What TV series are you currently watching?

[Fëanor]

I was all set to watch the French television documentary about Suleiman the Magnificent.  I fired it up, and just the intro has excessively frenetic camera work, a rather tired fixation on life in the harem complete with scantily clad women cavorting together, and then the already overwrought music morphs into the theme from Game of Thrones.  Off it went.  Perhaps the musical transformation was meant for English speaking audiences only, but what I'm looking for is a Nova/American Experience/Secrets of the Dead style documentary on Suleiman - and Timur, Babur, Darius, etc.

Anything with cavorting scantily clad  women can't be all bad. 

[vandermolen]

I was all set to watch the French television documentary about Suleiman the Magnificent.  I fired it up, and just the intro has excessively frenetic camera work, a rather tired fixation on life in the harem complete with scantily clad women cavorting together, and then the already overwrought music morphs into the theme from Game of Thrones.  Off it went.  Perhaps the musical transformation was meant for English speaking audiences only, but what I'm looking for is a Nova/American Experience/Secrets of the Dead style documentary on Suleiman - and Timur, Babur, Darius, etc.

I visited his tomb when I was in Istanbul some years ago:

[SimonNZ]

Playing catchup with the current season of University Challenge.

Also noting that in the neverending continual looping rewatch of The West Wing that last night's episode "Holy Night" in season four was set on Christmas Eve.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Playing catchup with the current season of University Challenge.

Also noting that in the neverending continual looping rewatch of The West Wing that last night's episode "Holy Night" in season four was set on Christmas Eve.

I loved The West Wing.     Interesting to see that it's of interest in NZ.  Is it popular there?  Or more of a youtube or DVD thing?

PD

[SimonNZ]

I loved The West Wing.     Interesting to see that it's of interest in NZ.  Is it popular there?  Or more of a youtube or DVD thing?

PD

It wouldn't be familiar to the average punter, but I still know many who have seen it and usually anyone who has has seen it more than once.

I ignored it when it originally ran on tv here, as the advertising made it look like it was going to be merely some kind of rose-tinted fantasy. Like I suspect many others it was when word of mouth reached a sizeable level that I checked it out on dvd.

[Irons]

The Queen's Gambit.  A one-trick pony of a show, but what a trick.  And that trick is Anya Taylor-Joy, who carries the whole enterprise, playing her part with nuance and range, and she makes a pill-popping, heavy-drinking loner/chess genius a compelling, fully formed character.  Everything else around her is nowhere near up to her level, though even she can't make chess interesting.  Some of the green screen scenic shots are appallingly bad.  But the lead makes the viewer forget the weaknesses.

I agree with that. Watched the lot in two sittings. My problem was the end which I found too sentimental by far which surprised me as up to the Russian visit sentimentality was not an issue. The janitor and (step) mum were also good, in fact I thought it started to go downhill when the mother died.

[Florestan]

And my favorite characther is Insp. Thomas Brackenreid.

[André]

A truly great series, one of the precious few that didn't translate into diminished returns over the seasons.

[vandermolen]

I watched all three episodes of 'Black Narcissus' over the last couple of evenings. It was very watchable but was not as good as the original film with Deborah Kerr. The 'lipstick' scene, for example, was not nearly as gripping as in the original. The acting was fine but Kathleen Byron as the deranged 'Sister Ruth' in the original was in a class of her own. Poignant to see Diana Rigg in one of her last roles:

[Roy Bland]

[Biffo]

I would be interested to know what you thought of this - I watched it fairly recently on DVD

[Irons]

Well behind the loop - my usual position. Saw out 2020, and good riddance to that, with Breaking Bad which I enjoyed enormously. A brilliant script which keeps the viewer on their toes - it needed my wife to explain why he was reassembling the shattered plate! Black comedy at it's best.

[Roy Bland]

I would be interested to know what you thought of this - I watched it fairly recently on DVD

Totally favorable, i like both young novel of Agatha Christie vaguely resembling Hitchcock's spy syories and british tv movies of 1980's, setting and acting were more accurate (for example i saw last month a recent version of The Secret of Chimneys,i can't understand why they changed plot).

[Biffo]

Totally favorable, i like both young novel of Agatha Christie vaguely resembling Hitchcock's spy syories and british tv movies of 1980's, setting and acting were more accurate (for example i saw last month a recent version of The Secret of Chimneys,i can't understand why they changed plot).

OK, now beginning to have doubts if it was the same story. My partner bought three DVDs form Amazon very cheaply; they were all AC adaptations but not Marple or Poirot. They were all made in the 70s or  80s and were atrocious - wooden acting and iffy scripts. I now can't remember what they were, will try and find out.

[Roy Bland]

OK, now beginning to have doubts if it was the same story. My partner bought three DVDs form Amazon very cheaply; they were all AC adaptations but not Marple or Poirot. They were all made in the 70s or  80s and were atrocious - wooden acting and iffy scripts. I now can't remember what they were, will try and find out.

You may definitely have a different judgment.I like very much also Joseph Horovitz's music  score and Harry Andrews  (specialized in military or policeman roles) as Superintendent Battle.

[George]

[bhodges]

Watching some old episodes of Night Gallery from the 1970s, most of which I'd never seen. These two are pretty fun:

"The Hand of Borgus Weems" (with George Maharis, 09/15/71)
https://www.nbc.com/night-gallery/video/the-hand-of-borgus-weems/3969134

"The Phantom Farmhouse" (with David McCallum, 10/20/71)
https://www.nbc.com/night-gallery/video/the-phantom-farmhouse/3969144

--Bruce

[SonicMan46]

 

And my favorite characther is Insp. Thomas Brackenreid.

Hi Andrei - thanks for the mention of Murdoch Mysteries - just up my alley, i.e. historic detective series set in Toronto (our last out of the country trip a few years ago) - problem was the Amazon rental fees (around $20 or more per season and buying the physical media not a savings) - SO, for $60/year, joined Acorn TV (inserted above) and can watch not only all of the Murdoch Seasons but many other British/Canadian/Australian/Etc. offerings.  Dave

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Having fun watching the first season of Borgen.  For some reason or not, I didn't think that I could get it through my library system but checked again and bingo!  I've watched through Episode 6.  Very good political drama series!

PD

[George]

Monk - Season Two

Mr. Inbetween - Season Two

Man With a Plan - Season One