What are we watching these days?

[Sem]

During the Writer's and Actors strike, I started watching a lot of British and Aussie TV via Netflix and Britbox (Acorn is another service).  Their top shows are often better done than our American shows.   First, they tend to be better written.  Second, they hire actors and actresses rather than models who can act. 

It's sort of funny; after months of watching so much of that TV, I have returned to some of my regular shows (now that the strike is over), and they don't seem as good as I remember them.   

A majority of shows I've been watching recently are produced and filmed in countries other than the US. Recent series I've been enjoying are from England, Australia, Poland, Spain, France, Iceland and Sweden. Generally speaking I tend to agree with your observations above regarding their quality.

[LennG]

 Many shows, especially ones that run on for more years than they really need to, always run out of new ideas and are just kept on because of past ratings and past interest. Most shows should never be on more than 4-5 years and even at that, finding new ways to entertain becomes a problem. Shows like The Walking Dead just didn't know when to call it a career, even great shows like MASH went on a few seasons too long. PLUS, really, how many great shows are there today? Since cable, every network wants their own shows which, like sports, spreads the talent level of creating and writing just too thin. We watch a show and after a season or tow, we LOVE it, but then by season 3-4 something always seems to happen--less creativity, ideas that seem to have been sued already or we have seen them countless times in other areas and then the acting, what really has happened to that?

[Sem]

Maybe I'm wrong Len, but that seems to be primarily an American thing. It's a money grab - have success and bleed it dry, quality be damned. Case in point, the US version of The Office, a show with many great episodes, went on for 9 seasons, Too long!! The original, UK version went just 2 seasons and was excellent throughout. And The Walking Dead is an even better example.

[Bill Brown]

We watch a show that is made in Canada. It's in year 17 and 18 is coming up. It's called "Heartland"  A family friendly show.

Bill

[LennG]

Maybe I'm wrong Len, but that seems to be primarily an American thing. It's a money grab - have success and bleed it dry, quality be damned. Case in point, the US version of The Office, a show with many great episodes, went on for 9 seasons, Too long!! The original, UK version went just 2 seasons and was excellent throughout. And The Walking Dead is an even better example.

Couldn't agree more.         

[Ed Vette]

Many shows, especially ones that run on for more years than they really need to, always run out of new ideas and are just kept on because of past ratings and past interest. Most shows should never be on more than 4-5 years and even at that, finding new ways to entertain becomes a problem. Shows like The Walking Dead just didn't know when to call it a career, even great shows like MASH went on a few seasons too long. PLUS, really, how many great shows are there today? Since cable, every network wants their own shows which, like sports, spreads the talent level of creating and writing just too thin. We watch a show and after a season or tow, we LOVE it, but then by season 3-4 something always seems to happen--less creativity, ideas that seem to have been sued already or we have seen them countless times in other areas and then the acting, what really has happened to that?

It seems some shows change writers after a season or two and they fall off hard.

Others like TWD, jump the shark and milk it. They should have ended it after the Rick and Negan showdown. Also too many spinoffs fragmented it.

[MightyGiants]

Many shows, especially ones that run on for more years than they really need to, always run out of new ideas and are just kept on because of past ratings and past interest. Most shows should never be on more than 4-5 years and even at that, finding new ways to entertain becomes a problem. Shows like The Walking Dead just didn't know when to call it a career, even great shows like MASH went on a few seasons too long. PLUS, really, how many great shows are there today? Since cable, every network wants their own shows which, like sports, spreads the talent level of creating and writing just too thin. We watch a show and after a season or tow, we LOVE it, but then by season 3-4 something always seems to happen--less creativity, ideas that seem to have been sued already or we have seen them countless times in other areas and then the acting, what really has happened to that?

The other thing to remember is that British and Aussie TV tend to have much smaller seasons.  US shows can have up to 22 shows in a season.   Compare that to 4-12 of the foreign competitors.   Fewer shows are likely to create better quality as the writers and actors are not pushed to the point where the quality suffers.

