What TV series are you currently watching?

[Karl Henning]

My daughter thought Marriage dreadful, Olivier. I thought it brilliant. One of us has it wrong.

The dormant philosopher in me asks: What if you're both right?

[Papy Oli]

My daughter thought Marriage dreadful, Olivier. I thought it brilliant. One of us has it wrong.

I have read of its (genius or not) dullness. We'll see what we make of it.

[Irons]

The dormant philosopher in me asks: What if you're both right?

Good point. With Ian and Emma (the couple of Marriage) we see something to associate with. When I first retired I went like a lost soul to the local Leisure Centre too. A younger generation would not get it, nor should they.

[Karl Henning]

Well, it's like taking the WABAC machine to mine own childhood: Dark Shadows.

I'm quasi-concurrently watching the early-90's revival. Enjoying it all, really (though I might add that I started the original series at the point where Barnabas is released—Episodes 1 through 210 being slow going, reportedly.)

[Todd]

As fun and as hilarious as ever!

Streamed the first episode of season two, and there is perfect continuity.  The scene in the elevator where Stephen Merchant tries to ask the woman he likes on a date is true lol stuff.

[George]

Streamed the first episode of season two, and there is perfect continuity.  The scene in the elevator where Stephen Merchant tries to ask the woman he likes on a date is true lol stuff.

Yeah, his series (and the movie) Hello Ladies is very funny as well.

[SimonNZ]

Finally getting to this. And it is immediately addictive.

[George]

[George]

Finally getting to this. And it is immediately addictive.

Addictive is the perfect adjective for that show.

[Todd]

Sprung.  The first Covid sitcom, or at least the first I have seen.  The basic premise is that some non-violent prisoners get released early in the pandemic and then commit crimes against people exploiting the pandemic.  The first episode has the main crew stealing from a guy hoarding and scalping toilet paper.  I'm only a couple episodes in, and only four are available now, but it is shaping up to be as good as Greg Garcia's other biggish shows, My Name is Earl and Raising Hope.  If one does not like Garcia's lowbrow style, then this show will disappoint.  Old pros Garret Dillahunt and Martha Plimpton, who of course worked together on Raising Hope, do their thing, and the new cast members fit in well.  The show has a more highbrow look than Garcia's prior shows, which is a nice touch.

[SimonNZ]

Two episodes in. Not convinced yet that this needed a revival.

[Iota]

Now nearing the end of Series 2. Just end-to-end quality. Love the dour, terse exchanges, the almost unremitting desperateness of everyone involved and the sheer brooding intensity of it all. 

As it happens a guy I was best man for has just bought a property in Aberystwyth where the series is set and where he's now living with his new partner. I have an open invite to visit, which I must say has been given a bit of a giddy-up, though with the apparent sky-high frequency of murder in "Aber" (as the locals refer to it), I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever make it out alive ..

[SonicMan46]

MasterClass - we have a subscription to this excellent streaming service - have look mainly at the food and entertainment sections - now watching Chris Hadfield's MasterClass 'Teaches Space Exploration' - he is an outstanding speaker and clearly explains the many aspects of space travel in layman's terms - he is an amazing multi-talented person - highly recommended (check the link for subscription options).  Dave

Chris Austin Hadfield OC OOnt MSC CD (born August 29, 1959) is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, and musician. The first Canadian to perform extravehicular activity in outer space, he has flown two Space Shuttle missions and also served as commander of the International Space Station (ISS). Prior to his career as an astronaut, he served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 25 years as an Air Command fighter pilot. (Source)

 

[San Antone]

Dark Winds (2022) is a crime thriller series created by Graham Roland based on the characters Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee from the novels by Tony Hillerman.

[SonicMan46]

The Mandalorian - Season 2 - just watched Season 1 (released at the end of 2019) and starting Season 2 (end of 2020) last night - more HERE for those not familiar with the Disney production - a third season has been announced to start in early 2023.  Fun series if you're into Star Wars and what appears to be a baby Yoda?  Dave

P.S. attached the Wiki chart of the seasons and episodes released.

