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

[ShokWaveRider]

Started "The Old Man", was going to delete the whole series from my media disk as it was very slow and somewhat depressing, but as it moved on and my wife read me the synopsis, it perked my interest. Will continue with it as it livened up pretty well. Seems very watchable.

 

[Aerides]

2 part doc series on Netflix, Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story

Having grown up in the UK during 70's with Top of the Pops, and Jim'll Fix It, I read some of the stories when they came out. But this is the full history, and quite fascinating and worth a 2 hour investment.

Watched first two episodes. Lots of yelling, fighting, and cussing. I like the premise but it’s just too much. Gives me a headache and reignites my shell shock from memories of work.
Do those things improve? Or does it stay ‘loud’?

I have not yet watched the Bear, but this sounds very realistic for a restaurant kitchen.

 

[explanade]

That's what people have said, that restaurants are often chaotic.

There's a flashback in one of the earlier episodes, when the main guy, who was trained to be a high end chef, was being browbeaten by his boss, about how he's a hack, how his food sucks, etc.

It was like marine boot camp, the psychological torture.

 

[socca]

Black Money Love, on Netflix.
Only 6 episodes of 164 episodes in but very compelling crime romance mystery. ...

If you like BML you might like a new Netflix series starring actress Tuba Büyüküstün (anyone who can properly pronounce this name gets a few brownie points in my book ) - Another Self.

I only made it through around 10 episodes of BML before I got bored. I've only watched the first episode of Another Self and found it a tad lightweight for my taste. However, I don't have enough supermodels in my life and Tuba is definitely worth watching.
I have been enjoying The Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix. I don't have any experience with people on the autistic spectrum but the lead actress seems to be doing a good job. I've watched 9 episodes so far and have only been irritated by one plot development. That's a pretty good record for over 9 hours of content.

 

[folivier]

Just binged the first 5 episodes of Black Bird on Appletv. Very good so far and not your typical prison show. The actor who plays the antagonist is great.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

DW likes period shows so we started watching Sanditon not my cup of Tea though. 2 Seasons.

 

[Calico]

Amazon Prime:

The Tunnel.

Binged the first season (of three) over the last two nights. Enjoyed it very much - characters and plotlines are complex. (Warning: has some quite dark /violent moments. The "bad guy" is really, really bad.)

This is the dual French/English production, based on the original Danish/Swedish series The Bridge.

 

[spirit]

Hacks

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/hacks/s01

I watched both seasons and I have to admit, there were many touching moments that really had me in tears.
Jean Smart is awesome in this tour de force. She plays a female comedian who is pushed out of her Vegas show so that younger talent could shine.
She had worked hard her whole life and this really seemed like the end for her.
But an unlikely partnership with a young, shallow Millenial gives both women a chance to find a way to stay relevant.
Well acted. Worth watching.

Disclaimer, this might not be for many men...my husband did not want to watch it with me. Too bad. I think he might have enjoyed it. I know I did.

 

[Aerides]

Just binged through season 2 of Russian Doll on Netflix. I liked it better than the first, which is rare. It's a dark comedy with some time looping stuff. Very NYC, very kooky.

Avoid if you don't like a bit of language. If you don't like it at all after Ep1, don't bother. If you do, it's worth the ride.

 

[JoeWras]

It isn't new, but we watched "Better Call Saul" last night and I have to say the creators are taking serial television in new directions.

Start with "Breaking Bad" and move to the start of "Better Call Saul." It is very creative and not lazy writing.

 

[vafoodie]

I heard on NPR recently that Better Call Saul is considered one of the best tv shows ever made. I need to give it a shot.

 

[Rianne]

I binge-watched Breaking Bad when it first came out. Could not get enough of it. Then Better Call Saul. IMO along the line of Fargo and the Cohen Brothers' work. Captivating. The silent moments, the facial expressions, shock and awe, the best writing out there.

 

[jcretire77]

Re-watched BB earlier this year and immediately followed it with a second viewing of Netflix's El Camino. They did such a good job with continuity and it made more sense seeing the movie much sooner after viewing BB. Saul continues to be so very good.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is quality television all around--good plotting, good character development (notice I didn't say good characters, because they're not!) good cinematography, etc.

But...

Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould's style is wearing thin with me. How many times can you put a camera inside an object to get a different angle on the scene and think it's groundbreaking? Put a camera inside a trash can, trash can opens, hand is seen throwing something away; put a camera in a vending machine, person's midsection is seen approaching front glass of vending machine, coins are heard falling inside machine, coiled snack holder is seen moving; put a camera in a car trunk, inside a microwave, a refrigerator, a gym locker, a push cart, etc. etc. Look for this trope next time you watch the show.

