What new series are you watching? *No Spoilers, Please*

[Luvtoride]

I haven't seen anyone mention Naked Attraction the UK dating show streaming on MAX.
My daughter and I watched it for a couple of hours one day and it is hilarious and oddly addicting. It's on my list to watch it all at some point when I have absolutely nothing else to do and I feel like a good laugh.
Here is a clip of Aunt Chippy reviewing the show for Jimmy Kimmel. She pretty much covers all the details.

What a RIOT!!! That was awesome! Thanks for letting us know and posting that link! I think I'll skip watching the show...it can't be nearly as good as watching Aunt Chippy review it! ROFL

 

[Luvtoride]

If you like psychological thrillers you need to check out Leave The World Behind (Netflix). 4.5 stars out of a possible 5.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12747748/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

I watched it over the weekend and didn't care for it. I'm surprised with that cast that it wasn't better, but I just don't think it was a strong enough script/ story.

 

[Chuckanut]

Foundation, I agree. No mention of the Mule or did I miss that in the series?

The mule appears in the 3rd book - Second Foundation. IIRC.

I stopped watching Foundation midway through season one.

 

[explanade]

The mule appears in the 3rd book - Second Foundation. IIRC.

I stopped watching Foundation midway through season one.

Read Foundation probably almost 40-50 years ago so have very hazy memories of it.

I haven't watched the series but people rave about the second season, says much better than the first.

 

[Fermion]

Read Foundation probably almost 40-50 years ago so have very hazy memories of it.

I haven't watched the series but people rave about the second season, says much better than the first.

Season 1 was about as close to the book as Harry Potter is similar to Rambo

 

[stephenson]

Yeah, no, Foundation series is certainly not Foundation.

It might have been OK, but some of the tech solutions don't make sense. And, the substitution of people to be more fair to other groups ... meh, not the right answer ... to me.

And, the plot makes little sense.

 

[Dtail]

I watched it over the weekend and didn't care for it. I'm surprised with that cast that it wasn't better, but I just don't think it was a strong enough script/ story.

We saw it too. It was okay, leaving us wanting more.

 

[DrRoy]

My recommendation: Read the books. Or get the audio book version. The TV show strays very, very, very very far from the book both in characters and plots, IMHO, and in a way that is not good.

I've read them, long ago. I had the same reaction to the various incarnations of Dune. Didn't like where the story diverged. The most recent version stays more true to Herbert.

Read Foundation probably almost 40-50 years ago so have very hazy memories of it.

I haven't watched the series but people rave about the second season, says much better than the first.

Ditto. I'll see if I get to the 2nd season.

Season 1 was about as close to the book as Harry Potter is similar to Rambo

Yeah, no, Foundation series is certainly not Foundation.

It might have been OK, but some of the tech solutions don't make sense. And, the substitution of people to be more fair to other groups ... meh, not the right answer ... to me.

And, the plot makes little sense.

Bummer.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Three episodes into "The Diplomat." Sharply written political intrigue with very good to excellent acting. I appreciate the non-condescending scripts, meaning the writing leaves the viewer to connect the dots and doesn't talk down to you as if you're an idiot.

However...

Kerri Russell's character, (the diplomat), is implausible in her role. She can't get along with anybody, and she has the filthiest mouth, especially for a diplomat. She is uncouth and has a hard time communicating with anyone. There are behind the scenes reasons for her to be placed as the US ambassador to Great Britain but her personality is not conducive whatsoever to being a diplomat.

Still, I am enjoying the (slow moving) show and will continue with it. God help us if this is how our government actually operates!

 

[Trooper]

Three episodes into "The Diplomat." Sharply written political intrigue with very good to excellent acting. I appreciate the non-condescending scripts, meaning the writing leaves the viewer to connect the dots and doesn't talk down to you as if you're an idiot.

Agree!

Kerri Russell's character, (the diplomat), is implausible in her role. She can't get along with anybody, and she has the filthiest mouth, especially for a diplomat. She is uncouth and has a hard time communicating with anyone... but her personality is not conducive whatsoever to being a diplomat.

Didn't we have a President like that recently?

God help us if this is how our government actually operates!

It probably does. OK, no more political rhetoric from me. I respect this forum too much to get banned

 

[Qs Laptop]

Three episodes into "The Diplomat."

Kerri Russell's character, (the diplomat), is implausible in her role. She can't get along with anybody, and she has the filthiest mouth, especially for a diplomat. She is uncouth and has a hard time communicating with anyone. There are behind the scenes reasons for her to be placed as the US ambassador to Great Britain but her personality is not conducive whatsoever to being a diplomat.

She needs to wash her hair and run a hairbrush through it. For goodness sakes.

 

[rk911]

Almost through S1 of Lawmen: Bass Reeves (Paramount +). 8 epis which covers the first years of former slave Bass Reeves turned Deputy U.S. Marshal for for Judge Issac (Ths Hanging Judge) Parker. During his 32-yrs as a Deputy Marshal he made 3000-arrests in Indian Territory and killed 14 outlaws in defense of his life. A remarkable man.

The acting is superb and the story moves along. The S1 finale airs on 12/17 and based on where the series is in his story I doubt it will cover his entire career. Maybe subsequent seasons will pick up his story or profile other famous lawmen. In any case I recommend you give this a look.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15399640/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_Reeves.

 

[stephenson]

Re The Diplomat ... was she a diplomat prior to the ambassador job, or an employee of the Department of State. DoS has a wide range of jobs, some quite gritty and needing significant shredding - like being an operator.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Started Brokenwood Mysteries Season 9, we are followers of this New Zealand tongue in cheek Police procedural. A little humour, a few silly parts. But watchable. I personally like the Russian Coroner.

