Binge Watching Series Recommendations

[MikeS]

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.

I don't watch series tv much but got talked into watching Ozark. Watched S1/2, and damnit, waiting for S3.

Yellowstone sucked me in. I assumed it was just a mini series. Stupid me, now waiting for S2.

So, I guess I watch series tv.

[rwsaunders]

Endeavour is a good one. Have you checked out these other BBC detective series - Shetland, Hinterland and Happy Valley?

Just finished Happy Valley...twisty, turny plot awesomeness. Thank goodness for closed captioning because I can’t keep up with some of the accents.

[vertical_doug]

Just finished Happy Valley...twisty, turny plot awesomeness. Thank goodness for closed captioning because I can’t keep up with some of the accents.

Season 6 of Endeavour has not been as good.

Shetland is awesome, as is Hinterland. Broadchurch with David Tennent and Olivia Colman is also very good.

[rwsaunders]

Season 6 of Endeavour has not been as good.

Shetland is awesome, as is Hinterland. Broadchurch with David Tennent and Olivia Colman is also very good.

We watched Broadchurch a few ago and it was very, very good. Unfortunately, we watched the original Inspector Morse series years ago as well and I wish that I didn’t know that Morse and “you know who” never get together.

[dgaddis]

The CNN 'decade' series are great. The Sixties, The Seventies, etc. We're watching The 2000's now.

[j44ke]

Watched London Spy on Netflix. Contained (among other things) a really intense idea that combined big brotherism & algorithms & surveillance. And a slow steady momentum. Recommended.

[bironi]

I'm bingeing on C-SPAN.
Entertaining and disturbing.

[j44ke]

I'm bingeing on C-SPAN.
Entertaining and disturbing.

Tell me how it ends.

[pomole]

I'm looking for trainer viewing and I think ill give London spy a chance. thanks for the recommendation.

[xjoex]

The Toast of London is hilarious. For the fans of the IT Crowd it stars the actor who played Dennis Reynholm.

-Joe

[dgaddis]

We've been enjoying Workin' Moms lately, on Netflix. It's really funny. With a 1yr old in the house, it's especially timely for us too.

Not kid friendly...the opening scene three of the ladies have their boobs out. It's a funny scene though!

(Not the opening scene!)

[sine]

Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix is an interesting behind the scenes look at last seasons races, politics and money involved.

[Marin]

Not kid friendly...the opening scene three of the ladies have their boobs out.

This sounds strange for a European - what could kids find offensive in naked boobs?

[j44ke]

This sounds strange for a European - what could kids find offensive in naked boobs?

They don't. Kids have to be taught they are offensive. Otherwise porn wouldn't be as marketable and then the Internet would collapse.

However, I think there have been studies that show viewing sexual situations are not recommended for children.

[vertical_doug]

Fleabag- seasons 1, season 2 just started. It's like watching a bizarre train wreck of a dysfunctional young woman.

It is written and stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge. She also wrote and directed Killing Eve about the psychopath female assassin.

I watch Fleabag with one eye shut thinking WTF. But this may be more because of my age and gender gap. It feels a bit like watching Atlanta with Donald Glover which I also attribute to my age and race gap.

Young and single is not the 'FRIENDS' generation anymore.

[heybusti]

Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Netflix is an interesting behind the scenes look at last seasons races, politics and money involved.

What did you think?

I personally found it very entertaining, but so much of the narrative was completely made up. Characters and teams were villainized, major stories were left out, other stories were mountains out of mole hills, etc.

I'm glad they produced it as it'll get more people into the sport, but it was far from authentic IMO.

[pdmtong]

Although easily dismissed, we just finished re-watching all 67 episodes of GoT in preparation for April 14.

We got it done a month early!

I find the story, language and interplay very entertaining and it sure looks great on a 65" 1080 versus the 15 yo 50" 720 plasma I just recycled.

Fun fact: a big TV costs less than carbon wheels!

[rec head]

We only did the last season of GoT in preparation. It was on a 65" with ATMOS sound. It's great to have such high production levels for a TV show.

[dgaddis]

Modern TV shows > Modern Movies

Acting and production levels are on par, but they have so much more time to tell the story.

[ChristianWong]

We've been enjoying Workin' Moms lately, on Netflix. It's really funny. With a 1yr old in the house, it's especially timely for us too.

Not kid friendly...the opening scene three of the ladies have their boobs out. It's a funny scene though!

(Not the opening scene!)

I'm married with no kids but still find this show quite entertaining. I think a factor is that I grew up in Toronto and am a bit homesick at the moment. It does have my wife and I looking at each other thinking 'is this what we'll turn into when we have kids?'. Seasons 2 & 3, not available on Netflix, are on CBC.ca if you have a VPN.

Our Planet with David Attenborough is phenomenal and heart-breaking so far. A really good follow-up to the Planet Earth series and the message is certainly poignant.