What are the TV series you're enjoying, current or past?

Three episodes into this comedy drama about Catherine the Great.
Really enjoying it so far.

 

I just finished watching my first episode of Baywatch.

Re-runs came into syndication in 2021 where I'm posting.
I caught a random episode by chance (S3 E5)... 1992 'Pier Pressure'.
Saw Street Fighter II Turbo, that's what lured me in - didn't even know what I was watching at first / thought it could have been The Goonies, 'till I hit info on the remote and saw that it was Baywatch, which actually made a lot of sense since it was the network advertising these re-reruns resurfacing etc... And then I went on to watch.

Now I'm hooked.

Of course I've heard of it but honestly never seen it before and wasn't expecting to, but after that. Wow.

 

I like His Dark Materials, on HBO

I read it years ago and the downer ending put me off but since then I've read some crits that justified it. Pullman is a really captivating author and the show does him full justice.

Going by genres we seem to reserve our really great works of fiction for children and adolescents. There is no better psychological novel than Peter Pan and no other fictional treatise on politics can hold a candle to The Wizard of Oz. I really don't know what you'd call a book on dark matter and the multiverse theory of quantum mechanics but it sure seems rather different from Nancy Drew

 

I got to the end.
I think they wrapped it up fairly well.
The final ''reveal'' was a bit predictable but at least it kept to the storyline they'd been telegraphing all along.
Maybe it was because so many people said the ending was terrible I was expecting much worse.
7/10

Only a couple of episodes left of The Expanse now, don't know what sci-fi I'm going to watch next. I might have to give series 2 of His Dark Materials a go. I wasn't massively impressed by series 1.

 

Just finished watching Mandalorian season 2. I thought it was better than the first season but the show is definitely trying to pander to Star Wars fans by featuring iconic characters from the Star Wars universe. It almost seems like the Mandalorian story-line and characters are just there as a vehicle to showcase characters like Boba Fett, Ahsoka and Luke Skywalker. TBH I am more looking forward to the spin-off series the "Book of Boba Fett" and "Ahsoka" series more than season 3 of the Mandalorian.

 

Deadwood
Being Human (UK .. the original, and infinitely better)
The Mighty Boosh
Fortitude
Star Trek TNG, DS9, and Enterprise
The Tudors

 

Can't argue with those choices. Have you tried watching any of the new Star Trek series? Discovery, Picard or Lower Decks?

 

Yes, and not a fan. The concepts and spareness are gone

 

I kind of agree with you. I am a hardcore Trek fan so I watch everything Star Trek. I found the new Discovery series hard to watch and that is why I have put off watching season 3 even though it finished a while ago. Picard was a nice watch if for no other reason than seeing some of the next gen characters again. Surprisingly Lower Decks is my favorite. I like the comedic blend and enjoy all of the hidden Star Trek references. I am looking for to "Strange New World". Seeing Pike, Spock and Number 1 was the best part of Discovery. I am glad they are giving them their own series.

 

I would be fascinated to hear your analysis of the political treatise, The Wizard of Oz, and/or your review of what makes Peter Pan so preeminent, among psychological novels. Though I have not read Peter Pan, I have a rough recollection of the general story.

As for the Wizard, I of course know the film well. Not sure, but I think, I read that book; though I know that I have seen some of his other work-- they all seemed very much geared towards young children (not even at the level of some of Dr. Seuss's masterpieces like The Lorax, or the one about the star-bellied Sneetches).

Still, I promise you an open mind, and I anticipate some interesting observations from you. I once, here at PF, was blown away by a very impressive psychological analysis of the characters on Gilligan's Island, as metaphorically representing The Seven Deadly Sins; so you will be following a tough act.

 

Peter Pan has actually given its name to a well-known syndrome of neuroses, the Peter Pan syndrome, men who remain boys all their lives. Look it up, it follows the novel fairly closely

The Wizard is actually an analogy of the politics of the 1890s and early 1900s in the US. The Lion was the Socialists, the Scarecrow was the Granges/Farmers, and the Tin Man was the "proletariat" mainly steelworkers and allied, the Wizard was, of course, Willam Jennings Bryan. The Witches were the Bankers, who could be good and bad and the Flying Monkeys were their lawyers. Dorothy was all of us.

I never saw the Gilligan's Island thing, Is it archived here?

 

I thought Season one of His Dark Materials was rather boring myself, however season 2 was appreciably better.

 

Discovery has it's charms but is the least Star Trek-like of the ST shows. And although not the wokest show on TV, it does go over the top sometimes. And I agree with Lower Decks. I thought it would be a train wreck but somehow they managed to balance respect for the canon and comedy quite well.

 

That's good to hear. I can binge watch that next.

 

You and I are much in lockstep. I especially enjoyed Mrs Maisel, Stranger Things, Killing Eve, Black Mirror, and add to that, Russian Doll, The OA, and The Good Place.

As for classic TV, I found myself watching Here Come the Brides. LOL! I was fascinated to learn that it was based on a true story. Back in the 1860s when the Seattle population was about 1000, Women were brought to Seattle from New England by ship by Asa Mercer to help balance the gender scales - the men needed women! They were called The Mercer Girls. He had planned to bring 700 women to the NW but only managed to bring 45 women to Seattle over two efforts. In the TV show Jason Bolt brings 100 women to Seattle.