[Sem]

Last night I finished watching Fisk, the Australian comedy that @ozzie recommended. I liked it, thought it was quite funny, though not laugh-out-loud funny. Any more recommendations Ozzie?  In the meantime Netflix just released the second season of The Tourist, so I'll watch that next. I watched the first season last month, and offered some thoughts on it a couple weeks ago or so.

[LennG]

A new movie was released on Hulu yesterday, one that is up for many awards at tonight's Academy Awards, "Poor Things"  starring William DeFoe and Emma Stone.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14230458/

I really don't know where to begin to describe this movie--it is sort of a Black Comedy but it goes much further. Weird would be a good description, eccentric is another and add quirky to the mix, and I can say without a doubt, some will watch a bit and leave as my wife did. I stuck it out and liked it, but like many Hollywood movies, it just went on about 1/2 an hour too long.

Quickly, if I can even begin to describe this, Ms Stone's character dies and she is 9 months pregnant. A sort of Dr Frankenstein resurrects her by installing the brain of her unborn child in her, so when she is resurrected she is an adult with the brain of an infant. If you can get by this, then the rest of the movie is entertaining. Ms. Watson's education grows and some of this is quite amusing. Then she discovers sex and boy does she indulge. If you want to see her without clothes this is the movie for you. She runs off with a guy to explore the world and learn about life and she starts to get involved more in womans rights among other things. She is still a sort of child in an adult's body and that is again, where the joy of her performance is absolutely great.

Would I recommend this movie, yes, but again this isn't normal Hollywood fare but I found it quite interesting, albeit a bit too long.

[LennG]

 A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a series I watched, True Detective , and found the first season, well, sort of confusing and lacking. Like Fargo, the following seasons are all independent of the others, so I decided to watch season 2 and to this point, 6 episodes in (of 8) I find it much more rewarding and I am enjoying this season. As I said it is a completely different story and I find it quite interesting, if you like this sort of fare.

[LennG]

A new movie was released on Hulu yesterday, one that is up for many awards at tonight's Academy Awards, "Poor Things"  starring William DeFoe and Emma Stone.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14230458/

I really don't know where to begin to describe this movie--it is sort of a Black Comedy but it goes much further. Weird would be a good description, eccentric is another and add quirky to the mix, and I can say without a doubt, some will watch a bit and leave as my wife did. I stuck it out and liked it, but like many Hollywood movies, it just went on about 1/2 an hour too long.

Quickly, if I can even begin to describe this, Ms Stone's character dies and she is 9 months pregnant. A sort of Dr Frankenstein resurrects her by installing the brain of her unborn child in her, so when she is resurrected she is an adult with the brain of an infant. If you can get by this, then the rest of the movie is entertaining. Ms. Watson's education grows and some of this is quite amusing. Then she discovers sex and boy does she indulge. If you want to see her without clothes this is the movie for you. She runs off with a guy to explore the world and learn about life and she starts to get involved more in womans rights among other things. She is still a sort of child in an adult's body and that is again, where the joy of her performance is absolutely great.

Would I recommend this movie, yes, but again this isn't normal Hollywood fare but I found it quite interesting, albeit a bit too long.

When I wrote this review I mistakenly said it was Emma Watson as the leading lady when, in fact, it was Emma Stone. I have corrected the mistake.

[MightyGiants]

Last night I finished watching Fisk, the Australian comedy that @ozzie recommended. I liked it, thought it was quite funny, though not laugh-out-loud funny. Any more recommendations Ozzie?  In the meantime Netflix just released the second season of The Tourist, so I'll watch that next. I watched the first season last month, and offered some thoughts on it a couple weeks ago or so.

I really enjoyed Derry Girls (Netflix).  I would suggest using closed caption as their heavy Irish brogue is a little challenging, but it was funny as all hell.


