Streaming or currently airing TV shows (AKA Netflix thread) (8 Viewers)

[northern exposure]

re: The Wire, I missed the boat when it originally aired. Have always heard rave reviews about it, so about 10 years ago, the wife and I set out to watch it. We were incredibly bored through the first two episodes and ended up watching something else. I'm guessing I need to revisit since it is widely known as an all-time great. But for fans of the show, do you agree that the first couple episodes were very slow?

I do think The Wire takes a few episodes to get going. My recollection from the first time I watched it is that it doesn't really properly introduce any characters like other shows do. S1E1 feels like you're dropping into a show that's already in it's third season, and I found that a little off-putting.

Off-putting. Whenever I see that phrase I think of the Jennifer Lawrence "burn" of Zach G on "Between 2 Ferns".

Jennifer Lawrence Viciously Roasts Zach Galifianakis | Between Two Ferns #shorts

Jennifer Lawrence Viciously Roasts Zach Galifianakis | Between Two Ferns #shorts Buy Me a Pizzahttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/nanduogContact Us: jasnanisuhas0@...

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Sorry...back to Serious TV Talk.

 

[Gally]

But I don't recall ever being bored or confused though on my first watch.

I think "bored" and "confused" aren't quite the correct descriptors. But there was a time to get into the characters that needed to happen before I could fully into what was going on. It was kind of a situation where I was trying to figure out who was doing what and how they fit in. It wasn't bad just wasn't spoon fed like a lot of shows do today.

 

[shuke]

re: The Wire, I missed the boat when it originally aired. Have always heard rave reviews about it, so about 10 years ago, the wife and I set out to watch it. We were incredibly bored through the first two episodes and ended up watching something else. I'm guessing I need to revisit since it is widely known as an all-time great. But for fans of the show, do you agree that the first couple episodes were very slow?

I wouldn't say "slow" but it is a lot of setup, and you really have no idea initially where it is heading. It took me a while to figure out what the show was "about".

 

[shuke]

But I don't recall ever being bored or confused though on my first watch.

I think "bored" and "confused" aren't quite the correct descriptors. But there was a time to get into the characters that needed to happen before I could fully into what was going on. It was kind of a situation where I was trying to figure out who was doing what and how they fit in. It wasn't bad just wasn't spoon fed like a lot of shows do today.

Exactly.

 

[beer 30]

I continue to be shocked that people rank The Wire anywhere near their top 10 of shows all time.

Everybody is entitled to their opinion, yours is just wrong

Seriously, I get it. I loved the Wire and I love Lasso. Everybody has different tastes as is evident in this thread recently.

 

[Scoresman]

The Wire is unique in that it's so realistic that I feel it loses a bit of the entertainment factor that a lot of other shows have. Episodes don't ever really end on a cliffhanger. There's nothing that comes even close to jumping the shark. The only time I remember being surprised was a 3 second part of a scene involving a certain gay bar and a certain high ranking police official.

It's incredibly well written, acted and produced and it's brutally realistic, but you won't really be talking about it at the water cooler the next day.

 

[Ilov80s]

Kind of over Ted Lasso. Watched the first one tonight and it’s just more of the same. I’ll watch the entire season but they are right to finish it.

The biggest fraud of a loved show I can remember in awhile. I watched about half of S1 and coudn't do it anymore. My wife and friends have watched and re-watched. I am not at all surprised to hear that S3 will be the last and that it's seen as garbage. It was always garbage.

Not sure you could be more wrong if you tried.

I will continue trying trust me

 

[FatMax]

There's nothing that comes even close to jumping the shark. The only time I remember being surprised was a 3 second part of a scene involving a certain gay bar and a certain high ranking police official.

Season Five .....

Spoiler: Bigbottom ... don't look

When McNulty invented a serial killer and Lester went along with it ... I thought that was little tough to believe in the context of everything that had happened prior. Still loved the season though.

 

[3C's]

Ah, McNutty, that drunk Irish *******.

 

[Zow]

Ah, McNutty, that drunk Irish *******.

My mainest man

 

[FatMax]

I wouldn't say "slow" but it is a lot of setup, and you really have no idea initially where it is heading. It took me a while to figure out what the show was "about".

And after it starts hitting its groove it throws a huge curve ball at you with season 2, introducing a totally new setting and characters. I think that is why many dislike season 2 initially. After finishing the series season 2's place in the Wire Universe makes sense, and upon rewatch season 2 tends to be much better received.

Agree here. I like season 2. It seems out of place at first, but there is a tie in that isn't clear until later. Generally, I think The Wire gets better as it progresses. In seasons 1-4, I feel like each season was better than the previous. Season 5 is the exception. It's still great, but I wouldn't say it's better than Season 4.

