Over the past year, for no good reason aside from chronic tiredness, I've been reading less and instead watching a lot of old and new TV. Here's what I've watched in (very) rough order from best to worst. The shows in the bottom half of the list mostly suffered from getting a little tiresome toward the end.
Liked a lot:
- Deadwood
- Ozark
- Boardwalk Empire
- Travelers
- Rome
- Orange is the New Black
- Bridgerton
- Money Heist
- Perry Mason
- Lost in Space
- True Detective
- The Wire
- Bosch
- The Boys
Liked:
- Game of Thrones
- Umbrella Academy
- Mad Men
- Broadchurch
- Clarkson's Farm
- Night Sky
- Queen's Gambit
- Watchmen
- Chernobyl
- Painkiller (thanks entirely to Uzo Aduba)
- Bodyguard
- Halt and Catch Fire (first three seasons)
- The OA
Not bad:
- The Sopranos
- Behind Her Eyes
- The Peripheral
- Russian Doll
- Succession
- The Leftovers
- Mare of Easttown
- The Expanse
- Bodies
Meh:
- Band of Brothers
- Beef
- Wheel of Time
- The Mandalorian
- 1899
- In From the Cold
- Counterpart
- Squid Game
- The English (though it had an odd charm)
- The Magicians
No good:
- Archive 81
- Lupin
- His Dark Materials
- The Book of Boba Fett
- Man in the High Castle
- Jack Ryan
- The Witcher
- Dead to Me
This list doesn't include shows that I gave up on after watching a few episodes, including: Station Eleven, Ballers, Entourage, Barry, The Pacific, The Deuce, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry Sanders, Breaking Bad, The Diplomat, Shadow and Bone, Mr. Robot, Schitt's Creek, Veep, Emily in Paris, and Silicon Valley.
2 on your "No Good" list are on my Top 10 list:
Lupin
Man in the High Castle.
And several of those you didn't make it through are amazing:
Barry
Breaking Bad
The Diplomat
Mr. Robot
Schitt's Creek
Here's afew you should check out:
Peaky Blinders
Treadstone (based on Bourne books)
The Night Agent
Fubar
Reacher (seasons 1 and 2)
Twisted Metal
Severance
Ted Lasso
Poker Face
I've found a bunch of the shows you didn't make it through are better paced than binged.
I've rather liked Gilded Age, Lessons in Chemistry, and the Star Wars serieses, tho each is a ever so slightly different genre, so you kinda have to realize that and skip the ones that aren't yours. The first season of Julia was also really good, the second kind of struggled to find a voice against the history.
I mostly watch Anime tho; Bocchi the Rock was excellent tho I also enjoyed Scavengers Reign (I had to pace that one) there were a few others... Given your list, I'd suggest Odd Taxi as it has a decent dub now.
Mr. Drum might have bad taste.
Well, definitely different. I really like "The Expanse" (although I've read the books). The first episode of "His Dark Materials" was amazing, but the rest, less so. The Man in the High Castle was, in my opinion, superior to the excellent book.
The Sopranos is “not bad”? Succession is “not bad”? The Boys is “ very good” if you’re a 15-year-old basement boy. What a sad list.
The Sopranos is “not bad”? Succession is “not bad”? The Boys is “ very good” if you’re a 15-year-old basement boy. What a sad list.
I don't "get" Kevin's list at all. His tastes and mine vary considerably. But nor do I consider it "sad" when another person and I have different likes and dislikes.
I disagree about The Boys - it's very clearly meant as a depressing as fuck satire of modern politics and social structures. All the superhero and scifi stuff is just window dressing.
Curb Your Enthusiasm seems to be a love it or hate it show. I know people who think it’s the best show ever, and I’ve spoken with others who seem to carry a deep and visceral sort of dislike for it.
I personally love the show, but I can in fact understand how someone might stop watching after a few episodes. The dialogue, apparently, is unscripted (though the stories are all carefully plotted), and, as with any type of improv, it can be hit or miss. That’s part of the show’s style. But when it hits, it really hits. And it’s worth watching for those times.
I can also see how the culture of the show (for lack of a better term) may not appeal to everyone. Even though it’s mostly set in Southern California, it may be the most New York show I’ve ever seen. It certainly must be the most Jewish American TV show in history.
