He found it pretty exhausting and overwhelming. 

Should be finishing up Revenge and Frasier this week or so.  Next... maybe Lost and either Veep or Hot in Cleveland? I haven't seen either of the comedies but have heard they are both funny.

Highly recommend Veep. Also, Alpha House if you like political humor.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on October 05, 2022, 05:25:51 PM
We're about half way through the second season of Ted Lasso:

Usually I'm not a fan of relentlessly upbeat shows like this one, or characters like Ted Lasso himself, but the first season was quite good. However, throughout season two I've been losing interest and at this point I'm not so sure that we'll be tuning in for season three.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on October 06, 2022, 09:00:46 AM
Thanks, ciao_yall! I'll check it out.

Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on October 05, 2022, 05:25:51 PM
We're about half way through the second season of Ted Lasso:

Usually I'm not a fan of relentlessly upbeat shows like this one, or characters like Ted Lasso himself, but the first season was quite good. However, throughout season two I've been losing interest and at this point I'm not so sure that we'll be tuning in for season three.

Noooooo... We've had this in our queue for a while, but it's good to know that it might not hold up across seasons.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on October 07, 2022, 10:34:29 AM
Quote from: ab_grp on October 06, 2022, 09:00:46 AM
Thanks, ciao_yall! I'll check it out.

Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on October 05, 2022, 05:25:51 PM
We're about half way through the second season of Ted Lasso:

Usually I'm not a fan of relentlessly upbeat shows like this one, or characters like Ted Lasso himself, but the first season was quite good. However, throughout season two I've been losing interest and at this point I'm not so sure that we'll be tuning in for season three.

Noooooo... We've had this in our queue for a while, but it's good to know that it might not hold up across seasons.

It is worth watching. First season is great.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Stockmann on October 15, 2022, 08:36:17 PM
Watched a few episodes of Daria. Manages to be both funny and depressing.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on October 16, 2022, 08:49:27 AM
Quote from: Stockmann on October 15, 2022, 08:36:17 PM
Watched a few episodes of Daria. Manages to be both funny and depressing.

We watched some as well and put it aside but will probably get back to it at some point.  I had watched it before and thought it was a pretty clever show at times, but I think it helps to be in the right mood for it.

Sun_Worshiper, that's good to know about Ted Lasso!

We finished Revenge a couple nights ago.  It was entertaining but certainly eyeroll-worthy at times.  I always have fun trying to figure out when during a series the situation might have changed, such as planning for one season but finding out a second was approved or thinking you have another season and getting canceled.  The fourth (final) season definitely feels like a throw-all-the-spaghetti-at-the-wall approach.  Anyway, we had fun with it, and it was a good prep for my husband to build his disbelief suspension muscles for shows like Pretty Little Liars

Since then, we've been watching Luther (Idris Elba), which I had seen previously.  That is a really engaging show.  One of my close friends who is like a mental twin tried it on my recommendation and didn't like it, but I think it's fairly highly rated and award winning and so forth.  It's also very dark and a bit brutal at times.  For those who are not aware, it's about a very perceptive and bright London police detective who doesn't always do things by the book and has some demons of his own.  That sounds trite, and it's been done before, but I think this show is still an outlier.  My husband agrees, and we are finishing season 2 tonight.  Unfortunately, the show isn't very long, just a couple seasons with a couple episodes per season (e.g., 6 for the first season, 4 for the second season).  At one hour each, the episodes almost feel like mini-movies given how much occurs, and I am often on the edge of my seat.  I don't even mind sitting through the (quick) credits to see the "next" scenes.   They do a good job of making me want to watch the next episode but not giving too much away. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on October 16, 2022, 09:40:14 AM
We're a few episodes into season 2 of The Morning Show, a comedy/drama about the fallout from a me too scandal with Jennifer Aniston, Reece Witherspoon, and Steve Corell. The first season is very watchable and fairly nuanced in its discussion of sexual abuse in the workplace, but the ending really did not work for me. It doesn't need a second season, but what I've seen so far is solid.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on October 16, 2022, 06:43:17 PM
The 2nd season premiere of "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" on PBS.  Of interest, the show was filmed in Belgrade, Serbia!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on October 17, 2022, 08:30:44 AM
We watched "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" last night—I had seen and enjoyed season 1, but it was all new for my husband.  We followed that with "Magpie Murders," which we thought was very good—we'll certainly continue both of these.

I am eagerly awaiting season 9 of the Danish series, "Seaside Hotel" on PBS.  I have no idea when that will be.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: jimbogumbo on October 17, 2022, 01:49:00 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on October 16, 2022, 08:49:27 AM
Quote from: Stockmann on October 15, 2022, 08:36:17 PM
Watched a few episodes of Daria. Manages to be both funny and depressing.

We watched some as well and put it aside but will probably get back to it at some point.  I had watched it before and thought it was a pretty clever show at times, but I think it helps to be in the right mood for it.

Sun_Worshiper, that's good to know about Ted Lasso!

