What are we watching these days?

[LennG]

I do not have access to HBO / MAX but I do know The Penguin is a show folks are talking about.
Along the same lines, there was a show called "Gotham" on FOX between 2014 - 2019, which was a kind of origin story for Batman. (One of the many!) I loved it. It was a kind of origin story for a lot of the Batman characters, including the Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler. I thought it was very well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I don't know how dark or violent the Penguin is, Gotham wasn't really dark, but it set a very good mood for the story. If any of you Penguin fans can find Gotham streaming somewhere, give it a go.

 I watched Gotham right from the get-go. I stopped before its last season as I felt it was getting a bit too silly, but the first couple of years were great.

The Penguin is similar, mostly set in a dark environment, with low lighting but a bit more violent, as it is on HBO. Overall, I felt it was tame compared to many shows on HBO, with no real blood and gore and no sex at all.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I watched Gotham right from the get-go. I stopped before its last season as I felt it was getting a bit too silly, but the first couple of years were great.
 

Exactly what I did. I loved it for the first few seasons (as is my nature, I fell in love with Marina Baccarin ["Leslie"] and really liked Camren Bicondova [the young Catwoman]...it was interesting that Ben McKenzie ["James Gordan"] and Marina Baccarin were husband and wife in real life), but then it started going downhill...typical of series in which you run out of ideas or characters leave (or child actors age to adulthood), but the writers have to come up with something to keep it going for the ka-ching. Think "Lost", one of the best series in television history, but it ran out of gas when the writers ran out of ideas and the plot had gotten silly. Dittos with "Blacklist", which was one of the most interesting series that I can remember, that ran out of gas after one of the main characters was killed off

There's something to be said about "going out on top". Dragging things out to keep the coin coming in might work for a while, but eventually it gets stale and pisses off the audience. I do wish Kevin Costner had stuck around for the last season of "Yellowstone". Even his character's suicide had to be done by a fill-in, cuz Costner wasn't around anymore because of his hissy fit with Taylor Sheridan. A really inglorious way to rid the chief character from a show, IMO. I think Sheridan did it on purpose to get even with Costner. There's a dozen ways to kill off a character without scripting in his suicide

[EDjohnst1981]

Awww man.

Spoiler alert on certain things. Yellowstone is literally just out. 

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I watched "Fly me to the Moon" the other night, and I was surprisingly entertained. Set in 1969 Florida. Of course, I have a thing for the talented con-woman Kelly Jones (i.e., Scarlett Johanson...so there's that) who talks with whatever accent required for a situation and is hired to promote NASA's mission to the moon after the American public has lost in the Apollo program. Other cast members, Channing Tatum, Ray Romano, Woody Harrelson...they even slip in Scarlett's husband, Colin Jost for a cameo, but I doubt most people would catch that unless they are SNL fans

It still sends shivers up and down my spine when the module touches down on the moon. I think today's generation (maybe the last couple of generations) has any idea what an incredible feat it was. I still have a hard time fathoming it

It was just released on Apple+

[Jclayton92]

"Landman" (also by Sheridan) is very promising so far. Billy Bob is a top actor. Moore and Hamm are no slouches either. This show has major potential.

With Tulsa King, Yellowstone, Special Ops: Lioness, Mayor of Kingstown, and others, Sheridan completely owns the entertainment biz right now. Dominant career to this point.

And to think, Yellowstone was supposed to be a movie on HBO in the vein of sicario until HBO backed out and Paramount picked it up and then it was supposed to be a limited series, only 10 episodes.

[Jclayton92]

If you can't find anything to watch try "Kings of Tupelo". In the birth place of Elvis, Tupelo Ms. Its a true story about a conspiracy theorist, an award winning Elvis impersonator, the illegal body parts market, a senator, Obama, a drive by shooting of a barnum and Bailey elephant, and the guy that sent ricin letters to the president, a senator,and a congressman. Pretty quick wild ride that happened in the town I was born in.

[EDjohnst1981]

Finished Day of the Jackal and Black Doves (latter on Netflix).

Both worth tucking into. The latter is a spy/espionage affair and only 6 episodes long. 

[LennG]

Just finished a documentary film about The Beatles 14 day tour of America in 1964. It is pretty good for us older Beatles fans. Brought back a lot of memories of that time for me. Was put out by Apple, produced by Paul and Ringo. It is named "Beatles '64"

We also just finished this Documentary about the Beatles and their first tour in the USA and it was fascinating. I thought it would be a sort of ho-hum thing, just to capitalize on just another Beatle thing, but we really loved it. God, it brought back so many memories (if you were around at that time). Even if you weren't, this was so well done and it just captures what the world was like when these guys basically came out of nowhere and took over the world of music and what and how they were really like. Again, we loved it.

[Bill Brown]

Finished the final Yellowstone episode. I enjoyed it. I've read some comments that some people aren't happy with it but for me it was good. I did give us an ending that didn't leave us hanging.

[Sem]

All the following are streaming on Acorn TV.

I've finished the first and only season airing on this network of The Canal Boat Diaries, and I thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace this series offers. I only wish the remaining seasons were available on Acorn.