It’s basically Seinfeld on steroids. Imagine if George Costanza made a billion dollars and moved to CA. That’s more or less the premise of the show (especially since the George Costanza character is based on Larry David, and David did in fact make a billion dollars - from Seinfeld - and then move to CA).
But not everyone cares for the northeastern culture of the show. It can be rough and abrasive. Nevertheless, I relate to it completely. I’m from NJ, and I grew up surrounded by Larry Davids.
I have also spent time in CA, and I have often joked that traveling to and from NJ and CA is essentially an international trip: there’s a change in currency, culture, language, climate, time zone, and diet. And people from these two distinct regions don’t always get along.
A friend of mine from Brooklyn was let go from his job at a tech firm in Silicon Valley. He said he couldn’t stand the laid back vibe and the forced politeness. He also seems aware that most people there don’t seem to like his outspoken and blunt nature. But back in the Northeast, he’s no longer the default rudest person wherever he goes.
So I recommend giving Curb another chance. It may take some time to acclimate to the show, but the effort pays off in the end.
Agreed 100%.
So I recommend giving Curb another chance.
I happen to enjoy Curb Your Enthusiasm a great deal. But, there are like, seven trillion scripted shows available for viewing these days. Why force yourself to watch something you're just not into? Life's too short.
It has a certain type of New York humor that goes right past my California head.
When I switch on the streamer, I usually start at Mhz, the European drama and mystery ap. Of course there's genre drift; 'Montalbano' and 'Barlume' are frequently more comic than most purported comedies. 'Paris Police 1900/1905' are gritty procedurals based almost incredibly on real life. They have the original Nordic noirs that the ones on Netflix et al derive from.
Mhz never gets any oxygen from the What's On review sites. They must not send out free memberships.
My mom mostly watches Acorn.
Recently watched an Irish series on Britbox "Love/Hate" about drug dealing gangs in Dublin which I thought was pretty brilliant, comparable to "The Wire" and "The Sopranos."
Most of what I have been watching recently is on Britbox, one of the best collections particularly of crime and detective shows but lots of other good stuff besides, like the hilarious general knowledge quiz 'QI' and the brilliant Shakespeare comedy "Upstart Crow." With Britbox and PBS Masterpiece, I feel zero need for Netflix.
If you haven't seen "Line of Duty", also on Britbox, it's probably the best police drama of the last decade.
Thanks for this tip, I'll check it out.
Here’s what I watched this year:
A few championship level sportsball games, so I wouldn’t be clueless at work the next day. In all cases I was simultaneously reading a book so that my time wouldn’t be wasted. I did take a half day of my life to watch Oppenheimer at the IMAX, the first time in 5+ years I watched a non-children’s movie at the theater.
We've been watching reruns of Rizzoli and Isles. Some of the best writing and acting we've seen on television. There is a lot of wry humor.
Band of Brothers is perfection and the greatest mini-series ever made. How could you possibly not rate this higher than “meh”?
Also, surprised Sopranos isn’t at least one tier higher. And, Lost in Space? I watched the first few episodes and it didn’t seem like anything special. Maybe the later episodes made up for it.
I wouldn't call Band of Brothers perfection, it didn't have enough A-20 Havocs in it 🙂 But damn good. My guess is Kevin wouldn't be fond of much of anything which had a hint of hagiography for things military. As for Lost in Space, I'm going to guess it is a nostalgia thing.
Did you fly A 20s? (Not sure of your age.). I never served and am too young to have been in WWII if I had. My grandfather was in the Pacific, most of his time spent in Guinea.
My father did. European Theatre, 410th Bomb Group, Ninth Air Force if memory serves correctly. Joined-up in January of '41 and stayed in until the mid-1950s.
Lost in Space == Nostalgia, +1
Band of Brothers was superb, agreed, but not quite as good as the less hyped but markedly more lyrical The Pacific, produced a few years later by the same people (Hans, Spielberg). If anyone somehow missed it but is into WW2 dramas, I can't recommend it enough.
Pacific was excellent but I didn’t think as good as BofB. But I only watched it once so maybe I should watch again.(I’ve probably seen every BofB episode at least ten times.) I’m also very excited for Masters of the Air. Guess I’ll have to shell out for an Apple TV subscription.