Resident Alien (also on Netflix) is hilarious even if it's only two seasons

Loudermilk (Netflix) is a true gem

[ozzie]

I really enjoyed Derry Girls (Netflix).  I would suggest using closed caption as their heavy Irish brogue is a little challenging, but it was funny as all hell.


Resident Alien (also on Netflix) is hilarious even if it's only two seasons

Loudermilk (Netflix) is a true gem

Mighty, I agree with all of the above!

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Okay, I've been silent lately, but have to point out a new show I'm watching that has a distinct "Fargo feel" to it. Eight episodes - all dropped, so that's good. It's "The Gentlemen" on Netflix. It's set in England and is so "Fargo-like" it's uncanny. The protagonist (Eddie Horniman played by Theo James) inherits his father's fortune, even though he's not the oldest son. The other son is a drug using, drinking, unpredictable maniac (Frederick "Freddy" Horniman) who can't be trusted. Eddie didn't know he inherited a huge drug business along with the estate, and he would have to deal with ruthless gangs who were now going to be part of his life, and they don't play nice. Lots of killing and craziness like Fargo. I binged the first three episodes and am hooked. I give it 5 stars

I also started watching a new series, "Furies", also on Netflix. It's a thriller set in Paris where a young woman takes on the leaders of multiple gangs. Has a "Nikita" feel to it, where a woman goes up against impossible odds. Like "The Gentlemen", it's eight episodes and all are dropped at once. I'd give it 4 or 41/2 stars. Lots of blood and lots of killing

And anyone who hasn't watched "Nikita", is doing themselves an injustice (the Nikita series with leading lady Maggie Q) available only on Roku, an app that is a completely free download, albeit w/minimal ads. I put the series up in the top tier of series and I only say that about Fargo, Breaking Bad, Ozark, etc. It's four seasons long so you can't binge in a couple evenings

[LennG]

I watch a lot of whatever is on about WWII, Hitler and the Nazis, D-Day, Pearl Harbor, many of the battles in Europe, and the invasions in the Pacific. If it is on, I have either seen it or will catch it when on. On my cable subscription, they have this channel Story TV, it is on channel 85 on Optimum, here in NY and it originates out of Bridgeport. On this channel each day of the week is a different theme, some days are history, another the West and its heroes, another day could be the Civil War and another WWII, and another is a sort of biography theme.
I started watching a lot of this channel at I never seem to be able to get enough history. I just watched 8 episodes dealing with the mistakes that Hitler and the Nazis made to lose WWII. Most I already knew, but every so often new info comes into my view and it sinks right in. I have just copied another 8 episodes about the Civil War. I'm not sure if I have already seen this, but I really can't wait to start on it. This is me. I still love movies, I still love all sorts of other TV, but I also love documentaries, especially about subjects I relish. I have mentioned quite a few times, that whenever a good, new SciFiu/UFO thing comes along, I also watch those.

Another series we have really started to watch is Histories Greatest Mysteries with Larence Fishburn as host. This also deals with many subjects that really haven't been solved or there are still questions about any past results. This series has been on for quite a few seasons, but we are now starting to catch up. They do shows like, (this week) about those guys who were supposed to have escaped Alcatraz, we watch things like Jack the Ripper, who killed so and so, the other day they had one on the Zodiak killer. They have done things on the Loch Ness monster, John Wilkes Booth, Bigfoot, and on and on. Some subjects we have no real interest in so we bypass it, but overall, we like this show very much.

Myself, I am still a sucker for the Survivor series. I have watched every season and still watch it faithfully.

One other series my wife and I follow all the time is 'The Food That Built America' on the History Channel. I believe this is the 4th or 5th season and we just like it very much. They have done Cars that Built America, Toys that Built America, and a few others, but the Food is the best. It sort of tells you how many of the products we use or know about came to be. Most starting for some small item to maybe a national powerhouse today. Again, more history-type of stuff.