I also wrapped up the one and only season of This is Going to Hurt, which originally aired in 2022. It's a well-written English comedy/drama series that's set in an understaffed labor ward. It's funny, a bit quirky, but intense with quite a few very graphic birthing scenes spread throughout the series. I quite liked this single season series. The ending tied the plot up nicely, but on the other hand it did end in a way that could lead to follow-on seasons in the future. Who knows.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8681148/

And lastly I'm four seasons into Inspector George Gently. This is another series I'm enjoying a lot, having seen a few episodes when it aired on Netflix years ago. I think I'm about caught up with what I saw on Netflix, so from here on out the remaining episodes will be new to me.

The next series I think I'll watch on Acorn is Manhunt, starring Martin Clunes, (Doc Martin), as DCI Colin Sutton. It's supposedly a true-crime drama, and is a BAFTA TV Award nominee. Since I really like Clunes I thought I'd give it a try next.

[LennG]

 Just finished Day of the Jackel and found it very good, intriguing, and suspenseful. It is on Peacock.

I'm not sure where we were talking about rooting for the so-called 'bad guy', but all thru this series I was rooting for the Jackel to succeed in whatever he was planning. The Jackel is a hired assassin, paid to kill people, and he does plenty of that and is extremely good at it. He also kills other people along the way, so that would make him a real baddie, but again, I just found myself rooting for him to accomplish what he was paid to do. Most of his targets probably deserved to die, but we really don't know. I kind of liken him to Dexter, who also killed many people but only with good intentions.

anyway, I would highly recommend this series (10 episodes) and it already leads into what hopefully will be season 2.

[T200]

For a while now, my wife got me to watch the show on Lifetime, 'Married at First Sight' where 5 couples, sight unseen, meet for the first time at the alter, get married, go on a honeymoon, and live together for 8 weeks when then they have to decide if they want to stay married. They are legally married.
As I said, my wife got me to watch this show and we love it. It gets us to talking about how to improve our marriage, any marriage, and as a sort of outsider, we can see what some of these couples do right and wrong. The success rate for these couple, over the past 4-5 years isn't great, but  we love this show.

Sharon and I have been watching MAFS for the past 6 or 7 seasons. I think our first one was the Houston season. I actually got her into it and we've both been hooked. However, I got a little frustrated with the show after last season and was ready to let it go. Sharon kept watching and sooooooo... I'm back in it lol.

My issue with the majority of the couples, and the show, is that they put so much emphasis on Decision Day that they rush and force the relationship. I look at it as, if you plan on being in this marriage for the rest of your lives, why is Decision Day so big? Just say 'yes' and continue working on the relationship.

[LennG]

Sharon and I have been watching MAFS for the past 6 or 7 seasons. I think our first one was the Houston season. I actually got her into it and we've both been hooked. However, I got a little frustrated with the show after last season and was ready to let it go. Sharon kept watching and sooooooo... I'm back in it lol.

My issue with the majority of the couples, and the show, is that they put so much emphasis on Decision Day that they rush and force the relationship. I look at it as, if you plan on being in this marriage for the rest of your lives, why is Decision Day so big? Just say 'yes' and continue working on the relationship.

Tim

 I am the opposite in a way. Doris watched this show almost from the onset and I thought it was about as stupid as can be, but maybe during season 4/5 I started watching with her and the rest is history. We love this show, maybe because we watch it together and discuss a lot of what goes on together. I don't think I would watch it on my own.

I fully agree about last season and that it just went on, and on and on, for almost 6 months, just way too long. We also think these so called experts do a terrible job in matching up the potentials newlyweds and I still believe they intentionally match a few up just to cause some controversy. I think the show would be boring if all the couples were, let's say--lovey-dovey.

As far as this season goes, we think only one couple has the chance of staying together (names I don't remember, but the twin brother and his lady, thought they are 10 years apart and I always think that is a horrible way to match couples up).

I also agree with what you stated about Decision Day. If you watched from the beginning, it used to be 6 weeks and now 8, but I also think 8 weeks is way too short a period of time. It should be 12 weeks and if you don't know by then, well call it a marriage and move on. I also believe that way too many people come on just for the notoriety and 'fame' of being on TV for 2 months and then moving on. Doris and I both believe they should use people who are a bit older as they would be the ones who truly would want to be married and work harder to stay married as this could be their last chance. Someone who is still in their 20s, probably couldn't care less unless they found the 'perfect' spouse.

[LennG]

I have waited until the finale of Yellowstone has aired to start watching the new episodes. In fac,t I just rewatched the first part of season 5 over again and now I am ready to start on the conclusion but I tried to find where it is on and I am having no luck. To those who have already watched the final episodes, where have you watched it?

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I have waited until the finale of Yellowstone has aired to start watching the new episodes. In fac,t I just rewatched the first part of season 5 over again and now I am ready to start on the conclusion but I tried to find where it is on and I am having no luck. To those who have already watched the final episodes, where have you watched it?

I haven't watched it yet Lenn, but I'm 99% sure that it's on in its entirety on Paramount+