I'm looking forward to Master's as well.
I think BoB and the Pacific are close in quality. I watched both a long time ago, when they were first released, and couldn't remember which I prefered, so I re-watched both of them in 2023. I definitely give Pacific the edge. It drives home the horrors of war a bit more effectively, I think, and it's more poignant.
I have no idea of your particular taste, but as a general proposition I'm going to say you gave up on Schitt's Creek too early. It's a show that grows on you, because unlike so many shows -- including some big-buzz, highly praised ones -- the characters genuinely grow and develop over the entire arc of the series. It was the favorite pandemic-watch for my wife and me.
I strongly agree with this. I recall many reviews said you could skip the first season and be ok, and while I thought the first season was enjoyable and did a good job giving the backstory of the characters, I’d hate to think that someone gave up after the first season when the show clearly hit its stride in its second season and got better with every season that followed.
I can watch an old Perry Mason anytime and thanks to Pluto episodes are available all the time. The Last of Us (bad) and Beef (OK) were the only new programs watched in 2023. The Stand and Squid Game were the only other series watched in the previous year and both were compellingly entertaining.
I suspect Mr D was referring to the NEW "Perry Mason", which ran for two seasons. There's zero resemblance between it and Raymond Burr's thing.
The New Zealand detective series "Brokenwood" on Acorn is one of my favorites. It's as much comedic as a detective series, each episode dealing with some aspect of NZ culture, but coming out of the pandemic I realized I had had my fill of dark brooding noir detective series.
I think the biggest surprise to me here is Umbrella Academy. I never would have figured anybody older than me would watch it.
I loved the Umbrella Academy.
I watched the first two seasons while my now 1.5 yo son was a newborn and was up a lot in the middle of the night.
I couldn’t get into it! I really tried, but it felt like you had to already like the characters from what I assume is a pre-existing comic series to appreciate the show.
You haven't seen the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel?
Look people like what they like, but, really Lost in Space? I have to agree on Lupin being bad though and I wish I understood why. It has a good premise.
"Lupin" has been recommended by several of my (French) teachers. Haven't given it a go yet. I strongly recommend "The Bureau" (Le Bureau des Legendes), though, if anyone is into the "moody noir-ish French suspense" genre. Binged all five seasons in 23. Probably the best thing I watched all year.
The Kominsky Method is a really great show I never hear anybody talking about.
I think it was Alan Arkin's last role.
Watched it and couldn't quite get beyond 2 or 3 episodes.
That’s one I kind of forget about but I really enjoyed it when it was on. Not groundbreaking in any way, but good solid entertainment. I did think Alison Janey was a little hard on Mike, tho!
Wow. Taste is a weird thing. Dude gives up on Breaking Bad and The Pacific (I thought the latter was superior to the more hyped Band of Brothers).
He didn't really like Band of Brothers and The Pacific is very similar genre-wise and story-wise. I too gave up on Breaking Bad.
I liked The Pacific more as well, but my partner (a female!) thinks BoB is a top 5 of all time. It's good, and I do think it does a better job of sticking with certain people, but I think The Pacific just requires more knowledge of some of the context. BoB covers events that people are a little bit more aware of if they don't have in-depth knowledge of WW2, whereas I've always been a Pacific war nerd.
A couple which are worth a try:
For All Mankind - A very imaginative sci-fi series. After the first half-dozen somewhat unengaging episodes, which basically are there to introduce the characters of its alternate history of the Space Race, the drama and tension really crank up.
What We Do in the Shadows - Excellent satirical vampire comedy in a mockumentary style.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Amazon Prime in Germany just started including this comedy series in its "free" offerings, and I'm really enjoying finally getting to see it. It's very funny.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
I could never get beyond the hyper obvious aping of Seinfeld. Yeah, I know everything's derivative, nothing new under the sun, etc, but this particular ripoff seemed jaw-droppingly blatant. But obviously a lot of people have enjoyed it.
I don't really see how it apes Seinfeld.
For starters, Seinfeld was mostly just a delivery vehicle for stand-up comedy jokes. Always Sunny is very much not. They both did/do social commentary, sure, but I'd say Always Sunny is superior.
Also, Seinfeld was annoying.
I endorse this list.
Imagine liking Lost in Space more than Mad Men.
