Which television shows are you watching? Series 4

[EgonSpengler]

I had watched two really gritty and dark, with really nasty material, British police forensic specialist shows, both taking place in the Greater Manchester Area (I get the feeling they were rival running shows on British television in new release, which was back in the '90's), called "Prime Suspect," and, "Cracker," (the latter has as the actor for the lead character Robbie Coltraine, who famously played Hagred in the Harry Potter movies and the police escort and "bully boy," to Johnny Depp's character in "From Hell,"). They had some really, really twisted criminals they were dealing with.

Yeah, those are classics. I think those series may have been the first time a lot of Americans noticed Mirren and Coltrane. The British, imo, make many of the best crime-dramas. Recent-ish ones that I liked the most were Luther with Idris Elba, Bodyguard with Richard Madden and Keely Hawes, and Broadchurch with David Tenant and Olivia Colman.

 

[Laurana Kanan]

I have a online calendar that tracks all the current and future episodes of the shows I'm interested in watching, but it's really starting to look sparse for this month and next. I've checked Metacritic for all the show premieres coming up for the next two months and there's really not much to look forward to. The only "new" show that looks interesting is Raised by Wolves on HBO Max coming 9/3. Ridley Scott is executive producing so I have high hopes for an interesting story.

 

[Kyriakos]

^Does it, though?
I mean that Ragnar guy is cool, but imo the show looks generic. Like a less stylish version of Oblivion.

 

[Laurana Kanan]

^Does it, though?
I mean that Ragnar guy is cool, but imo the show looks generic. Like a less stylish version of Oblivion.

I think it looks visually interesting and has an intriguing premise. Imo, it neither appears generic or is evocative of Oblivion. From a Deadline article, here's how the show is described:

Raised by Wolves ... centers around "two androids — Father and Mother — tasked with raising human children on a mysterious new planet after the Earth was destroyed by a great war. As the burgeoning colony of humans threatens to be torn apart by religious differences, the androids learn that controlling the beliefs of humans is a treacherous and difficult task."

p.s. How did you even know it was Travis Fimmel? He's like only in the trailer for something like 10 seconds. I had to look it up myself.

 

[Kyriakos]

Well, he is on the Still of the video!

 

[Laurana Kanan]

Well, he is on the Still of the video!

Oh, yeah...derp!

 

[Patine]

I think it looks visually interesting and has an intriguing premise. Imo, it neither appears generic or is evocative of Oblivion. From a Deadline article, here's how the show is described:


p.s. How did you even know it was Travis Fimmel? He's like only in the trailer for something like 10 seconds. I had to look it up myself.

When I first saw the title, I thought it might be a dramatized pseudo-mytho-history take on Romulus and Remus, the legendary twin founders of Rome. But television and movie titles are never that intuitive anymore - unless they're one of many endless remakes, reduxes, prequels, or long-belated sequels.

 

[Takhisis]

So now that I've watched The Rookie's S2E2 and S2E3 I've found out they're doing a mini-marathon this Bunday, starting from E1. Nice. I'm still liking the show.
Oh, and Ali Larter! Once again a case of an actress who becomes known for looking fantastic in front of a camera and sometime later people noticing she's also good at acting.

 

[The_J]

After a colleague recommended it, I am now watching Umbrella Academy. It's also trending in France.
But... so... this is like X-Men, just slower, with less action? I'm through half of the first season, not sure if I'll watch the second one.


I've also partially watched 2 other shows:
The 3 percent. Brazilian show, set in a dystopia, where everyone lives in a slum, but at their 20th birthday they need to pass a test to get the utopian part, where everything is better. Only 3% of the candidates pass the test, therefore the name. I found the setting intriguing, but you don't really get to see much of it. The show itself is fine, it follows multiple people through various tests in the first season and shows how they bond and what their story is. Just not what I expected from something labelled "science fiction". Did not bother with S2.

Nowhere boys. 4 teenage boys get lost during a school trip, and when they get home, they're in an universe (?) where they don't exist. Nobody knows them, no records, they were never born. Again a premise I like, but this continues mainly with "uuuhh... soooo spooky", and that's not my thing.

 

[EgonSpengler]

I have a online calendar that tracks all the current and future episodes of the shows I'm interested in watching, but it's really starting to look sparse for this month and next. I've checked Metacritic for all the show premieres coming up for the next two months and there's really not much to look forward to. The only "new" show that looks interesting is Raised by Wolves on HBO Max coming 9/3. Ridley Scott is executive producing so I have high hopes for an interesting story.

It does look intriguing, but I'm too put off by HBO's price to pay for it.

I think there are some things I'm looking forward to, if I can remember what they are... (Obviously, nothing is really jumping up and grabbing me by the neck, but these days I'll take what I can get.)