We finished Revenge a couple nights ago.  It was entertaining but certainly eyeroll-worthy at times.  I always have fun trying to figure out when during a series the situation might have changed, such as planning for one season but finding out a second was approved or thinking you have another season and getting canceled.  The fourth (final) season definitely feels like a throw-all-the-spaghetti-at-the-wall approach.  Anyway, we had fun with it, and it was a good prep for my husband to build his disbelief suspension muscles for shows like Pretty Little Liars

Since then, we've been watching Luther (Idris Elba), which I had seen previously.  That is a really engaging show.  One of my close friends who is like a mental twin tried it on my recommendation and didn't like it, but I think it's fairly highly rated and award winning and so forth.  It's also very dark and a bit brutal at times.  For those who are not aware, it's about a very perceptive and bright London police detective who doesn't always do things by the book and has some demons of his own.  That sounds trite, and it's been done before, but I think this show is still an outlier.  My husband agrees, and we are finishing season 2 tonight.  Unfortunately, the show isn't very long, just a couple seasons with a couple episodes per season (e.g., 6 for the first season, 4 for the second season).  At one hour each, the episodes almost feel like mini-movies given how much occurs, and I am often on the edge of my seat.  I don't even mind sitting through the (quick) credits to see the "next" scenes.   They do a good job of making me want to watch the next episode but not giving too much away.

Amazon Prime says it has five seasons of Luther.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on October 17, 2022, 02:44:31 PM
Quote from: jimbogumbo on October 17, 2022, 01:49:00 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on October 16, 2022, 08:49:27 AM
Quote from: Stockmann on October 15, 2022, 08:36:17 PM
Watched a few episodes of Daria. Manages to be both funny and depressing.

We watched some as well and put it aside but will probably get back to it at some point.  I had watched it before and thought it was a pretty clever show at times, but I think it helps to be in the right mood for it.

Sun_Worshiper, that's good to know about Ted Lasso!

We finished Revenge a couple nights ago.  It was entertaining but certainly eyeroll-worthy at times.  I always have fun trying to figure out when during a series the situation might have changed, such as planning for one season but finding out a second was approved or thinking you have another season and getting canceled.  The fourth (final) season definitely feels like a throw-all-the-spaghetti-at-the-wall approach.  Anyway, we had fun with it, and it was a good prep for my husband to build his disbelief suspension muscles for shows like Pretty Little Liars

Since then, we've been watching Luther (Idris Elba), which I had seen previously.  That is a really engaging show.  One of my close friends who is like a mental twin tried it on my recommendation and didn't like it, but I think it's fairly highly rated and award winning and so forth.  It's also very dark and a bit brutal at times.  For those who are not aware, it's about a very perceptive and bright London police detective who doesn't always do things by the book and has some demons of his own.  That sounds trite, and it's been done before, but I think this show is still an outlier.  My husband agrees, and we are finishing season 2 tonight.  Unfortunately, the show isn't very long, just a couple seasons with a couple episodes per season (e.g., 6 for the first season, 4 for the second season).  At one hour each, the episodes almost feel like mini-movies given how much occurs, and I am often on the edge of my seat.  I don't even mind sitting through the (quick) credits to see the "next" scenes.   They do a good job of making me want to watch the next episode but not giving too much away.

Amazon Prime says it has five seasons of Luther.

Yes, sorry if I was unclear, just listing examples for the first two.  There are also 4 episodes in season three, 2 in season four, and 4 in season 5.  At least, I think that's all of them!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: jimbogumbo on October 17, 2022, 05:27:23 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on October 17, 2022, 02:44:31 PM
Quote from: jimbogumbo on October 17, 2022, 01:49:00 PM
Quote from: ab_grp on October 16, 2022, 08:49:27 AM
Quote from: Stockmann on October 15, 2022, 08:36:17 PM
Watched a few episodes of Daria. Manages to be both funny and depressing.

We watched some as well and put it aside but will probably get back to it at some point.  I had watched it before and thought it was a pretty clever show at times, but I think it helps to be in the right mood for it.

Sun_Worshiper, that's good to know about Ted Lasso!

We finished Revenge a couple nights ago.  It was entertaining but certainly eyeroll-worthy at times.  I always have fun trying to figure out when during a series the situation might have changed, such as planning for one season but finding out a second was approved or thinking you have another season and getting canceled.  The fourth (final) season definitely feels like a throw-all-the-spaghetti-at-the-wall approach.  Anyway, we had fun with it, and it was a good prep for my husband to build his disbelief suspension muscles for shows like Pretty Little Liars

Since then, we've been watching Luther (Idris Elba), which I had seen previously.  That is a really engaging show.  One of my close friends who is like a mental twin tried it on my recommendation and didn't like it, but I think it's fairly highly rated and award winning and so forth.  It's also very dark and a bit brutal at times.  For those who are not aware, it's about a very perceptive and bright London police detective who doesn't always do things by the book and has some demons of his own.  That sounds trite, and it's been done before, but I think this show is still an outlier.  My husband agrees, and we are finishing season 2 tonight.  Unfortunately, the show isn't very long, just a couple seasons with a couple episodes per season (e.g., 6 for the first season, 4 for the second season).  At one hour each, the episodes almost feel like mini-movies given how much occurs, and I am often on the edge of my seat.  I don't even mind sitting through the (quick) credits to see the "next" scenes.   They do a good job of making me want to watch the next episode but not giving too much away.

Amazon Prime says it has five seasons of Luther.

Yes, sorry if I was unclear, just listing examples for the first two.  There are also 4 episodes in season three, 2 in season four, and 4 in season 5.  At least, I think that's all of them!

