What to Watch Instantly on Netflix? (and now all streaming services)

[sovereignstar v2]

Two more episodes left of Curb ever. :sadface:

[RainMaker]

Manhunt on Apple TV is not bad if you want a little historical drama. Basically a show about catching Booth and the other conspirators after Lincoln was killed. Little slow but I'm a sucker for these types of shows.

[RainMaker]

Also Apple has a show about Frankin coming in a few weeks. Michael Douglas looks nothing like him so it might be weird.

[Jas_lov]

Two more episodes left of Curb ever. :sadface:

I liked the finale with Jerry and the twist on the Seinfeld finale but the season as a whole wasn't very good. Seasons 1-8 were great, 9-10 ok, 11-12 not good. The plots got crazier and the cast got too old by the end. Still a pretty great 35 year run for Larry.

[Atocep]

Fallout season 2 is already in the works so we shouldn't see a 2 year wait on a new season that's become the norm for streaming shows.

[RainMaker]

Fallout season 2 is already in the works so we shouldn't see a 2 year wait on a new season that's become the norm for streaming shows.

That's good to hear. My biggest pet peeve with TV these days is the 2-3 year wait between seasons. Saw an ad for House of the Dragon and I've mostly forgotten what took place in Season 1. Not even sure I'll bother watching it.

Then we'll hear the studios complain that they have to cancel shows early because there is a big dropoff between seasons.

[GrantDawg]

Fallout season 2 is already in the works so we shouldn't see a 2 year wait on a new season that's become the norm for streaming shows.
That may or may not be true. Many of these shows with long waits had green-lights for their next season before airing. The time is more about scheduling and post-production on these effect-heavy shows. Post-production alone often takes more than a year.

[Edward64]

Watched a couple episodes of Fallout.

I like the quirkiness, the overall look-and-feel of the background scenery, the props, outfits (and the T-60 rotor noises!). Some pretty good special effects. The vault dweller leaving for a quest is true to form.

I imagine my Fallout playthroughs to be more consistently "dark" ... I am constantly killing bad guys and looting their bodies. But understandably, the series need to be less of that.

Overall, don't think it met my expectations but my expectations were probably wrong anyways. Two thumbs up so far.

[JonInMiddleGA]

fwiw ... We watched the first 2 hours of the new Fallout series on Prime today.

We're not ... displeased, though I think more episodes are needed to determine how pleased we are.

Visually, they've done a very good job. Just like the trailers, a lot of things that just really needed to look right actually do. A good example for me would be the exit of Vault 33, the railings specifically. That's such a distinct look, almost at a subconscious level after some 16 years of seeing it over & over, it would have triggered me if it had been wrong.

The dialogue is between "source material appropriate" and "comically bad". The hokeyness fits, how well it will wear over eight hours is still TBD.

The acting is kind of the same. Walton Goggins seems made for this part -- just as most of us expected -- but he's so good that I already find myself wishing we'd cut back to his story when he's not on screen.

The Amata stand-in segments are really more visual candy, the vault and her exploration of the wastes are where the constant atmospheric visuals are strongest. It's perhaps the trickiest part, how well she translates the smartening up on the outside element of the character is going to be key.

The Brotherhood character feels like the weakest after two hours and I'm not really vibing with some of the BoS tweaks so far.

I will say that I'm not entirely sure how ... accessible ... this feels for viewers not already familiar with the universe. There's not much handholding for newcomers to the IP, you're pretty much thrown right in and there's not been much (any?) exposition to fill in the blanks.

The first two hours don't have us running away by any means, time will tell how we feel after the first season is completed.

[Edward64]

Watched through ep 5. In addition to the quest, a couple additional mysteries have been setup.

Agree they did a good job in the props including inside the Vault. My most recent Fallout is FO76 with nice, lush, WV vegetation, so I don't remember the desert being so omnipresent. I like seeing the familiar Gulpers, Rad Roaches, Yao guai etc. And of course, dog meat and the weapons used.

Some nits. There was one thing they portrayed about the T-60 armor that is not right. I understand they did it for the "situation" but it was a bad decision IMO (and unnecessary). I'm not sure I like the Knight-Squire dynamics portrayed and don't remember that from the older games. Some of the jokes are not what I consider in the spirit of Fallout e.g. the "pimple" joke seems way, way off.

But overall, still enjoying it. I hope it gets better. I can see multiple seasons.

[Bobble]

Anybody else watch Loudermilk with Ron Livingstone, Brian Regan, Will Sasso, et al.? I really enjoyed it. It's a grumpy old man show somewhat similar to Curb Your Enthusiasm, I guess. The main character is a counselor for a Walmart-brand Alcoholics Anonymous. Great supporting characters.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I’ve watched the first three episodes of Fallout. I think they’ve done a great job capturing the tone of the games. Walter Goggins is great in all things and always a delight and the same holds true here. The actress playing the vault dweller is great. The only thing I am bumping off of is all of the Brotherhood of Steel stuff. The armor looks great and I think they’ve captured the essence of it, I just can’t get a hold of the main character yet and haven’t loved most of the scenes he’s been in.

[RainMaker]

Is the show serious or kind of campy?

[Atocep]

Is the show serious or kind of campy?

Mostly serious with a touch of campiness tossed in.

Overall I'm digging it. The wife is watching it despite no idea what Fallout is about.

[RainMaker]

Yeah I'm looking forward to it. It seems like they nailed the aesthetic and Goggins is a personal favorite.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Watched Fallout Ep 3 and Ep 4 tonight.

4 feels like the strongest of the first half of S1 by far. And I think the reason might be simple: it pretty much left out the Brotherhood storyline and focused on other things. What replaced it is actually far better I think.

Better dialogue overall probably in E3 and E4.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Watched Fallout Ep 3 and Ep 4 tonight.

4 feels like the strongest of the first half of S1 by far. And I think the reason might be simple: it pretty much left out the Brotherhood storyline and focused on other things. What replaced it is actually far better I think.

Better dialogue overall probably in E3 and E4.

Jon, you and I fully aligned on this. I thought episode four was the strongest, too, and figured it was for largely the same reason. I just can’t figure out the Maximus character and keep bumping off him and the whole Brotherhood plot line.

Also, you can never go wrong with Matt Berry even if it’s just voice work.

[Fidatelo]

Anybody else watch Loudermilk with Ron Livingstone, Brian Regan, Will Sasso, et al.? I really enjoyed it. It's a grumpy old man show somewhat similar to Curb Your Enthusiasm, I guess. The main character is a counselor for a Walmart-brad Alcoholics Anonymous. Great supporting characters.


My wife and I watched this show a few months ago and really enjoyed it! I wish it had more seasons.

[Edward64]

Finished s1. I hate cliffhangers.

Overall fun, good but not great.

Witcher > WoT > Fallout > Rings

[JonInMiddleGA]

So we wrapped up S1 of the Fallout series on Prime tonight with the last two episodes.

I'm mostly where I was when I commented after E1 & E2: it's good, with a lot of outstanding tiny reference points, but it's short of great.

Maximus (aka the Wish version of Finn) is such a weak link, as is most of the Brotherhood of Steel story arc (including the elder/Dooku). The Ghoul is played with excellence, though his pre-war character is a little cringey once or twice. And Lucy (aka Amata 2, for the gamers out there) is a weirdly okay character that's developing.

I'm not walking away before S2 but at the same time there are MAJOR seeming canonical issues (vs established game lore) raised by a few things in S1.

The most glaring involves the date of "the fall of Shady Sands" on the chalkboard vs the events of Fallout:New Vegas (with specific game dialogue presenting some real problems with that date). They're gonna have to write their butts off to sort that out without breaking some canon.

It's not awful (yet), it's fun to see a lot of the things, and certain parts have tremendous value in how right they feel. But the canonical breaks, those could topple it for me at some point unless they pull a rabbit out of ... an uncomfortable orifice for both them AND the rabbit.

[Atocep]

I guess Disney is adding channels with scheduled programming to their streaming platform and acting like this is some innovation.

We're literally going backwards with streaming at this point.

[thesloppy]

I guess Disney is adding channels with scheduled programming to their streaming platform and acting like this is some innovation.

We're literally going backwards with streaming at this point.

It seems like all/most of the streamng services have added this recently. Prime has a slate of "live" channels that are all basically broadcasting a single show, marathon style as specific playtimes. I don't know who that is supposed to appeal to?

[RainMaker]

It seems like all/most of the streamng services have added this recently. Prime has a slate of "live" channels that are all basically broadcasting a single show, marathon style as specific playtimes. I don't know who that is supposed to appeal to?

Seems like what Pluto is. I've tried it but they ran so many ads that it's near impossible to watch.

[Fidatelo]

It seems like all/most of the streamng services have added this recently. Prime has a slate of "live" channels that are all basically broadcasting a single show, marathon style as specific playtimes. I don't know who that is supposed to appeal to?


I suspect they are trying to provide a way for folks to 'channel surf'. I think there is a common complaint with streaming services in that sometimes folks sit down without knowing in advance what they plan to watch and the choice is overwhelming and they eventually choose to watch nothing. In the old days you'd just surf channels and land on something and often end up roped in, and I suspect data shows that is missing.

[Ghost Econ]

There needs to be a random option in these apps. Like maybe I want to watch an episode of New Girl because I'm bored and need background nose, but I don't want to have to just randomly pick myself. Or I can create a group of shows I like and hit random from that. I don't trust their algorithms as far as "here's a show you'll like..."

It's basically become paralysis from too many options. With all the episodes sitting there, it's just too much effort to feel like you have to power through it. At least in the olden days it was an episode a week. It's just too easy to burn out on a lot of these shows midway through.

[Ksyrup]

It seems like all/most of the streamng services have added this recently. Prime has a slate of "live" channels that are all basically broadcasting a single show, marathon style as specific playtimes. I don't know who that is supposed to appeal to?

I'm guessing they are hoping to counteract the Roku effect. And any other "free" services that have dozens and dozens of channels streaming pre-programmed content that can't be recorded or even paused.

I have YTTV yet I spend an inordinate amount of time on Roku Channel's block of true crime channels. Although it absolutely sucks when I want to pause or I see something playing a few hours later that I have no way of watching now or later.

[Ksyrup]

Has anyone watched the Investigation Discovery mini-documentary/series Quiet On Set, about the Dan Schneider/Nickelodeon stuff? I've only watched the first 2 episodes, but HOLY SHIT.

I definitely have been aware of Dan Schneider and what a POS he was/is. I think it's been discussed around here generally on more than one occasion. And maybe at some point, I read an article or two with some specifics, but I was not prepared for the level and volume of information about his career and the stuff that went on behind the scenes - and even on camera! - that has been documented.

Part of my lack of knowledge of certain things is simply a function of my age and when I had kids. During the 90s, when he (and fellow Head of the Class alum Brian Robbins) transitioned from sitcom actors/writers to the world of kids TV, I was in my 20s. Sure, I remember the old You Can't Do That on TV and the sliming and all of that stuff, but I completely missed out on any shows in the 90s. For obvious reasons, it just wasn't on my radar. We had our first kid in 1999. By the time she was watching these shows, iCarly, Drake & Josh, Victorious, etc., were the shows I remember (as well as some Disney shows, of course).

