TV Series - Reviews and Recommendations......

Pross

morstar said:

tailwindhome said:

Working my way through Line of Duty having missed it first time round.

I think series 3 is the best season of TV I've ever watched

Can't specifically remember series 3 but yes, it was good value. I came late to them too and watched them all earlier this year.

Love those moments that just grab you though. 1st series of Homeland did it for me. The presidents bunker scene was the most intense television moment I've ever experienced.

I think series 3 was my first too. Did it move to BBC1 then or something? Agree that one was the best, by the final series the whole conspiracy thing had just gone stupid (started going that way by the end of Series 4 probably). I did watch Series 1 when it came on recently and thought it was decent but haven't got on to Series 2 yet.

Pross

Recently finished my first full on binge watch, getting through the entire 12 series of Big Bang Theory over about 4 weeks. My daughter would watch it while we stayed at the in-laws caravan so I would see two double episodes a day for a week or two out of sequence, we all enjoyed it but never really understood the characters' histories so it was good to finally see the whole thing in context. I'm sure everyone has watched it anyway but it was good fun.

morstar

Seeing episodes out of order should go in the trivial things that annoy me thread.

Thing is, there are lots of channels showing the same shows so I understand how things jump around but the mrs was watching a channel the other day showing the same programme in two consecutive slots, the episodes were from totally different series.

I have seen some episodes of Big Bang multiple times and many not at all.

Pross

morstar said:

Seeing episodes out of order should go in the trivial things that annoy me thread.

Thing is, there are lots of channels showing the same shows so I understand how things jump around but the mrs was watching a channel the other day showing the same programme in two consecutive slots, the episodes were from totally different series.

I have seen some episodes of Big Bang multiple times and many not at all.

We were finding it would be on in the morning, two episodes in sequence, and then again in the afternoon from a totally different series and like you we saw the same ones a few times which was why we went all in on the binge watching in the end.

rjsterry

For those who enjoy a bit of Sci-fi I can really recommend working through the four seasons of The Expanse.

nickice

rjsterry said:

For those who enjoy a bit of Sci-fi I can really recommend working through the four seasons of The Expanse.

I keep meaning to watch seasons 2/3/4. It's probably a more realistic future than Star Trek unfortunately (in terms of human behaviour especially)

seanoconn

What we do in the shadows is probably the best series I’ve watched this year, brilliantly funny and both seasons available on iplayer.
Not for everyone though. My wife and sister both hated it.

Mad_Malx

Quite enjoying Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, vague reminders of driving a young MM jnr to regional tournaments (at much lower level obvs, and without the pills and booze). At the junior school local level anyone who learns a few basic strategies can do ok, but the obsessives soon fly miles above those just doing it for a day out with their mates.

And the previous Crown series have been very good. Last couple of series had some interesting reminders of the political backdrop to my childhood. I avoided it before this year assuming it to be Royalist fluff, but it’s not at all that.

Pross

Yeah, I've sat down with the wife while she has rewatched The Crown and have found it surprisingly interesting. So far it has been from before my time or my very early years but things like the Aberfan response and Charles' investiture were interesting to me.

We've also started watching The Queen's Gambit. Only a couple of episodes in so far and it's quite slow but will stick with it. The other thing we've started that's a bit older is Outlander, again quite slow going and I haven't made my mind up on it yet

motogull

My Mrs watches The Crown, so I sort of pick up on a few things. Quite funny:

PTG is portrayed as quite a likable b'stard.
Charlie is a complete and utter nimrod.
Anne was a bit of a cow.

pblakeney

Pross said:

The other thing we've started that's a bit older is Outlander, again quite slow going and I haven't made my mind up on it yet

The first series is quite good. The final episode goes further than I thought it would.
Slow downhill slide to a slushfest after that.

ddraver

Queens Gambit FTW!

Big Bang Theory was always slightly under rated IMO. The last episode happened around the same time as the GoT dumpster fire and by contrast was a masterclass in how to finish a series.

elbowloh

ddraver said:

Queens Gambit FTW!

Big Bang Theory was always slightly under rated IMO. The last episode happened around the same time as the GoT dumpster fire and by contrast was a masterclass in how to finish a series.

I can't get my head round why people liked The Big Bang Theory. I tried watching it and just found the whole geek thing completely cliched and generic. It wasn't particularly funny either.

rick_chasey

Industry on BBC i player is worth investing some time in.

