All Things TV Series Recommendations/Reviews

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1917 was very good. Would easily say it is equivalent of SPR and recommend it to anyone interested.
 

Also started watching The Irishman, the first hour at least. So far I have also enjoyed it thoroughly, even with its slowness. But I don't mind that stuff, if the content is engaging for me.
 


stocker08 said:
I'm meaning to start watching this. I've heard that Watchmen was great too. And of course new Curb starting back up! I've been slamming episodes of Curb for the past couple of weeks.
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I couldn't penetrate Watchmen. I tried, but it just didn't do it for me. It's usually the type of genre I like, but it struck me as overwrought and overcooked. I'm sure it's great; it's just me.
 

MplsGopher said:
Is this somewhat in the same vein as True Detective and The Night Of ? High production quality, high powered acting, whodunit's ?
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From what I hear, yes. I never invested in True Detective and never watched The Night Of, although I'm sure I'd love the latter.
 


Heads up: HBO season 4 of High Maintenance (there were prior web seasons) begins on February 7.
 

Finished The Irishman. It is good, engaging content, good performances.

I would say it was as good as Goodfellas, but not quite as good as Casino. That's just me. The violence was there, but definitely less "brutal" than those two. Just a good amount of quick gunshots to the head and quickly walking off.
 

MplsGopher said:
Is this somewhat in the same vein as True Detective and The Night Of ? High production quality, high powered acting, whodunit's ?
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The Outsider is based off of a Steven King book so the suspense is similar to that of True Detective, but there will most certainly be supernatural elements that will make the story different. So far it has been pretty good.
 

Not a fan of comic book/gimmicky supernatural stuff. Although I did like the first Stranger Things quite a bit. So if done well it can still be enjoyable.
 



MplsGopher said:
Not a fan of comic book/gimmicky supernatural stuff. Although I did like the first Stranger Things quite a bit. So if done well it can still be enjoyable.
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It's not comic-bookey. If I'd describe it as anything, it's an X-Files miniseries--including how cinematic and well done The X-Files was.

While watching the latest The Outsider, I noticed a newly-premiered documentary, McMillions--about the McDonald's Monopoly Game fraud. It's a story most of us have some awareness of, at least superficially, but it was bigger and more intruiging than I ever thought or remembered. The first installment is very entertaining; a little over the top stylistically but in a good and fun way. Overall, really good pacing and storytelling. Recommended.
 

MplsGopher said:
1917 was very good. Would easily say it is equivalent of SPR and recommend it to anyone interested.
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Its a must see with me, but Im hoping it will be rental-available in iTunes before long, $3.99 beats $15 to $20 at the theater, depending on popcorn prices.
 
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OldBob53 said:
Its a must see with me, but Im hoping it will be rental-available in iTunes before long, $3.99 beats $15 to $20 at the theater, depending on popcorn prices.
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Haven’t look lately, but have had problems where award winning movies would not be available for rent, only for purchase. They want more money, and I guess they figure it doesn’t hurt if it isn’t a high volume. Could be an issue with the studio too, I suppose.
 

If you're looking for a fun, family-friendly reality tv show, we really liked the premiere of Lego Masters on Fox. Everyone in the family was in to it. Will Arnett did a great job as host, and some of the creations this week were pretty cool. Typical contest show format. Though they seemed to spend less time on side things like contestant drama & back-stories than other shows, at least in the premier, which is nice.
 



Bad Gopher said:
It's not comic-bookey. If I'd describe it as anything, it's an X-Files miniseries--including how cinematic and well done The X-Files was.

While watching the latest The Outsider, I noticed a newly-premiered documentary, McMillions--about the McDonald's Monopoly Game fraud. It's a story most of us have some awareness of, at least superficially, but it was bigger and more intruiging than I ever thought or remembered. The first installment is very entertaining; a little over the top stylistically but in a good and fun way. Overall, really good pacing and storytelling. Recommended.
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Watched the first episode of the McMillion$ series over the weekend. I like it so far, but can't help thinking they are drawing it out way, way longer than it needs. The story could be told without so much minutiae that's relatively unnecessary. That being said, it's really good and entertaining so far, looking forward to seeing it unfold. 6 episodes? Yikes! That's a long time, but so far, so good I guess.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Watched the first episode of the McMillion$ series over the weekend. I like it so far, but can't help thinking they are drawing it out way, way longer than it needs. The story could be told without so much minutiae that's relatively unnecessary. That being said, it's really good and entertaining so far, looking forward to seeing it unfold. 6 episodes? Yikes! That's a long time, but so far, so good I guess.
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When I saw *6* episodes, I figured it was either 1) the fraud scheme was bigger and more complex than anyone thought, and it takes some time to tell the whole tangled story, or 2) they're drawing it out way, way longer than it needs. Time will tell.
 