Ah, I see. Boy, that is a limited number of episodes per season!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on November 21, 2022, 08:26:12 AM
HBO White Lotus 2 is really well-done. Interesting variety of characters!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on November 21, 2022, 03:40:58 PM
We finished Veep last night.  Definitely an interesting counterpart to West Wing.  I told a friend how much we liked it but then sort of regretted doing so because the humor is very non-PC.  I guess I've come to realize that "wrong" is a type of humor that really gets me rolling on the floor laughing my head off (same for my husband), but others may find the show offensive for several dozen reasons.  I think that 98% of the time it was clever and absolutely hilarious.  Sometimes it tried a little too hard and the rather creative insults and expressions just didn't feel organic or believable.  The ensemble cast was great, especially some characters that I didn't think would become as front-and-center as they ended up doing.  There is a particular jackass (which may be the understatement of the year), among many bad guys, who is played very, very well.   And there are some good guys who really shine.  I wasn't crazy about the final episode and how things wrapped up, as not everyone got what they deserved.  Many did, though! Like West Wing, the show brought up political details that I enjoyed looking up and learning more about (e.g., electoral college possibilities), even if they did not appear to be completely accurate on the show.  I am already to watch the whole series again.  I also picked up season 1 of Alpha House, which I think ciao_yall recommended.

Now for our comedy we are back to Hot in Cleveland, which we had only gotten 1.5 episodes into previously.  It's a cute show and is certainly funny, but (so far) not to the extent that I think I may need medical intervention because I'm laughing so hard.  It is a good palate cleanser.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on November 22, 2022, 06:45:25 AM
Quote from: ciao_yall on November 21, 2022, 08:26:12 AM
HBO White Lotus 2 is really well-done. Interesting variety of characters!

We're watching this as well. Great so far! I also appreciate that it is not just a retread of season one (which was also great).
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: kaysixteen on November 22, 2022, 08:59:35 PM
Been rewatching a number of 70s-era Doctor Who eps on Uncle Earl's Classic TV Channel.   It is remarkable how different they were to the 21st c iterations.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Larimar on November 23, 2022, 04:21:16 AM
Last night I saw the opener of the second season of Leverage: Redemption. It was an okay but not great episode, but all the same I'm really glad they're back! Leverage is so much fun.

Also I saw the beginning of season 3 of The Chosen yesterday. WOW!!!! It's as dense and deep and touching and relatable as ever. It's such a powerful show.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on November 23, 2022, 07:20:33 PM
I enjoyed "Miss Scarlet & the Duke" season 2 on PBS; the season finale was Sunday night.
Great news: Fans won't have long to wait for season 3--it will be back in January 2023! PBS Passport members can watch the complete season 3 starting tomorrow.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on November 28, 2022, 09:06:07 AM
Netflix K-drama /rom-com Crash Landing Into You. So far I'm hooked! Very sweet but also a great story.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on November 30, 2022, 11:26:04 AM
I'm a happy camper today: I read that "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" is a go for a 4th season and production underway in Belgrade, Serbia.  Yay!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: paddington_bear on December 01, 2022, 04:31:19 PM
Over Columbus Day weekend the Sundance Channel was airing a Columbo marathon. I never saw it the first go around - a bit too young - but I started watching it and then scheduled it on my DVR. I really like it! It fills sort of the "cozy mystery" gap I've felt in my TV viewing, although it's not really a "cozy mystery." I like the structure of the show and Peter Falk is incredibly entertaining. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on December 01, 2022, 05:28:21 PM
Quote from: paddington_bear on December 01, 2022, 04:31:19 PM
Over Columbus Day weekend the Sundance Channel was airing a Columbo marathon. I never saw it the first go around - a bit too young - but I started watching it and then scheduled it on my DVR. I really like it! It fills sort of the "cozy mystery" gap I've felt in my TV viewing, although it's not really a "cozy mystery." I like the structure of the show and Peter Falk is incredibly entertaining.
I remember A&E Channel airing "Columbo" in the 2000s.  It was Peter Falk's signature role.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: larryc on December 01, 2022, 06:34:44 PM
I watched the Netflix series 1899. Produced by the same folks who made the German series Dark, it aims to be a moody and surreal historical drama about some folks on a transatlantic liner in 1899 where weird stuff starts to happen.

But by the fifth of the ten episodes, the weird stuff is just random. There is a hatch under the cabin that leads to a bar in Reykavik in 1930 and the patrons there are all mimes. Some characters have keypads that they can use to turn off other characters and now there is no such thing as tamales. The crew forgot to steer the ship in a storm for like three episodes and the first mate has a Nintendo Gameboy. Five characters are actually the same person but they don't know it and fish invented algebra.

Where anything can happen there can be no dramatic tension. By the time we get to the big reveal in the final moments of the final episode I was resigned to just another even more random denouement, which is of course what happened.

