examples of great tv that is set in the future? preferably not dystopian. not star trek
not because I dont like trek, im just entirely up on it already. I Know them better than my family
Netflix's Avatar is officially rotten on RT now. And I didn't like the live action remake. The essence of the show was there, but the heart wasn't. Needs better directors for books 2 and 3 to lessen the exposition dump and focus on the pace, humour and heart.
It's not bad, just not even close to the high hopes that I had for it.
It’s visually stunning but the character don’t have the heart that the original animated characters had. I’m a bit disappointed like I was with the movie.
I agree. I have so many issues it will turn into an essay. I would have hoped, least they could have done was to get the Aang, Katara and Sokka chemistry right between their trials and errors. But nahh.
Over the last couple of months…
Yes, late to the party, but finally watched Severance S1… Completely lived up to the hype. Season finale was among the finest single episodes of TV I have ever watched, rivaling episodes like Breaking Bad’s Ozymandias.
Blue Eyed Samurai - Also excellent, and beautifully animated. I felt it ended somewhat abruptly but I’m looking forward to S2.
Pluto - not great. I only finished it because of stubbornness/needing to finish series that I start.
The Brothers Sun - nothing groundbreaking, but a good fun watch. I know they set up a follow-up season, but I don’t feel compelled to continue in with the characters.
Currently watching S1 of Foundation, largely due to the very positive reception to S2 on this sub. It is a slog lol. I know the first season wasn’t well received, but is it worth it to keep going? I’m already on episode 6 and nothing is keeping me invested.
Spoiler tag never works for me! So I'll be careful . I recommend an Australian series on Hulu Bloom 2019. I accidentally stumbled upon it and watched all 12 episodes straight through. I finished around 6am. It has some slow moving scenes but it's thought provoking.
A year after a devastating flood has killed five locals in an idyllic country town, a mysterious new plant appears. The plant's phenomenal ability to restore youth is so formidable that attempting to harness it means re-evaluating values. It's like a good book you can't put down. You have to see how it ends. I enjoyed Bryan Browns character as well as a few others I recognized from packed to the rafters and mcleods daughters.
I’m enjoying it but it does move too fast through plot and locations at times.
If you’re not invested in lore or remember the show a bit it’s fun. If you’re there to sink into the world or big fan of the characters on deeper level it might feel like a cheap rollercoaster going too fast
Mixed bag. Its very loyal to the original. They have to move some things around, but overall do a pretty good job hitting the main plot points. The sets and effects are very good. The Aang and Zuko actors are also both better than expected at the physical acting parts/martial arts stuff.
The biggest issue is the acting, which is partially to be blamed on the writing. There are a lot of lines pulled directly from the cartoon that just don't work in live action in a show where they're showing people being burned alive. The Sokka actor even tries to have the same cadence as Sokka from the cartoon and its a little weird. Child actors are always tricky, but even good actors like Daniel Dae Kim don't come off great.
My other criticism is the costumes, especially Aang's and some of the fire nation stuff. They're clearly trying to be visually loyal to the cartoon. The problem is that you've got cosplay like outfits in a realistic world with realistic effects and they look goofy.
I think the big problem with the show is that they're trying to combine some of the darker aspects of Avatar (like the holocaust of the air nomads) with some of the kid cartoon aspects (like Sokka's jokes). Its a weird mix of the realistic with the cartoon.
Still enjoyable to me.
Watching **Gen V** and enjoying it so far. I remember how last year before it came out, people thought it was going to suck. I’m glad that’s not the case (from what I’ve seen so far). It’s great when a spinoff can stand on its own.
Sharp Objects - I watched the first episode and I gotta say, it was quite a slow start. I really like the directing style and everything else about it but nothing has really hit me enough to really engage me with the story. Hoping it picks up
I rarely see it mentioned here, but I'd definitely recommend watching **The Traitors** if you have any sort of reality tv interest. there's a variety of versions (UK, Australia, US, Canada, etc) but I'd recommend Australia's S1, followed by US' S2 which is currently airing weekly.
it's a fun show of betrayal/backstabbing that is a mix of The Mole / Big Brother, and it's got some pretty interesting cast members and decisions along the way.
Based on all the hate for the later seasons I've read on here, I thought Killing Eve was good start to finish. That may be due to binging it recently rather than watching it as it was released. I'd imagine I'd feel differently if I'd had to wait a year between seasons.
Catching up on Wild Cards on CW. New ownership is doing wonders for them. I love this show. A straight-laced cop on professional probation gets paired up with a sexy, quirky con-woman to solve cases. It's really enjoyable. I really hope it's doing well enough to get a 2nd season.
Can i skip season 1? Too much media to consume these days and not enough time that I'd be willing to power through 10 hours of trash to get to the good part.
Like one guy suggested, at the very least, watch a recap if you aren't gonna watch all of season 1. I agree that there just isn't enough time for a lot of people to slog through a mediocre season just to enjoy the second.
Avatar. I only watched the first episode and will watch the rest later but boy, the first episode was rough. I understand they are going for a darker tone but my god, this show is completely devoid of humor, something that the animated show excelled. They completely changed Sakka's character. He is way way way too serious. The acting goes from mediocre to straight-up bad. The visual effects are good but the show is also way too dark. And I mean both the visuals and the tone of the show.
I finished Line of Duty and now I am sad. Anybody have any recommendations on anything like it? I loved the interview scenes so much.
Going to start Constellation and see how it is.
Also excited for Survivor next week!
**Scrubs** \- Yes, I did watch season 9. It wasn't as good as the previous seasons, >!I do miss some of the usual cast members like Carla. However, the med students, with Dr. Cox, and supporting cast like JD, Elliot, Turk, Todd, etc. making appearances !
Watched the new avatar episodes and new halo episodes. it is not even a contest halo is 10 times more interesting than whatever the avatar show is. halo is a heart pounding television show while avatar was some mediocre imitation of a cartoon. I have come to understand that those who shit on halo are lore nerd fanatics who care if it is a one on one adaptation and not about if it is a quality television. because season 2 of halo is some goddam good television.
Thursday has become my favorite day of the week with new episodes of **Delicious in Dungeon** and **Tokyo Vice** to look forward too.
Cannot recommend these shows highly enough.
One thing I loved about Avatar was how Ozai and Sozin the two main big bads were not properly shown or given any light till the final season.
But in the live-action Sozin appears in the second scene.....
Ozai and Azula instead of being clouded mysteries in S1 have so much screentime.
**Avatar: TLA Live Action** - Finished E1. Was really interested to see how they'd do this and I've got thoughts.
Pros: They're very loyal to the original story. They changed some things, as to be expected for the different medium, but overall its telling the same story in mostly the same way. The sfx are also good (for tv without a GoT budget) and the set design in E1 was really good. Music is ATLA music.
Cons: Always tough to have child actors. They're not awful, but they could be better. While accurate to the original, kinda wish they went with actors 1-2 years older (and maybe they'll be better for later seasons). Sokka probably the best of the group. Adult actors kinda struggling too, trying to find a balance between doing a live action version of a kids show and showing a genocide by fire nazis. They also went very loyal to the original with the costume design... which kinda makes it look like cosplayers. Weird dichotomy with they excellent, detailed set design and the really dark nature of the first episode. Wish they went with more realistic design.
Overall, if you liked the original, I think you'll like this.
>Always tough to have child actors
Isn't Aang's actor the only child? Probably around 13 while filming, and he isn't that young if we're talking acting skills, next is Katara at 16 and then everyone else is 18+, there's plenty of great young actors at that age range.
Finished **True Detective: Night Country** - It has it's problems but overall it's a mix of good quality and some bad quality, and generally ok overall. The negative reactions to it seem really over the top to me. One feeling I cannot shake though: this is a story that is a bait and switch, teasing us with a big mystery about scientists dying in a bizarre way but ending up being about the murder of a Native American environmental activist woman, which I suspect is a storyline that would have have completely kept all the S1 Rust Cohle bros away. Maybe that is also why there are (some of) those strong negative opinions over the story.
**Masters of the Air Ep 5** - The series lacks satisfying character development and the nature of their part in the war (missions, then back to base) stops the feeling of progression through the war the way the previous series' had. The return to base also breaks the build up of tension. With Eps 4 & 5 though we are seeing some change in the tone as the losses pile up and ther optimism is being replaced with despair, so I'll be interested to see how the series changes. Overall I am still enjoying it despite the shortcomings, but that may be in large part due to my personal bias towards liking the subject matter (the bombing campaign over Europe).
Finished **Babylon Berlin S4** - Like previous seasons it has some storytelling issues, but overall I really love this show. Noir-ish mystery, super stylish including a bit avant-garde, interesting time period, sexy and at times brutal, and so well made I get totally engrossed in the characters and story. It does suffer the same fate as many ongoing shows with too many characters and storylines though.