 

[George]

[staxomega]

MasterClass - we have a subscription to this excellent streaming service - have look mainly at the food and entertainment sections - now watching Chris Hadfield's MasterClass 'Teaches Space Exploration' - he is an outstanding speaker and clearly explains the many aspects of space travel in layman's terms - he is an amazing multi-talented person - highly recommended (check the link for subscription options).  Dave

 

I agree Hadfield's MasterClass was superb, he has the right amount of charisma to pull it off for a topic that could err towards dry. We also enjoyed the ones with Thomas Keller and Lewis Hamilton. I'm hoping they continue expand what they have.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I'm a fan of both of those shows.   

Not watching any particular series at the moment as I've been spending (too much) time *watching the Queen's wake, etc.  Will hopefully catch the funeral on Monday.

*and before that, the US Open

PD

[Todd]

Sons of Anarchy, or, Ode to Scumbags.  A few years back I watched the first half of the first episode and then put the show on hold.  I returned to it at the beginning of the year and worked through the whole series.  The conceit is nice in that one watches the life and times of reprehensible people, so one doesn't mind when characters get offed.  Apparently, one of the long-time actors was a one-time Hells Angel, and the purported founder of the club does some cameo work, so this show supposedly has cred.  I cannot say if it does or does not. 

Anyway, the show is set in the fictional Northern California small town of Charming, and the original charter of the biker gang motorcycle club runs the town in cahoots with the police chief, scrupulously avoiding the drug trade while profiting from the morally acceptable gun running trade, with hardware supplied by the IRA.  One of the founder's sons, and the VP when the show opens, is on a journey of discovery and bumps up against the current president/father-in-law, and all manner of local and international criminal chicanery takes place.  Unsurprisingly, drugs end up coming into the picture, and along the way one is treated to all manner of scumbag intrigue.  There are competing MCs, with race playing a big part; corrupt local cops; corrupt local politicians; corrupt federal cops; hookers and porn stars (with ample overlap); white supremacists; Mexican drug cartels; and, of course, the CIA. 

The first three seasons develop at a nice enough pace with gruesome violence peppered throughout.  The fourth season ends up the inflection point, when most of the gang goes to prison, and then it amps up, with more intense and more frequent and often more graphic violence.  It also becomes increasingly melodramatic, or even operatic, as it builds to the series conclusion, which is an inevitable tragedy, or would be if the final death was not of a person who is basically a serial killer. 

As a whole, it's not too bad, and when it works well, it works because of some of the acting, especially in some of the not quite fully developed supporting roles.  Charlie Hunnam is a decent lead as Jax Teller, the young anti-hero, but he never can get the American pronunciation of some words right.  Katie Sagal is also good enough as his mother, but she was so magnificent as Peg Bundy, that I can never watch her in anything and shake that character and voice.  (The same applies to Ed O'Neill.)  The remaining, recurring cast is good enough.  But man, one is treated to a series of B- and C-listers doing good things.  There's Jimmy Smits as a pimp with a heart of gold.  There's Mitch Pileggi as a white supremacist.  There's Henry Rollins as a very intense white supremacist.  There's Marilyn Manson as a powerful, imprisoned white supremacist.  There's Adam Arkin as a smart, scheming white supremacist.  (That's some casting.)  There are David Hasselhoff (!) and Tom Arnold (!!) as porn industry pros.  There's Danny Trejo as a Mexican drug cartel heavy.  There's Peter Weller as a corrupt ex-cop.  And to top it all off, there's Walton Goggins as a transgender prostitute, chewing the scenery with abandon.  These characters and the associated sub-plots keep the show chugging along. 

The spinoff show Mayans MC is still going, and it switches to border biker gangs.  I think I'll give it a shot.

[SonicMan46]

The U.S. and the Holocaust - new Ken Burns PBS series (link below in quote) - 3 episodes of 2+ hrs each - just finished streaming on the PBS app on my Apple TV - a lot of excellent video footage used - seems like the United States could have let in thousands of these victims, including the Anne Frank family, but did not - somewhat of an 'eye-opener' for me - recommended.  Dave

The U.S. and the Holocaust - a new documentary by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein. The U.S. and the Holocaust is a three-part, six hour series that examines America's response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. Americans consider themselves a "nation of immigrants," but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolded in Europe, the United States proved unwilling to open its doors to more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate people seeking refuge. Through riveting firsthand testimony of witnesses and survivors who as children endured persecution, violence and flight as their families tried to escape Hitler, this series delves deeply into the tragic human consequences of public indifference, bureaucratic red tape and restrictive quota laws in America. Did the nation fail to live up to its ideals? (Source)