Do not recommend.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: kaysixteen on December 01, 2022, 09:42:16 PM
The problem with the Columbo-model 'how's you catch 'em?' detective shows is that, ahem, there's no mystery....   The show was well, done, of course, but, well...
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: sprout on December 02, 2022, 12:53:15 PM
Quote from: larryc on December 01, 2022, 06:34:44 PM
...But by the fifth of the ten episodes, the weird stuff is just random. There is a hatch under the cabin that leads to a bar in Reykavik in 1930 and the patrons there are all mimes. Some characters have keypads that they can use to turn off other characters and now there is no such thing as tamales. The crew forgot to steer the ship in a storm for like three episodes and the first mate has a Nintendo Gameboy. Five characters are actually the same person but they don't know it and fish invented algebra. ...

Wow.  I'm not sure if you're being hyperbolic or these are actual things in the show.  It reads like these are actual things, but....wow.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mythbuster on December 02, 2022, 02:14:51 PM
You know it's peak surreal when the Mimes show up! LOL.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: paddington_bear on December 02, 2022, 05:59:21 PM
Quote from: kaysixteen on December 01, 2022, 09:42:16 PM
The problem with the Columbo-model 'how's you catch 'em?' detective shows is that, ahem, there's no mystery....   The show was well, done, of course, but, well...

I don't see it as a problem, but I get your point! I think that Law & Order: Criminal Intent used that model. Maybe that was the reason that L&O version didn't last as long as the other. The "we're going to show you who did and the show is about how the leads figure it out" isn't what most people want.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: mamselle on December 02, 2022, 08:18:18 PM
I was 13 when Columbo came out and I didn't like it then.

Too much smoking and drinking....

M.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Hegemony on December 02, 2022, 09:56:23 PM
In this household we've started watching the BBC One reality show "This is My House." Four people insist that the house in question (quite a lavish one) is actually their house. A panel of celebrities — and the viewer — are left to decide which of the four is telling the truth. The first episode was a little more intriguing than you might expect. The liars are quite accomplished actors and ad libbers. The second episode had quite a surprise! It's essential to watch the episodes in order. I have my suspicions about something interesting coming in the third episode. They're available free on YouTube.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Langue_doc on December 03, 2022, 04:52:57 AM
Quote from: larryc on December 01, 2022, 06:34:44 PM
I watched the Netflix series 1899. Produced by the same folks who made the German series Dark, it aims to be a moody and surreal historical drama about some folks on a transatlantic liner in 1899 where weird stuff starts to happen.

But by the fifth of the ten episodes, the weird stuff is just random. There is a hatch under the cabin that leads to a bar in Reykavik in 1930 and the patrons there are all mimes. Some characters have keypads that they can use to turn off other characters and now there is no such thing as tamales. The crew forgot to steer the ship in a storm for like three episodes and the first mate has a Nintendo Gameboy. Five characters are actually the same person but they don't know it and fish invented algebra.

Where anything can happen there can be no dramatic tension. By the time we get to the big reveal in the final moments of the final episode I was resigned to just another even more random denouement, which is of course what happened.

Do not recommend.

We watched the first episode over the Thanksgiving holidays at the recommendation of a twenty-something who raved about the series.

It was weird, to say the least, with smoldering looks, intense pauses, and far from subtle characters. Events and items that were supposedly symbolic and predictors of things to come were thrown at your face. Suggestions to watch the next episode the following day were politely ignored. The supposedly Chinese character looks Japanese, which added to the confusion.

I was hoping that one of the forumites would find the series to be equally blah/boring.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: jimbogumbo on December 03, 2022, 05:56:53 PM
I just finished Season 3 of Barry and loved it! Going to finish Season 2 of The Righteous Gemstones this weekend.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Harlow2 on December 03, 2022, 06:34:03 PM
The Goes Wrong Show on PBS. Slapstick. The Christmas show was just right after a day of grading long papers.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on December 15, 2022, 09:58:23 AM
Quote from: jimbogumbo on December 03, 2022, 05:56:53 PM
I just finished Season 3 of Barry and loved it! Going to finish Season 2 of The Righteous Gemstones this weekend.

I hear there will be a Season 4, but not sure where it will go?

Meanwhile I'm in the middle of my K-Drama Crash Landing On You and I am so addicted. It's amazingly well done! Romance, humor, action, mystery... all in just the right levels to keep it interesting. I wish I knew more about Korean culture so that I could get more nuances but I don't want to read more about the show and accidentally get spoilers.

I did look up embassies in North Korea because at 3 AM I started wondering about a subplot.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: secundem_artem on December 15, 2022, 11:54:36 AM
Just started in on Season 1 of White Lotus.  A series about rich assholes acting like rich assholes.  Some rich assholes can still be interesting or have some charm or depth to their characters.  Not this bunch.  We're not likely to finish it.

Watched the first 2 episodes of Harry & Megan.  The level of solipsism is off the charts. Mr & Mrs Markle need to find real jobs and STFU.  Whining to Oprah, a 6 hour doco about how hard they have it, and coming soon to a Barnes and Nobles near you - Harry spilling his guts in an autobiography.  And they do all this publicity in a bid to maintain their privacy.  My new name for Mrs Markle is that she henceforth be known as Yoko.  Both of them happily destroying some long standing institutions.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on December 15, 2022, 12:35:44 PM
Quote from: secundem_artem on December 15, 2022, 11:54:36 AM
Just started in on Season 1 of White Lotus.  A series about rich assholes acting like rich assholes.  Some rich assholes can still be interesting or have some charm or depth to their characters.  Not this bunch.  We're not likely to finish it.