I was unaware of All That, which was the kids show Schneider created that started it all - a sketch comedy show for kids. And while I've heard the name Amanda Bynes, I had no idea who she was until watching this show. I'm sure I ran across news articles back in the day about her fight for emancipation from her parents, but didn't know who she was, her connection to him, or how it affected his career arc (basically, he backed her fight and thought she was his ticket into mainstream TV and when she lost, his meal ticket went away and he went back to kids TV, which is when the D&J/iCarly, etc., era of shows began).

In any event, they present some pretty compelling evidence that Schneider was in complete control of these kids' lives, made life for staffers/writers (especially women) complete hell, and did or made people do all sorts of inappropriate things on set under the guise of "joking." But what really caught me off-guard was some of the show content. They provided credible evidence that some of the show content was essentially adult-themed humor portrayed by kids for kids. Numerous skits where girls are squirted with a liquid/goo, some weird shit related to feet, having boys dressed in skin-tight body suits which was uncomfortable for an 8-14 year old boy to have to show the world (including one segment on a Fear Factor-inspired show where a kid was lathered in penaut butter and a group of dogs were unleashed to lick it off of him). Just some completely inappropriate shit.

But wait - there's more! They had 2 convicted pedophiles working on the shows at this time. Unclear whether Schneider knew it or not. One of them had a couple of public accusers who testified against him; the other was convicted or pleaded but the identity of his victim was apparently never known. He came forward for this show - Drake Bell. His interview is apparently part of episode 3 which we haven't started watching yet.

One of the recurring characters Bell's abuser portrayed was Pickle Boy - he literally walked around with a huge plate of pickles and fed them to people? One scene in particular that they showed was Ray Romano as a guest star, in a bathroom, when Pickle Boy shows up outside the door and hands him a pickle through a FUCKING GLORYHOLE, at which point Romano essentially makes love to it while eating. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

If you try to make sense of how any of this was determined to be appropriate at the time, the only thing I can come up with is that they were trying to "hide" some adult-themed entertainment in these shows similar to the way it has always been done on cartoons. Ren & Stimpy, Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, etc. Except here, you're talking about actual children acting out these scenes for other children.

I suppose I saw some weird shit in passing when my kids were watching iCarly and some of these other shows that completely went over my head that they might have a double meaning, but some of this - at least from what I've seen of the 90s/early 2000s shows... wow. I don't know that I paid attention enough to see some sort of theme. But plenty of adults whose job it was to watch certainly had to see it. But RATINGS, you know?

Anyway, this is some pretty terrible but fascinating and necessary stuff to get aired out. There are an awful lot of people well beyond Dan Schneider who need to answer for a lot of what happened. I know society has changed drastically in 3+ decades, but some of this seems obvious and well over the top, even by 90s standards. But maybe I just forget how far we've come on some of these issues. The treatment behind the scenes is one thing, but what aired should have been raising eyebrows and questioned.

[Kodos]

They could probably do something similar on Joss Whedon.

[GrantDawg]

I watched the full documentary, and it was disturbing. I will warn, though, that this was a very one-sided view, and some of the people they threw under the bus were uninvolved and didn't have knowledge of what was going on. It was obvious Dan Schneider was a POS, and there should have been more done much earlier to reign him in.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[Lathum]

I don't think we have a Broadway thread here.

Saw ...and Juliette today. It was absolutely phenomenal. Really clever and well done.

[Atocep]

I was finally able to get around to finishing up Fallout. Overall I really enjoyed it. Probably an 8/10 for me.

Lucy is cast perfectly. The Brotherhood stuff was really bad the first half of the season, but got better IMO. It still isn't good, but I wasn't annoyed by seeing them the last couple of episodes.

I know this was a big world building season and you don't want overwhelm those that didn't play the games, I'm disappointed we didn't see Deathclaws or Super Mutants. Technically, we didn't see synths either, but I'm almost certain we saw them but they haven't been revealed yet.

There's also a bit of misdirection for those that didn't play the games with it insinuated that Vault-Tec dropped the first bomb. I think it was in New Vegas that it was revealed that China caught them offguard by 20 hours by striking first.

If season 2 does take us to New Vegas then that's incredible. Can't wait.

[cartman]

I watched all 7 of the episodes of the new Netflix show Baby Reindeer last night. What a wild story.

[Critch]

I watched all 7 of the episodes of the new Netflix show Baby Reindeer last night. What a wild story.

We watched it last week, spread it over two nights though rather than a single evening binge-athon.

A strange "based on a true story" story. A tough watch all in all.

The real lady that Martha was based on has been outed now, if you go far enough back in his twitter all the tweets are still there so it didnt take Sherlock Holmes to work it out. From her facebook posts she seems the same in real life as she is in the show.

[bob]

If you happen to have MGM+, two recommendations, both British:

1. A Spy Among Friends - follows the defection of notorious British intelligence officer and KGB double agent, Kim Philby.

2. Rouge Heroes - charts the creation of the SAS during WWII.

Both 6 episodes of about an hour each. Rogue Heroes will eventually have a second season.

Now to two complaints about tv shows right now:

1. Too many books are being stretched out to 10 episodes when they should be 6 at most or even just a two hour movie. Looking at you, Station Eleven.

2. I'm getting really really really sick of the multiple time line stories where there is the current timeline and then flashbacks that fill in the detail. I guess we should blame Lost, but it probably existed before then as well. But I'm sick of stories that wouldn't be interesting if you knew all the details in order. Also looking at you, Station Eleven.

[GrantDawg]

Just finished The Curse, and WTF? Why has no one warned me that it had the most ridiculous f-ing ending of any show ever? I feel like I have been robbed of nearly ten hours of my life.

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[Ghost Econ]

For MGM+, I had a week trial and watched From. Basically Lost with a little more horror behind it. First season was good for a mystery show, second season just added more mysteries without really addressing anything.

Also watched Condor, a spy show loosely based on Six Days of the Condor. Had some good elements, but kinda sloppy. The main characters accent is seriously terrible.

[molson]

I've always at least a year behind the good stuff but The Last of Us has been an incredible watch, especially episodes 3 and 5 so far. Those two episodes kind of work as standalone movies. The depth of story they're able to tell in a single episode kind of blows my mind. Those episodes floated around in my head for days afterwards.

I'm not a binger generally, and I'm glad in particular that I'm letting these episodes breath for a while, one at a time. Unless it's a 30-minute comedy or something else very light, I much prefer to watch maybe an episode a week of something like that.

Edit: I saw later that there were 6 nominees for best guest actor in a drama series that year, and four of those were from those two episodes (with Nick Offerman winning)

[Ksyrup]

Finished the Bon Jovi documentary last night. It was really well done. I commend him for putting it all out there and facing the tough questions head on, warts and all. I had seen the video of him performing a couple of years ago where he could barely sing, but obviously didn't think much of it as I'm long past my interest in his music. I didn't know he ending up having surgery.

The entire thing is done in a "then and now" back and forth way. The entire history of him and the band is played out with frequent cuts to 2022/23 and his struggles trying to perform a 15 date tour after Covid, his surgery and then post-surgery whether he could sing well enough again to record/tour or hang it up.

From a personal perspective, it was an interesting watch. The first 1.5-2 episodes, I remembered pretty much the entire story. I even remembered who they were touring with when You Give Love a Bad Name broke (38 Special), because I saw them open on that tour in Atlanta (the only time I ever saw them live). He dropped the mic stand on the drummer's rig from on top of the riser during YGLABN - I guess it was a memorable performance for me?

Anyway, shortly after New Jersey came out and I headed to college, I quickly moved out of hair band phase and barely remember hearing any music he or they put out after that. I definitely remember the Young Guns stuff, but I had no clue he acted and barely recognized any subsequent hits. In fact, he was so far off my radar the only reason I knew Sambora left the band was because he was replaced by a guy who was a big King's X fan who some of us knew from message boards. I didn't put 2 +2 together for a couple of years, though.

But the whole thing was interesting watching him evolve and especially seeing him age so poorly in the past 5-6 years. Even the tour they showed from 2013, he looked and sounded like himself. Today, he looks and sounds like a 75 year old grandma. Aging sucks. I definitely admire the way he's hit it head on and pulls no punches about giving it up if he can't maintain a high standard.

Definitely worth watching if you're of a certain age or just like those kinds of musical career documentaries.

[GrantDawg]

I enjoyed that documentary as well. I guess my musical taste is not as refined as yours, because I remember all their hits all the way to the early 2000's. I did not know about him working at Power Station and that he got a record deal for "Runaway" before he even had a band. A good follow up to the doc is his interview on the podcast "Smartless." Covers some of the same stuff, but they ask him good questions to flesh some things out.

[Ksyrup]

Oh yeah I knew about his cousin and that there was no band for that first album. I had even run across the banned Slippery When Wet album cover they ended up using n a 12-inch single and had that in my vinyl collection at one point. I didn't realize the age difference with Tico and Alec though - probably because back then, everyone older than me was just "old" (much like now, everyone's just "young").

It's My Life I'd heard before. I don't recall being familiar with any of the other stuff they played snippets of. Even knowing they had the highest-grossing tour of 2013 blew my mind.

I wouldn't say my taste refined - if anything, it got way less refined. Grunge kinda killed rock music for me, with a few exceptions. I spent the last half of the 90s musically lost but ended up by 1999 gravitating to extremes and weird shit. I just didn't listen to stuff that was radio-friendly (or I did, but it was 20 years past the type of music that could get played on the radio, mainly power pop).

It's kind of how for about 10 years, I knew all the pop music because I had to live it with my kids. Now, I'm happily back to "who the hell is this?"

[GrantDawg]

"The Office" spin-off like show has gotten a green-light at Peacock. I was a little hopeful, but the more I hear about it the less so I get. They are going to set it in a "failing Mid-West newspaper."
'The Office' Spinoff Coming To Peacock, Plot Details Revealed (https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-office-spinoff-peacock-plot-details-1235996108/)

[JPhillips]

My god, Unfrosted is a train full of orphans crashing into a boat full of puppies.

[stevew]

Netflix’s “Mother of the Bride” had to be written by AI

[RainMaker]

I don't know what Netflix is doing but they haven't made much that I've enjoyed lately. Even the Brady roast which should have been fun reminded me why those things need to be edited.

Feel like Apple TV is the best streaming service out there.

[Ksyrup]

I know I don't spend much time on Netflix but I didn't even hear about the roast until the day after.

When not on YT, I spend most of my time on Roku free channels, actually. Although Peacock is probably a close second thanks to EPL, Columbo, Poker Face and Swedish Death Cleaning.

[RainMaker]

Prime was cool for Bosch but I'm not watching commercials.

[stevew]

My god, Unfrosted is a train full of orphans crashing into a boat full of puppies.