On in the background so only semi-watched **X-Files S1** - I have seen these about a half dozen times, so they are as familiar as an old glove. S1 has a number of weaker stories, but it's still fun watching the characters get familiar with each other and build up chemistry, and tio watch the alien conspiracy start to unfold.
Next series to semi-binge: **Severance S1**
**Constellation** - First 3 episodes down. I'll stick with it for now, but I've got notes.
So far it's your typical streaming series that takes what was an interesting premise and just over-writes it. Too much exposition and hackneyed dialogue.
The show also employs flash forward structure that is often used as a crutch to manufacture tension. I'm not seeing any reason so far this story couldn't have been told chronologically.
**Band of Brothers** - Finished this, first re-watch in about 20 years. Great show, really holds up.
Also watching **Tokyo Vice** but have nothing much to say about it other than Elgort's character is dumb and boring. Everyone else is good.
I just rewatched BOB and The pacific and it’s sent me back down a WW2 rabbit hole. I finished Hitlers circle of evil which was pretty fascinating and taught me a lot about the ancillary nazi characters I never knew about. I’m currently watching Ken Burns - The War.
Any other WW2 docs/shows/podcasts to check out?
> The show also employs flash forward structure that is often used as a crutch to manufacture tension. I'm not seeing any reason so far this story couldn't have been told chronologically.
Thanks for the warning, unnecessary flashbacks/forwards are one of my biggest pet peeves in tv shows at the moment! So many mediocre shows are guilty of doing this now
ChatGPT: Warrior on Cinemax is a high-octane martial arts drama set in the brutal world of San Francisco's Chinatown during the late 1800s, following a martial arts prodigy as he navigates the treacherous underworld while seeking justice and his own identity.
Watching **Will Trent** and am really enjoying it, they started the second season exactly where the first season left off. It’s a great weekly show, gives me Monk but with a different mood.
I finished **Berlin Station** last night, and I have such a big void to fill. I feel like I watched everything similar to this show. If you haven't watched Berlin Station and if you love action, thriller, and cliff hangers with an amazing story line then make sure you watch it!
I need some suggestions to fill the void.
Love my boomer shows, even though I'm Gen X. Nice to have **NCIS, NCIS:Hawaii**, and **FBI** back! Ep 2 of NCIS was moving with the tribute to David McCallum. Really annoyed that there doesn't seem to be any way of catching up on **FBI: International** without buying it. Why is it not on Paramount+ like FBI??
Watched the first episode of **Mythic Quest** and wow I think I'm going to like this! Exciting to find a new show.
Finally settling into really enjoying **Psych**. It took me almost 2 full seasons to really like it, but I'm there now. Really nice comfort show before bed.
Jon Stewart has not lost a single step on **The Daily Show**! I had convinced myself that Trevor Noah was fine, but man, Stewart is really operating at a whole different level. He's SO GOOD at that job.
Looking forward to starting the new seasons of **American Idol** and **Life & Beth** when my wife gets some time to watch together.
Many in the sub seems to hate Life and Beth. I only started season 1 because now we get season 2. Blow through 7 episodes and it is quite good. Reminds me a little bit of CK (Louis CK show).
Funny. I did the same thing with Bear season 2 EP 6 and 7. Heard they were so amazing so I, for whatever reason , watched anything else before them. 6 was great. 7, Forks, was also one of the greatest EP of any TV show I've seen in a long time. When I think of one off great EPS I've seen the last few years, Forks, the MQ episode and (this one is a bit devisive) the sort of one off ep in the Last of US comes to mind for me..
Watching Future Man, 1 more episode left in season 2. Season 1 was good, season 2 so, so.
Watched latest Curb, I've never seen an episode that I didn't like, will miss it.
On deck
Ghosts (U. S.) Latest episode
True Detective finale
Want to check out this Constellation on Apple.
The New Look - 3 or 4 episodes? (apple tv)
What I liked:
1. Felt like it gave a really good feeling about living under a brutal occupation (in this case Nazis in Paris) and a rainbow of ethical choices people make to either survive, to risk one's life by resisting, or to fall somewhere inbetween.
2. There is a great scene were fashion designer Coco Chanel is basically threatened if she does NOT go to meet a group of top Nazis at a restaurant, and at first she is anxious and dubious, but when one of them mentions a competitor designer she gleefully takes them down and you can see the 'switch' has turned and she will be complicit.
3. Sometimes I don't care for Juliette Binoche but she is great playing a 'character' role. I don't know how french people will feel but I think Ben Mendelson is very believably 'french' in his body language and such. Dior's character is less well drawn than Coco Channel. For the first time in years I am not irritated by John Malcovich's performance, its nicely low key so far. Its really nice to see Maisie Williams in an adult role and entirely different character than in GOT.
4. Great art direction and camerawork
What did not bother me but seems to be a big problem for others.
- I know in the past I have read about Coco Channel being a Nazi 'asset' but forgot the details - but after watching the first episodes I went back to see reactions about the show and some people are FURIOUS that she is not painted as a complete villain. All I can say is that IMO she is shown to be a terrible person turning on anyone to save herself.
My issue with the show:
- Its called "the New Look' but at least up to this point there is not very much about the actual process of dress designing. It is much more about moral compromises. I feel like the title is misleading..
Funny, I came here to comment about this show! I totally agree, I thought fashion could have been woven into the first few episodes more, other than Chanel sort of commenting offhandedly about fashion things.
I have loved the acting and think Binoche should get an Emmy nod. Ben Mendelsohn and John Malkovich are two of my favorite actors (but ha, yes. Malkovich can be over the top for sure) & I’m loving them in this, no idea how their accents hold up!
I think the editing is a little weird, the end of episode 4 felt like a finale & the repeated flashback felt overdone — could have used audio and a shot of his face, or anything other than replaying the same scene like four times.
I’m enjoying it but probably not my top show of the year; another success from Apple TV so far, though.
> think Binoche should get an Emmy nod.
I checked out metacritic, one critic gave the show 1 star because they are so furious that (in their opinion) Chanel's character is whitewashed. There seem to be some very, very strong opinions out there about this.
This may make the show too controversial for the awards stuff but we shall see.
Watched the first 3 episodes of **Constellation**. The production is obviously good and it can be very eerie at times. But it seems like a pretty straightforward 'quantum' mystery box. 3 episodes in and you'll already have a pretty good grasp on the mystery and it just doesn't seem all that compelling. Maybe there's some big shocking twist but it seems pretty straightforward in structure - in a way that makes me think there really can't *be* that much there. There's an accident on the ISS cause by an experiment that >!causes two separate parallel world lines to partially merge!< and the MC is >!seeing both a little as they flip back and forth!<. By 2 or 3 episodes you even have a pretty good idea the general structure of both.
Idk, would have to see a lot of really good things from people about it to continue but the one review I read basically confirms my fears. One of its biggest complaints is that the viewer can basically guess from the jump what's happening and the show bogs down as the viewer waits for the characters to figure out what we already know.
Oh and there's a couple iPad name drops that are so obvious it's almost funny
Quantum Mystery Box is my new goto phrase for these types of shows now.
There were great MB shows like _The Prisoner_ and _LOST_ but these types of shows including _1899_ and a lot of Apple TV shows where they need to have a mystery cliffhanger on every episode and then its explained in the first 2 minutes of the next episode and then back to another mystery. Nothing gets explained because there is nothing to explain. I usually say _everything is a B-plot_
Mystery boxes are just a crutch for poor writing. I suppose the issue is pure scifi rarely does well, so there is always the need to tack on something else to either draw viewers in or string them along.
The main problem for me is its using parallel worlds *and* a small time jump. To be fair to the show its not stingy about letting you know from episode 1 that there's a parallel worlds thing going on. And there's one particular scene that still managed to be creepy as fuck despite nobody being in danger, the director did a good job with it.
After 3 episodes I just don't feel super compelled about the events that led up to the time jump. I'd be surprised if there's enough "there" there for it to be worth it.
Really enjoy House of the Dragon and the first half of GOT as a comfort show during struggles with depression or anxiety. Can anyone offer me some good alternatives?
If you're open to trying a KDrama, **Arthdal Chronicles** has a real Game of Thrones feel to it. It has great worldbuilding and intrigue, although it's definitely not as R-rated as GOT. Korean shows don't often have a ton of sex/nudity.
Community, The Good Place, Veep, Avatar The Last Airbender, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Mr. Robot, The Sopranos, Bojack Horseman, Living With Yourself, Party Down, Rome, Santa Clarita Diet, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
None of them are anything like GoT or HotD, except for Rome, but I believe a fair few of them are much better in a comfort show way and get the depression-cocoon-binge-watching seal of approval. Bojack, Rome, and Sopranos can get a bit heavy but are goated.
