OT: What Are You Watching / Show Recommendations
Hey MGoPeople,
Wondering what everyone is currently watching on the TV. Here's a list of things I've watched and think you should also watch.
- The Last Of Us. It was wonderful. Watch it
- The Leftovers - Another HBO show. This one was also pretty awesome. Definitely thought provoking.
- Narcos and Narcos Mexico - Finally got around to watching these gems. Both of them were fantastic in my humble opinion.
- The Queens Gambit - I was so bummed out that it was only 7 episodes. This show was amazing
- Barry - Season 4 in April. Bill Hader is awesome.
- Ted Lasso - The best thing on the TV right now.
Give me your lists and recommendations. What are you watching
Taskmaster, always. Just got renewed for six seasons too.
Never heard of it. Sounds perfect. Sold.
Far too many people can’t make it through the first season of The Leftovers. It is admittedly grinding but I wish they would. The 2nd and 3rd season are experimental TV of the highest order. Outstanding show.
When she walks down stairs... wow man that is way too emotional for a GD tv show. I couldve passed on everything after season 1 and been ok BUT that first season.
Castle Rock was interesting and also Midnight Mass. I really need my dose of escapism Tv if you cant tell.
Someone suggested Arcane League of Legends and the animation is out of this world. Pretty good show.
Who, Nora? Yeah, Carrie Coon was something else.
The scene at the well in season 2 was incredible also.
March 15th, 2023 at 10:23 PM ^
I mentioned the Leftovers in one of these threads a few years ago and it didn't seem to jump out at anyone, but reading through this thread now, seems to be appearing a lot. Glad it's gotten some views and found some fans--maybe those fans were always out there but just ducking into this thread now. Big fan here, but can see where it's not for everyone - my wife, for one, couldn't get into it.
As to the OP, this is nothing I'm watching currently -- and I don't know if it's streaming anywhere right now -- but the remake of Battlestar Galactica is a good series watch. Even as a remake, it's kind of old now (a post 911 metaphor in some ways), but I thought was pretty fascinating, from story lines to low tech feel that bugged me for about half an episode and then bugged me no more. I had serious doubts, remembering the hokey original TV series, but was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.
Good call on the Battlestar Galactica remake. Edward James Olmos is great as Admiral Adama. Well written show with some good twists.
March 15th, 2023 at 10:04 PM ^
I thought the show was good not great. Had the Lost problem of being unable to satisfyingly answer it's mysteries.
Let the mystery be.....
It's French, it's on an obscure-ish streaming service, but the attention to period details (a la Mad Men), plot, and music are top notch. Did I mention it's French?
Are you saying it's French?
March 16th, 2023 at 10:05 AM ^
Speaking of French, Lupin on Netflix is great. 2 seasons out now and a 3rd coming.
Porn, stocks, and Last of Us was great. Pedro Paschal is really blowing up right now. I also think the Bob Ross documentary on Netflix might be neat.
The best produced trash in television history…White Lotus.
March 16th, 2023 at 12:20 PM ^
I had never heard of this show until I listened to Dennis Lehane on a podcast, but Blackbird on Apple is an amazing one-season series.
Saw the just released "Thirteen Lives" on Netflix I believe. Incredible true story about the kids who got trapped in a cave in Thailand about 5 years ago. Thought I knew that story but didn't. It was really an impossible situation. Those kids were almost certainly going to die in there. The suspense builds to almost unbearable pressure.
We just watched Vikings Valhalla and then went back to rewatch the original Vikings series. We're now in the last season, which feels like it jumped the shark a bit compared to the first several. But a good series overall. Ragnar Lothbrok is right up there with Tony Soprano as one of TV's great conflicted protagonists.
This
The Last Kingdom is great if you like Vikings.
I didn’t like Vikings all that much, thought it was a little too slow, The Last Kingdom tells a similar story and picks up the pace.
I need some Shield Maidens.
Recently watched Only Murders in the Building on Hulu and thought it was great.
Fauda. Israeli show, four seasons (so far), on Netflix.
Fauda is amazing.
Babylon Berlin is another great show. About politics, culture, crime, etc. in interwar Germany.
fauda has been outstanding. one of the limited newish shows ive enjoyed along with peaky blinders. we usually just revert to old staples like sopranos, mad men, etc. have to give babylon berlin a shot
Completely agree on Fauda. It's a fantastic show.
March 16th, 2023 at 11:08 AM ^
No thanks. This show is propaganda.
March 16th, 2023 at 11:55 AM ^
I'm a little bit confused by this response. Not having seen Fauda, but being aware that it exists, what exactly are you talking about?
It's a fictional series right? It's not claiming to be a documentary. What am I missing here?
March 16th, 2023 at 12:02 PM ^
I’d be surprised if he’s actually seen it. The show’s about an undercover Israeli anti-terrorism unit, so it does come mostly from an Israeli perspective, but it doesn’t portray all Palestinians as bad or terrorists. In fact, there have been many Palestinian or other Arab characters who have been shown as innocent and sometimes tragic victims of the conflict and the actions of the Israelis.
LOL that's what he's saying? It's fiction. How is this even an issue? Are we also angry that Die Hard didn't do a good enough job portraying Hans Gruber and the Volksfrei Radicals as sympathetic revolutionaries with a distinct POV?
