Binge Watching Series Recommendations

[j44ke]

Just finished watching Occupied, a Norwegian television series that portrays the events associated with a peaceful occupation of Norway by Russia with the complicity of the EU after a "green" Prime Minister is elected and declares Norwegian oil production to be finished in favor of pursuing a newly developed clean form of energy production.

I'd say the acting is okay, but the dramatic tension is well done. And whoever wrote the script has been studying Russian tactics in Georgia and Ukraine, and their "soft pressure" intimidation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. A bit heavy-handed in spots, but pretty perceptively rendered otherwise.

Also a couple weeks ago, my wife and I watched The Crown. We had just finished watching PBS Masterpiece's Victoria which was sort of Downton Abbey: The Queen's Version. Meh. But The Crown is actually pretty interesting historically. The personalities feel pretty realistically portrayed, John Lithgow plays a pretty great Churchill as an old man grasping at power, and the actress who plays Princess Margaret is one of the more beautiful women I've seen in a while. Plus she can act, as can the actress playing Queen Elizabeth II and the one playing the Queen "Mum".

Both of these are on Netflix.

[zetroc]

If you have Hulu, I recommend The Path, about a new-age spiritualist group in modern New York. The acting is superb and the show is paced very well. Currently halfway through the second season but this is the show I crave week after week.

On Netflix, The Grinder is very funny and extremely silly, starring Rob Lowe as an actor who retires from a legal procedural drama but moves in with his brother, a lawyer at their father's firm. Hilarious. Fred Savage is the brother and he plays a convincing straight man and foil to his somewhat manic brother. 20-ish episodes, though it got cancelled at the conclusion of the first season.

Also on Netflix, Better Call Saul is very good if you've seen Breaking Bad. And I'm currently halfway through Santa Clarita Diet, which is simultaneously funny and gruesome, starring Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant. It's from the creator of Better Off Ted which I also liked very much.

[rwsaunders]

My wife and I have enjoyed the Crown and I especially enjoyed history/fact checking with the iPad while the show was on. If you ever followed Inspector Morse (1987-2000) Inspector Morse (TV series) - Wikipedia, the prequel Endeavor Endeavour (TV series) - Wikipedia, is absolutely fabulous.

[PDAR]

Black Mirror on Netflix. 21st Century Twilight Zone.

[TMB]

Trapped.

It's on Netflix and only 1 season but really good. It's Icelandic, so unless you speak the language you actually have to watch to read the sub-titles.

Occupied was very good.

[TMB]

Another one I enjoyed was Shetland. Two seasons, takes place in the Shetland Islands.

Supposedly in English, sub-titles would have helped.

[mnoble485]

My wife and I have enjoyed the Crown and I especially enjoyed history/fact checking with the iPad while the show was on. If you ever followed Inspector Morse (1987-2000) Inspector Morse (TV series) - Wikipedia, the prequel Endeavor Endeavour (TV series) - Wikipedia, is absolutely fabulous.

Robert,
I thought I was the only one that watched TV with an Ipad in my lap. Agree about the Crown.

Goliath was good.
Series based on Harry Bosch character was also good.

Mike

[Cosmic Cycle]

Agree that Endeavor is ab fab.

Much much better than Morse.

[bironi]

I'm watching Broadchurch on the recommentions, I would suggest Wallender.

[j44ke]

I'm watching Broadchurch on the recommentions, I would suggest Wallender.

Wallander is best (I think) in the Swedish version. Kenneth Branagh is good, but the original versions on Swedish television were slightly sweeter but each worked script-wise like a clockwork diorama. There was a theme for each show - immigrants for example - that was woven into each and every character's relationship to the main plot and each other. For a writer, at least, they are great studies in how much topical information could be almost invisibly inserted into an episode. You know, the anti-immigrant politician finds that he was adopted, his mother was a Holocaust survivor, the person killed was an immigrant but he actually was not an innocent, the killing was retribution for acts in a foreign country, etc. No one is quite who they appear to be and everyone has their subject position eroded by events and revelations through the process of each episode.

Not blood and gore deep dark depression and excessive misery like the Branagh version, but better I think in the quality of its nuanced construction.

[Matthew Strongin]

Yeah, the guy who plays Kemper is fantastic.

[Chad]

I'm really digging Designated Survivor.

[ChristianWong]

I'm really digging Designated Survivor.

Same here! It's a little over-dramatic at times but certainly entertaining. A little irksome that Netflix is releasing one episode at a time. I've grown accustomed to having full a full season's worth of episodes available all at once.

[Chad]

Same here! It's a little over-dramatic at times but certainly entertaining. A little irksome that Netflix is releasing one episode at a time. I've grown accustomed to having full a full season's worth of episodes available all at once.

Agreed. We dvr it and watch it when it fits the schedule. Kiefer Sutherland plays that role so well.

[rabo]

Nobody mentioned Narcos ?
+1 on Suburra ,
both on Netflix.

[NYCfixie]

We are almost done with Season 2 of The Crown and it is well done.

We heard Claire Foy will not be the Queen (Elizabeth II) for Season 3 which is too bad but they need her to age so it is more realistic.

I think Vanessa Kirby as Margret is even better in season 2. My wife says that the actor's resting bitch face helps her play the role true to form of the original.

...The Crown is actually pretty interesting historically. The personalities feel pretty realistically portrayed, John Lithgow plays a pretty great Churchill as an old man grasping at power, and the actress who plays Princess Margaret is one of the more beautiful women I've seen in a while. Plus she can act, as can the actress playing Queen Elizabeth II and the one playing the Queen "Mum"...

My wife and I have enjoyed The Crown and I especially enjoyed history/fact checking with the iPad while the show was on...

...Agree about The Crown...

[Too Tall]

The Crown is next.

HA! Yeah I hear you re Big Mouth and than there was the episode on "cool guys" which was on point.

[72gmc]

Claire Foy is also excellent in Wolf Hall.

The depiction of the end of Anne Boleyn is haunting.

[dgaddis]

Silicone Valley (HBO) - I LOVE this show, it's so funny. My wife isn't too into it, we generally like the same kind of stuff, but this style humor isn't really her thing.

Girls (HBO) - This is one of those 'can't look away' kinda shows. There's moments that are *really* funny, but mostly it's about a bunch of idiotic millennials that make me cringe. I pretty much hate ever character in the show. We watched the entire series.

Alias Grace on Netflix is pretty good, we just finished it.

Anyone watched American Vandal? It's on our list, it was one of the most popular this year.

FYI, Netflix's annual report is pretty interesting: https://media.netflix.com/en/press-r...ar-in-bingeing

[rec head]

I am slowly watching American Vandal. Good? Yes. Binge-worthy? Not for me. I just put on an episode every now and then. I feel like I appreciate what they are doing with the show more than I actually like the show.