Edit- oh and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ofc because there's heaps of episodes, hard to fall asleep to that one though because of the constant screaming at each other lol
Yeah it’s good! I def dropped off around season 2.
Just forced myself to rewatch everything from the start and I’m glad I did. Season 2 was much better especially knowing season 3 is basically here.
Finished the first 3. I don't think I'm going to continue or at best it'll be a 'browse my phone' show.
My short thoughts are: quantum parallel worlds have been everywhere in the mainstream for a while now. You could have used that as the central mystery to a show 10-15 years ago. Now if you use it, you have to have a really interesting angle, or use it as a backdrop for really interesting character drama. So far this show doesn't have either & it's hard to see how it will get to either of those.
I did really enjoy the scene where Jonathan Banks >!flipped the conspiracy theory skeptic guy off the back of the cruise ship!<. But that's more because conspiracy nuts drive me bonkers sometimes.
**A Bloody Lucky Day**
Holy shit… holy shit… I just binged 6 episodes and there are 4 more to go.
What a well written thriller about a serial killer. Lots of suspenseful moments, chasing, a couple of excellent twists, and of course killings.
I don’t enjoy the flashback moments cause they’re boring. Otherwise, fan-fucking-tastic!
Just got around to finishing Blue Eye Samurai
Very satisfying watch. This one seemed like it was on the reddit hype train like a couple other animated shows, but ended up being great
The cinematography particularly stood out. Some incredibly inventive shots
**Hazbin hotel** is highly recommended.
It's an edgy show with bright and colorful characters, initially was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but it slowly grew on me, and by the end I was rooting for the next season.
***Eternal Law*** (Tubi/Freevee/Vudu). Little six-episode 2012 ITV series by Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham (*Life on Mars, Bonekickers*) about two angels (played by Samuel West and Ukweli Roach) who are sent to earth (York) by "Mr. Mountjoy" to help people out...as lawyers. Orla Brady plays an angel-turned-human who guides them. Their fallen angel/demonic adversary in court is played by Tobias Menzies. I'm about halfway through and enjoying it thoroughly. I think I have another show to mentally shelve with *G vs E* and *Nobody's Looking*. :D
**Mr. and Mrs. Smith Season 1 (Amazon Prime)**
A show that I really thought didn't work this year was **Murder at the End of the World** on FX. An interesting premise but so completely ineptly directed and written that a lot of online discourse focused on whether the show was depicting a simulation or not.
I feel like this show is the opposite, it looks gorgeous, individual scenes make sense on a narrative and conceptual level and characters actions are mostly understandable. However, the premise is so silly (marriage but both are secret agents!) that it would have taken a real threading of the needle for the concept to work, especially over a full season of television.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith, instead, mostly disposes of the spy story by treating it as an goofy and disposable plot device and focuses on the relationship between the two leads while throwing in some social observations about life and dating. The result is that neither aspect of the show really works, the action scenes lack stakes or tension and the relationship is so artificial that it isn't particularly compelling. I don't think this is the worst thing ever made but after an exciting pilot we eventually stopped watching around episode 4 or 5.
This show seems to be a hit and is one of Amazon's valued IPs so we'll probably see more of it but it's such a thin concept that it's very hard to pull off successfully, in my opinion anyways. If they would have taken the action/espionage more seriously I think there was an interesting show here, but this iteration is not for me.
it's not a spy show with relationship stuff, it's a show about a relationship with spy stuff. reddit is so action-brained that it can't imagine a show NOT being about stuff being blown up constantly. infuriating.
I found it interesting enough to watch the whole season, but I think all your criticisms are pretty accurate.
I think that if there is an actual backstory for the espionage missions and the identity of Hihi that pays off in the end, it will be worth watching. I worry, however, that the missions are just meaningless mystery boxes.
True Detective S4.
Whoah just whoah. A lot of shows come and go and very few leave their mark; especially in the mystery genre. But man this season will truly be remembered for how laughably bad it was. What absolute crap.
You had me at the first part.
Issa Lopez blocked me on IG after I criticized how bad the show was on her post. She just got the green light to be the showrunner for season 5 apparently.
How the fuck.
I finally got around to watching the last episode. I didn't want to believe other comments that it ended so badly but it did. Very little made sense and loopholes were left unexplained. What made the other seasons so great was that it balanced the spiritualism with the skepticism. This season definitely leaned more on the spiritualism, so much so that it seemed more like a fantasy horror series. I felt the location and set-up of the story had potential but it was wasted.
After seeing early fan feedback on this one I'm glad I sat it out, especially after being burned by Murder at the End of the World. The critic/fan divergence on this one will be interesting, especially given the ratings went up as the series went along.
I do definitely get why its divisive, but the gulf between how Reddit/Twitter reacted to it and how many people were excited to talk about it at the figurative watercooler was interesting to see emerge and only widen as the show went on. Imho, it does some stuff really well, and it does some stuff really weirdly - so how much you groove with it mostly comes down to what you're looking for, and if you like the former enough not to be driven off by the latter.
I really loved the first bit of Fortitude but felt it collapsed on itself completely in the second half of S1 - this did what I wanted Fortitude to do. I get why people who wanted a comparatively straight up detective procedural would bounce off it, but having a real soft spot for arctic weirdness horror, the ropey elements just weren't enough to be gamebreakers for me.
The pacing is definitely odd, for example, some of the early dialogue in particular has a strange ESL quality, and the soundtrack takes some really weird byroads, but I loved its big swings, the look and feel of it, the whole "liminal Arctic" thing and some of the performances were fantastic.
There are legit criticisms to be made about it, the online raging at it is more than a little disconnected from reality, and I've been really bewildered by the vitriol. There's definitely an element of fanboy rage driving it to some extent, because some of the stuff they were hanging up on was bizarre.
Anyway, I think 2 eps is enough to make up your own mind either way, and I do think it's likely to be best watched as a binge so its easier to follow some of the strands that seem incidental initially.
What is interesting that despite its divisiveness, a lot of people watched it.
I had major criticisms, but I still tuned every week to watch it, probably for the same reasons you did, as I like artic horror as well, so I was entertained at times.
Maybe because I was a film major and worked a bit in the entertainment industry, I did think parts of it were really not good. I had some of the issues with the dialogue, as you also mentioned, but also the use of sound, editing, framing of certain scenes, use of weather to mirror the internal changes within a character, etc, because many of these narrative film techniques were used in a way that was really heavy-handed, like the stuff you'd see in melodramas.
If it were shown on the SyFy channel though, rather on HBO, it probably wouldn't have bothered me as much as I've liked even more flawed shows that this -- but I guess it was the high expectations of it being on HBO that made me more critical of its flaws.
Having said that, I wonder what is going to be the future for True Detective. I hope the series continues.
Also I hope Issa López doesn't drown out some of the legit criticisms and listens and continues to improve as a director. I really like how the creator of the Foundation really listened to viewer feedback which resulted in a vastly improved season two, and I hope López can do the same with her future endeavors.
Watching Mad Men for the first time; just watched the first episode & I think it’s immediately hooked me. The music and direction in particular are fantastic.
Also, am at the end of season 4 of Peep Show (first time watching).
Truly one of the greatest shows ever made. To me, second only to The Sopranos in terms of brilliant characterization and development. Everything is so well written and the characters are all nuanced and evolve over time. Also like The Sopranos, it’s hilarious and has some of the best one liners.
Hmmm
Loved the vibes of True Detective S4, the acting is great, the filmmaking is great but I still feel pretty disappointed.
The character arcs felt more like a straight line rather than an arc. Most dramatic character tension was depicted through cliche trauma flashbacks. Relied too much on cheap horror tropes and scares and all the horror elements were basically tacked to add to the mystery but not much else.
As a whole, most of the episodes just blur together without many defining story beats or character moments (until the last 2 episodes). Like there's a lot of great stuff in it but it feels very messy and incohesive.
It's about the same throughout. Its' all about Alan Tudyk playing the titular Resident Alien Harry Vanderspiegel. The rest of the characters and actors are ok at best, well except for Nathan Fillion as 42 the talking Octopus who is also amazing, but it's really Tudyk's show. When he's on it's great when he's not you're waiting for him to return.
They try a couple side stories that take away focus from Harry which rarely add much but dont worry the show always returns the focus to him.
True Detective S4 - Yo this show sucked.
Mr & Mrs Smith - loved the dry humor, hate the cliffhanger finale.
Blue eyed Samurai - So good. But also did not love the second season set up ending.
The finale of True Detective season 4 somehow fucked the show up even more. So many plot holes that we are supposed to take at face value to make it all fit together.
We have now finished Season 1 of The Bear and it is probably in the top 3 best shows I’ve seen in the last 5 years or so.