Bump.

Has anyone been watching the History Channel series on George Washington? It's a mix of talking heads and historians commenting on Washington and actors portraying key episodes in Washington's career. The guy playing Washington really doesn't look much like him.

Most interesting thing to me were the segments on Washington as a younger man. He served as a commander of local troops under British rule during the French and Indian Wars. It portrays him as trying to earn the respect of the British Generals and being very frustrated when they treated him like a yokel. Also details that he had some setbacks in his career, and make some bad decisions in the early part of the Revolutionary War - to the point where there was a lot of talk about replacing him as the Commander of the American troops. According to the series, the crossing of the Delaware and the victory over the Hessians at Trenton basically saved Washington's career.

Anyway, it's worth watching if you've got some time to kill. 6-hour series over 3 episodes.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Watched the first episode of the McMillion$ series over the weekend. I like it so far, but can't help thinking they are drawing it out way, way longer than it needs. The story could be told without so much minutiae that's relatively unnecessary. That being said, it's really good and entertaining so far, looking forward to seeing it unfold. 6 episodes? Yikes! That's a long time, but so far, so good I guess.
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I'm into this and the Outsider and would recommend both. totally agree that McMillion is padding the run time big time, and I can't stand the lead FBI agent, but still good.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Bump.

Has anyone been watching the History Channel series on George Washington? It's a mix of talking heads and historians commenting on Washington and actors portraying key episodes in Washington's career. The guy playing Washington really doesn't look much like him.

Most interesting thing to me were the segments on Washington as a younger man. He served as a commander of local troops under British rule during the French and Indian Wars. It portrays him as trying to earn the respect of the British Generals and being very frustrated when they treated him like a yokel. Also details that he had some setbacks in his career, and make some bad decisions in the early part of the Revolutionary War - to the point where there was a lot of talk about replacing him as the Commander of the American troops. According to the series, the crossing of the Delaware and the victory over the Hessians at Trenton basically saved Washington's career.

Anyway, it's worth watching if you've got some time to kill. 6-hour series over 3 episodes.
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failure = growth! I saw it flipping thru but passed on it. I might give it a look on your recommendation.
 

Section2 said:
I'm into this and the Outsider and would recommend both. totally agree that McMillion is padding the run time big time, and I can't stand the lead FBI agent, but still good.
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Ha!! My wife thinks he's great, really funny. I haven't decided yet, I'm kind of indifferent. Look at it from his point of view, as an FBI agent in sleepy Jacksonville, FL, he had this case early in his career and maybe knows it's going to be mostly downhill after this, back to chasing Medicare fraud.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Ha!! My wife thinks he's great, really funny. I haven't decided yet, I'm kind of indifferent. Look at it from his point of view, as an FBI agent in sleepy Jacksonville, FL, he had this case early in his career and maybe knows it's going to be mostly downhill after this, back to chasing Medicare fraud.
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I just watched the 3rd episode. sLLLLOOOOOOw. Maybe you are right. Agent Doug is needed.
 

Section2 said:
I just watched the 3rd episode. sLLLLOOOOOOw. Maybe you are right. Agent Doug is needed.
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I actually loved Ep 3 because of how it focused on the experience of Gloria (one of the million dollar winners) and how she got sucked into the crime. I feel like that's an essential part of the story--as important as any other aspect of the enterprise. The feeling of dread I felt as she told her story: in my book, that's effective storytelling.

When they asked the FBI video guy whether the undercover operation was "fun," his answer is haunting: it's never fun when you know that your investigation is going to lead to someone's prosecution and punishment, their deprivation of freedom, as the guy put it. Especially someone like Gloria, who didn't fully ask for what she ended up drawn into.
 
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Bad Gopher said:
I actually loved Ep 3 because of how it focused on the experience of Gloria (one of the million dollar winners) and how she got sucked into the crime. I feel like that's an essential part of the story--as important as any other aspect of the enterprise. The feeling of dread I felt as she told her story: in my book, that's effective storytelling.

When they asked the FBI video guy whether the undercover operation was "fun," his answer is haunting: it's never fun when you know that your investigation is going to lead to someone's prosecution and punishment, their deprivation of freedom, as the guy put it. Especially someone like Gloria, who didn't fully ask for what she ended up drawn into.
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Didn't fully ask? She knew what she was doing was wrong and illegal. I mean, who would mortgage their house and hand 50k in cash to a mob boss? The only interesting part was that it didn't pay off for her, she was not better off. Her life didn't change because she didn't earn the money. Same with the wife of Columbo, all the money in the world and miserable. There's indeed a great lesson in there.
 