 

[TLEF316]

About half way through The Night Agent. Nothing really original here, but if you like thriller/action spy stuff with government conspiracies and constant twists, it scratches the itch.

A few "oh come on!!!" moments but I expect that with this genre.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

A few "oh come on!!!" moments…

Buckle up.

 

[Birdie048]

Still trailer

Well worth the time. Courage & spunk in tiny man

 

[The Gator]

About half way through The Night Agent. Nothing really original here, but if you like thriller/action spy stuff with government conspiracies and constant twists, it scratches the itch.

A few "oh come on!!!" moments but I expect that with this genre.

We finished it, but yeah, there are plenty of eye rolls. Overall I thought it was decent but won't be waiting for S2. The casting seemed off to me as well. I feel the secondary actors were quite a bit better than the two leads.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Silo is good so far. I read the initial self-published short story (Wool) about 10 years ago so much of it is familiar but I didn’t read the whole series and have forgotten a lot of it. Good actors, great sets and great action.

 

[PIK95]

I still think the Wire is the greatest show ever and it's not close. Band of Brothers is my second favorite, and it's only ten episodes total. I also enjoyed Homeland more than most fwiw.

 

[Moe.]

I love The Wire but people forget how meh Season 5 was imo. I know HBO forced Simon to only do 10 episodes instead of the standard 12, so it felt rushed for a reason, but even if you give some leeway for that the McNulty storyline in that season was horrendous.

 

[Moe.]

Silo is good so far. I read the initial self-published short story (Wool) about 10 years ago so much of it is familiar but I didn’t read the whole series and have forgotten a lot of it. Good actors, great sets and great action.

Question for those who have read these - is it resolved in a satisfactory manner? I tried reading some summaries (while trying to avoid spoilers) and I got the impression it’s still ongoing and we don’t know the ending yet. If the central mystery ends up being a dud I don’t want to get involved.

 

[PIK95]

I love The Wire but people forget how meh Season 5 was imo. I know HBO forced Simon to only do 10 episodes instead of the standard 12, so it felt rushed for a reason, but even if you give some leeway for that the McNulty storyline in that season was horrendous.

I love season five. I didn't realize some didn't.

 

[Moe.]

I love The Wire but people forget how meh Season 5 was imo. I know HBO forced Simon to only do 10 episodes instead of the standard 12, so it felt rushed for a reason, but even if you give some leeway for that the McNulty storyline in that season was horrendous.

I love season five. I didn't realize some didn't.

Interesting. I found the McNulty storyline to be so implausible it soured the rest of it. Gus is a great character though.

 

[shuke]

Silo is good so far. I read the initial self-published short story (Wool) about 10 years ago so much of it is familiar but I didn’t read the whole series and have forgotten a lot of it. Good actors, great sets and great action.

Question for those who have read these - is it resolved in a satisfactory manner? I tried reading some summaries (while trying to avoid spoilers) and I got the impression it’s still ongoing and we don’t know the ending yet. If the central mystery ends up being a dud I don’t want to get involved.

I read the series and loved it. Can't remember how much is "resolved", but for me books are about the journey and not the destination, so YMMV.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

Silo is good so far. I read the initial self-published short story (Wool) about 10 years ago so much of it is familiar but I didn’t read the whole series and have forgotten a lot of it. Good actors, great sets and great action.

Question for those who have read these - is it resolved in a satisfactory manner? I tried reading some summaries (while trying to avoid spoilers) and I got the impression it’s still ongoing and we don’t know the ending yet. If the central mystery ends up being a dud I don’t want to get involved.

I read the series and loved it. Can't remember how much is "resolved", but for me books are about the journey and not the destination, so YMMV.

I'm curious how much of the source material they are trying to get into this first season. If they are trying to do the entire first book they have some work to do in 5 remaining episodes.

 

[Zow]

I love The Wire but people forget how meh Season 5 was imo. I know HBO forced Simon to only do 10 episodes instead of the standard 12, so it felt rushed for a reason, but even if you give some leeway for that the McNulty storyline in that season was horrendous.

I love season five. I didn't realize some didn't.

Interesting. I found the McNulty storyline to be so implausible it soured the rest of it. Gus is a great character though.

Without getting into specifics (though can you really spoil a show that's over 20 years old?), I think that was kind of the point though - the system was so broken that the writers had to inject something seemingly implausible into it to drive home the series' ultimate point that the inner city war on drugs is a cyclical and ultimately useless endeavor. I enjoyed the fact that it was frankly so relatively easy for McNulty and Freamon to get away with it as long as they did, too. So, yeah, implausible hyperbole, but almost necessary for the final season IMO.

I do have Season 5 ranked as my least favorite but it's nowhere near "horrendous" and is still great television (as somebody else mentioned Gus was a good new character and I am generally content with how they wrapped up the storylines for most of the major players).