Didn’t think I would tear up in the season finale but I was wrong
Season two is better! A lot less of the constant screaming (which is incredibly annoying) and people actually start being nice to each other and not just being assholes
Oof going from **The Traitors** UK series 1 (which was absolutely delightful) to the US version is straight up painful. Going to check out the Aussie version until series 2 is on Peacock. Otherwise I’m in a bit of a tv rut.
I'd rate Aussie S1 as top tier. Aussie S2 is a shitshow that will have you shouting at the TV in frustration. I loved it but everything I've read on here makes me think I'm in the minority...
Why would LWT be only for US viewers? I'm not American and I've been watching for years. And the season 11 premiere was indeed one of the best they ever did
I'm on the fence about watching this, purely because it's not free on anything I subscribe to. I enjoyed Episode 1 but interesting to hear that it doesn't resolve that well.
I found it confounding. Poor pacing, convoluted storylines, unclear character motivations, and about half the actors appeared to be reading their lines without actually knowing what any of it meant
7 eps in to **Fargo** season 5.
How long until we can start discussing it as one of the best TV shows ever? Seasons 3 and 4 weren’t amazing (tho still decent) but 1, 2, and 5 are absolutely brilliant.
The way the S5 ended really elevated what was already a great season for me. No spoilers and I hope you enjoy the season as much as I did.
I'd agree with you as well, and I'd put it up there with season 1 and 2.
Yeah, wasn't it? Totally unexpected way to end the show, especially with the way they were building things up to that big showdown then it veered into another direction.
I absolutely loved that ending and got emotional.
As far as the best season endings, the way this finale ended is probably my favorite from any season of Fargo. It really made me think about things afterward, and I immediately hit rewind and watched that >!kitchen scene!< again.
>!I totally agree. I really appreciated that the finale took a creative risk and went in the opposite direction of what the viewers expected. We've seen a million seasons of TV ending with a big standoff and battle. And it happens that it hugely paid off. !<
>!How interesting would a prolonged standoff between Roy and the law really have been? He and his followers were outgunned. We knew how it was going to end. Gator's storyline I felt was closed the episode before. He paid for his sins with his sight and was forever severed from Roy. All that was needed was the one really great scene with him and Dot in the final episode to close the loop.!<
>!On its face a 17-minute ending scene centered around biscuits in and of itself is absurd. But it managed to combine that absurdity with humor and some of the whimsical magical realism Fargo is known for to deliver a positive and touching message on forgiveness. It was a really remarkable feat of television and I felt that way immediately after finishing. I've only ever felt a handful of times when watching a tv show. !<
I'd say it's rating suffers somewhat the same as Mr & Mrs Smith. More dialogue heavy and slow to unfold (vs the action/pacing that many people want/expect). But I am loving it as well. Glad they seem to be acknowledging now that it's a mini-series. Reminds me of Big Little Lies (that may have also benefitted from being a mini-series!). E5 about the helpers and the life they lead was amazing to watch. I lived in HK for a 6 month work assignment a number of years ago and it's all taking me back there. Some helpers are very poorly treated.
> vs the action/pacing that many people want/expect
what's with people lately completely missing the point of shows, then getting angry at the shows that they are not what they think they are. it's like expecting breaking bad to be a comedy, and then getting angry and writing bad reviews because it doesn't make you laugh. did cinemasins rot everyones brain around here ?
Halo s2e3 this week was again shockingly great. The new show runner is knocking it out of the park in a way I never imagined possible. If you're into sci fi, give season 2 a shot.
I heard it was super bad, but you know what? It wasn't. It was pretty good. Not sure why the internet hated it. Good story. Complex (enough) characters. Decent acting. Nice action sequences.
Because it released around the time Mando was big and all the supposed halo fans were getting mad that John halo was taking his helmet off, as if Spartans, who are humans, just live inside their mjolnir.
Absolutely. I am often a little more lost because I don't know Halo lore than I would have been if I had skipped season 1.
S2 starts off months after the events of S1 and there are only a few things that are truly relevant from S1, and most of them boil down to (for instance) knowing why a character is imprisoned. I'm sure I'm missing a few things, but if you know the following and are ok "going with the flow" S1 is entirely skippable:
>!Master Chief is part of an experimental super soldier program that was very unethical, ran by Dr. Halsey!<
>!This caught up with Halsey and now she is being imprisoned by her successor!<
>!Makee is a human that was raised by the enemy aliens!<
>!Makee and Master Chief both have some odd connection with some type of precursor technology or something, and with each other!<
>!Soren is a former super soldier candidate who is now a mob boss on a space station!<
>!There's a lady named Kwon that is in the mix due to a terrible plot line that everyone hates in S1. In S2 you can view her as a resistance fighter leader!<
fwiw I rewatched the S1 finale after watching the first 2 S2 episodes and would not really recommend.
S2 is the same characters and they didn't erase what happened in S1, but apart from that it might as well be an entirely new show.
We just finished re-watching (for maybe the 3rd time) 30 rock. I didn't realize how many politic jokes continue to land and be relevant to this day (my first couple of watches I wasn't as politically aware, so the jokes landed as if they were the first time I heard them).
I'm watching: 'Criminal Record''Masters of the Air'and catching up on 'For All Mankind' - All good series and worth watching.
Over the last couple of days I binged Blue Eye Samurai and The Brothers Sun. Both fun and recommended.
examples of great tv that is set in the future? preferably not dystopian. not star trek not because I dont like trek, im just entirely up on it already. I Know them better than my family
Foundation is excellent despite of what some reviews say (cant be 1 to 1 from the book that was written in 1960)
silo! edit: nvm sorry saw non dystopian
[удалено]
> Elementary best sherlock holmes show
First episode of Constellation was fucking awesome and exactly the kind of show I love. Reminded me of some of my favorite games, Prey and Returnal
Netflix's Avatar is officially rotten on RT now. And I didn't like the live action remake. The essence of the show was there, but the heart wasn't. Needs better directors for books 2 and 3 to lessen the exposition dump and focus on the pace, humour and heart. It's not bad, just not even close to the high hopes that I had for it.
It’s visually stunning but the character don’t have the heart that the original animated characters had. I’m a bit disappointed like I was with the movie.
I agree. I have so many issues it will turn into an essay. I would have hoped, least they could have done was to get the Aang, Katara and Sokka chemistry right between their trials and errors. But nahh.
Damn season 2 of Tokyo Vice is getting very interesting. Is HBO really going to cancel the show?? Wtf?!
Over the last couple of months… Yes, late to the party, but finally watched Severance S1… Completely lived up to the hype. Season finale was among the finest single episodes of TV I have ever watched, rivaling episodes like Breaking Bad’s Ozymandias. Blue Eyed Samurai - Also excellent, and beautifully animated. I felt it ended somewhat abruptly but I’m looking forward to S2. Pluto - not great. I only finished it because of stubbornness/needing to finish series that I start. The Brothers Sun - nothing groundbreaking, but a good fun watch. I know they set up a follow-up season, but I don’t feel compelled to continue in with the characters. Currently watching S1 of Foundation, largely due to the very positive reception to S2 on this sub. It is a slog lol. I know the first season wasn’t well received, but is it worth it to keep going? I’m already on episode 6 and nothing is keeping me invested.
> I’m already on episode 6 and nothing is keeping me invested. If you aren't invested in the Empire plot in S1, I would say the show isn't for you.
Spoiler tag never works for me! So I'll be careful . I recommend an Australian series on Hulu Bloom 2019. I accidentally stumbled upon it and watched all 12 episodes straight through. I finished around 6am. It has some slow moving scenes but it's thought provoking. A year after a devastating flood has killed five locals in an idyllic country town, a mysterious new plant appears. The plant's phenomenal ability to restore youth is so formidable that attempting to harness it means re-evaluating values. It's like a good book you can't put down. You have to see how it ends. I enjoyed Bryan Browns character as well as a few others I recognized from packed to the rafters and mcleods daughters.
So looks like the new avatar doesn’t suck?
I’m enjoying it but it does move too fast through plot and locations at times. If you’re not invested in lore or remember the show a bit it’s fun. If you’re there to sink into the world or big fan of the characters on deeper level it might feel like a cheap rollercoaster going too fast
Some say it does some say it doesn’t.
Mixed bag. Its very loyal to the original. They have to move some things around, but overall do a pretty good job hitting the main plot points. The sets and effects are very good. The Aang and Zuko actors are also both better than expected at the physical acting parts/martial arts stuff. The biggest issue is the acting, which is partially to be blamed on the writing. There are a lot of lines pulled directly from the cartoon that just don't work in live action in a show where they're showing people being burned alive. The Sokka actor even tries to have the same cadence as Sokka from the cartoon and its a little weird. Child actors are always tricky, but even good actors like Daniel Dae Kim don't come off great. My other criticism is the costumes, especially Aang's and some of the fire nation stuff. They're clearly trying to be visually loyal to the cartoon. The problem is that you've got cosplay like outfits in a realistic world with realistic effects and they look goofy. I think the big problem with the show is that they're trying to combine some of the darker aspects of Avatar (like the holocaust of the air nomads) with some of the kid cartoon aspects (like Sokka's jokes). Its a weird mix of the realistic with the cartoon. Still enjoyable to me.