There is more to it than that, but if you overthink the show some of the plots get pretty silly. Like, they didn't think to... oh, never mind.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: AmLitHist on December 16, 2022, 11:20:49 AM
We've been enjoying a couple of CBS series this fall:  East New York (disclosure:  I'd watch Jimmy Smits read the phone book) and Fire Country. Also, FBI (LOVE OA) and FBI Most Wanted (still mad at them for killing off **spoiler**); the FBI: International doesn't do much for me.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on December 17, 2022, 08:45:40 AM
Quote from: secundem_artem on December 15, 2022, 11:54:36 AM
Just started in on Season 1 of White Lotus.  A series about rich assholes acting like rich assholes.  Some rich assholes can still be interesting or have some charm or depth to their characters.  Not this bunch.  We're not likely to finish it.

Watched the first 2 episodes of Harry & Megan.  The level of solipsism is off the charts. Mr & Mrs Markle need to find real jobs and STFU.  Whining to Oprah, a 6 hour doco about how hard they have it, and coming soon to a Barnes and Nobles near you - Harry spilling his guts in an autobiography.  And they do all this publicity in a bid to maintain their privacy.  My new name for Mrs Markle is that she henceforth be known as Yoko.  Both of them happily destroying some long standing institutions.

I love this show. Great social commentary. And you aren't supposed to be charmed by the rich assholes.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on December 23, 2022, 08:58:28 AM
Just wrapped Crash Landing on You.  (https://www.netflix.com/title/81159258)

Wow. They make you work for that happy ending. My friend who recommended these may have created a monster.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on December 23, 2022, 09:20:51 AM
I'm about halfway through Winning Time, which is about the Showtime Lakers with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. So far, it is funny and smart, although I wouldn't mind if there was a little more onscreen basketball. I'll update if the last few episodes disappoint or exceed what I've seen so far.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: larryc on December 26, 2022, 11:19:58 PM
I just finished the first season of Kleo, a German spy drama set at the end of the Cold War. The protagonist is a female Stasi assassin, who is thrown into jail by her own government a few years before the Berlin Wall fell. When the wall falls, she is released from prison and is looking for revenge. She gets revenge. It's stylish and fast moving and very entertaining.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: sprout on January 04, 2023, 11:39:55 AM
Been bingeing Homeland and wrapped up season 6 last night (two more to go).  I have my issues with it, but it's fun and suspenseful and I get caught up in the crazy convoluted plots.  Season 6 (and from what I hear, season 7), though, touch a little too closely on 2016/17 political issues.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on January 07, 2023, 07:32:22 PM
Tomorrow night, "Miss Scarlet & the Duke" and "All Creatures Great & Small" have their season 3 premieres on PBS's "Masterpiece."

Not part of "Masterpiece" brand, the season 3 of "Vienna Blood" also premieres on PBS. This series is adapted from the "Max Liebermann" series by Frank Tallis, set in early 1910s Vienna.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on January 27, 2023, 09:15:51 AM
I have 4 shows going:

Bojack Horseman (Grownup cartoon)
Dear White People
Thirty-Nine (K-drama about 3 women friends - very good.)
Touch Your Heart (K-romcom - silly but sweet.)

I'm really liking the Korean shows. Really great stories! Maybe I wouldn't feel the same way if they were English/Western because there are differences in Korean vs American culture that add to complexity - at least for me.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on February 10, 2023, 04:44:53 PM
It's been a while, and we've watched a few shows.  I think that last time I checked in, we were back to Hot in Cleveland for our comedy, and I thought it was good but not side-splittingly funny.  There were definitely some very funny episodes later in the series.  Overall, it was very enjoyable, but I am not a superfan.  We liked the fact that there were so many actors from "the past" who appeared in cameos here and there along with winks and nods and subtle-ish homages.  Now we've been watching Wings in that timeslot.  I think we had both seen it in whole or in part.  Some of the 80s humor has aged... interestingly.  I also wish that it had subtitles, because the audio quality isn't great.  Again, it's enjoyable, but the laugh-out-loud moments are hither and thither.

For our "serious" timeslot, we have gone through parts of a few shows and two whole shows.  After Revenge, we decided to watch Pretty Little Liars, because I told my husband that the schemes and plots were even more jaw-droppingly ridiculous, and he didn't believe me.  It really should have ended without jumping in time in season 5 or whenever.  It's a very fun show for a while, but there's only so much disbelief one can suspend.  It's a little harder for me, because some of the locations were places that I know very well, and what was being shown was obviously not those places.  But to be fair, that is the least of the issue.  The sheer number of murders going on and that involve the main (teenage) characters might raise a few eyebrows.  Where are the parents? Most are just MIA throughout the series.  Luckily, there is plenty of money that the teens can use to get into even more trouble, and they have fantastic wardrobes.  I'm not sure I've ever gotten dressed up as much for a formal occasion as they do to go to high school on a normal day.  I don't think I had seen the last three seasons, and we were curious to see how it would end up.  If it helps anyone decide whether to watch it all the way through, at one point in the finale my husband cried out "Oh God, now what?!"