Use extreme closeups on something inconsequential like a spider then immediately transition to an extreme far away shot, like desert scrub brush to establish the scene. Linger on each shot for at least 15 seconds.

Also, notice how they S-t-r-e-t-c-h out mundane tasks that characters perform. Do we really need to see a person exit their car, walk across the parking lot, walk up the sidewalk to a building, open a door, walk to the elevator, get in the elevator car, punch the floor button, look at the floor indicator, look straight ahead, look back to the floor indicator, (meanwhile there is a shot from the camera placed in the ceiling looking down at the top of the head of the character) show elevator doors opening, follow character walk down hall, etc. etc. etc. We've all seen someone get out of their car and enter a building. It's not necessary to show the ENTIRE SEQUENCE. Edit it down.

Show the entire sequence of somebody doing something trivial. Show someone polishing their shoes, feeding fish, putting away groceries, etc.

In fact, almost every scene in Better Call Saul could be shortened. I think that's how they make the show longer so they can pack in more commercials and make it an hour and a half run time.

Rant over. It's still the best made show on TV, but please, enough of the self-indulgence with the camera.

 

[JoeWras]

Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is quality television all around--good plotting, good character development (notice I didn't say good characters, because they're not!) good cinematography, etc.

But...

Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould's style is wearing thin with me. How many times can you put a camera inside an object to get a different angle on the scene and think it's groundbreaking? Put a camera inside a trash can, trash can opens, hand is seen throwing something away; put a camera in a vending machine, person's midsection is seen approaching front glass of vending machine, coins are heard falling inside machine, coiled snack holder is seen moving; put a camera in a car trunk, inside a microwave, a refrigerator, a gym locker, a push cart, etc. etc. Look for this trope next time you watch the show.

Use extreme closeups on something inconsequential like a spider then immediately transition to an extreme far away shot, like desert scrub brush to establish the scene. Linger on each shot for at least 15 seconds.

Also, notice how they S-t-r-e-t-c-h out mundane tasks that characters perform. Do we really need to see a person exit their car, walk across the parking lot, walk up the sidewalk to a building, open a door, walk to the elevator, get in the elevator car, punch the floor button, look at the floor indicator, look straight ahead, look back to the floor indicator, (meanwhile there is a shot from the camera placed in the ceiling looking down at the top of the head of the character) show elevator doors opening, follow character walk down hall, etc. etc. etc. We've all seen someone get out of their car and enter a building. It's not necessary to show the ENTIRE SEQUENCE. Edit it down.

Show the entire sequence of somebody doing something trivial. Show someone polishing their shoes, feeding fish, putting away groceries, etc.

In fact, almost every scene in Better Call Saul could be shortened. I think that's how they make the show longer so they can pack in more commercials and make it an hour and a half run time.

Rant over. It's still the best made show on TV, but please, enough of the self-indulgence with the camera.

I understand your point and this style is not for everyone. Sometimes I even cleanse the pallet and watch a 1950s noir movie which is all about characters in simply blocked scenes that's mostly all about dialog moving the story forward.

However, I love this visual style. You forgot the extreme macro of the ants on the ice cream cone. I loved every bit of that scene. As for Breaking Bad (BB), I was hooked in the pilot episode by the trousers floating in the air.

I see roots in Kubrick, Lynch and Hitchcock in BB/BCS. The story of 2001: A Space Odyssey could have been told in 20 minutes. Instead we got the visuals of Kubrick.

Lynch spent 4 minutes of film time of a guy sweeping a floor in Twin Peaks: The Return. That was -- uh -- interesting.

Sam Esmail is carrying the torch with shows like Mr. Robot. He had one episode that was 99.5% dialog free.

My suggestion for those more interested in a good story without all the visuals and camera tricks is Dark. Very well done, but I needed a flow chart (seriously, I pulled one from the web) to understand the story.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Finished Sanditon, 2 seasons, typical UK period show, lots of scandal, debutants wanting to get married before their 21st birthday. All good clean entertainment with costumes to boot.

Started The Umbrella Acadamy, a play on Marvel Style TV. Has been watchable so far. There are 3 Seasons.