I didn’t hate it fwiw

[Ksyrup]

Watched Exposed: Ghost Train Fire over the weekend while travelling. I really wish I had watched it before we went to Australia because I would have been interested in opinions from some of the locals we met (particularly one tour guide who seemed like an anti-government type and would certainly have had opinions). We saw Luna Park across the bay and it was briefly discussed on our tours as to what it was, but nothing about the history.

The background is that Luna Park is an amusement park opened in 1935 on some prime harbor front property adjacent to the Harbor Bridge and catty-corner to Sydney Opera House. In June 1979, the Ghost Train ride caught fire and 7 people died - 4 kids and a dad and 2 sons. The next day it was being widely reported that the cause was an electrical fault but the documentary presents pretty compelling evidence that several witnesses reported a group of young bikers on the ride just before it went up and 1 or 2 people overheard them talking about setting the fire and getting out of there. They gave statements in the middle of the night and the one main witness was brought back a few hours later, allegedly threatened if he didn't recant his story, and he signed a statement saying he made it all up - despite multiple corroborating witnesses.

The rest of the doc explored ties between the LEs in charge of the investigation at various levels, politicians, and a guy who is portrayed as the John Gotti of Sydney. He wanted the land for development. After the fire, it appears he got the lease bidding rigged in favor of a company set up by some of his relatives and associates from which he made some major bank. It also explored some of the investigations and reports that came out of various commissions about both the fire and bid process that appear to have outright falsified or covered up the extent of his involvement. There is also some evidence he ordered the fire to be set to put all of this into motion in order to get his hands on the land.

Pretty crazy story. The damage it did to the survivors (mentally) was pretty horrific. I believe they reopened an investigation into both the fire/deaths and any possible corruption but I can't find anything definite that's come from it. The doc is from 2021.

[Ksyrup]

I just got an email from Netflix about a new documentary called Hate to Love: Nickelback. As much as I'd be interested in seeing this because it's about me, I'm pretty sure watching the doc would subject me to their music. That seems like a fatal flaw in the design.

[Edward64]

I re-watched 2010, the sequel to 2001. Came out in 1984. It was interesting to see how 2010 predictions & stuff played out.


AI with the HAL 9000 - not quite there yet, even with Siri & ChatGPT
Reference to cassettes (but in the movie, it was more high-tech looking than the old cassette tape)
Computer terminals with primitive graphics & resolution - I guess it's hard to show 1080p+ like graphics with 1984 tech
Dolphins in a pool in a house - I have to believe even back in 1984 they knew this was a reach
Video communication device - maybe a decade too early (when did Facetime come out?) but still pretty good
Omni magazine - I remember reading this. Think it was owned by the Penthouse guy?


On the other hand ...


The Discovery/Leonov space ships still looked pretty good. A little updating, and think it can still hold its own in a current day movie set.
The acting is top notch IMO.

Didn't know this but there are 2 other books after 2010 for 4 in total. I think I want to read them but struggle a little with Arthur C Clarke's tarnished legacy.

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51OUk6tYQ5L._SX300_SY300_QL70_FMwebp_.jpg

[Kodos]

The Acolyte has been kinda meh, but tonight's episode was entertaining.

[Atocep]

House of the Dragon Season 2 has been great so far. One specific scene in episode 3 was pretty bad and didn't make sense but he rest of the show has been fantastic IMO.

[miami_fan]

I gotta say, I am not mad at myself for taking a chance on "The Man with 1000 Kids". I am more prepared than ever for the giant asteroid to destroy all human life on the planet and let whatever higher power/big bang start over and learn from its mistakes after watching it though. The sanctity of life:lol:

[Honolulu_Blue]

House of the Dragon Season 2 has been great so far. One specific scene in episode 3 was pretty bad and didn't make sense but he rest of the show has been fantastic IMO.

This season has been on fire! We're definitely back in the days of peak GOT so far. I watched the fourth episode yesterday morning and was buzzing almost all day and actually had trouble sleeping last night due to dragon/Targaryen related dreams and such.

[Critch]

Maybe I'm being overly hopeful because I've paid for a year of Apple TV+ and ran out of things to watch, but this looks great:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BCA9jpc4R74?si=cYK0IqiDl5EEEM_c" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[flere-imsaho]

Boy, I hope they do it justice. The original (and the other two in the "trilogy": Brazil & The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) is absolutely fantastic.

[GrantDawg]

Boy, I hope they do it justice. The original (and the other two in the "trilogy": Brazil & The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) is absolutely fantastic.


I really need to watch those again. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen is the only one of those I have seen multiple times, and that was many years ago.

[Ghost Econ]

Wrong thread

[GrantDawg]

Wrong thread


Lol

[Ksyrup]

Peacock sent notice of a price increase on the next billing date on or after August 17th. Looks like $2/month for monthly subs and $20 for annual.

I need to refresh my memory on when my billing date comes up. I've gotten far more value out of Peacock than Netflix or other services, honestly. Premier League, Swedish Death Cleaning, Pokerface (new season is filming now), all Columbo episodes (uncut, same can't be said for some of the other services), etc. Plus, I think I will be able to save some money because Chase/AmEx will typically run offers for X amount off for a few months on the monthly plans or X amount off the annual subscription.

[flere-imsaho]

As a family we have surprisingly used Hulu much more than, say, Netflix, basically for NBA, NFL, and some soccer. Oh, and The Bear.

I would say for our family, in terms of usage, we rank:

1. Prime, by a truly significant margin
2. Hulu
3. Disney (can be higher if one of the kids starts binging Marvel or Star Wars)
4. Netflix

I wanted to like Peacock for the EPL, but found that just too often the game I wanted to watch was on terrestrial (in which case I can watch it on Hulu) or on NBCSN, for which I have no access.

[Edward64]

Done with Evil s3. Pretty good but the weakest of the 3.

s3 got a lot more stupid weird with the "family" re: mother & husband. At this point, I think the mother & husband are distractions and should be written out and/or greatly reduced. The "entity" arc is just stupid with their stupid missions.

Nun Andrea + shovel is great! The monsignor tangent was a nice, subtle touch. The "sexy" Kristin is fun.

Looking forward to s4.

Caught up on s4 on Paramount. One more episode for the series finale.

Its been fun, sad to see it go. A contemporary version of X-Files, more occult than sci-fi, but also some great stand alone episodes sandwiched between the big plot arc. Also, quirky and love interest tension.

Next up on Paramount is Seal Team s7, the final season. Always lots of entertaining action.


Also, Rings of Power s2 coming up on Aug 29. Hoping for the best but a clear #3, far behind The Witcher & WoT.

[Edward64]

Got Disney+ again and watched first 2 episodes of The Acolyte.

Personally, I'm enjoying it so far. I can see the lack of white characters, maybe they could have inserted a couple more here and there, but not a major distraction for me.

I like the Master Sol character. His "calmness" (?) fits a Jedi. The martial art action is nice, I like the choreography.

May change my mind after watching more, but sorry to see there isn't going to be a s2.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Got Disney+ again and watched first 2 episodes of The Acolyte.

Personally, I'm enjoying it so far. I can see the lack of white characters, maybe they could have inserted a couple more here and there, but not a major distraction for me.

I like the Master Sol character. His "calmness" (?) fits a Jedi. The martial art action is nice, I like the choreography.

May change my mind after watching more, but sorry to see there isn't going to be a s2.

Unfortunately, the Acolyte was not good. It had nothing to do with the cast. The comment on the “lack of white characters” is really weird and off. I know it’s been a complaint by some Star Wars fans, but it’s really dumb and gross. I’m 50 years old and saw Star Wars when I was 4. It’s been my “favorite movie” since then. It sucks that so much of the fan base is so toxic, whiny and gross. So much of it appears to be a bunch of stunted, incel man-babies. It’s really off-putting.

[bob]

If you have any interest in watching the Acolyte, probably should watch it soon. Rumors are that it will be pulled at some point like the Willow series and other shows and movies so they can save money.

[NobodyHere]

If you have any interest in watching the Acolyte, probably should watch it soon. Rumors are that it will be pulled at some point like the Willow series and other shows and movies so they can save money.

Are you Bob Iger?

[Edward64]

Re-watching Rings s1 because s2 is coming out this week. It hasn’t gotten better over time, I’m still finding it a far 3rd behind Witcher and WoT.

The acting isn’t bad, set pieces and special effects nice but the story (and lack of action) is just boring.

s2 is supposed to be darker. I hope it’s much improved.

[Edward64]

Watched Rings s2.1 and s2.2

Unfortunately, not feeling the love … more of the same from s1. I’ll slog thru it because it’s LoTR but I need more action and less world building & backstories.

[Edward64]

Finished Dark Skies s1 and s2. Supposedly renewed for s3 in 2025.

I enjoyed learning more about Navajo culture and listening to the Dine language. And of the forced sterilization (need to read more about that).

The season arcs were okay to me. A little slow in places but still solid.*

[Edward64]

Watched Rings s2.1 and s2.2

Unfortunately, not feeling the love … more of the same from s1. I’ll slog thru it because it’s LoTR but I need more action and less world building & backstories.

If I was Bezos, I'd be firing whoever is in charge with Rings. Ep 4 truly sucked.

[Edward64]

Ep 5 was a little better but not by much. Boring. I've seen some online/YT reviews and it's all over the place. There looks to be some action next week.

Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 85% but the popcornmeter is 59%. I'm more of the popcornmeter.

[bob]

Maybe I'm being overly hopeful because I've paid for a year of Apple TV+ and ran out of things to watch, but this looks great:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BCA9jpc4R74?si=cYK0IqiDl5EEEM_c" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Did anyone watch this? If so, thoughts?

[Lathum]

I found this fun little watch on Disney+ called Port Protection. It is a mountain men type show about a small community in Alaska. Nothing earth shattering, just a fun watch

[Honolulu_Blue]

Ep 5 was a little better but not by much. Boring. I've seen some online/YT reviews and it's all over the place. There looks to be some action next week.

Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 85% but the popcornmeter is 59%. I'm more of the popcornmeter.

I’m enjoying it more than I know I should.

[sovereignstar v2]

I've never liked Rotten Tomatoes for TV shows. IMDb is a much better barometer for them. There are so many crappy shows that brag about their 100% rotten tomatoes score in advertisements, which is a score they received because five people said it was not bad

[Critch]

Did anyone watch this? If so, thoughts?

I watched the first two episodes. First one was ok, just set things up. Second episode was awful and that's when I gave up. I might get back to it, but the reviews werent great.

[Lathum]

I don't care what is between her legs, Laverne Cox is hot.

[NobodyHere]

I cancelled my Hulu subscription. Waaaaay too many political ads on there for my liking.

[korme]

I cancelled my Hulu subscription. Waaaaay too many political ads on there for my liking.

Go ahead and cancel all of your other subscriptions then

[NobodyHere]

I only have Amazon Prime left and so far I haven't seen too many.

[Edward64]

Been watching episodes of Soc119. Live discussions from a Penn State sociology class dealing with many contemporary topics.

SOC 119 - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHQmMru9nAJ71FMrGfhfJQ)

[Edward64]

For fans of Silo, s2 is coming out Nov 15 - Jan 17. Will have to turn on AppleTV late Jan.