HBO, set in London - bunch of grads join various parts of a fictitious American investment bank and basically it's all awful. Obviously quite a few bits are hammed up but by drama standards fairly accurate.

pblakeney

Just finished re-watching Our Friends In The North.
I could remember the story and the stellar cast but what struck me most was the cultural references. That, and this saying kept popping into my head - plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Recommended if you've never seen it.

shortfall

pblakeney said:

Just finished re-watching Our Friends In The North.
I could remember the story and the stellar cast but what struck me most was the cultural references. That, and this saying kept popping into my head - plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Recommended if you've never seen it.

That's a blast from the past,you must have it on video or dvd? Absolutely brilliant.

pblakeney

shortfall said:

pblakeney said:

Just finished re-watching Our Friends In The North.
I could remember the story and the stellar cast but what struck me most was the cultural references. That, and this saying kept popping into my head - plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Recommended if you've never seen it.

That's a blast from the past,you must have it on video or dvd? Absolutely brilliant.

YouTube.

wiznaeme

Just finished the first series of Trapped on Prime. Really well structured plot with an unexpected but realistic ending.

darkhairedlord

Awaiting tin-star and fargo. Enjoyed self destruction and resigned fate in both. Maybe I just like an anti-hero...

rick_chasey

Industry is great. FYI.

feelgoodlost

rick_chasey said:

Industry is great. FYI.

What he said. One of the best things I've watched this year. Reviews had said it was like This Life meets Succession... which I thought was reasonably accurate.

elbowloh

darkhairedlord said:

Awaiting tin-star and fargo. Enjoyed self destruction and resigned fate in both. Maybe I just like an anti-hero...

I got annoyed with Tin-Star and stopped watching after about 3 episodes.

I just find so many of these US/Sky dramas as being very samey and really string out the plot of a two hour film into a 22 episode series.

seanoconn

elbowloh said:

darkhairedlord said:

Awaiting tin-star and fargo. Enjoyed self destruction and resigned fate in both. Maybe I just like an anti-hero...

I got annoyed with Tin-Star and stopped watching after about 3 episodes.

I just find so many of these US/Sky dramas as being very samey and really string out the plot of a two hour film into a 22 episode series.

Same, lost interest about the third episode.

seanoconn

wiznaeme said:

Just finished the first series of Trapped on Prime. Really well structured plot with an unexpected but realistic ending.

Enjoy the first season is all I’ll say.

elbowloh

I'm sure its been mentioned and can't be arsed to scroll back up, but Mandalorian series 2 is exceptional and much improved over series 1.

Yes it's cliched and borrows stories from westerns and other old films, but it's really well done. It caters really well for the fans with little throw-backs to the original trilogy that aren't too in your face and obvious. Plus it takes the piss out of itself a little bit too. One of the episodes was even directed by Apollo Creed!

tailwindhome

seanoconn said:

elbowloh said:

darkhairedlord said:

Awaiting tin-star and fargo. Enjoyed self destruction and resigned fate in both. Maybe I just like an anti-hero...

I got annoyed with Tin-Star and stopped watching after about 3 episodes.

I just find so many of these US/Sky dramas as being very samey and really string out the plot of a two hour film into a 22 episode series.

Same, lost interest about the third episode.

Enjoyed series one.

Like so many shows, should be one and done

morstar

Devs (iplayer).

An interesting take on the whole sliding doors, free will vs pre-determined paths theme.

Painfully slow at times and incredibly self indulgent yet found myself intrigued enough to keep watching. Was a little worried it was going to go down the route of validating a religion as a truth but it steers away from that plot line making only a reference to a religious event as a historical marker (phew). So don't let that put you off if you do watch.

Poses some interesting questions about individual responsibility and makes some interesting observations about tech giants. It only really has one theme which it really exploits to the nth degree but if the theme interests you, it will probably keep you watching. If you don't like it after 2 or 3 episodes, it's not going to win you over later so stop watching.

Worth dipping your toe into I'd say if you don't mind slow dramas. The first episode moves along reasonably quickly but then the handbrake is applied.

tailwindhome

Currently enjoying The Queen's Gambit and The Mandalorian

thegreatdivide

Make sure you watch all the way past the credits of the last episode of Mando S2.

briantrumpet

Just started Better Call Saul for the first time, to give me something to watch while I practise my trumpet. Looks like my sort of thing, one episode in.

I finished The Gone Wrong Show - a few nice conceits, but not great writing, and too many of the jokes went on too long. I felt it should be more like Airplane, with a new gag every minute, and there was a bit of a lazy recourse to unoriginal slapstick. Oh well, a DVD to go to the charity shop, having watched it once.