I read yesterday that Dana White is funding a documentary about UFC media criticism during COVID. That is how you define propaganda.
I've seen it and I agree with the poster that it is uncomfortably close to propaganda and it is a worthwhile question s/he poses.
There are aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian relationship that Fauda presents and there are aspects that it does not touch, but it is those missing aspects that are the problem. And simply portraying a few Palestinian characters as collateral damage is not enough in my opinion, having watched the show.
That is just my opinion. I simply think that the recommendation of Fauda warrants commentary and hopefully invites any viewers to look more critically at the whole picture, because in my opinion, Fauda fails to present that entire picture.
Perfectly reasonable criticism, and that poster is not alone in having it.
I guess my question to you is do you set this bar of expectation for all fiction you consume? If an episode of Bosch presents a south LA gang as being stereotypical hispanic and doesn't present their motives as "fair" or not fully grasping their plight while villanizing them, are you equally put out? Do you find yourself wondering if the Russians in Goldeneye were actually motivated by the geopolitical turmoil happening in their region and perhaps Bond wasn't justified in driving a tank through Red Square?
Not to be absurdist, but what is it about this particular piece of fiction that you believe should be held to a greater sense of realism or present a story that fully encapsulates the plight of Palestinians over basically any other piece of fiction?
When a show makes the axis upon which it revolves a real world conflict, though fictional presented as gritty real world, especially of a conflict that usually misses an entire half of the story, yes, it is acceptable to expect more.
I do not want mgoblog to devolve into a political discussion so won't go into further detail, as I think my concerns are obvious enough.
But to dismiss someone's concerns, concerns that MANY others have voiced about Fauda, as "they didn't watch the show" I felt warranted comment.
I've done so. Watch Fauda. Don't watch Fauda. Just be aware of the criticisms as well as the praise.
I'm sorry you feel challenged. My assumption re the "political discussion" you're concerned about has to do with Israeli/Palestinian issues, but I truly have no interest in that conversation at all. If you're saying that's WHY you have an issue with Fauda, because you specifically find that to be a difficult topic, I suppose that's understandable. But you're not exactly saying that, you're just kind of dancing around the topic. And also using the fact that because others have raised the issue that gives it merit.
I guess my original questions will go unanswered, but maybe this is something for you to think about. Fiction is fiction. By definition its fake. Made up. Not real. To expect a ficticious work of entertainment to present a well-rounded argument on all sides about the subject it covers is basically to confuse fiction with fact.
That you don't likely take strong exceptions to Jack Ryan or any other number of geopolitical FICTION that base their premises on real-world political/sociological struggles but are wholly fictional, is potentially more of an issue of how you're looking at the art created, than an actual problem with the entertainment/art/show.
March 27th, 2023 at 10:41 PM ^
I think one issue is that this is a conflict that has been so misrepresented in the us throughout its existence and portrayed very differently here than it has throughout the rest of the world. That probably makes a show that propagates that misperception a concern even if it is fiction.
It’s a TV show, not a documentary, and even most documentaries couldn’t satisfy the criteria of touching every aspect of an issue.
There are some politics behind Fauda, an Israeli show, that make me very uncomfortable not just within the story, but the decisions behind presenting the stories. that makes me wonder where it sits in the line between drama and propaganda.
Not responding to Blowgloo but to the whole thread. The show was developed by former Israeli intelligence agents including the lead actor. It's promoted by AIPAC, the most powerful Israeli lobby in America and on the far right when it comes to Palestinian rights. Based on that alone, it's basically guaranteed to represent a certain message.
The show is literally all about Israeli agents hunting down Arab terrorists. While these agents demonstrate occasional stress over killing people, they're portrayed as patriotic and justified.
Your Honor continues to be quite good. I’ve also enjoyed Alaska Daily - network TV no less!
I wanted to like Your Honor, but it just wasn’t believable. The hit and run premise was very promising, but making it a “mob” show didn’t work for me. Couldn’t relate to the characters.
Cunk On Earth. Hilarious. Agreed on Last of Us, Queens Gambit, Barry and Ted.
Definitely adding Cunk ok Earth to my list of shit to watch. Looks awesome.
By any chance did you watch Shrinking on Apple TV? That was pretty solid also.
I did. It’s solid.
The actress who portraits Cunk also has a minor role in Ricky Gervais' After Life, a surprisingly moving show.
She was great in After Life. I thoroughly enjoyed that show.
lately I have been watching Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix.
never been into F1 or racing in general but the behind the scenes stuff is cool.
law & order, vikings / vikings valhalla, and yellowstone are regulars on my tv when sports isn’t on. poker face is pretty good but some episodes are a bit slow.
This is a fantastic documentary and has led to a bit of an F1 popularity explosion in the US. As a result, F1 has been adding US races to the schedule. Later this year, Las Vegas is hosting one for the first time.
Also, the producers of Drive to Survive are behind the Full Swing documentary, also on Netflix. Full Swing follows several PGA golfers behind the scenes during a season. It's not as good as Drive to Survive, but if you follow PGA golf, it's an entertaining show.
Rockford reruns
Still remember trying to do a reverse 180 with an Olds 98 in an empty parking lot when I was a little younger and less (not much) responsible.
March 16th, 2023 at 10:03 AM ^
Columbo. All day, every day.
The Bob Newhart Show reruns.
Newhart also very good, but not as good as the original.