For those that haven't seen it, IMO well worth the 1 month subscription.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLJDR-vFUdY

[Ghost Econ]

Finally got around to watching The Terror since I don't do horror shows. First season the show is about the failed John Franklin Northwest Passage Expedition in the 1800s but with minimal supernatural elements. Everything about it is expertly done and is just 10 hours of human suffering.

[thesloppy]

Finally got around to watching The Terror since I don't do horror shows. First season the show is about the failed John Franklin Northwest Passage Expedition in the 1800s but with minimal supernatural elements. Everything about it is expertly done and is just 10 hours of human suffering.


That first season was terrific

[RainMaker]

Oh crap I didn't even know they made another season of that. First season was great (is Jared Harris ever in anything bad?). I need to watch the 2nd right away.

[stevew]

Car Masters Rust to Riches season 6 is out. Delightful hatewatch of mine.

[Edward64]

I've been watching some fan fiction films. Some with live actors and some animated.

Below is a "best of" for Star Wars. I've seen zombie ones from TWD and WWZ. There are probably tons other for the world/genre you like. Obviously, not near as good acting or CGI but still entertaining enough.

- YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey68aMOV9gc&list=PLdec6ht0Wu-kqHwRIulJ3KMWjgYtimWjb)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ey68aMOV9gc?si=Nosc6hTG5bP_u20E" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Edward64]

I've watched a couple episodes of Netflix's "The Diplomat". Love Keri Russell.

Interesting plot. There are some really smart dialog & interesting twists. Definitely up there with some of Netflix's best. Well worth watching IMO.

Watched up to s2.4

Not quite as good as s1, some of the stuff was way too predictable (e.g. Dennison) but still better than 95% of stuff out there.


Edit: finished s2. Not as good as s1 but still good stuff. Hope they can churn out s3 quickly.

[Atocep]

Anyone watched From? I'm about halfway through S1 and it's fantastic. Kind of has a horror-themed Lost feel to it.

[RainMaker]

Yeah it's really good and I know a ton of people who love it too. Very underrated show hiding on MGM+.

[Ghost Econ]

It felt s little too much like Lost after season 1. Well done show, but more interested in adding questions than trying to answer anything.

[Ghost Econ]

Oh crap I didn't even know they made another season of that. First season was great (is Jared Harris ever in anything bad?). I need to watch the 2nd right away.

Second season has nothing to do with the first. They're using it as a vehicle for anthology story-telling.

[Lathum]

I did not see that coming in the premier of Yellowstone.

[Edward64]

Been watching some "Sirens" on Hulu.

Finished s1.5, it's intriguing, slowly revealing what's happening but some stuff is pretty unbelievable (even for a TV show). It's still fun right now (but can see not finishing s1).

A random thought. I know there were a lot of Stargate series and they petered out. But wouldn't find a new series in that world. There's been a drop in sci-fi (other than Star Trek & Star Wars) and zombie shows right now.

[Edward64]

Atlas on Netflix is another fun movie. I thought J Lo was pretty good.

If you enjoy Mech Warrior and like games, you’ll enjoy Atlas.

[Atocep]

I saw that Severance S2 is finally releasing in January which reminded me of the shittiest part of the streaming era, which is the wait for new seasons. The gap between seasons 1 and 2 of Severance will be just under 3 years.

[RainMaker]

I saw that Severance S2 is finally releasing in January which reminded me of the shittiest part of the streaming era, which is the wait for new seasons. The gap between seasons 1 and 2 of Severance will be just under 3 years.

Yeah, it's made me avoid new shows more often than not. Prefer the limited series or anthologies.

[Ksyrup]

OMFGGTFHOOHFFSTCBR!

I will most definitely buy a month of whatever streaming service I need (if I don't already have it, I can't keep track) to watch this!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a55pyQsI3GQ?si=EU0ji2FS5foI0-O-" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>


On a separate note, has Twitter disabled the ability to embed posts now? I saw this from someone I get notifications from on Twitter, but I had to go find it on YT to embed it here. ElameMuskgo.

[Arles]

Yeah, I'm in on that too

[Lathum]

Watching the original Bad News Bears with my daughter. Man, the scene in the dugout with Amanda and Buttermaker where she is basically begging to be a part of his life and he is pushing her away because he knows he simultaneously wants her in his life but knows he will disappoint her is really well done.

[RainMaker]

Cross on Amazon Prime is pretty fun if you like the books. I dog how Amazon is largely not changing much stuff from the books in their shows like Reacher and Jack Ryan too.

[Lathum]

We are really big fans of Impractical Jokers. Took my kids this morning to meet Murr at a book signing. He was super gracious and nice as could be. Kids were thrilled.

[Ksyrup]

I just bought tickets as an XMas present for my wife to see Joe Gatto in Louisville in May. We saw him in Toronto in June of 2023 while we were on vacation. Wife and I also saw Sal live almost exactly two years ago.

[RainMaker]

Say Nothing is really really good if you have FX/Hulu. One of my favorite books too.

[Atocep]

We are really big fans of Impractical Jokers. Took my kids this morning to meet Murr at a book signing. He was super gracious and nice as could be. Kids were thrilled.

Impractical Jokers and The Office got me through covid quarantine.

[Arles]

Cross on Amazon Prime is pretty fun if you like the books. I dog how Amazon is largely not changing much stuff from the books in their shows like Reacher and Jack Ryan too.
Agree completely. I've read a bunch of Reacher, Clancy (Jack Ryan) & Patterson's Alex Cross series. Having Tyler Perry or Morgan Freeman as Cross and Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher was quite the reach by Hollywood (Esp since Reacher is 6-5, 250 in the books), so the Amazon adaptations have been much truer to the characters. I really liked Hodge as Cross and hope they continue with him like they have done with Reacher and Ryan.

[RainMaker]

The guy they have playing Reacher is perfect casting. It's been awhile since I read some of those books but it just feels spot on. The only minor change is they gave him a little bit of a sense of a dry sense of humor which works well.

I'm of the belief that if a book is really popular, you should stick to keeping it as close as possible. There is a reason the book was popular after all. A lesson for the people who made The Witcher.

[GrantDawg]

Agree completely. I've read a bunch of Reacher, Clancy (Jack Ryan) & Patterson's Alex Cross series. Having Tyler Perry or Morgan Freeman as Cross and Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher was quite the reach by Hollywood (Esp since Reacher is 6-5, 250 in the books), so the Amazon adaptations have been much truer to the characters. I really liked Hodge as Cross and hope they continue with him like they have done with Reacher and Ryan.
I liked the Cross books (the couple I have read) and I really didn't have much of a problem with the Freeman movies. The Tyler Perry one was just bad. I need to watch the Cross show. I do think he is a very good character for a television series.
As for Cruise, I have never gotten how he is such a big action star. He played a good, cocky a-hole in Top Gun, but I have hated any other action movie I have seen him in (which isn't many).

[JPhillips]

I have such a hard time with any Patterson story after he was such a douche as a graduation speaker. The guy got bored and stood up and left half way through.

[GrantDawg]

I have such a hard time with any Patterson story after he was such a douche as a graduation speaker. The guy got bored and stood up and left half way through.
I don't know the story, and really rather not. Whether I can enjoy the art of someone I dislike/disagree with or despise is very case by case, and sometimes it better just not knowing anything about them personally.

[JPhillips]

This happened where I teach. He's from Newburgh.

[Arles]

I think you have to be able to separate a person from their art. Some of the most talented athletes/musicians/actors/artists have been awful human beings. But I would hate to not be able to listen to music or watch a good movie because I "didn't like them".

[Edward64]

Thoroughly enjoyed “A Man on the Inside” on Netflix.

It’s not something I would watch but was surprised by it. A little detective comedy but also very thought provoking about Alzheimer’s. Ted Danson isn’t one of my must see actors but he was darn good.

[Ksyrup]

I watched 2 Netflix true crime documentaries on my business trip to Denver last weekend.

The one on the Zodiac, to the extent the family members interviewed are to be believed (and they seemed to have some corroborating evidence here and there), seems like it makes a pretty compelling case that the guy who was originally on the short list of suspects is the guy (Arthur Leigh Allen). I haven't read any critiques or takedowns on it to know whether some of it was BS or whether people are giving it the benefit of the doubt.

The other was on the "Times Square torso killer" in the late 70s/early 80s. He also did some killin' in NJ at the same time, and of course, at the time, there was no CODIS or really much of any kind of inter-agency cooperation/communication - not to mention the war on prostitutes which kept them from coming forward - so he got away with way too many crimes for way too long.

The funny (to me) thing is, his name was Richard Cottingham, and he went by Richie Cottingham. And then I saw that Ron Howard was one of the executive producers. Close enough that I lol'd.

[Fidatelo]

Finished up Arcane on Netflix this weekend. 10/10, phenomenal show, and this is coming from someone that has never played the game. The story and animation hold their own and I enjoyed every minute of it. My son watched with me and he does play the game and I think enjoyed it even more because he would giggle in delight when he recognized things.

[Edward64]

Dune Prophecy has exceeded my expectations.

[Edward64]

Netflix's Abigail was surprisingly entertaining. A horror movie with sprinkles of comedy. First half was kinda slow but second half was great. Nice special effects also.

Also watched some Monsieur Spade. Talk about slow as molasses, gave up on it. Also, the smoking was distracting and made me a little nauseous. I get it's in character but I wish we could go back to 00's and early 10's when smoking was much less in films.

[Ghost Econ]

Just saw that the people who made Friday Night Lights are doing a reboot with an all new cast. Not sure how I feel about it. Outside of Lance killing a guy and Street trying to go all Deep Blue Sea in season 2, it was near perfect.

However, I did see a blurb about Blue Bloods ending after 14 seasons. First, I didn't know it was still on the air. Second, I don't think I've ever seen a single second of any episode. Even on accident, I don't think I've accidentally channel surfed across a live episode or rerun for a show that has been on a major network almost as long as my daughter has been alive.

[Ksyrup]

OMFGGTFHOOHFFSTCBR!

I will most definitely buy a month of whatever streaming service I need (if I don't already have it, I can't keep track) to watch this!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a55pyQsI3GQ?si=EU0ji2FS5foI0-O-" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>


On a separate note, has Twitter disabled the ability to embed posts now? I saw this from someone I get notifications from on Twitter, but I had to go find it on YT to embed it here. ElameMuskgo.

This was fantastic. It could have been longer and the geek in me would have liked some interviews with the second and third-tier participants (Player and the like), but the subject was treated with the lightness it deserved, while also doing a great job of explaining all of the tentacles of 70s lite rock/jazz/R&B that emanated from Steely Dan and the studio musicians who formed the core of Toto. I knew a decent amount of the connections, but still didn't realize the extent Porcaro, Paisch and others from Toto were all over mid-70s to mid-80s music.

The best part was near the end when they played about a 20 second audio recording of the director calling Donald Fagan and asking him for a short interview about the "genre" he was doing a documentary for. When Fagan asked which genre and he said "Yacht Rock," Fagan tells him to go fuck himself and hangs up!