It does, characters are just delivering lines, only visuals are great
Watching **Gen V** and enjoying it so far. I remember how last year before it came out, people thought it was going to suck. I’m glad that’s not the case (from what I’ve seen so far). It’s great when a spinoff can stand on its own.
Sharp Objects - I watched the first episode and I gotta say, it was quite a slow start. I really like the directing style and everything else about it but nothing has really hit me enough to really engage me with the story. Hoping it picks up
Watch it to the end. I promise you it will be worth it. One of the best shows ever in terms of reward for sticking through it.
I rarely see it mentioned here, but I'd definitely recommend watching **The Traitors** if you have any sort of reality tv interest. there's a variety of versions (UK, Australia, US, Canada, etc) but I'd recommend Australia's S1, followed by US' S2 which is currently airing weekly. it's a fun show of betrayal/backstabbing that is a mix of The Mole / Big Brother, and it's got some pretty interesting cast members and decisions along the way.
I started watching The Good Place because of that thread here about the best tv show finales and I’m loving it so far. Just finished the first season.
I couldn't find a fault in that show, it's forking great.
Just finished True Detective season 4 and The Killing season 1. I'll probably continue with The Killing as long as it stays good
the killing is great. enjoy.
Based on all the hate for the later seasons I've read on here, I thought Killing Eve was good start to finish. That may be due to binging it recently rather than watching it as it was released. I'd imagine I'd feel differently if I'd had to wait a year between seasons.
The Killing and Killing Eve are two different shows.
Catching up on Wild Cards on CW. New ownership is doing wonders for them. I love this show. A straight-laced cop on professional probation gets paired up with a sexy, quirky con-woman to solve cases. It's really enjoyable. I really hope it's doing well enough to get a 2nd season.
Season 2 of Halo has been a breath of fresh air from the first one. Episode 4 that aired today was the best episode yet.
Can i skip season 1? Too much media to consume these days and not enough time that I'd be willing to power through 10 hours of trash to get to the good part.
I did skip season 1 and i'm enjoying a lot season 2 it's easy to understand
Like one guy suggested, at the very least, watch a recap if you aren't gonna watch all of season 1. I agree that there just isn't enough time for a lot of people to slog through a mediocre season just to enjoy the second.
If you're already familiar with Halo, maybe. You could also just watch a recap.
No lol. It would not make any sense at all .
Great speech too almost wished i was about to shoot some covenant
Felt just like the games. Action all the time!!
Avatar. I only watched the first episode and will watch the rest later but boy, the first episode was rough. I understand they are going for a darker tone but my god, this show is completely devoid of humor, something that the animated show excelled. They completely changed Sakka's character. He is way way way too serious. The acting goes from mediocre to straight-up bad. The visual effects are good but the show is also way too dark. And I mean both the visuals and the tone of the show.
The Sokka humor is there in episode 2, he just needed to warm up a little
I finished Line of Duty and now I am sad. Anybody have any recommendations on anything like it? I loved the interview scenes so much. Going to start Constellation and see how it is. Also excited for Survivor next week!
Slow Horses is good
Criminal Record on Apple TV+. Very solid show and reminded me a lot of Line of Duty.
I think there was a Criminal series on netflix for countries, so Criminal UK, Criminal Germany, etc. Those were pure interview based.
Homicide: Life on the Street (1993)
Weekly watching Tony Vice S2 which os great also thinking about starting The tourist... Any idea is it worth it?
“Hi”, “I bet you are” Abbott Elementary was ~~on fucking point~~ bussin with the latest episode.
Abbott seems to finally be breaking away from The Office this season a bit and I am loving it.
I just finished watching Avatar and by far the best episode was the last one. It was a solid 10/10. Overall the rest of the series was a 7/10 for me.
**Scrubs** \- Yes, I did watch season 9. It wasn't as good as the previous seasons, >!I do miss some of the usual cast members like Carla. However, the med students, with Dr. Cox, and supporting cast like JD, Elliot, Turk, Todd, etc. making appearances !
I'm really enjoying S2 of Halo on Paramount.
I've heard season 1 is really bad. Would i be able to skip it and just watch season 2 without missing much?
I'd just have S1 in the background while doing something else. Or read all the episode summaries on Wikipedia
I wouldn't recommend it as it lays a bunch of groundwork for a number of characters, but if you do skip it, at least watch a long-ish recap
Watched the new avatar episodes and new halo episodes. it is not even a contest halo is 10 times more interesting than whatever the avatar show is. halo is a heart pounding television show while avatar was some mediocre imitation of a cartoon. I have come to understand that those who shit on halo are lore nerd fanatics who care if it is a one on one adaptation and not about if it is a quality television. because season 2 of halo is some goddam good television.
Thursday has become my favorite day of the week with new episodes of **Delicious in Dungeon** and **Tokyo Vice** to look forward too. Cannot recommend these shows highly enough.
And The Traitors!!
Correct me if I’m wrong, traitor’s is just among us ryt? That’s what I understood watching trailer at least
One thing I loved about Avatar was how Ozai and Sozin the two main big bads were not properly shown or given any light till the final season. But in the live-action Sozin appears in the second scene..... Ozai and Azula instead of being clouded mysteries in S1 have so much screentime.
On S2 of Manifest, first watch ever. Like it even though some plot points seem obvious.
**Avatar: TLA Live Action** - Finished E1. Was really interested to see how they'd do this and I've got thoughts. Pros: They're very loyal to the original story. They changed some things, as to be expected for the different medium, but overall its telling the same story in mostly the same way. The sfx are also good (for tv without a GoT budget) and the set design in E1 was really good. Music is ATLA music. Cons: Always tough to have child actors. They're not awful, but they could be better. While accurate to the original, kinda wish they went with actors 1-2 years older (and maybe they'll be better for later seasons). Sokka probably the best of the group. Adult actors kinda struggling too, trying to find a balance between doing a live action version of a kids show and showing a genocide by fire nazis. They also went very loyal to the original with the costume design... which kinda makes it look like cosplayers. Weird dichotomy with they excellent, detailed set design and the really dark nature of the first episode. Wish they went with more realistic design. Overall, if you liked the original, I think you'll like this.
>Always tough to have child actors Isn't Aang's actor the only child? Probably around 13 while filming, and he isn't that young if we're talking acting skills, next is Katara at 16 and then everyone else is 18+, there's plenty of great young actors at that age range.
Finished **True Detective: Night Country** - It has it's problems but overall it's a mix of good quality and some bad quality, and generally ok overall. The negative reactions to it seem really over the top to me. One feeling I cannot shake though: this is a story that is a bait and switch, teasing us with a big mystery about scientists dying in a bizarre way but ending up being about the murder of a Native American environmental activist woman, which I suspect is a storyline that would have have completely kept all the S1 Rust Cohle bros away. Maybe that is also why there are (some of) those strong negative opinions over the story. **Masters of the Air Ep 5** - The series lacks satisfying character development and the nature of their part in the war (missions, then back to base) stops the feeling of progression through the war the way the previous series' had. The return to base also breaks the build up of tension. With Eps 4 & 5 though we are seeing some change in the tone as the losses pile up and ther optimism is being replaced with despair, so I'll be interested to see how the series changes. Overall I am still enjoying it despite the shortcomings, but that may be in large part due to my personal bias towards liking the subject matter (the bombing campaign over Europe). Finished **Babylon Berlin S4** - Like previous seasons it has some storytelling issues, but overall I really love this show. Noir-ish mystery, super stylish including a bit avant-garde, interesting time period, sexy and at times brutal, and so well made I get totally engrossed in the characters and story. It does suffer the same fate as many ongoing shows with too many characters and storylines though. On in the background so only semi-watched **X-Files S1** - I have seen these about a half dozen times, so they are as familiar as an old glove. S1 has a number of weaker stories, but it's still fun watching the characters get familiar with each other and build up chemistry, and tio watch the alien conspiracy start to unfold. Next series to semi-binge: **Severance S1**
i think people are just upset that critics are saying Night Country is on the same level as season 1 when it's very clearly not.
just binged fellow travelers, elite season 7 (🗑️), and finishing up the bear. any recs?
Elite season 7 was so bad!