After that, we went back and forth, but I'll just keep the series separate.  First, Cobra Kai, which we have now seen 4 seasons of and can't wait to see the remaining seasons of.   I think Sun_Worshiper commented about not being a huge fan of the Karate Kid movies but being a big fan of the show, and we are in that same boat.  There is something about that show that is just a delight.  It evokes some kind of nostalgia for me, and it has an awesome soundtrack. 

Next, Justified, which we watched the first two seasons of, and I think that's about what I watched before.  We are getting back to that shortly, and though I was not as hyped up to watch it as I was some of the others, I definitely got into it.  Walton Goggins is just something else.  I think he stands out in everything I've seen him in.

Next up, Better Call Saul, which a search of the thread reminds me was well loved universally.  Totally agree.  What an amazing job done by the writers, producers, actors, everyone.  Great characters, great dialogue, great action, great acting.  One person in particular knocked my socks off and appears to be a major fan favorite, with good reason.  And that's not easy, given that there are so many lovable, hateable, funny, weird, manipulative, genius, evil, evil genius roles on the show.  As much as I have liked Bob Odenkirk in the past, I wasn't sure I'd like this show, at least not as much as Breaking Bad (despite what literally everyone has said to the contrary), but I am not surprised that some of the episodes are 9.8 or 9.9 out of 10 on IMDB.  There are so many memorable scenes.  Wow!

Finally, Killjoys, which we finished last night after a 2 year hiatus, and which I nearly forgot about completely while going on and on about BCS.  I agree with what I said previously, that it had a lot of potential, and there were some very fun and clever parts, along with some characters that I enjoyed watching (and some who were really, really annoying).  But I also agree with myself that it tried too hard to be cool, and that gets tiring.  We also just could not follow the plot, though I don't think it mattered that much.  I'm not sorry that we watched it, but it just didn't really strike us as much as so many other shows have, so I doubt we'd watch it again anytime soon.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on March 05, 2023, 07:50:12 PM
On Kanopy: "Aristocrats" (1999)
Based on the best selling book by Stella Tillyard, this 6 part limited series tells the story of the four Lennox sisters (Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah).  Features a great cast and fantastic costumes!
I remember watching it when it first broadcasted on "Masterpiece Theatre" but didn't see the last episodes. Glad to see it available on Kanopy!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: jimbogumbo on April 07, 2023, 01:16:54 PM
I've watched a ton lately.

Interview With the Vampire: A
The Mayfair Witches: B-
Yellowjackets Season 2: A+ (just great!)
Lucky Hank: A (based on the Russo 1990s novel)
The Last of Us: A+ (not a gamer; all new to me, and wow!)

The final episodes of Snowfall are riveting.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: little bongo on April 10, 2023, 08:44:20 AM
I enjoyed Shrinking. Just started season 2 of Schmigadoon, which continues to be good fun.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on April 10, 2023, 04:04:23 PM
I watched season 9 of Curb Your Enthusiasm on a couple of long international flights in March - laughing the whole time, sometimes out loud. Since then I've been catching up on the prior few seasons, which I had never gotten around to watching, and then will pick up with season 10.

Great show. Really some of the funniest tv I've ever seen.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Hegemony on April 10, 2023, 10:03:46 PM
I've just started Better Call Saul. Yep. all the praise is justified.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on April 17, 2023, 09:01:48 AM
New series of Succession, Barry and Black Lady Sketch Show are keeping me busy. And Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, to boot!

Too many shows, too little time.

Speaking of Barry, our local Alamo Drafthouse played the first two episodes last night. It was so much fun to meet other fans of the show! I many need to rewatch them just because being so close to the big screen it was hard to catch all the visual details.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on April 17, 2023, 03:42:31 PM
We watched some Barry on our trips out of town for the surgery, but I don't remember much about them except that I thought they were reasonably entertaining.  Do you recommend that one, ciao_yall?

And I think my husband has all the Curb Your Enthusiasm seasons, but we had each seen at least one or two episodes previously and didn't get right into them.  Maybe we need to start at the start and give it more time.  We will be moving to a new comedy soon.

I think we are about halfway through the final season of Wings.  It's been a little uneven at times but is generally pretty funny if a little dumb and obvious.  We are mostly enjoying watching the transition scenes and tracking the people and vehicles. 

For serious shows, we just finished season 5 of Justified (awesome! and one more season to go, though I read they might do some kind of miniseries) and will start season 6 of Once Upon a Time later tonight after a palate-cleansing movie.  Then there will only be one more season after that as well and then time to pick new serious shows.  We are accumulating a stock of them, and I am looking forward to them!
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on April 17, 2023, 07:47:35 PM
Ab_grp, I watched 2 seasons of "Once Upon a Time" on ABC and lost interest. The show was canceled after its 7th season. There were some good actors on the show though!

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on April 18, 2023, 08:08:18 AM
Quote from: hmaria1609 on April 17, 2023, 07:47:35 PM
Ab_grp, I watched 2 seasons of "Once Upon a Time" on ABC and lost interest. The show was canceled after its 7th season. There were some good actors on the show though!