The irony is that the first third of this documentary is basically idolizing Fagan and Becker for their own work and for everything that came out of their band members. It's like seeing the Bill Walsh coaching tree of lite rock.

Highly recommended.

[Edward64]

Would love to see a series made. Need more sci-fi-fantasy and apocalyptic shows.

So it had a rough start, but it's already received several significant patches. GSC Game World owner Maxim Krippa is already looking to the future, though, revealing in an interview with Forbes Ukraine (via Polygon) that Stalker 2 may be getting a Netflix show.

Krippa told Forbes: "I would like us to get the series on Netflix. Some negotiations are underway, but the issue has not yet been resolved." Given TV's enduring love-in with stark post-apocalyptic fiction, not to mention the success of the brilliant HBO show Chernobyl, Stalker 2 seems like a marriage of themes bound to get the attention of streaming services. According to ITC.ua, which translated the Forbes interview, Krippa is inspired by the promotion strategy of CD Projekt RED and the immense success it had with The Witcher, so it seems that Krippa has ambitions of making Stalker 'The Witcher of Ukraine'.

[thesloppy]

Odd to not even mention the original Stalker film on which the games are based.

[JPhillips]

Anybody watching Earth Abides on MGM+? A friend from grad school is the female lead.

[Edward64]

Alright, going to fess up. Started watching K-drama love story "Crash Landing on You" with the missus yesterday and it was ... pretty decent.

Lots of K-dramas get tedious because the pacing is off, or there's is a ton of useless, redundant filler stuff but we're into Ep 4 and it's still engaging.

It is plagued with exaggerated stereotypes, but I appreciate seeing hints of life in North Korea; romantic tension; drama from some sort of mystery; the mini cliffhangers and reveals; and comedy tossed in etc. The acting by the lead actress is also pretty good.

So, if you can handle subtitles and don't mind the typical K-drama'isms (?), give it a try with the significant other. It is better than vast majority of K-dramas that I've seen (including the zombie ones).

[Critch]

We went through 3 seasons of Mr Inbetween in like 2 weeks, amazing. I guess you could kind of compare it to something like an Aussie Breaking Bad, although the lead has "broke bad" already. Very, very Australian (Americans will need subtitles) and shot all around where I live which definitely added to my enjoyment of it.

A few years later but I'll add another vote for Mr Inbetween. Started watching it last week and just about finished the first two seasons.

It's very good, Breaking Bad is what I thought of too. Balancing his ordinary everyday life but with the background that he's an enforcer/hitman for organized crime.

I didnt need subtitles but I'm not American. I grew up with Home and Away, Neighbours and Rolf Harris on TV so maybe I'm more attuned to the Australian accent. Havent had any real issue understanding them.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I’ve been enjoying “Creature Commandos” on Max and “Secret Level” on Amazon Prime.

[Edward64]

Looking forward to 2025 streaming shows ...

https://time.com/7201101/anticipated-tv-shows-2025/

Of particular interest to me ...

Alien: Earth
A Knight of the 7 Kingdoms
Andor s2
The Last of Us s2
Stranger Things s5
Wednesday s2


Not mentioned but I know is coming next year

Wheel of Time s3
Strange New Worlds s3
Starfleet Academy

[PilotMan]

Blasting through Silo on Apple. Really enjoying the character arc they have Steve Zahn this second season. I never intended to keep paying for Apple after my free trial but we've watched some great series. From the obvious with Ted Lasso, and For All Mankind to Shrinking and Silo. Really some top notch series.


Season 1 of For All Mankind might be the best first season of any series, ever.

[Lathum]

Shrinking season 2 is fantastic. I hope they win all the awards. It really hits every note. The stuff with Roy Kent is really powerful. Best season of a show I have seen since maybe Ted Lasso season 1.

[PilotMan]

Shrinking season 2 is fantastic. I hope they win all the awards. It really hits every note. The stuff with Roy Kent is really powerful. Best season of a show I have seen since maybe Ted Lasso season 1.


I didn't realize that he and Jason Segel are the primary creators for it. He's been so under the radar. It's really a great credit to him.

[NobodyHere]

So i tried watching Shogun on Hulu...

I don't think modern dramas are for me. They all try to be to be Game of Thrones-esque. It's too dark and grim and no sense of humor whatsever. Also why are you showing a scene of a person being boiled alive and then going straight to a sex scene? Add to it that there are no likable characters (as far as the first episode goes. No wonder people are so depressed nowadays. Why do people watch this show? /rant

[Ksyrup]

Different issue than yours, but one of the reasons I stopped watching fictional shows is that I got sick of every show trying to out-do the last show with how many storylines they can cram into each season and how every individual show has to relate in some way to the characters' lives (thinking more along the lines of crime procedurals that I (used to) enjoy).

It started with L&O and then CSI, and in the early-mid 00's, I gave up on TV shows because the stories went from "crime of the week" to "crime that impacts characters and storylines." EVERY FUCKING WEEK. That's why I watch Columbo so much, and really enjoy Poker Face. There was really only one main storyline that ran through Poker Face S1, but each episode can be viewed in isolation. I hope S2 - which wrapped filming just before Xmas - continues that trend.

Wife and I picked up watching Ripper Street (well, I started and then she picked it up when she got interested in it while I was watching), a decade-old historical crime drama, and I do enjoy it, but the storyline thing is infuriating. Nearly every episode has to be tied into multiple evolving storylines, and I just don't need it.

[RainMaker]

I didn't realize that he and Jason Segel are the primary creators for it. He's been so under the radar. It's really a great credit to him.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is really good and I'm surprised he doesn't get more opportunities.

[Edward64]

AppleTV had a free weekend so watched Masters of the Air and now up to date on Silo s2.

I enjoyed the early episodes of Air but skipped through much of the POW camp portions. I didn't mind some of that but there were episodes where it was 50%+ of the story. The Tuskegee Airmen arc didn't have much depth either. So good, but not as good as Band of Brothers or The Pacific

Also enjoyed Silo s2 but my big critique is the dark lighting in the new silo. I get it wanting to be 'realistic' but they could have upped it a couple notches. I do not enjoy having to strain to catch what is going on with my 85" TV. Otherwise, fantastic watch.

Also caught Wolfs with Brad Pitt & George Clooney. Fun movies. I'm glad these former/current A-listers aren't limited by big screen movie roles anymore.

[thesloppy]

Season 1 of For All Mankind might be the best first season of any series, ever.

I really enjoyed season 1, but season 2 is losing me. Season 1 was like 66% space fun and alternate history, which is unique and interesting, with some great character drama to back it up. Season 2 (so far) is like 80% character drama that is neither unique or all that interesting and 20% space and alternate history. Let's dig into 4 or 5 different marriages, let's follow one of the kids full college selection process, the Baldwin's buy a restaurant! Larry's got a boyfriend. Tracy has a new rich husband. Gordo doesn't like the speaking circuit.

It's certainly not BAD character drama, but it's not unique in any way and it's running roughshod over the more interesting parts of the show (to me).

[Honolulu_Blue]

I really enjoyed season 1, but season 2 is losing me. Season 1 was like 66% space fun and alternate history, which is unique and interesting, with some great character drama to back it up. Season 2 (so far) is like 80% character drama that is neither unique or all that interesting and 20% space and alternate history. Let's dig into 4 or 5 different marriages, let's follow one of the kids full college selection process, the Baldwin's buy a restaurant! Larry's got a boyfriend. Tracy has a new rich husband. Gordo doesn't like the speaking circuit.

It's certainly not BAD character drama, but it's not unique in any way and it's running roughshod over the more interesting parts of the show (to me).

I felt the exact same way. I really enjoyed the show and think it’s really well done, but I lost steam somewhere in the second season due to too much soap opera type stuff.

[RainMaker]

I'm not sure what season it starts but there is a really bad storyline that pops up either in season 2 or 3.

And agree with you both. Was way more fun when it was just a cool alt-history space show

[thesloppy]

Even the suggestion that Ed would send fatass, paranoid, alcoholic, 10-years-out-of-practice, Gordo to space, entirely on Ed's own whim, to fix Gordo's depression, was counter to the entire first season.

[RainMaker]

Never get my hopes up for Netflix shows but American Primevil seems cool.

[PilotMan]

A Man on the Inside with Ted Danson is easily one of the best new shows. For a comedy it hits some very heavy, emotional notes.

[Atocep]

I wouldn't have watched it on my own, but I watched Laid on peacock with the wife and it's a pretty entertaining series. Far better than I expected.

[GrantDawg]

I wouldn't have watched it on my own, but I watched Laid on peacock with the wife and it's a pretty entertaining series. Far better than I expected.
We have been watching "The Sex Lives of College Girls" and have enjoyed it way more than we thought we would.

[Kodos]

We've been watching The Americans. Really enjoying it so far.

[Edward64]

We've been watching The Americans. Really enjoying it so far.

Great series early on. Then it kinda dragged on but still enjoyed it. Wish they would do a spin-off series.



We just finished rewatching Stranger Things s1-4.

s4 was fun except the kids clearly outgrew the show. I hope they do something more believable for s5.

[JPhillips]

We've been watching The Americans. Really enjoying it so far.

It's fantastic. The last episode is one of the best closers in series tv.

[Kodos]

We’re mid-season 2 right now. So lots left to enjoy.

[Ghost Econ]

Really enjoyed season 2 of Shrinking on Apple TV. Tried to get through season 2 of Silo but it's so boring. And Common is such a horrendous actor.

For some reason I decided to watch the Korean zombie drama Happiness. A few episodes longer than it needed to be, but it was actually a really enjoyable show. Was pleasantly surprised and had an interesting though at times confusing twist on a zombie infection.

Also watched Clickbait from 2021. It's a lite but occasionally interesting series about a guy abducted for being a rapist, or is he? It's short enough that it moves quick which makes its holes easier to forgive.

[Passacaglia]

Figure this is as good a place as any to ask...

Are there different levels of Prime Video? My kid wants to watch the 1992 Batman animated series, and it keeps telling me I'm not subscribed to Prime Video when I try to put it on. I'm logged in and everything, and can watch other shows on Prime Video, but for that show it keeps wanting to start charging me $15 per month for Prime Video.

Does that happen to anyone else when they try to watch that show?

[sovereignstar v2]

I don't think there are different levels. Show works fine for me.

https://i.ibb.co/3Ty5vCj/Screenshot-2025-01-15-082216.png (https://ibb.co/3Ty5vCj)

[Edward64]

Figure this is as good a place as any to ask...

Are there different levels of Prime Video? My kid wants to watch the 1992 Batman animated series, and it keeps telling me I'm not subscribed to Prime Video when I try to put it on. I'm logged in and everything, and can watch other shows on Prime Video, but for that show it keeps wanting to start charging me $15 per month for Prime Video.

Does that happen to anyone else when they try to watch that show?

There aren't different levels of Prime that I know of.

However, not all shows on Prime are free and you have to pay for them. I wonder if that 1992 Batman is a series that gives you first show free and then you have to pay for the rest of the "season"?