 

[El Floppo]

And fwiw, re the Wire... the Corner mini series precursor was also fantastic.

 

[On The Rocks]

I saw a few people talking about JUSTIFIED on here a few weeks ago so I started rewatching it. Dewey Crowe is still an all time favorite character!

Just saw this morning that the series is returning with new episodes with Raylan Givins working in Detroit. Justified: City Primeval

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I love The Wire but people forget how meh Season 5 was imo. I know HBO forced Simon to only do 10 episodes instead of the standard 12, so it felt rushed for a reason, but even if you give some leeway for that the McNulty storyline in that season was horrendous.

I love season five. I didn't realize some didn't.

Interesting. I found the McNulty storyline to be so implausible it soured the rest of it. Gus is a great character though.

Without getting into specifics (though can you really spoil a show that's over 20 years old?), I think that was kind of the point though - the system was so broken that the writers had to inject something seemingly implausible into it to drive home the series' ultimate point that the inner city war on drugs is a cyclical and ultimately useless endeavor. I enjoyed the fact that it was frankly so relatively easy for McNulty and Freamon to get away with it as long as they did, too. So, yeah, implausible hyperbole, but almost necessary for the final season IMO.

I do have Season 5 ranked as my least favorite but it's nowhere near "horrendous" and is still great television (as somebody else mentioned Gus was a good new character and I am generally content with how they wrapped up the storylines for most of the major players).

I think there's a simpler explanation: The Wire was always a highly-political show that really wanted to pass along a particular message. It's hard to do that without being didactic and preachy. Season 5 is coded as a "bad" season (not bad objectively, but bad as in not as good as the first four seasons) because it's too heavy-handed. That's all it is.

It's a testament to how good The Wire is that it can devote entire seasons to the war on drugs, the decline of blue-collar work, inner city schools, urban politics, and the local news media while staying up at the Scientist level. But it does slip here and there. The whole storyline with McNulty creating a fictitious serial killer is the most glaring example, but it's not the only one. IMO, the "Hamsterdam" storyline is also below the normal standard of this show in terms of nuance, and I say that as somebody who is extremely sympathetic to the show's POV on that one. Both of those are just too forced and contrived compared to the stories involving Avon Barksdale or the Longshoremen.

 

[PIK95]

Hampsterdam and Game Day are my two favorite episodes fwiw.

 

[3C's]

I saw a few people talking about JUSTIFIED on here a few weeks ago so I started rewatching it. Dewey Crowe is still an all time favorite character!

Just saw this morning that the series is returning with new episodes with Raylan Givins working in Detroit. Justified: City Primeval

https://media.tenor.com/8qfzNE0aGtIAAAAC/nice-very-nice.gif

 

[bigbottom]

Catching up on Season 2 of Yellowjackets. Man is this show messed up.

 

[General Malaise]

I love The Wire but people forget how meh Season 5 was imo. I know HBO forced Simon to only do 10 episodes instead of the standard 12, so it felt rushed for a reason, but even if you give some leeway for that the McNulty storyline in that season was horrendous.

I love season five. I didn't realize some didn't.

Interesting. I found the McNulty storyline to be so implausible it soured the rest of it. Gus is a great character though.

Without getting into specifics (though can you really spoil a show that's over 20 years old?), I think that was kind of the point though - the system was so broken that the writers had to inject something seemingly implausible into it to drive home the series' ultimate point that the inner city war on drugs is a cyclical and ultimately useless endeavor. I enjoyed the fact that it was frankly so relatively easy for McNulty and Freamon to get away with it as long as they did, too. So, yeah, implausible hyperbole, but almost necessary for the final season IMO.

I do have Season 5 ranked as my least favorite but it's nowhere near "horrendous" and is still great television (as somebody else mentioned Gus was a good new character and I am generally content with how they wrapped up the storylines for most of the major players).

I really enjoyed the newspaper component to season 5 but agree that it got silly with regards to McNulty. It was my first introduction to David Costabile who was brilliant as Wags in "Billions" before that series got stupid.

 

[General Malaise]

Started Barry last night. It was late and I almost started E2 of S1 but felt my eyes droop. Curious to see where this goes. I do love me some Fonz!

 

[jobarules]

Catching up on Season 2 of Yellowjackets. Man is this show messed up.

Yeah episodes 7 & 8 in particular but season 1 was MUCH better. I still havent watched the finale.

 

[belljr]

Started Barry last night. It was late and I almost started E2 of S1 but felt my eyes droop. Curious to see where this goes. I do love me some Fonz!

First season is fantastic.

It lost me a little parts of season 3 and 4 but overall it was worth it

 

[Scoresman]

Without spoiling, did Succession end well? I read some reports it was headed into GOT territory with it's ending.