I think it has its ups and downs, so I totally see that.  Some of the plotlines just go on way too long, and I confess that I was not super interested to get back to it for this season and the next given other shows in the queue, but I do want to finish it at this point.  I think early on it was interesting to see how various tales came into the picture, and they wove some pretty involving stories, but they have had to go deeper and deeper into the well to find more tales to introduce, and the interactions between the characters have gotten more iffy.  Some of the characters and plotlines have just disappeared, and that's always a little odd.  I agree that some of the actors are really good! I'm not surprised it eventually got canceled.  It would have been better off as a few seasons, or shorter seasons, or something.  Having 7 seasons of 22 or so episodes is a lot to try to carry when there are almost too many characters and possibilities, and yet not enough.  How many times can the magic bearers keep fighting each other? How many different realms and timelines can they visit that all start to look the same anyway? That kind of thing.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on April 28, 2023, 07:54:40 PM
Watched the series finale of "Sanditon" on PBS's "Masterpiece" Sunday night.  It felt rushed, checking off boxes for characters and their endings.

I think I'll check out the new adaptation of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding this Sunday.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: cathwen on April 29, 2023, 05:32:04 AM
We have watched the following, all with Native/First Nations themes:

Three Pines—excellent.  Alfred Molina plays the lead role.  Amazon Prime.  Only one season, unfortunately.
Dark Winds—absorbing.  Almost all-Native cast.  AMC/AMC+.  Season 2 comes out July 30.
Longmire—my husband calls this "Wyoming 5-0".  We're hooked.  Lou Diamond Philips plays one of the main roles. Netflix. Six seasons.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on April 29, 2023, 08:33:11 AM
We have Longmire, but I'm not sure when we'll get to it.  I'm looking forward to it, having seen a couple seasons previously.  Great cast!

Done with the penultimate season of Once Upon a Time, finally.  One more to go! They keep having some interesting ideas, but we're both getting a bit weary.  Now we're on the final season of Justified.

For comedy, we finished Wings and started Curb Your Enthusiasm from the beginning.  Oh my gosh, is it stressful to watch! So much shouting! I think it's very funny at times, but he can be so unlikeable.  Still, it's hard to stop watching.  I think I can be a little boisterous (belligerent?) at times as well, and man... this guy runs circles around me.  It's fun to try to guess how the situations will turn out.  Some you can see coming from a mile away and others, no way.  I seriously feel like I need to take extra blood pressure medication when we're watching, though.  Whew.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: AmLitHist on May 04, 2023, 10:57:22 AM
Anyone watch Rabbit Hole? I watched the first episode on the free app and loved it, but haven't gone ahead and signed up for Paramount + yet.  Should I?
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on May 04, 2023, 03:27:58 PM
ALH, I haven't seen it but just watched the trailer.  It looks interesting, but it also looks like one of those shows I hope pays off and also isn't abruptly cancelled and etc.! I would be interested to hear what you think if you do end up watching.

As for us, we finished Justified, which I thought wrapped up nicely.  I may have raised my eyebrow or smirked once or twice, because of course they have to be cute about some things to make the fans happy, but I think it was an excellent cap on an excellent series.  For that slot, we now have Sons of Anarchy, which I have seen completely and my husband has not previously seen.  It follows a "motor club" (motorcycle gang) in California that's into a lot of bad stuff, but maybe not all members feel that it was supposed to be that way or should continue to be that way.  Despite the guns, drugs, and prostitution, I think a lot of the drama resonates pretty well for a broader audience.  I tend to enjoy books, shows, and movies that can portray familiar relationship dynamics in totally different settings than I'm typically used to.

We are alternating our comedy slot between Curb Your Enthusiasm (just finished season 2) and The Thick of It, which I think ciao_yall recommended.  We just started so are getting used to the characters and humor (sorry, humour).  The story so far follows the bureaucracy in the British Minister of Social Affair's office (and beyond, I assume).  It is hard for me to look away from Curb..., but that airport episode near the end of the season... I can't even with this guy.

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on May 10, 2023, 09:26:08 AM
Current line-up while the writer's strike keeps The Daily Show and SNL off the TV...

Final season:

Quickie 30-minute shows:

K-Romcom/Dramas:

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ciao_yall on May 10, 2023, 09:30:18 AM
Quote from: ab_grp on April 17, 2023, 03:42:31 PM
We watched some Barry on our trips out of town for the surgery, but I don't remember much about them except that I thought they were reasonably entertaining.  Do you recommend that one, ciao_yall?

Yes, definitely! The final season takes a strange turn.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: jimbogumbo on May 10, 2023, 01:22:19 PM
Quote from: ciao_yall on May 10, 2023, 09:30:18 AM
Quote from: ab_grp on April 17, 2023, 03:42:31 PM
We watched some Barry on our trips out of town for the surgery, but I don't remember much about them except that I thought they were reasonably entertaining.  Do you recommend that one, ciao_yall?

Yes, definitely! The final season takes a strange turn.

Two thumbs up from me!!

Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on June 13, 2023, 08:17:19 AM
Thanks for the Barry recommendations! We will definitely put that on the list.