[sovereignstar v2]

Don't think that's the case here. It wouldn't say included with prime like my screenshot shows. I have it in the background as I'm working and I'm past the first ep

[Passacaglia]

Don't think that's the case here. It wouldn't say included with prime like my screenshot shows. I have it in the background as I'm working and I'm past the first ep

Yep, it was definitely implying it would be free if I had Prime. There were options to buy it, but instead of your "Included with Prime" line, I was getting a "Watch with Prime" line.

Problem solved, though. I logged out on my phone, and it kept me logged in, but it worked. On the Roku, I needed to log out, then sign in again, and it worked.

Thanks sov! I probably should have tried that in the first place, I think I just needed validation that it's supposed to work before doing that.

[Ghost Econ]

I wouldn't have watched it on my own, but I watched Laid on peacock with the wife and it's a pretty entertaining series. Far better than I expected.

Watched Laid in an afternoon. Definitely a farcical show. Still can't stand Zosia Mamet, but the lead had the right energy. The male protagonist was bland. In all, similar in tone to that other Peacock show about Podcast murders. I will say it's one of the few magical mystery shows where I didn't really care about the why it was happening. It kind of reminded me of The Resort that was also on Peacock with Cristin Milioti, but not quite as good.

Watched On Call on Prime. It's a Dick Wolf 30 minute cop show. Gave a lot of Southland vibes and wanted to be Training Day. It's a quick binge since the episodes are short, but the male cop was too much like Freddie Prince Jr. Not good, but something you can watch quickly if for some reason you need Lori Laughlin popping up every 20 minutes on your TV.

I am enjoying The Pitt on HBO Max. Quickly paced med show with Noah Wylie, who seems to have achieved just the right level of fame. He's a solid actor who can carry a show but just doesn't quite have "it" to be a movie star breakout like Clooney. I find myself looking away every 15 minutes because it's kinda gory, but definitely hits that nostalgia juice

[Ghost Econ]

I've also been watching the 90s Outer Limits on Roku. Besides there being far less T&A than teenage me remembers, but there are a lot more misses than hits. And the production value is generally terrible and Canadian.

But, Season 4, episode 3, Hearts and Minds, was almost the exact same thing as the Black Mirror episode Men Against Fire. Like I'm surprised there wasn't a lawsuit. It is fun getting to see a bunch of random people who weren't yet starts. One episode had Kirsten Dunst and pre-Dawson's Josh Jackson. Ryan Reynolds still had baby fat. Autistic Neal Patrick Harris was basically just a non-horny Barney Stinson. Even Gary Cole shows up right before he becomes a that guy.

[Kodos]

Watched Star Wars Skeleton Crew. It’s a fun kid adventure show that the whole family can enjoy. Really well done. Reminds me of 80s era movies like E.T.

[Edward64]

Yes, enjoyed it too.

Kids were a little annoying at times but then I realized, pretty true to life.

[Ghost Econ]

Netflix prices are going up again.

[GrantDawg]

I hate watching weekly shows. I will alomst always wait till an entire season is out before I start watching. Mainly because I will get into other shows with multiple seasons and just forget what was going on in a show between weeks. BUT, I'm really tempted to get into "The Pitt". I was going to wait till it was all out, but I just read they are planning a 15(!) episode first season, and I don't think I want to wait that long to get started. Basically early "ER" on cable? That just seems too good.

[Sweed]

I hate watching weekly shows. I will alomst always wait till an entire season is out before I start watching. Mainly because I will get into other shows with multiple seasons and just forget what was going on in a show between weeks. BUT, I'm really tempted to get into "The Pitt". I was going to wait till it was all out, but I just read they are planning a 15(!) episode first season, and I don't think I want to wait that long to get started. Basically early "ER" on cable? That just seems too good.

I’ve watched the first four episodes. It’s like “24”, hour by hour. At least so far.
Feels similar to er.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I hate watching weekly shows. I will alomst always wait till an entire season is out before I start watching. Mainly because I will get into other shows with multiple seasons and just forget what was going on in a show between weeks. BUT, I'm really tempted to get into "The Pitt". I was going to wait till it was all out, but I just read they are planning a 15(!) episode first season, and I don't think I want to wait that long to get started. Basically early "ER" on cable? That just seems too good.

I'm the opposite. I rarely have the time to watch more than one episode or so a day. So, whenever there is a show drops on Neftlix, all the episodes at once, I tend to get pretty behind on my stories. I much prefer the once a week - Sunday nights on HBO for example - release schedule.

I mainly watch shows Monday and Friday mornings, since I work from home those days, and occasionally on another morning when the kids are gone. My wife doesn't really watch TV other than the very rare show, so I have to find time to do so when I can.

[Ksyrup]

We barely make time to watch things, whether they drop one at a time or all at once. We are still cycling through a few series from last year. I really don't like watching more than 1 episode of anything at a time. The most we'll do is one episode of 2 series back to back at night and that's it. Unless I'm on a plane, then sometimes I can watch a 3-part series all at once.

I can't fathom sitting in front of a TV for hours at a time watching a TV series. Too much live sports content on for that nonsense!

[Edward64]

So, what's the deal with Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni? Seems this is like another Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp.

Team Lively or Team Baldoni?

Lively sued Baldoni, his production company and others in New York in late December for sexual harassment and attacks on her reputation and asked for unspecified damages. Baldoni sued earlier this month, accusing Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion and seeking at least $400 million in damages.

Details of the harassment below

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/blake-lively-accuses-ends-us-co-star-justin-baldoni-sexual-harassment-rcna185113

[NobodyHere]

Team Hollywood-Gets Too-Much-Attention-Already

[Honolulu_Blue]

We barely make time to watch things, whether they drop one at a time or all at once. We are still cycling through a few series from last year. I really don't like watching more than 1 episode of anything at a time. The most we'll do is one episode of 2 series back to back at night and that's it. Unless I'm on a plane, then sometimes I can watch a 3-part series all at once.

I can't fathom sitting in front of a TV for hours at a time watching a TV series. Too much live sports content on for that nonsense!

Heh! Yeah, even when I do have extra time, I rarely watch more than one or two episodes at a time. I don't like to rush things and tend to want to savor and enjoy each episode. It's slightly different for a 30 minute show.

I do have a few work-related trips coming up - one to California - I plan to get through some shows and maybe a movie or two.

[GrantDawg]

Watching TV is what my wife and I do together. It is our time, and we enjoy it.

[GrantDawg]

So, what's the deal with Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni? Seems this is like another Amber Heard vs Johnny Depp.

Team Lively or Team Baldoni?



Details of the harassment below

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/blake-lively-accuses-ends-us-co-star-justin-baldoni-sexual-harassment-rcna185113
That whole thing is a mess, and it is really hard to say who is right and wrong. I have a feeling it is much like the Heard/Depp thing and they are both just pretty annoying people.

[Ghost Econ]

The Pitt is so damn good and everything I didn't realize has been missing from TV in the streaming era.

[GrantDawg]

They are bringing back Buffy! I do wonder what it will be like without Whedon writing it.

'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Reboot With Sarah Michelle Gellar At Hulu (https://deadline.com/2025/02/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-reboot-sarah-michelle-gellar-hulu-pilot-chloe-zhao-1236273767/)

[Honolulu_Blue]

They are bringing back Buffy! I do wonder what it will be like without Whedon writing it.

'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Reboot With Sarah Michelle Gellar At Hulu (https://deadline.com/2025/02/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-reboot-sarah-michelle-gellar-hulu-pilot-chloe-zhao-1236273767/)

It’ll be interesting to see. While the whole Whedon thing hangs like a dark cloud over the series, there are few shows I loved more than Buffy. I really loved that show for a long time. The first three seasons were amazing and while the second four were more hit or miss the hits remained pretty incredible.

[GrantDawg]

Rumors on the new Ted Lasso series says that the focus is going to be on the formation of a new AFC Richmond women's team.
Report: Ted Lasso season 4 will focus on new AFC Richmond women’s team - 9to5Mac (https://9to5mac.com/2025/02/05/report-ted-lasso-season-4-will-focus-on-new-afc-richmond-womens-team/)

[Ghost Econ]

Telly I The biggest thing to happen to TV since color. (https://www.freetelly.com/)

Saw this in my news feed and it seems interesting. Reminds me of NetZero or Juno internet from back in the day, or when they offered free computers if you would just have ads around the screen.

Personally, I wouldn't mind having it as an extra screen in the office since I'm in there most of the day. Need to upgrade my old 42" 1080p anyway and free seems good. If it wants to listen in on my day to day life, it would just hear me farting and telling the dog to stop humping my leg.

Got an email saying I should expect to get this TV soon. Appears to be a 55" 4k TV with a second ticket screen below and a sound bar. Interested to see how I enjoy it. I'm sure my wife will be happy to have me take the PS5 out of the bedroom.

[Toddzilla]

Lioness (Amazon? Hulu?) is an amazing series if you're into CIA ops and stuff like that. Zoe Saldana is top notch. Never a dull moment.

[GrantDawg]

It's on Paramount+

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[cubboyroy1826]

Lioness (Amazon? Hulu?) is an amazing series if you're into CIA ops and stuff like that. Zoe Saldana is top notch. Never a dull moment.

The first season was good but the second season I thought was way better.

[Edward64]

Been watching Prime's "On Call" about a veteran cop and her rookie.

Enjoying it quite a bit. Some moral dilemmas and good action.

[Toddzilla]

The first season was good but the second season I thought was way better.The way season 2 took a massive turn before the last episode didn't sit right with me. It was like the writer was told to scrap what he had planned for the end and had to ad-lib a finale. Seemed a tad preposterous.

[akoleander]

Been watching Prime's "On Call" about a veteran cop and her rookie.

Enjoying it quite a bit. Some moral dilemmas and good action.

I just finished this one last night. I really liked it and hope it gets a 2nd season. The 30 minutes episodes make it a nice quick watch.

[cubboyroy1826]

The way season 2 took a massive turn before the last episode didn't sit right with me. It was like the writer was told to scrap what he had planned for the end and had to ad-lib a finale. Seemed a tad preposterous.

Yeah I can see what you are saying. I almost felt there were a couple more episodes coming to wrap things up better.

[Edward64]

I just finished this one last night. I really liked it and hope it gets a 2nd season. The 30 minutes episodes make it a nice quick watch.

Finished s1.

Good action, okay acting, enjoyed some of the side stories (siblings, dog), a little weak on the plot arc at the end, but I'd recommend it and looking forward to s2.

[Lathum]

Just watched The Comeback on Netflix, the story of the 2004 Red Sox and it was outstanding. The tribute to Wakefield at the end had me in tears. Really fun to relive that series and amazingly well done.

[Edward64]

Nice!

Hope they spend some money on it and have some decent directing and stories. Unfortunately, no ETA in the article.

'Dungeons & Dragons' Live-Action Series in the Works at Netflix (https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/dungeons-and-dragons-live-action-series-netflix-1236307153/)
The live-action “Dungeons & Dragons” TV series has found new life.