 

http://www.politicalforum.com/index...aking-horse-candidate.569040/#post-1071484059

 

I never watched 3 of the 4 shows you added to mine (Russian Doll, The Good Place, and Here Comes the Brides). I did try to watch The OA but couldn't connect with it, and dropped it soon.

 

The Wizard of Oz analogy doesn't seem to make sense. Didn't the steelworkers go for McKinley? Was there more antipathy between the Scarecrow & Tin Man than I remember?

Or did you actually mean to say that John was the Lion, Paul the Tin Man, George the Scarecrow, Yoko the Wicked Witch (though I didn't think of her that way) and the Wizard, of course, was Ringo?

Though I've also heard some call George Martin the Wizard, relegating Ringo to the role of Toto (but don't say that around Steve Porcaro).

 

I started watching Fleabag last night. It started a little slow but its growing on me. At this point it is definitely keeping my interest. I love how she looks at the camera when she has a sexual thought! LOL! She's funny!

The OA is really out there! Not surprising that it wouldn't appeal to many people. The Good Place is comedy and quirky as hell, and it almost lost me at first but in the end I loved it. A comedy and an exploration of classical philosophy and ethics, it reminds me of an old SNL skit: It's a floor wax AND a desert topping!

Here Come the Brides is just a very quaint, vintage 1970 TV series. I was very young and barely remember watching it. But I was surprised when I learned it had an actual historical context. So I decided to turn off my brain and pretend it's 1970 all over again.

 

Nice that Fleabag is growing on you. The show is the creation of one extremely talented woman, who wrote it, directed it, produced it, and starred in it; she is just pure genius. This may be the best show I've ever watched. A perfect 100% score in Rotten Tomatoes, several well-deserved awards (Phoebe has won freaking 27 awards!!!). You will literally laugh and you will cry. While it is wickedly funny, it is much more than that. As for it starting slow, it's all by design; you'll see how it grows, and do brace for the poignant twist at the end of season 1 which gives the show a lot of gravitas - the build up to it is a technique to achieve maximum impact.

Season 2 is just as good. Then unfortunately it ends, not that it doesn't conclude (the ending is quite satisfactory) but I say unfortunately because one would want to keep watching more of such a masterpiece. She said she won't do a season 3 and is already far gone in other directions (basically everything she touches is at least very good when it is not perfect - like season 1 of Killing Eve which she did as well, then left and subsequent seasons are by other people; she is basically the best screenwriter in the business). Yes, Fleabag looking at the camera and dialoguing with the spectator (which in technical language is called an aside or breaching the fourth wall) is a very nice touch and is part of the show's objective of being a study of the human condition; she makes of us, the viewers, her accomplices in her keen observations of what it means to be human.

I have a crush on Phoebe Waller-Bridge. I wish I could meet her in person. I'm extremely attracted to highly intelligent women... her boyfriend Martin McDonagh is one lucky bastard. It must be hard to keep her attention; she is so creative! Phoebe was once married but it lasted for just three years. So, Martin McDonagh must enjoy it while it lasts, because I think her mind drifts to the next big thing, then the next...

OK, sounds like I should watch The Good Place. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

The Wizard of Oz analogy doesn't seem to make sense. Didn't the steelworkers go for McKinley? Was there more antipathy between the Scarecrow & Tin Man than I remember?

Or did you actually mean to say that John was the Lion, Paul the Tin Man, George the Scarecrow, Yoko the Wicked Witch (though I didn't think of her that way) and the Wizard, of course, was Ringo?

Though I've also heard some call George Martin the Wizard, relegating Ringo to the role of Toto (but don't say that around Steve Porcaro).

 

@cristiansoldier @crank , @Lil Mike

Syfy has a new show, only one episode in, so far, called RESIDENT ALIEN, that seems like it's going to be entertaining. It doesn't really match up with the other shows listed here, that I recognize, but falls into the Scifi/Fantasy genre, which you all seem to appreciate.

In tone it's a bit like, PEOPLE OF EARTH, if anyone saw that TBS show, but as of now, the whole thing is being shown from the alien's perspective. It's also a bit more dramatic, though with comedic edge, a shade darker, overall. Still, you can tell it will leave you feeling good, as the alien sent to destroy humanity will eventually come to understand & relate to us.

While trying to keep a low profile, he's been recruited by his isolated, Colorado town to cover for its recently-deceased doctor, who he determines has been murdered. As the alien learned our language from watching Law & Order, on the tv of the doctor whose identity he'd assumed, after killing him, he's apparently caught the homicide-detective bug.
I'd say it's worth a go, if anyone out there watches regular tv, anymore (also cable, on demand).

 

I actually did catch the pilot episode. I'm still mostly up in the air on it but Alan Tudyk is great as the Doctor/alien. Great performance!

 

My Netflix is predominantly attuned to the UK though I get offerings from the French productions but right now I am delighting in a UK series called The Derry Girls...a tale of four girls (one is Nicola Coughlin recently of Bridgerton) and a clueless boy in Derry (Londonderry) during the Troubles. They are a naughty bunch of typical teenagers with an Irish twist and you have to get used to the accent but it is beautifully written and if you know the background, very funny.
and right now I need all the "funny" I can get.

 

I'll check out the Derry Girls. I like that kind of stuff. I highly enjoyed Bridgerton.

I started watching Big Sky on Hulu. It's about creepy people working in the sex slave trade. So far, I'm enjoying it.