I guess this might belong here? I just finished watching a documentary on Amazon prime that appears to have been the start of a series.  Only the first four episodes seem to have been created.  The series is called Bug Out, but the reason I watched is because of a recent news story out of Philadelphia about vandalism at the Philadelphia Insectarium, an institution that I had no idea even existed.  Reading about the vandalism, which seems to have occurred as an eviction was about to take place, I found out about the largest bug heist in history (about $50K), which had occurred there in 2018.  This documentary (or, these four episodes) is about that heist.  I do not like bugs or anything else housed at the insectarium (butterflies are okay), but it was a really interesting tale, and the documentary certainly ratchets up the drama.  You can see the trailer here and watch for free if you have Amazon prime.  https://www.amazon.com/Bug-Out-Official-Trailer/dp/B09PRV52WJ  I listened to more than watched some of it because there are numerous creatures shown that I am not that interested in seeing, and I usually watched while eating breakfast or lunch.  It's only about 35 mins per episode, and there are ads that can't be skipped.  If you think you might watch it, I'd do that before reading the following article about the vandalism.  The documentary gives a pretty good sense of who the characters involved are.  https://whyy.org/articles/philadelphia-insectarium-evicted-building-damage/
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Langue_doc on June 13, 2023, 03:34:10 PM
I've been watching the weekly Poirot series on one of our local PBS stations. Some of the adaptations are good, but others are terrible. Last week's The Clocks, which I'd seen before, wasn't too bad. The worst was Mystery of the Blue Train, where the female protagonist in the movie kept either braying like a hyena or acting like a teenage bimbo, instead of coming across as the very reserved character depicted in the novel. I'm looking forward to Elephants Can Remember, scheduled to start at 8 this evening. Hope the adaptation and the acting are both good.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on June 15, 2023, 09:29:57 AM
We finished Sons of Anarchy last night (second time for me).  It's still one of my favorite series, though it is quite brutal at times.  There were a couple details I picked up on this second time that I missed the first, and I'm going through all the episode trivia now, and that's revealing additional interesting tie-ins. 

After the finale, we started Station Eleven, the mini-series adaptation of the book (which we've each read several times).  So far, so good.  I am glad that I had previously read the book, because I think the pilot could be pretty confusing for someone who hadn't.  Maybe not?

We're still watching Curb Your Enthusiasm, maybe in season 9 now? It is extremely funny at times.  I still don't like Larry very much, but I do agree with him on some of his rants, and that concerns me.  ;-) The supporting cast is really the star in my opinion, especially one particular character that came long a few seasons in.  Last night's episode had a guy who I swore was Damon Wayans but just could not be because of his youth.  Well, it was Damon Wayans Jr.  The resemblance is uncanny! Those are some strong genes.

And since I am alone for breakfast and lunch now, I decided to stick with documentaries for breakfast and am now watching Fed Up, which is a look at the food industry and obesity.  Some of the statistics (e.g., on increasing rates of adolescent Type 2 diabetes) are startling, and the history of the food industry's trends and influence is also pretty interesting. 
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: hmaria1609 on June 15, 2023, 04:31:39 PM
On Sunday night, it's the 9th and final season (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/endeavour-the-final-season-airdate-trailer-more/) for "Endeavour" on PBS's "Masterpiece Mystery!"
I watched "Morse & the Last Endeavour" special on Sunday night, featuring the lead cast members who were on the series and Kevin Whately from the original "Inspector Morse" and "Inspector Lewis" series.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Sun_Worshiper on June 15, 2023, 08:04:15 PM
We watched the last season of Better Call Saul recently. It really delivered and, having now watched the complete series, I think it may be the most consistent of the all-time great dramas.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on June 19, 2023, 07:34:01 AM
Better Call Saul was an amazing series, and that final season... wow.  Some excellent episodes.

We finished the Station Eleven miniseries last night.  It diverged quite a bit from the book, making a lot of choices that changed the story and impressions of major characters, but we both thought it was very good.  Most of the actors were not well known to us and seemed well-chosen for their roles, including some real stand outs.  There's something about the way Emily St. John Mandel writes that's very pleasing, something about the transitions maybe? There was some of that present in the miniseries as well, somehow, especially when characters were having quick flashbacks to previous events.  There wasn't much trivia about it on IMDB, but it's kind of ironic that the story is about pre- and post-pandemic life, and this started shooting January 2020 but had to shut down until the following year due to the you-know-what. 

I think we're moving on to Lost now, maybe alternating with Prison Break.  I've seen both before.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: OneMoreYear on June 19, 2023, 08:00:57 AM
We are excited that Season 2 of The Bear will begin this week, as hubby is from Chicago (Italian Beef!) and loves cooking; he has dreams of opening a bunny chow restaurant or food truck (likely to remain a dream rather than a retirement plan).  Season 1 episodes were so frenetic, we needed a calmer show after to lower blood pressure.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: ab_grp on June 19, 2023, 09:25:38 AM
Quote from: OneMoreYear on June 19, 2023, 08:00:57 AMWe are excited that Season 2 of The Bear will begin this week, as hubby is from Chicago (Italian Beef!) and loves cooking; he has dreams of opening a bunny chow restaurant or food truck (likely to remain a dream rather than a retirement plan).  Season 1 episodes were so frenetic, we needed a calmer show after to lower blood pressure.

Ooh, I forgot about this show after seeing the previews a while back.  Thanks for the reminder! It sounds pretty good.
Title: Re: The TV Series Thread
Post by: Parasaurolophus on June 21, 2023, 02:56:49 PM
Per the discussion in the suggestion forum, I'm going to start trying to split threads that get too long on a regular basis, to see if that makes them a little more accessible to new members and lurkers. The new thread is here (https://thefora.org/index.php?topic=3488.0).