Variety has confirmed with sources that a new iteration of the project is currently in development at Netflix. There had previously been a “DnD” series set up at Paramount+ with a series order, but that project ultimately did not move forward due to strategic shifts at Paramount as well as the sale of co-studio eOne by Hasbro. Hasbro Entertainment is also producing the new project.

The series is currently titled “The Forgotten Realms,” named after the famous “DnD” campaign setting.

[Edward64]

Finished watching Silo s2. Had to look up Georgia's 15th District :)

Fantastic series, nice ending. Highly recommend you do a 1 month subscription to AppleTV to watch it. The biggest ding was the lighting. Others have complained and they've acknowledged it.

Silo showrunner agrees season 2 was too dark and promises "we will be outdoors" more in season 3
“Listen, I’m not going to defend it. It’s just the way it plays. And sometimes stuff looks one way in a dark editing room,” admitted Yost. “When we showed the first episode on a big screen in London, it looked fantastic because motion picture screens are very bright. So I just encourage everyone to crank up the brightness, and you’ll see a difference.”
My beautiful OLED was cranked up to 100 and I still had difficulty. I had to change it to "vivid" mode to make it bearable.

[Edward64]

Enjoyed AppleTV's The Gorge.

The first 1.5 hours was great. Some logic holes in the story telling, the acting wasn't that great, but still pretty engrossing and fun action. The last 30 min was not as good but still fun.

It would be great if they continued to build on the world, maybe a prequel.

[Edward64]

Last of Us s2 coming soon

HBO has narrowed down exactly when the second season of The Last of Us will debut. Today the network announced that season 2 will kick off on April 13th on both HBO and Max; previously we only knew it would appear some time in April.

[GrantDawg]

Amazon just paid a billion dollars for the full rights to James Bond. That seems crazy.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

[CrimsonFox]

I'm finally watching Season two of Squid Games. It makes me sad.

[Edward64]

Amazon just paid a billion dollars for the full rights to James Bond. That seems crazy.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

Yeah, I would prefer more Bourne or John Wick like than Bond.

I can think of several other ways to spend the $1B. Many great other fantasy/sci-fi worlds (and books) to make into film.

[GrantDawg]

Yeah, I would prefer more Bourne or John Wick like than Bond.

I can think of several other ways to spend the $1B. Many great other fantasy/sci-fi worlds (and books) to make into film.
Read up about the fight MGM (which Amazon owns) and the family that owned the rights to the franchise, I get why they wanted to get rid of them. They have stood in the way of several projects that might have made money, like a spinoff movie with Halley Berry in the early 00 based on her Bond role, and a possible Quentin Tarantino Bond movie. Of course, now the danger is it becomes corporate shill Bond, with 6 different tv shows and 5 spin-off movie franchises. All I would really like is a throw-back Bond, set in the cold war that has the grittiness of the book Bond. Alcoholic, and on the edge.

[Edward64]

All I would really like is a throw-back Bond, set in the cold war that has the grittiness of the book Bond. Alcoholic, and on the edge.

Sean Connery was the epitome Bond (but an asshole since he thought it was okay to hit women)

Daniel Craig was the best Bond. He had the most realistic fight scenes vs the comical ka-pow, chop crap.

[GrantDawg]

Sean Connery was the epitome Bond (but an asshole since he thought it was okay to hit women)

Daniel Craig was the best Bond. He had the most realistic fight scenes vs the comical ka-pow, chop crap.
I agree that Craig was probably the best, yet Connery is the eternal symbolic Bond. I have been kicking around doing a Bond marathon watching all the Bonds. I think the one I loved as a kid will be the hardest now to watch, Rodger Moore.

[Lathum]

I have never seen a single Bond movie

[Lathum]

dola- Wife and I are working through Better Call Saul.

Maybe it is just the hype, or my love for Breaking Bad, but it is just ok.

[GrantDawg]

dola- Wife and I are working through Better Call Saul.

Maybe it is just the hype, or my love for Breaking Bad, but it is just ok.
I am with you. I just didn't enjoy it. People claim it is better than BB, and I really think they are just playing a big practical joke on everybody. I finished it, but it was hard to keep going.

[Lathum]

I am with you. I just didn't enjoy it. People claim it is better than BB, and I really think they are just playing a big practical joke on everybody. I finished it, but it was hard to keep going.

It is insane to claim it is better than BB.

We are about to start season 4 and yeah, slogging through it.

I think one of the problems with binge watching shows instead of watching them as they come out organically can hurt the experience. A lot of these shows repeat themes, Ozark was a big one with this, and when you binge watch it you really notice it, but when the seasons are 18 months apart you don't.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I am with you. I just didn't enjoy it. People claim it is better than BB, and I really think they are just playing a big practical joke on everybody. I finished it, but it was hard to keep going.

Yeah, I didn't last all that long with BCS.

McKean's "acting" killed the show for me, one of the worst characters AND portrayals I've ever had the misfortune to come across.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I really loved Better Call Saul. I definitely think it's on par with Breaking Bad.

Overall, I like Saul/Jimmy more as a character than Walter White - I found him easier to route for - and Kim Wexler was absolutely fantastic.

[Lathum]

Yeah, I didn't last all that long with BCS.

McKean's "acting" killed the show for me, one of the worst characters AND portrayals I've ever had the misfortune to come across.

His story line is really dumb and borderline unwatchable.

I really loved Better Call Saul. I definitely think it's on par with Breaking Bad.

Overall, I like Saul/Jimmy more as a character than Walter White - I found him easier to route for - and Kim Wexler was absolutely fantastic.

I like Saul and agree Wexler is fantastic. For me the best part of the show is actually the stuff with Nacho and Mike.

[BishopMVP]

Of course, now the danger is it becomes corporate shill Bond, with 6 different tv shows and 5 spin-off movie franchises. All I would really like is a throw-back Bond, set in the cold war that has the grittiness of the book Bond. Alcoholic, and on the edge.
Why not both? The way they pump out series these days why can't we have a gritty Tinker Tailor type Bond show and a more generic modern day spy thriller with his name slapped on it going at the same time they make big budget centerpiece movies too? I don't care about what's canon in the Marvel or Star Wars universes these days, I just binge specific series when a new season drops if it sounds good.

[Ghost Econ]

The Pitt broke me

[Honolulu_Blue]

His story line is really dumb and borderline unwatchable.



I like Saul and agree Wexler is fantastic. For me the best part of the show is actually the stuff with Nacho and Mike.

It's, also, possible that because I am a lawyer that I might enjoy some of the legal things that are happen in the show more than some.

[Lathum]

Not sure anyone has had a better run than Tom Hanks from 1992-2000.

A league of Their own
Sleepless in Seattle
Philadelphia- Oscar
Forrest Gump-Oscar
Apollo 13
Toy Story
Saving Private Ryan- oscar nom
Toy Story 2
The Green Mile
Cast Away- Oscar Nom


Just a sick run of movies...

[Edward64]

Binge watched Netflix's Zero Day.

DeNiro is as good as always. The big plot was somewhat unbelievable, but not too outrageously so. Better than 80% of what's out there so worth the watch.

[RainMaker]

The Pitt broke me

What in the fuck did I just watch?

[Ghost Econ]

What in the fuck did I just watch?

You watched the latest episode with the kid in the swimming pool?

[RainMaker]

You watched the latest episode with the kid in the swimming pool?

Yeah that's the saddest episode of any show I've ever watched holy shit.

[Ghost Econ]

I basically hid behind the dog while I watched it because I didn't want my wife to see me... but I know she heard the awkward muffled breathing of me trying not to break down.

[Ksyrup]

I don't think a specific date has been given, but S2 of Poker Face is set to be released on Peacock this spring. Can't wait. I saw an article describing the first episode as 1 actor portraying multiple siblings and immediately thought that this is probably a riff on Columbo's Double Shock episode in which Martin Landau played twin brothers who pointed the finger at each other for the murder of their rich uncle but who actually were in it together.

[RainMaker]

Zero Day is genuinely one of the worst shows I've ever seen and it has an incredible cast. Just insane to put that much money into something so poorly written.

[whomario]

Yeah, i liked the first couple scenes but then the plot started ...

Also new, "Running Point" with Kate Hudson wasn't half bad for what it is. The actual basketball stuff is as corny and lazy as usual but it doesn't really play a big part anyway.

[Edward64]

Resident Alien is a quirky, fun series. I enjoyed the first couple seasons but s3 turned a little darker with the greys. s4 supposedly end of 2025.

Love the scenery.

[Ksyrup]

Anyone watch Bodkin on Netflix? For some reason I decided to pick it up (I guess the Ireland angle caught me, having visited there last summer). I'm 6 of 7 episodes in. Still not sure what I think of it or if I like it. This is why I prefer the comfort of Columbo - it never lets me down (and the crappy episodes I know to avoid).

[Edward64]

For All Mankind. Quality entertainment

[Edward64]

Watched a couple episodes of Netflix's Adolescence. A detective who-dunnit.

The series has a reality TV feel to it. The camera films a section/dialogue non-stop so there are times when I feel it hangs too long but still interesting to watch the actors play out.

It's based in UK, so also interesting to see how UK movies "portray" how their police deal with crime (e.g. booking process, attorney, investigation etc.)

Worth spending 15-20 min on first episode to see if you like it.

[Lathum]

There is going to be a golden bachelor in paradise. Gross.

[Ghost Econ]

Watched the Ruby Franke documentary on Hulu about the Mormon mom-fluencer who tortured her youngest kids. It's just insane how prevalent this end times stuff is and how much it's contributing to the destruction of America.

Also, her husband may be the dumbest human alive.

[GrantDawg]

Watched the Ruby Franke documentary on Hulu about the Mormon mom-fluencer who tortured her youngest kids. It's just insane how prevalent this end times stuff is and how much it's contributing to the destruction of America.

Also, her husband may be the dumbest human alive.
There are so many religious groups that have their whole identity based on soon to happen apocalyptic expectations. They breed these dark radical ideologies that almost always end in some severe mental and physical abuse and/or death.

[Edward64]

Started watching "The Bondsman" on Prime. Pretty entertaining mix of lite comedy, lite horror, music, action & good writing (so far).

Who doesn't love Kevin Bacon.

[NobodyHere]

There is going to be a golden bachelor in paradise. Gross.

Better than Bachelor in golden shower paradise.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Watched a couple episodes of Netflix's Adolescence. A detective who-dunnit.

The series has a reality TV feel to it. The camera films a section/dialogue non-stop so there are times when I feel it hangs too long but still interesting to watch the actors play out.

It's based in UK, so also interesting to see how UK movies "portray" how their police deal with crime (e.g. booking process, attorney, investigation etc.)

Worth spending 15-20 min on first episode to see if you like it.

I ended up watching all four episodes in one go, which is rare for me, given I don’t like to binge shows.

The show is that good. The subject matter is tough, but the show is a work of art. Each episode is filmed as one, long continuous shot with the camera flowing through the action. The writing and acting are off the charts. It’s one of the best shows of the year so far and very much worth watching.

It’s a great show and not at all “a detective who-dunnit.” Definitely worth your time.

[Edward64]

It’s a great show and not at all “a detective who-dunnit.” Definitely worth your time.