I watched the first three episodes and was intrigued but never went back, but I will if it's a really good complete package.

 

[PIK95]

Without spoiling, did Succession end well? I read some reports it was headed into GOT territory with it's ending.

I watched the first three episodes and was intrigued but never went back, but I will if it's a really good complete package.

I haven't watched the finale yet. Please no spoilers. Tia

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Without spoiling, did Succession end well? I read some reports it was headed into GOT territory with it's ending.

I watched the first three episodes and was intrigued but never went back, but I will if it's a really good complete package.

I thought it was the single best ending to any long-running show that I've watched. Obviously most people wouldn't go that far, but it does seem to have been almost universally praised.

Edit: It's definitely not GOT. There is a clear, logical reason why the show ends the way that it does, and that's not just something that people are saying ex post -- you can find people who more or less predicted the exact ending to this show ex ante based on what we knew about the various characters and their motivations. It's also not The Sopranos -- there is no ambiguity about what happened. It's a nice, understated, well-written conclusion. You may or may not like the show, but if it clicks with you, you will not need to worry about being let down by a lazy finale. It's a good one.

 

[Major]

Dave on FX last night was great. I haven’t watched the show religiously but it’s well written and the season finale with Brad Pitt was top notch. Dude is hilarious.

 

[Scoresman]

Without spoiling, did Succession end well? I read some reports it was headed into GOT territory with it's ending.

I watched the first three episodes and was intrigued but never went back, but I will if it's a really good complete package.

I thought it was the single best ending to any long-running show that I've watched. Obviously most people wouldn't go that far, but it does seem to have been almost universally praised.

Edit: It's definitely not GOT. There is a clear, logical reason why the show ends the way that it does, and that's not just something that people are saying ex post -- you can find people who more or less predicted the exact ending to this show ex ante based on what we knew about the various characters and their motivations. It's also not The Sopranos -- there is no ambiguity about what happened. It's a nice, understated, well-written conclusion. You may or may not like the show, but if it clicks with you, you will not need to worry about being let down by a lazy finale. It's a good one.

This is quite an endorsement. Added back to the queue.

 

[thecatch]

I think somebody recommended Chimp Empire on Netflix, and I'm enthralled through 2-3 episodes. It's great.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

I think somebody recommended Chimp Empire on Netflix, and I'm enthralled through 2-3 episodes. It's great.

Watch the James Reed (the documentarian) episode on Rogan (#1988). It's fascinating.

 

[Nick Vermeil]

I think somebody recommended Chimp Empire on Netflix, and I'm enthralled through 2-3 episodes. It's great.

How is this not called "Chimpire"?

 

[shuke]

I saw a few people talking about JUSTIFIED on here a few weeks ago so I started rewatching it. Dewey Crowe is still an all time favorite character!

Just saw this morning that the series is returning with new episodes with Raylan Givins working in Detroit. Justified: City Primeval

OH **** YEA!

 

[McBokonon]

re: The Wire, I missed the boat when it originally aired. Have always heard rave reviews about it, so about 10 years ago, the wife and I set out to watch it. We were incredibly bored through the first two episodes and ended up watching something else. I'm guessing I need to revisit since it is widely known as an all-time great. But for fans of the show, do you agree that the first couple episodes were very slow?

I don’t. I was hooked from the brilliant opening scene. “Got to. This America, man.”

I also like Ted Lasso. IK is clearly very wrong.

 

[Don Quixote]

I think somebody recommended Chimp Empire on Netflix, and I'm enthralled through 2-3 episodes. It's great.

That was me. Watched it last weekend. It is fantastic.

 

[Tick]

I think somebody recommended Chimp Empire on Netflix, and I'm enthralled through 2-3 episodes. It's great.

That was me. Watched it last weekend. It is fantastic.

Just watched all 4 episodes. It was a good balance - told a story, but wasn't ridiculously long like that meerkat show.

 

[The Gator]

Dave on FX last night was great. I haven’t watched the show religiously but it’s well written and the season finale with Brad Pitt was top notch. Dude is hilarious.

One of my favorite series on going right now. Big fan and love all the guest stars.

 

[steelerfan1]

Started Joe Pickett on Paramount. Is based off of a book series by CJ Box About a Wyoming game warden.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

This guy is posting classic scenes from the Wire today to commemorate its 21 year anniversary. Yesterday he did all the great death scenes.

https://twitter.com/ziggys_duck/

 

[belljr]

Dave on FX last night was great. I haven’t watched the show religiously but it’s well written and the season finale with Brad Pitt was top notch. Dude is hilarious.

One of my favorite series on going right now. Big fan and love all the guest stars.

I bet Dave is your second favorite character......