Just saw Gen V, it leads into the next season of The Boys.
What The Boys did for the Justice League this does for the X-Men.
And, it's funnier.
Kevin: You might want to look into Better Call Saul. It's a prequel to Breaking Bad, but, because it is indeed a prequel, I'm pretty sure it can be viewed on its own without any undue difficulty. A lot of us think it's superior to BB.
In Better Call Saul, after all the diabolical, frightening characters that have appeared, when Walter White finally shows up it's such a shock to realize what an incredible specter of death he was, and Jimmy just doesn't see it.
Reservation Dogs is outstanding.
I just picked up the first season....haven't started watching it yet.
Our likes & dislikes line up pretty well. Your list gives me a couple of new ones to try!
Three that you might like:
Jack Irish
Orphan Black
Justified
It's been a long time since I watched these but they all have action plot lines and quirky/interesting characters.
+1 from me for Orphan Black. The stupendous, multi-role acting of Tatiana Maslany is a sight to behold all in itself.
Things I watched and enjoyed in 2023 that can only be found on Netflix in the US:
- Love, Death & Robots
Specifically, the last 'episode', "Jibaro", is a stunning piece of animation based on rotoscoping. This is a must-watch.
- ZOM 100
It's not just another zombie anime. The protagonist, living in the moment, starts a list of 100 things to experience before they become zombies.
- Blue Eye Samurai
The animation is superb, replicating in-camera visual tricks, and the narrative is built on the common experience of "hafu" in America, from the viewpoint of a "hafu".
- Wes Anderson's series of short films of Roald Dahl's short stories
A series of adult short stories presented like a personal stage play replete with scene changes.
- Disenchantment, Season 5
What? I love everything from Matt Groening.
- The Pope's Exorcist
Better than The Exorcist, in that this is about a real, Vatican exorcist, Gabriele Amorth. Naturally, things may have been exaggerated a bit.
Thanks for bringing up Disenchantment!
There are a lot of these I've wanted to see, but we didn't have the cable/streaming services: Reservoir Dogs, Dark Winds, Black Sails, What We Do in the Shadows ...
If Mr Drum was "meh" about "Game of Thrones", he'd never get "House of the Dragon", which is a very political thriller ... with dragons!
Lost in Space is a fantastic series. Kevin is talking about the series, not the movie that was released about 10 years ago.
Nobody mentioned Dark? One of the best time travel shows ever (much better than Travelers, which started getting repetitive). Plus gloomy Germans.
I admit the third season may have gone too far, but I generally loved this show.
That's funny. The things you gave up on are basically my list of "liked a lot". 😉
I think it’s funny that the three shows that top almost every Best Ever list get spread over three categories for Kevin. The Wire is sui generis, and arguably the best television show ever made. Mad Men was fantastic and Don Draper is maybe the most fully realized fictional character in television history. I’m one of the handful of people remaining who have not seen the Sopranos but enough people put it at the top of the list that I’ll take their word for it. And eventually watch.
The Deuce, while not as good as The Wire, was pretty good. Simon’s other recent show, Treme, is also well worth watching.
I have to assume Lost in Space was the original series from the 60s. I tried the new one and it seemed fairly unwatchable.
I think it flew under the radar but Shrinking was a pretty enjoyable show. Nothing earth shattering or hilarious, but likable characters in amusing situations.
We have been streaming Prime through a VPN for several years now, britbox, Acorn and MHzChoice. Favorites currently are
Homicide Hills, Brokenwood in Germany.
Astrid, about an autistic detective in Paris,
Deadly Tropics, crime and cops in Martinique with great female leads.
The Undertaker, about a Swiss undertaker who solves crimes,
Inspector Rex, a surprisingly dark and adult show about a police dog!
The original version of The Bridge,
the original Professor T,
Murder by the Lake, Austrian cops with a fascinating female lead.
In English:
Midsummer murders
Brokenwood
Signore Volpi
Shetland
Annika
Vera
Madame Blanc mysteries
Sister Boniface and Father Brown
Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise
More:
Dalzeil and Pasco
Frost
The Last Detective
Morse and Inspector Lewis
Crime is Her Came, two good female leads, French
Deadloch, a lesbian murder mystery set in Tasmania with the most annoying and fantastic female character in all of television.