Section2 said:
Didn't fully ask? She knew what she was doing was wrong and illegal. I mean, who would mortgage their house and hand 50k in cash to a mob boss? The only interesting part was that it didn't pay off for her, she was not better off. Her life didn't change because she didn't earn the money. Same with the wife of Columbo, all the money in the world and miserable. There's indeed a great lesson in there.
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Of course she knew it was wrong, but quite honestly, put yourself in her position. Even once a person talks to you about doing it, you're already compromised and in danger. The only way out at that point is to immediately go to law enforcement, and then you're in even MORE danger. The path of least resistance is practically to go with the flow, and the seduction of free money adds to the draw. It helps an average person understand how people get wrapped up in extraordinary circumstances like this, especially when they didn't actively seek it out. The ease with which she was seduced...I feel like it could happen to a lot of people. Do we know (yet) that anyone ever turned the opportunity down?

You're insisting on moralizing this story, and I'm just consuming it as a story with its various aspects of the human condition and human frailty. Putting yourself in the position of the characters and their moral dilemmas adds a dimension to enjoying any story. I'm sorry for you that you're not able to do that.

It reminds me of another series I loved: The Affair on Showtime. The big mistake a lot of viewers made was casting their lots for and against the various characters. They were all such mixed bags, though; there were no perfectly good guys and perfectly bad guys, but some viewers so badly wanted there to be, it took away from their enjoyment of the show and made them mad at the writers and showrunners. That's no way to consume fiction.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Of course she knew it was wrong, but quite honestly, put yourself in her position. Even once a person talks to you about doing it, you're already compromised and in danger. The only way out at that point is to immediately go to law enforcement, and then you're in even MORE danger. The path of least resistance is practically to go with the flow, and the seduction of free money adds to the draw. It helps an average person understand how people get wrapped up in extraordinary circumstances like this, especially when they didn't actively seek it out. The ease with which she was seduced...I feel like it could happen to a lot of people. Do we know (yet) that anyone ever turned the opportunity down?

You're insisting on moralizing this story, and I'm just consuming it as a story with its various aspects of the human condition and human frailty. Putting yourself in the position of the characters and their moral dilemmas adds a dimension to enjoying any story. I'm sorry for you that you're not able to do that.

It reminds me of another series I loved: The Affair on Showtime. The big mistake a lot of viewers made was casting their lots for and against the various characters. They were all such mixed bags, though; there were no perfectly good guys and perfectly bad guys, but some viewers so badly wanted there to be, it took away from their enjoyment of the show and made them mad at the writers and showrunners. That's no way to consume fiction.
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No, I don't accept that. You aren't in danger by saying no thanks. The narrative the producers want to create is that she had no choice, this is the fault of our unfair economic system, etc. Of course it's seductive to break the law and get "free money". There were a million choices she made leading up to that point.

It's not about moralizing for the sake of morality. The point is that when you make immoral choices, they have a way of turning out poorly. Other areas of your life go off the rails. It makes the next bad choice easier to make. Things pile up and get out of control. It comes back to haunt you.

We all have moral dilemmas. I'm not perfect by any stretch. I honestly don't know what I would do in her shoes. But that doesn't mean we should accept, or promote doing the wrong thing. Or excuse it or any of that. It's wrong, don't do it.

I thought the episode sucked because of the painstaking amount of detail they added in unnecessarily. They are padding the run time.
 

I keep falling asleep. It's like this was made by a guy who was mad the Lord of the Rings movies didn't contain 100% of the Tom Bombadil content. Yes, some detail would be left out, but it is being included at the cost of a narrative.
 

saintpaulguy said:
I keep falling asleep. It's like this was made by a guy who was mad the Lord of the Rings movies didn't contain 100% of the Tom Bombadil content. Yes, some detail would be left out, but it is being included at the cost of a narrative.
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Thank you. I personally don't care all that much about all the criminals and their stories. I care about the investigation and solving the mysteries. I don't mind sprinkling in a little of the stuff I don't care about, but a solid hour of excruciating detail was too much.
 

saintpaulguy said:
I keep falling asleep. It's like this was made by a guy who was mad the Lord of the Rings movies didn't contain 100% of the Tom Bombadil content. Yes, some detail would be left out, but it is being included at the cost of a narrative.
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Hahahahaha... Oh man, that's totally me. I still gripe about Tom Bombadil not being in the movies. But that's mostly becauase I wanted to see how they would cast his wife. Teenage Nokomis may have had a thing for Goldberry. They made up for it, though, by creating Evangeline Lilly's character in The Hobbit. Anyway...what were you guys talking about?
 

You people must hate Fargo (the movie) or anything that pays attention to the criminal side of a true crime story. I mean, isn't that at least half the story?
 

Just finally finished all 3 seasons of Sneaky Pete on Amazon and then find out that there won't be a season 4. Makes no sense. Very popular show that gets good ratings.
 


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