 

[Qs Laptop]

I understand your point and this style is not for everyone. Sometimes I even cleanse the pallet and watch a 1950s noir movie which is all about characters in simply blocked scenes that's mostly all about dialog moving the story forward.

Screwball comedies from the 30's and 40's performs this function for me. "His Girl Friday", "It Happened One Night", "The Philadelphia Story", etc.

However, I love this visual style. You forgot the extreme macro of the ants on the ice cream cone. I loved every bit of that scene.

I love the visual style too. Just like I love fudge. But having it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? No.

I see roots in Kubrick, Lynch and Hitchcock in BB/BCS. The story of 2001: A Space Odyssey could have been told in 20 minutes. Instead we got the visuals of Kubrick.

Yes but "2001" was an expansive, epic visual feast for the eyes. It was meant to have lengthy scenes full of awe. I remember seeing it in "glorious 70mm" when I was 10 years old. Watching someone re-lace their shoes and put them on their feet, then have the camera heeling at floor level and following the guy walk 50 feet down a hall is not epic.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/hacks/s01

I watched both seasons and I have to admit, there were many touching moments that really had me in tears.
Jean Smart is awesome in this tour de force. She plays a female comedian who is pushed out of her Vegas show so that younger talent could shine.
She had worked hard her whole life and this really seemed like the end for her.
But an unlikely partnership with a young, shallow Millenial gives both women a chance to find a way to stay relevant.
Well acted. Worth watching.

Disclaimer, this might not be for many men...my husband did not want to watch it with me. Too bad. I think he might have enjoyed it. I know I did.

I would consider myself a "man's man" and very much enjoyed Hacks.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

My suggestion for those more interested in a good story without all the visuals and camera tricks is Dark. Very well done, but I needed a flow chart (seriously, I pulled one from the web) to understand the story.

I thought Dark was an excellent series. I didn’t need the flowchart until the last season.
Acting was superb.

 

[socca]

I watched the first 2 seasons [of Borgen] a while ago. I'm glad a 3rd season was released. Thanks, I'll watch!

I've watched a few episodes of the first season of Borgen on Netflix and have enjoyed them. One of the minor characters is the spitting image of my old Danish boss. When I lived in Copenhagen over 20 years ago I didn't pay any attention to politics - maybe I should have . The entire population of Denmark is quite a bit less than NYC - how can Danish politics be so complicated?

I watched Snabba Cash on Netflix a while ago and found it mildly interesting, primarily because it was fun to see my old stomping grounds in Stockholm (Kista) from 40 years ago. Remarkably, the housing I stayed in is still being used for international student housing today. The show suggests that even after all of these years the "immigrant question" is still alive and well in Sweden.

 

[stepford]

We just finished season 1 of 'Stella Blomkvist' on AMC+ (available through Amazon Prime). Very modern, flashy, violent and perverse Icelandic noir - kind of like a cross between the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Eyes Wide Shut. We liked it, but not recommended for the squeamish or easily offended.

 

[Ian S]

I'm binging the third season of Narcos Mexico on Netflix and should finish it tonight. I've watched all the other Narcos seasons (both Colombia and Mexico). The violence will turn some off but is almost certainly fairly true to life. These are not nice people! Still, the stories of these cartels rising and falling and how they corrupt the countries where they hold sway is fascinating to me. The stories of Pablo Escobar, "El Chapo" Guzman, and Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo would be hard to believe if they weren't true. The real life Escobar was shot dead as the law closed in while El Chapo is imprisoned in Colorado and Gallardo is in prison in Mexico. I didn't know before but the fictional Mexican cartel that features prominently in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul is based on the Juarez Cartel. The dialog is almost entirely in Spanish with sub-titles.

 

[rk911]

just finished Black Bird on Apple TV. The entire production was superb and the actor portraying 'Larry' was, in a word...chilling. Recommended.

and we just started Defending Jacob also on Apple TV. we're on epi2 of 8 and so far, so good.

 

[ronin]

We also finish Black Bird and thought it was very good, agree on Paul Hauser. He nailed that character.

Enjoying Godless (N-flix) a lot right now. Good story, good acting.

Started a Spanish drama called Wrong Side of the Tracks (also N-flix) for the heck of it and are getting quite a kick out of it. Kind of a Death Wish vibe with a crankier but less homicidal main guy than Charlie B. was as Paul Kersey.

 

[jj]

...

Enjoying Godless (N-flix) a lot right now. Good story, good acting...

Agreed. I watched that a few years ago now. Good ensemble cast. Jeff Daniels was mesmerizing