Well, I did say I had watched a couple episodes and ep2 was a detective who-dunnit ... I just assumed it would follow the detectives figuring out what happened.

I did enjoy it and would definitely recommend it. With the caveat that some scenes ran a tad long and ...

Always thought incel was more an adult phenomena. I wouldn't call a young teen with girl problems as incel. I mean heck, brain-body-hormones just got started. I would classify him more of a psychopath (didn't seem to have a lot of remorse) than incel. I thought they took some liberties with that

[Critch]

Started watching "The Bondsman" on Prime. Pretty entertaining mix of lite comedy, lite horror, music, action & good writing (so far).

Who doesn't love Kevin Bacon.

Been watching this too. It's not going to win any awards but it's fun.

I'm not sure why they went with an Australian actor who cant do an American accent to play a guy from Boston though.

[GrantDawg]

Just finished binge-watching "The Pitt". Just go ahead and give it all the awards. It was like the best bits of multiple seasons of "ER" all rolled into 15 episodes. I didn't realize how much I missed Noah Wyle. And Dr. Mel. I just adore her. I would happily watch a series just about her. It was a shock to learn that the actress who plays her is Bryan Cranston's daughter.

Sent from my SM-S938U using Tapatalk

[Critch]

Raced through the new Black Mirror series last weekend, a race against my Netflix subscription ending this week ($17.99?!?!).

First time since series one that I've liked every episode in a series. Every one a winner.

[Ksyrup]

Two recent shows I watched:

1. Gold & Greed: The Hunt For Fenn's Treasure. I was surprised how little I recall of this story. I definitely remember the gist of it, but the way it appears to have become such a huge thing as it was happening, I must have completely missed it in the moment. This was a really good 3-part documentary about the man and the treasure hunt. Even more surprising than the fact I didn't really remember it from when it happened is the fact that Fenn died in 2020 and the treasure was found shortly thereafter, and I don't recall hearing about either of those things. There's also a twist at the end which is set up at the very beginning of the first episode.

2. Criminal: UK. This one caught me by surprise. It's from 2019/2020 and only 2 seasons/7 episodes. It is a show that revolves around the interrogation of a different suspect/witness in each episode. There's no action, just mainly dialogue and a lot of cat-and-mouse psychological stuff as the investigators determine the best way to coax the subjects into talking/confessing. The stories are varied, as are the people being interviewed (some are suspects, some are witnesses, some are guilty, some are not). The entire thing is filmed in an interrogation room, the adjoining observation room, and the hallway outside both rooms.

It's exactly what I like in a criminal mystery show - one-off cases with an interesting cast of regulars that doesn't require tying every single cast member's personal story into some wide-ranging narrative arc. Yes, there are personal relationships between the investigators, but those incidental storylines are handled similar to the way L&O would sprinkle in personal information about regulars. And the personalities, strengths/weaknesses of each are flashed as part of the way they handle the interrogations. It's really well done.

Apparently there are French, German and Spanish versions of this franchise, so I'll have to check those out because I'm already done with 5 of the 7 UK episodes.

[GrantDawg]

Max has announced they are changing their name to.....HBO Max. You know, that somehow sounds familiar. It is almost as if a huge media company flushed hundreds of millions of dollars down the drain (well, most likely in Kinsey & Co. Consulting pockets) for no reason.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Max has announced they are changing their name to.....HBO Max. You know, that somehow sounds familiar. It is almost as if a huge media company flushed hundreds of millions of dollars down the drain (well, most likely in Kinsey & Co. Consulting pockets) for no reason.

I love this quote:

“This evolution has also been influenced by changing consumer needs,” JB Perrette, President and CEO of WBDiscovery, said. “No consumer today is saying they want more content, but most consumers are saying they want better content.”

Uh... Consumer needs have not been changing. Consumers, especially HBO consumers, have always wanted better content. You people thought they wanted something else, were dead wrong, and just went back to how it was and what people wanted. I don't evolution works in a circle like that.

[Ksyrup]

Meanwhile, Max has quietly deleted a huge chunk of programming - mostly older seasons of shows THEY OWN, so this isn't a licensing fees issue - because people aren't watching it as much as other stuff. Is cloud storage that expensive versus being able to offer complete series for anyone who might want to watch it?!

Max purged 150+ Food Network, Discovery, TLC shows and seasons &ndash; reality blurred (https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2025/05/max-purge-food-network-discovery-tlc-shows/)

This is one of the major reasons I refuse to use streaming music services. I listen to so much obscure stuff, there is no way I'm taking the chance that my music is going to be available 5, 10, 30 years from now. As long as I can somehow transfer my CDs and MP3s to the next version of whatever the future holds is, I'll keeping buying it for myself.

[Ghost Econ]

These companies should just pick random yahoos off the street to be the new CEO each year and pay them 5% of what they're paying their current CEOs. They literally could not be worse and they'd save millions a year

[GrantDawg]

It doesn't make sense, because it is owned content that just doesn't cost anything. My only guess is they have found some survey that says that people who do watch old cooking shows and such on streaming usually don't stay subscribed, and they are trying to funnel them to newer content.
Also a thought, I know many streamers are switching to having regular feeds for people just to turn on and leave on. Maybe the plan is to exclusively put those shows on those type of feeds. I know i only really watch that stuff on hotel TV's when there is no streaming options.

[RainMaker]

Meanwhile, Max has quietly deleted a huge chunk of programming - mostly older seasons of shows THEY OWN, so this isn't a licensing fees issue - because people aren't watching it as much as other stuff. Is cloud storage that expensive versus being able to offer complete series for anyone who might want to watch it?!

Max purged 150+ Food Network, Discovery, TLC shows and seasons – reality blurred (https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2025/05/max-purge-food-network-discovery-tlc-shows/)

This is one of the major reasons I refuse to use streaming music services. I listen to so much obscure stuff, there is no way I'm taking the chance that my music is going to be available 5, 10, 30 years from now. As long as I can somehow transfer my CDs and MP3s to the next version of whatever the future holds is, I'll keeping buying it for myself.

Can someone explain why shows and movies get removed? I get it with Netflix if it's a show or movie they didn't make. But aren't these shows owned by Time Warner? Like it would be weird to me if Netflix just removed House of Cards. Isn't the whole point of having a streaming service is you can fill it with your own stuff?

[GrantDawg]

Can someone explain why shows and movies get removed? I get it with Netflix if it's a show or movie they didn't make. But aren't these shows owned by Time Warner? Like it would be weird to me if Netflix just removed House of Cards. Isn't the whole point of having a streaming service is you can fill it with your own stuff?
Many times they use it as a write off. There are also still fees associated with some created content even when they own it (or own part of it). Then there are other factors. House of Cards for example couldn't be put ad services because of the production contract. On the other side, AMC and Amazon only put Mad Men on it's ad tier AMC+ to drive subscribers. Some shows have music rights that end, and the streamer doesn't want to go back to edit the music out.
Lots of insider baseball reasons.

[Atocep]

Can someone explain why shows and movies get removed? I get it with Netflix if it's a show or movie they didn't make. But aren't these shows owned by Time Warner? Like it would be weird to me if Netflix just removed House of Cards. Isn't the whole point of having a streaming service is you can fill it with your own stuff?
If they determine a show doesn't bring in value to offset the cost of server space and residuals payouts then it's likely going to get cut. They also get to claim a tax write-off for shows that were losing money that they cut from streaming.

[Lathum]

Do we really need a duck dynasty revival?

[Ksyrup]

I mean, it fits with the general direction of the country.

[RainMaker]

Many times they use it as a write off. There are also still fees associated with some created content even when they own it (or own part of it). Then there are other factors. House of Cards for example couldn't be put ad services because of the production contract. On the other side, AMC and Amazon only put Mad Men on it's ad tier AMC+ to drive subscribers. Some shows have music rights that end, and the streamer doesn't want to go back to edit the music out.
Lots of insider baseball reasons.

It just seems like residuals and server space have to be cheaper than making new shows and movies. Just doesn't seem logical to set your streaming service up that way. I can't think of any other one that routinely drops their original content.

[GrantDawg]

There is a bean counter somewhere that says different.

Sent from my SM-S938U using Tapatalk

[GrantDawg]

I will say though you are comparing two separate things. Old shows are more about retention, while new shows are about new subscribers. So keeping or cutting old shows doesn't prevent the need for new shows.

Sent from my SM-S938U using Tapatalk

[dubb93]

Warner has one of the least customer friendly CEOs in existence. It’s amazing that anyone consumes any of their stuff the way he treats his customers.

[Ghost Econ]

Andor is so good it's made my MAGA loving cousin swear off Star wars. He's loved it his whole life, the Jedi, everything. He sees what he is and what he supports and can't accept that it spells out cleanly why he's wrong.

[Ksyrup]

Britbox is doing a 20% off annual plan deal right now so I decided to get it. There are a ton of shows they have that I like or know I would like. I'll get my money's worth for less than $75 for a year.

[Passacaglia]

Thanks! We've been thinking of getting that just so we can watch Season 3 of Staged.

[Critch]

I've had BritBox for a few years, it's the source for my British Soap Opera addiction. It's not as good as it used to be, too many British shows now getting snapped up by NetFlix etc or joint productions with US networks, but $75 for a year isnt bad value at all.

Recently Ludwig wasnt bad, Motherland is a sitcom that's not bad even if the target demographic is wummin and Life on Mars is there and it's the greatest recent-ish British drama.

[Lathum]

The Studio is outstanding....

[thesloppy]

I really like The Studio as well

[GrantDawg]

I don't know which thread we talk about the business of streaming services in, but this is a big one. WB/Discovery has split into to separate entities. HBO Max and the studio side is one company now, and the other side is Discovery, CNN, TNT, and the Bleacher Report.


Warner Bros. Discovery to Split Into Two: Streaming/Studios, Networks (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-discovery-split-two-streaming-studios-networks-1236259800/)

[Ksyrup]

I stumbled onto Death in Paradise on a cruise a few months ago and that was one of the reasons I got BritBox. I saw 2 random episodes and enjoyed it, although unfortunately one of them was the ending of a storyline. But I'm starting with S1 and it's the perfect mix of whodunit and comedy, like a Caribbean Murder She Wrote - except at least this involves the police. Still, for a small fictional island, their murder rate must make Chicago look like Disneyland. And even more impressive is that every single murder is ridiculously convoluted and complex. Fun stuff and an enjoyable watch, with very little in the way of overarching storylines.

[Lathum]

Really enjoying this season of The Last Of Us. About 4 episodes in and so far really great stuff.

[Edward64]

About halfway through "The Agency" s1 (Paramount). About CIA out of London, has about 3 plot lines spanning Eastern Europe & Africa.

Has a pretty good cast.

Michael Fassbender (Alien prequels)
Richard Gere
Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts)

[Kodos]

Really enjoying season 3 of Star Trek: Picard.

[Edward64]

Really enjoying season 3 of Star Trek: Picard.

Looking forward to Strange New Worlds s3 on July 17

[Edward64]

New Dexter series on Paramount

Our favorite psychopath is back!