**Constellation** - First 3 episodes down. I'll stick with it for now, but I've got notes. So far it's your typical streaming series that takes what was an interesting premise and just over-writes it. Too much exposition and hackneyed dialogue. The show also employs flash forward structure that is often used as a crutch to manufacture tension. I'm not seeing any reason so far this story couldn't have been told chronologically. **Band of Brothers** - Finished this, first re-watch in about 20 years. Great show, really holds up. Also watching **Tokyo Vice** but have nothing much to say about it other than Elgort's character is dumb and boring. Everyone else is good.
I just rewatched BOB and The pacific and it’s sent me back down a WW2 rabbit hole. I finished Hitlers circle of evil which was pretty fascinating and taught me a lot about the ancillary nazi characters I never knew about. I’m currently watching Ken Burns - The War. Any other WW2 docs/shows/podcasts to check out?
Those scenes from constellation looks like a different reality and not flash forward. It is very confusing.
Largely agree with you on Constellation but I am finding it genuinely scary and thrilling in parts. Enjoyed the first three a lot.
> The show also employs flash forward structure that is often used as a crutch to manufacture tension. I'm not seeing any reason so far this story couldn't have been told chronologically. Thanks for the warning, unnecessary flashbacks/forwards are one of my biggest pet peeves in tv shows at the moment! So many mediocre shows are guilty of doing this now
Warrior on NETFLIX is a MUST WATCH. BELIEVE ME MY FRIENDS!!!!
One sentence pitch?
ChatGPT: Warrior on Cinemax is a high-octane martial arts drama set in the brutal world of San Francisco's Chinatown during the late 1800s, following a martial arts prodigy as he navigates the treacherous underworld while seeking justice and his own identity.
toptier action scenes with solid mafia drama in oldschool sanfrancisco
Bruce Lee ‘s Daughter made it nuff said .
Buddy, we've been watching since it was on Cinemax!
I hope being on Netflix hypes it up like this so we can get more seasons.
Watching **Will Trent** and am really enjoying it, they started the second season exactly where the first season left off. It’s a great weekly show, gives me Monk but with a different mood.
I finished **Berlin Station** last night, and I have such a big void to fill. I feel like I watched everything similar to this show. If you haven't watched Berlin Station and if you love action, thriller, and cliff hangers with an amazing story line then make sure you watch it! I need some suggestions to fill the void.
Just finishing up The Bureau, such a great show. Definitely recommend.
The Bureau (Le Bureau des Légendes) Fauda Tehran
Loved Berlin Station, The Bureau and Tehran. Will definitely check out Fauda. Thanks.
Fauda is AMAZING
Love my boomer shows, even though I'm Gen X. Nice to have **NCIS, NCIS:Hawaii**, and **FBI** back! Ep 2 of NCIS was moving with the tribute to David McCallum. Really annoyed that there doesn't seem to be any way of catching up on **FBI: International** without buying it. Why is it not on Paramount+ like FBI?? Watched the first episode of **Mythic Quest** and wow I think I'm going to like this! Exciting to find a new show. Finally settling into really enjoying **Psych**. It took me almost 2 full seasons to really like it, but I'm there now. Really nice comfort show before bed. Jon Stewart has not lost a single step on **The Daily Show**! I had convinced myself that Trevor Noah was fine, but man, Stewart is really operating at a whole different level. He's SO GOOD at that job. Looking forward to starting the new seasons of **American Idol** and **Life & Beth** when my wife gets some time to watch together.
Many in the sub seems to hate Life and Beth. I only started season 1 because now we get season 2. Blow through 7 episodes and it is quite good. Reminds me a little bit of CK (Louis CK show).
She gets a lot of hate in general, it's crazy. It reminds me a bit of Somebody, Somewhere, although that's better.
You're in for a treat with season 1 episode 5 of mythic quest. One of the best episodes of any show I've seen in years. Just amazing.
Your comment weirdly made me put off watching it for a while, but I just got to it and it was great! So touching and beautiful.
Funny. I did the same thing with Bear season 2 EP 6 and 7. Heard they were so amazing so I, for whatever reason , watched anything else before them. 6 was great. 7, Forks, was also one of the greatest EP of any TV show I've seen in a long time. When I think of one off great EPS I've seen the last few years, Forks, the MQ episode and (this one is a bit devisive) the sort of one off ep in the Last of US comes to mind for me..
I loved Forks! I haven't watched Last of US. Maybe I should.
Waiting for Avatar and F1 this week. Need to see the true detective finale and catch up to masters of air
Watching Future Man, 1 more episode left in season 2. Season 1 was good, season 2 so, so. Watched latest Curb, I've never seen an episode that I didn't like, will miss it. On deck Ghosts (U. S.) Latest episode True Detective finale Want to check out this Constellation on Apple.
The New Look - 3 or 4 episodes? (apple tv) What I liked: 1. Felt like it gave a really good feeling about living under a brutal occupation (in this case Nazis in Paris) and a rainbow of ethical choices people make to either survive, to risk one's life by resisting, or to fall somewhere inbetween. 2. There is a great scene were fashion designer Coco Chanel is basically threatened if she does NOT go to meet a group of top Nazis at a restaurant, and at first she is anxious and dubious, but when one of them mentions a competitor designer she gleefully takes them down and you can see the 'switch' has turned and she will be complicit. 3. Sometimes I don't care for Juliette Binoche but she is great playing a 'character' role. I don't know how french people will feel but I think Ben Mendelson is very believably 'french' in his body language and such. Dior's character is less well drawn than Coco Channel. For the first time in years I am not irritated by John Malcovich's performance, its nicely low key so far. Its really nice to see Maisie Williams in an adult role and entirely different character than in GOT. 4. Great art direction and camerawork What did not bother me but seems to be a big problem for others. - I know in the past I have read about Coco Channel being a Nazi 'asset' but forgot the details - but after watching the first episodes I went back to see reactions about the show and some people are FURIOUS that she is not painted as a complete villain. All I can say is that IMO she is shown to be a terrible person turning on anyone to save herself. My issue with the show: - Its called "the New Look' but at least up to this point there is not very much about the actual process of dress designing. It is much more about moral compromises. I feel like the title is misleading..
Funny, I came here to comment about this show! I totally agree, I thought fashion could have been woven into the first few episodes more, other than Chanel sort of commenting offhandedly about fashion things. I have loved the acting and think Binoche should get an Emmy nod. Ben Mendelsohn and John Malkovich are two of my favorite actors (but ha, yes. Malkovich can be over the top for sure) & I’m loving them in this, no idea how their accents hold up! I think the editing is a little weird, the end of episode 4 felt like a finale & the repeated flashback felt overdone — could have used audio and a shot of his face, or anything other than replaying the same scene like four times. I’m enjoying it but probably not my top show of the year; another success from Apple TV so far, though.
> think Binoche should get an Emmy nod. I checked out metacritic, one critic gave the show 1 star because they are so furious that (in their opinion) Chanel's character is whitewashed. There seem to be some very, very strong opinions out there about this. This may make the show too controversial for the awards stuff but we shall see.
Watched the first 3 episodes of **Constellation**. The production is obviously good and it can be very eerie at times. But it seems like a pretty straightforward 'quantum' mystery box. 3 episodes in and you'll already have a pretty good grasp on the mystery and it just doesn't seem all that compelling. Maybe there's some big shocking twist but it seems pretty straightforward in structure - in a way that makes me think there really can't *be* that much there. There's an accident on the ISS cause by an experiment that >!causes two separate parallel world lines to partially merge!< and the MC is >!seeing both a little as they flip back and forth!<. By 2 or 3 episodes you even have a pretty good idea the general structure of both. Idk, would have to see a lot of really good things from people about it to continue but the one review I read basically confirms my fears. One of its biggest complaints is that the viewer can basically guess from the jump what's happening and the show bogs down as the viewer waits for the characters to figure out what we already know. Oh and there's a couple iPad name drops that are so obvious it's almost funny
Thanks, going to give this a watch
Quantum Mystery Box is my new goto phrase for these types of shows now. There were great MB shows like _The Prisoner_ and _LOST_ but these types of shows including _1899_ and a lot of Apple TV shows where they need to have a mystery cliffhanger on every episode and then its explained in the first 2 minutes of the next episode and then back to another mystery. Nothing gets explained because there is nothing to explain. I usually say _everything is a B-plot_
Mystery boxes are just a crutch for poor writing. I suppose the issue is pure scifi rarely does well, so there is always the need to tack on something else to either draw viewers in or string them along.
> Mystery boxes are just a crutch for poor writing. Not always: see the original "The Prisoner"
The main problem for me is its using parallel worlds *and* a small time jump. To be fair to the show its not stingy about letting you know from episode 1 that there's a parallel worlds thing going on. And there's one particular scene that still managed to be creepy as fuck despite nobody being in danger, the director did a good job with it. After 3 episodes I just don't feel super compelled about the events that led up to the time jump. I'd be surprised if there's enough "there" there for it to be worth it.