 

[Rianne]

Re The Diplomat ... was she a diplomat prior to the ambassador job, or an employee of the Department of State. DoS has a wide range of jobs, some quite gritty and needing significant shredding - like being an operator.

The Diplomat is up for 2 Golden Globes. Best television series and best actress.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Re The Diplomat ... was she a diplomat prior to the ambassador job, or an employee of the Department of State. DoS has a wide range of jobs, some quite gritty and needing significant shredding - like being an operator.

She was a diplomat in Baghdad and previously in Lebanon and Pakistan. I think she was the ambassador's chief of staff in Baghdad because she tells her chief of staff in London that she once had his job.

She was supposed to be named the ambassador to Afghanistan but the President reassigned her to the ambassador to Great Britain at the last minute.

 

[Qs Laptop]

The Diplomat is up for 2 Golden Globes. Best television series and best actress.

Will be tough to beat Succession in those departments. The Golden Globes are mostly a popularity contest anyway.

 

[Chuckanut]

Three episodes into "The Diplomat." Sharply written political intrigue with very good to excellent acting. I appreciate the non-condescending scripts, meaning the writing leaves the viewer to connect the dots and doesn't talk down to you as if you're an idiot.

However...

Kerri Russell's character, (the diplomat), is implausible in her role. She can't get along with anybody, and she has the filthiest mouth, especially for a diplomat. She is uncouth and has a hard time communicating with anyone. There are behind the scenes reasons for her to be placed as the US ambassador to Great Britain but her personality is not conducive whatsoever to being a diplomat.

Still, I am enjoying the (slow moving) show and will continue with it. God help us if this is how our government actually operates!

I don’t know what it is about the entertainment industry today, but it’s as though they need to hit new low levels of decency every few years. They seem to think strong women can only be strong if they use plenty of bad language. Talk about an old stereotypes!

I’ve pretty much decided not to watch potty mouth shows no matter how good they are. I may end up watching nothing but Hallmark Christmas movies all year. I need to setup the DVR to do a lot of recording over the next few weeks.

Back on topic, I am enjoying season two of Wheel of Time, though having now read the first book in the series, I realize that once again the stories are heavily modified for TV. As usual the books are better. But, the show is does not vary too far from the basics of the book, so good for them.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I don’t know what it is about the entertainment industry today, but it’s as though they need to hit new low levels of decency every few years. The well known show Ted Lasso even had a young elementary school girl tossing out F-bombs.

Yes, it is so unnecessary. If it makes sense for the character to use profanity, like an Army drill sergeant or a jaded police detective, it's OK, I can stomach it. But to just use the f-bomb for shock value is gratuitous. Eventually, it's not shocking anymore and maybe the writers will relent and quit doing it. We went through this with standup comedians (though not all of them got the memo.)

I’ve pretty much decided not to watch potty mouth shows no matter how good they are. I may end up watching nothing but Hallmark Christmas movies all year. I need to setup the DVR to do a lot of recording over the next few weeks.

The downside to not watching shows with potty-mouths is that you are stuck with network TV and the dumbing down of plotlines with vast stretches of exposition and clunky dialogue recapping the plot so the teeming masses and their 2 minute attention span can understand what's going on.

 

[Surewhitey]

Watched Black Cake on Hulu. Enjoyed the complexity of the characters in the past, but I could have enjoyed it more without so much modern woke storytelling. Just watch it with ignoring some of the modern drama.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Started Brokenwood Mysteries Season 9, we are followers of this New Zealand tongue in cheek Police procedural. A little humour, a few silly parts. But watchable. I personally like the Russian Coroner.

Easily my favorite show. However, I thought Season 9, Episode 1, was the poorest of the entire 9 seasons. And, not to spoil anything, but the final episode of Season 9 had an odd ending. I recently read that Season 10 wrapped up filming, so we're anxiously looking forward to seeing it come back next year.

 

[Masquernom]

My recommendation: Read the books. Or get the audio book version. The TV show strays very, very, very very far from the book both in characters and plots, IMHO, and in a way that is not good.


Note: Foundation is a great SciFi trilogy. Actually it's more than a trilogy with follow up books written later in Assimov's later years. The science and tech in the books is a bit dated, but the stories are definitely worth the read.

I was really looking forward to the Foundation and Wheel of Time series. As far as I'm concerned, they aren't worth watching if you've read the books.

 

[Masquernom]

If you like psychological thrillers you need to check out Leave The World Behind (Netflix). 4.5 stars out of a possible 5.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12747748/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

We watched this a couple of days ago. They do a pretty good job of maintaining the suspense. However, you'll have to suspend logic. Most of the things they experience aren't really plausible. Kind of jarring to this old engineer.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I was really looking forward to the Foundation and Wheel of Time series. As far as I'm concerned, they aren't worth watching if you've read the books.

This is true of book adaptations. The only one I've seen that is decent, IMO, is Dune 2021.

I read a lot of novels. A LOT. But I've never tackled the Wheel of Time series. Not because it's daunting in length but I just don't care for the fantasy genre.

Since you are an engineer (as was I once upon a time), and given your mini review of "Leave the World Behind" with its need to suspend disbelief, how can you enjoy fantasy stories?

 

[GenXguy]

I was really looking forward to the Foundation and Wheel of Time series. As far as I'm concerned, they aren't worth watching if you've read the books.

One thing I caught on many years ago is that people seem to always like the books better. So, I avoid the books so that I won't be disappointed. lol

We watched this a couple of days ago. They do a pretty good job of maintaining the suspense. However, you'll have to suspend logic. Most of the things they experience aren't really plausible. Kind of jarring to this old engineer.

Well, what do you expect from movies and TV? lol