Really enjoy House of the Dragon and the first half of GOT as a comfort show during struggles with depression or anxiety. Can anyone offer me some good alternatives?
If you're open to trying a KDrama, **Arthdal Chronicles** has a real Game of Thrones feel to it. It has great worldbuilding and intrigue, although it's definitely not as R-rated as GOT. Korean shows don't often have a ton of sex/nudity.
Community, The Good Place, Veep, Avatar The Last Airbender, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Mr. Robot, The Sopranos, Bojack Horseman, Living With Yourself, Party Down, Rome, Santa Clarita Diet, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. None of them are anything like GoT or HotD, except for Rome, but I believe a fair few of them are much better in a comfort show way and get the depression-cocoon-binge-watching seal of approval. Bojack, Rome, and Sopranos can get a bit heavy but are goated. Edit- oh and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ofc because there's heaps of episodes, hard to fall asleep to that one though because of the constant screaming at each other lol
I watched Entourage and highly recommend that and Attack on Titan lol
How is S3 of Resident Alien so far? I think I dropped it around mid season 2.
Yeah it’s good! I def dropped off around season 2. Just forced myself to rewatch everything from the start and I’m glad I did. Season 2 was much better especially knowing season 3 is basically here.
anyone watched Constellation?
Finished the first 3. I don't think I'm going to continue or at best it'll be a 'browse my phone' show. My short thoughts are: quantum parallel worlds have been everywhere in the mainstream for a while now. You could have used that as the central mystery to a show 10-15 years ago. Now if you use it, you have to have a really interesting angle, or use it as a backdrop for really interesting character drama. So far this show doesn't have either & it's hard to see how it will get to either of those. I did really enjoy the scene where Jonathan Banks >!flipped the conspiracy theory skeptic guy off the back of the cruise ship!<. But that's more because conspiracy nuts drive me bonkers sometimes.
>Constellation Starting now :D
**A Bloody Lucky Day** Holy shit… holy shit… I just binged 6 episodes and there are 4 more to go. What a well written thriller about a serial killer. Lots of suspenseful moments, chasing, a couple of excellent twists, and of course killings. I don’t enjoy the flashback moments cause they’re boring. Otherwise, fan-fucking-tastic!
Just got around to finishing Blue Eye Samurai Very satisfying watch. This one seemed like it was on the reddit hype train like a couple other animated shows, but ended up being great The cinematography particularly stood out. Some incredibly inventive shots
**Hazbin hotel** is highly recommended. It's an edgy show with bright and colorful characters, initially was feeling a bit overwhelmed, but it slowly grew on me, and by the end I was rooting for the next season.
Daisy and the Six & Halo season 2 Completely different shows but both are really entertaining.
[удалено]
what are you yappin about
Does Criminal Record focus on race a bunch? I don't enjoy shows that are race focused so I'd like to know before starting, thanks.
Yes, it does, a lot
***Eternal Law*** (Tubi/Freevee/Vudu). Little six-episode 2012 ITV series by Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham (*Life on Mars, Bonekickers*) about two angels (played by Samuel West and Ukweli Roach) who are sent to earth (York) by "Mr. Mountjoy" to help people out...as lawyers. Orla Brady plays an angel-turned-human who guides them. Their fallen angel/demonic adversary in court is played by Tobias Menzies. I'm about halfway through and enjoying it thoroughly. I think I have another show to mentally shelve with *G vs E* and *Nobody's Looking*. :D
**Mr. and Mrs. Smith Season 1 (Amazon Prime)** A show that I really thought didn't work this year was **Murder at the End of the World** on FX. An interesting premise but so completely ineptly directed and written that a lot of online discourse focused on whether the show was depicting a simulation or not. I feel like this show is the opposite, it looks gorgeous, individual scenes make sense on a narrative and conceptual level and characters actions are mostly understandable. However, the premise is so silly (marriage but both are secret agents!) that it would have taken a real threading of the needle for the concept to work, especially over a full season of television. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, instead, mostly disposes of the spy story by treating it as an goofy and disposable plot device and focuses on the relationship between the two leads while throwing in some social observations about life and dating. The result is that neither aspect of the show really works, the action scenes lack stakes or tension and the relationship is so artificial that it isn't particularly compelling. I don't think this is the worst thing ever made but after an exciting pilot we eventually stopped watching around episode 4 or 5. This show seems to be a hit and is one of Amazon's valued IPs so we'll probably see more of it but it's such a thin concept that it's very hard to pull off successfully, in my opinion anyways. If they would have taken the action/espionage more seriously I think there was an interesting show here, but this iteration is not for me.
it's not a spy show with relationship stuff, it's a show about a relationship with spy stuff. reddit is so action-brained that it can't imagine a show NOT being about stuff being blown up constantly. infuriating.
As someone who grew up during the Cold War reading spy novels, bad spy tradecraft puts me off. The reason why I couldn’t get into the Americans also
I found it interesting enough to watch the whole season, but I think all your criticisms are pretty accurate. I think that if there is an actual backstory for the espionage missions and the identity of Hihi that pays off in the end, it will be worth watching. I worry, however, that the missions are just meaningless mystery boxes.
True Detective S4. Whoah just whoah. A lot of shows come and go and very few leave their mark; especially in the mystery genre. But man this season will truly be remembered for how laughably bad it was. What absolute crap.
You had me at the first part. Issa Lopez blocked me on IG after I criticized how bad the show was on her post. She just got the green light to be the showrunner for season 5 apparently. How the fuck.
I finally got around to watching the last episode. I didn't want to believe other comments that it ended so badly but it did. Very little made sense and loopholes were left unexplained. What made the other seasons so great was that it balanced the spiritualism with the skepticism. This season definitely leaned more on the spiritualism, so much so that it seemed more like a fantasy horror series. I felt the location and set-up of the story had potential but it was wasted.
I felt exactly the same. Even with Jodie Foster (who I am a big fan of) it was just a big mess. It was awful.
It was all over the place, neglected the main plot for most of it, had some annoying side characters and had the weirdest conclusion.
After seeing early fan feedback on this one I'm glad I sat it out, especially after being burned by Murder at the End of the World. The critic/fan divergence on this one will be interesting, especially given the ratings went up as the series went along.
I do definitely get why its divisive, but the gulf between how Reddit/Twitter reacted to it and how many people were excited to talk about it at the figurative watercooler was interesting to see emerge and only widen as the show went on. Imho, it does some stuff really well, and it does some stuff really weirdly - so how much you groove with it mostly comes down to what you're looking for, and if you like the former enough not to be driven off by the latter. I really loved the first bit of Fortitude but felt it collapsed on itself completely in the second half of S1 - this did what I wanted Fortitude to do. I get why people who wanted a comparatively straight up detective procedural would bounce off it, but having a real soft spot for arctic weirdness horror, the ropey elements just weren't enough to be gamebreakers for me. The pacing is definitely odd, for example, some of the early dialogue in particular has a strange ESL quality, and the soundtrack takes some really weird byroads, but I loved its big swings, the look and feel of it, the whole "liminal Arctic" thing and some of the performances were fantastic. There are legit criticisms to be made about it, the online raging at it is more than a little disconnected from reality, and I've been really bewildered by the vitriol. There's definitely an element of fanboy rage driving it to some extent, because some of the stuff they were hanging up on was bizarre. Anyway, I think 2 eps is enough to make up your own mind either way, and I do think it's likely to be best watched as a binge so its easier to follow some of the strands that seem incidental initially.
What is interesting that despite its divisiveness, a lot of people watched it. I had major criticisms, but I still tuned every week to watch it, probably for the same reasons you did, as I like artic horror as well, so I was entertained at times. Maybe because I was a film major and worked a bit in the entertainment industry, I did think parts of it were really not good. I had some of the issues with the dialogue, as you also mentioned, but also the use of sound, editing, framing of certain scenes, use of weather to mirror the internal changes within a character, etc, because many of these narrative film techniques were used in a way that was really heavy-handed, like the stuff you'd see in melodramas. If it were shown on the SyFy channel though, rather on HBO, it probably wouldn't have bothered me as much as I've liked even more flawed shows that this -- but I guess it was the high expectations of it being on HBO that made me more critical of its flaws. Having said that, I wonder what is going to be the future for True Detective. I hope the series continues. Also I hope Issa López doesn't drown out some of the legit criticisms and listens and continues to improve as a director. I really like how the creator of the Foundation really listened to viewer feedback which resulted in a vastly improved season two, and I hope López can do the same with her future endeavors.
Yeah thought so, glad I dumped it after 4 eps.
Watching Mad Men for the first time; just watched the first episode & I think it’s immediately hooked me. The music and direction in particular are fantastic. Also, am at the end of season 4 of Peep Show (first time watching).
That’s what the moneys for
I am so fucking jealous you get to experience Mad Men for the first time. Enjoy the ride and don’t rush it.
Truly one of the greatest shows ever made. To me, second only to The Sopranos in terms of brilliant characterization and development. Everything is so well written and the characters are all nuanced and evolve over time. Also like The Sopranos, it’s hilarious and has some of the best one liners.
Mummy is probably the turkeys nickname? Could easily be!
First season is my favorite - such a good reveal at the end.
I am so jealous that you're watching both for the first time. Enjoy!
Hmmm Loved the vibes of True Detective S4, the acting is great, the filmmaking is great but I still feel pretty disappointed. The character arcs felt more like a straight line rather than an arc. Most dramatic character tension was depicted through cliche trauma flashbacks. Relied too much on cheap horror tropes and scares and all the horror elements were basically tacked to add to the mystery but not much else. As a whole, most of the episodes just blur together without many defining story beats or character moments (until the last 2 episodes). Like there's a lot of great stuff in it but it feels very messy and incohesive.
Resident Alien is a good, breezy fun
Have you watched season two? I enjoyed season one, but have not heard great things about it sophomore season
It's about the same throughout. Its' all about Alan Tudyk playing the titular Resident Alien Harry Vanderspiegel. The rest of the characters and actors are ok at best, well except for Nathan Fillion as 42 the talking Octopus who is also amazing, but it's really Tudyk's show. When he's on it's great when he's not you're waiting for him to return. They try a couple side stories that take away focus from Harry which rarely add much but dont worry the show always returns the focus to him.
No just started S1
True Detective S4 - Yo this show sucked. Mr & Mrs Smith - loved the dry humor, hate the cliffhanger finale. Blue eyed Samurai - So good. But also did not love the second season set up ending.
The finale of True Detective season 4 somehow fucked the show up even more. So many plot holes that we are supposed to take at face value to make it all fit together.
We have now finished Season 1 of The Bear and it is probably in the top 3 best shows I’ve seen in the last 5 years or so. Didn’t think I would tear up in the season finale but I was wrong
Season two is better! A lot less of the constant screaming (which is incredibly annoying) and people actually start being nice to each other and not just being assholes
Oof going from **The Traitors** UK series 1 (which was absolutely delightful) to the US version is straight up painful. Going to check out the Aussie version until series 2 is on Peacock. Otherwise I’m in a bit of a tv rut.
I'd rate Aussie S1 as top tier. Aussie S2 is a shitshow that will have you shouting at the TV in frustration. I loved it but everything I've read on here makes me think I'm in the minority...
This is primarily for US viewers: I’ve never seen an episode of John Oliver’s **Last Week Tonight** that failed to deliver
been watching from Switzerland for years. It's eye-opening, sad and hilarious at the same time.
Why would LWT be only for US viewers? I'm not American and I've been watching for years. And the season 11 premiere was indeed one of the best they ever did
Cool! So my concerns that this feed was too focused on the US were unwarranted. Enjoy!
Finished all 6 episodes of Monsieur Spade and I'm not sure how I did that because I had no idea what the hell was going on about 80% of the time
Clive Owen is going on. And on. And on..
I'm on the fence about watching this, purely because it's not free on anything I subscribe to. I enjoyed Episode 1 but interesting to hear that it doesn't resolve that well.
They literally introduce a brand new character in the last 15 minutes that gathers everybody in a room to wrap things up
How did you like it? I enjoyed Clive Owens in the first two episodes, was planning to let it finish before starting again.
I found it confounding. Poor pacing, convoluted storylines, unclear character motivations, and about half the actors appeared to be reading their lines without actually knowing what any of it meant
7 eps in to **Fargo** season 5. How long until we can start discussing it as one of the best TV shows ever? Seasons 3 and 4 weren’t amazing (tho still decent) but 1, 2, and 5 are absolutely brilliant.
For me, 1, 2 and 3 were amazing. 4 and 5 not so much. For me 5 was very good but not great.
It was so good and everyone was great in it.
The way the S5 ended really elevated what was already a great season for me. No spoilers and I hope you enjoy the season as much as I did. I'd agree with you as well, and I'd put it up there with season 1 and 2.
Man that last scene and episode has no business being so poignant and moving.
Yeah, wasn't it? Totally unexpected way to end the show, especially with the way they were building things up to that big showdown then it veered into another direction. I absolutely loved that ending and got emotional. As far as the best season endings, the way this finale ended is probably my favorite from any season of Fargo. It really made me think about things afterward, and I immediately hit rewind and watched that >!kitchen scene!< again.
>!I totally agree. I really appreciated that the finale took a creative risk and went in the opposite direction of what the viewers expected. We've seen a million seasons of TV ending with a big standoff and battle. And it happens that it hugely paid off. !< >!How interesting would a prolonged standoff between Roy and the law really have been? He and his followers were outgunned. We knew how it was going to end. Gator's storyline I felt was closed the episode before. He paid for his sins with his sight and was forever severed from Roy. All that was needed was the one really great scene with him and Dot in the final episode to close the loop.!< >!On its face a 17-minute ending scene centered around biscuits in and of itself is absurd. But it managed to combine that absurdity with humor and some of the whimsical magical realism Fargo is known for to deliver a positive and touching message on forgiveness. It was a really remarkable feat of television and I felt that way immediately after finishing. I've only ever felt a handful of times when watching a tv show. !<
Currently rewatching **BoJack Horseman**, some of the few 10/10 shows of the last decade.
one of the best shows oat imo
Easily. The writing is probably top 5 all time, no joke.
I'm glad I went into that show as it was released, totally blind. I think it hits harder if you aren't prepared for it to be a tragedy
IMDB’s rating doesn’t do justice to Expats. It’s an amazing series, very well made. An easy recommendation if someone is looking for a new show.
I'd say it's rating suffers somewhat the same as Mr & Mrs Smith. More dialogue heavy and slow to unfold (vs the action/pacing that many people want/expect). But I am loving it as well. Glad they seem to be acknowledging now that it's a mini-series. Reminds me of Big Little Lies (that may have also benefitted from being a mini-series!). E5 about the helpers and the life they lead was amazing to watch. I lived in HK for a 6 month work assignment a number of years ago and it's all taking me back there. Some helpers are very poorly treated.
> vs the action/pacing that many people want/expect what's with people lately completely missing the point of shows, then getting angry at the shows that they are not what they think they are. it's like expecting breaking bad to be a comedy, and then getting angry and writing bad reviews because it doesn't make you laugh. did cinemasins rot everyones brain around here ?
Can't speak to Expats but Mr. and Mrs. Smith is marketed as a spy show, having expectations along those lines is very reasonable.
Halo s2e3 this week was again shockingly great. The new show runner is knocking it out of the park in a way I never imagined possible. If you're into sci fi, give season 2 a shot.
Is it watchable if I skip season 1? I heard it's super bad
I heard it was super bad, but you know what? It wasn't. It was pretty good. Not sure why the internet hated it. Good story. Complex (enough) characters. Decent acting. Nice action sequences.
Because it released around the time Mando was big and all the supposed halo fans were getting mad that John halo was taking his helmet off, as if Spartans, who are humans, just live inside their mjolnir.
Yeah, I assumed it would be something dumb like that.
Absolutely. I am often a little more lost because I don't know Halo lore than I would have been if I had skipped season 1. S2 starts off months after the events of S1 and there are only a few things that are truly relevant from S1, and most of them boil down to (for instance) knowing why a character is imprisoned. I'm sure I'm missing a few things, but if you know the following and are ok "going with the flow" S1 is entirely skippable: >!Master Chief is part of an experimental super soldier program that was very unethical, ran by Dr. Halsey!< >!This caught up with Halsey and now she is being imprisoned by her successor!< >!Makee is a human that was raised by the enemy aliens!< >!Makee and Master Chief both have some odd connection with some type of precursor technology or something, and with each other!< >!Soren is a former super soldier candidate who is now a mob boss on a space station!< >!There's a lady named Kwon that is in the mix due to a terrible plot line that everyone hates in S1. In S2 you can view her as a resistance fighter leader!< fwiw I rewatched the S1 finale after watching the first 2 S2 episodes and would not really recommend. S2 is the same characters and they didn't erase what happened in S1, but apart from that it might as well be an entirely new show.
Amazon disappointments like Wheel of Time and Halo both having better second seasons is setting me up to get hurt again by Rings of Power.
We just finished re-watching (for maybe the 3rd time) 30 rock. I didn't realize how many politic jokes continue to land and be relevant to this day (my first couple of watches I wasn't as politically aware, so the jokes landed as if they were the first time I heard them).
The Weinstein jokes were very foretelling
finishing up Season 4 of Ozarks. Very good stuff. A bit slow at times but overall very good.