Lucifer season 5 premieres today on Netflix. I went back to rewatch season 1 about a month ago, figuring I could refresh my memory of the series in advance of season 5, but I lost interest after 3-4 episodes.
The Boys season 2 premieres Sept 4 on Amazon.
Ratched is on Netflix Sept 18. I'm not very interested in the material, but Ryan Murphy and Sarah Paulson make it worth trying (Judy Davis and Vincent D'Onofrio are also in it, but I don't know how big their parts are)
Enola Holmes on Netflix, Sept 23. Okay, I'm not gonna say this looks good, exactly, but I'll give it a chance to surprise me. I could use a pleasant surprise. I do like Millie Bobby Brown - in the one thing I've seen her in - and I haven't gotten tired of the Sherlock Holmes formula yet, even as frequently as it gets reused.
The American remake of Utopia, Sept 25 on Amazon. I haven't seen the original. I don't know if it's available over here yet.
Swamp Thing, the recent series that originally aired on DC Universe, is on The CW October 6. It got fair reviews before being canceled for behind-the-scenes reasons.
The Books of Blood, an adaptation of Clive Barker's 1980s anthology, is on Hulu October 7. I have no expectations for this show, I don't even know who's in it, but I enjoyed the books 30+ years ago, so what the heck.
Marvel's Helstrom is on Hulu October 16. Again, what the heck. It's not like I'll be doing something else that night.

Pretty weak sauce, but hey, I hear there's something going around. I think the only thing here I'm genuinely looking forward to is The Boys, and if one of these others exceeds my medium-to-low expectations, then I'll call it a win.

After a colleague recommended it, I am now watching Umbrella Academy. It's also trending in France.
But... so... this is like X-Men, just slower, with less action? I'm through half of the first season, not sure if I'll watch the second one.

I liked the second season more than the first, but yeah, it's not an action show. It leans on its characters and its sense of humor. The second season brings different supporting characters and adds some undisguised social commentary, but if you're dozing off during the first season, there may not be a big reason to power through.

 

[EgonSpengler]

So now that I've watched The Rookie's S2E2 and S2E3 I've found out they're doing a mini-marathon this Bunday, starting from E1. Nice. I'm still liking the show.
Oh, and Ali Larter! Once again a case of an actress who becomes known for looking fantastic in front of a camera and sometime later people noticing she's also good at acting.

I can't remember what happened when, and I don't want to post any spoilers, but I think Larter and Fillion have great chemistry. I hope she sticks around. I think the only other thing I've seen her in was Heroes. I thought people got a little too excited about that show, when it was on (it seems to have sunk like a stone since then - I never hear anyone mention it), but I thought Larter's role and performance were underappreciated. To my memory, Zachary Quinto got all of the attention, and to a lesser degree, Hayden Panettiere, Noah Bennet and Masi Oka. They were all good, don't get me wrong, but Larter's character was always the one I wanted to see more of. I can't think of another "Jeckyll & Hyde" character who was a woman (and a mother, to boot).

Say, now that I'm Googling it, Heroes had a pretty good cast. Kristen Bell, Robert Forster, Jessalyn Gilsig and Stephen Tobolowski were in it? Maybe they joined after I left.

 

[Synobun]

The 3 percent. Brazilian show, set in a dystopia, where everyone lives in a slum, but at their 20th birthday they need to pass a test to get the utopian part, where everything is better. Only 3% of the candidates pass the test, therefore the name. I found the setting intriguing, but you don't really get to see much of it. The show itself is fine, it follows multiple people through various tests in the first season and shows how they bond and what their story is. Just not what I expected from something labelled "science fiction". Did not bother with S2.

Good choice. The first season was its best. It gets increasingly more terrible with each passing season.

 

[Narz]

Finished Wentworth Season 7, still my 2nd fave show after Breaking Bad. Season 7 I thought was superior to the 6th even (tho still not as good as the earliest seasons)

 

[Birdjaguar]

I've been watching "Fauda". I'm 3 seasons in and I think its only 3 for now. The setting is Israel and Palestine and the show is about an Israeli counter terrorism team. I've enjoyed it. There are no good guys here. The terrible nature of the struggle that goes on at the individual and family level comes across loud and clear. It was filmed in the region and that has been a plus for me; scenery and in town shooting. The Palestinian perspective on the greater situation is not well presented, but the suffering and cruelty imposed by the IDF is quite clear. It is gritty and the personal toll paid by everyone is clearly depicted. I did get tired of seeing all the smoking. The show is subtitled. Netflix.

 

[Synobun]

I've been watching "Fauda". I'm 3 seasons in and I think its only 3 for now. The setting is Israel and Palestine and the show is about an Israeli counter terrorism team. I've enjoyed it. There are no good guys here. The terrible nature of the struggle that goes on at the individual and family level comes across loud and clear. It was filmed in the region and that has been a plus for me; scenery and in town shooting. The Palestinian perspective on the greater situation is not well presented, but the suffering and cruelty imposed by the IDF is quite clear. It is gritty and the personal toll paid by everyone is clearly depicted. I did get tired of seeing all the smoking. The show is subtitled. Netflix.

I've only seen the first season. I really liked it, but haven't managed to convince myself to sit down for a subtitled show for a while. Thus, haven't seen the later two seasons. Are they worth it?

 

[Birdjaguar]

I've only seen the first season. I really liked it, but haven't managed to convince myself to sit down for a subtitled show for a while. Thus, haven't seen the later two seasons. Are they worth it?

I have enjoyed them. S3 E12 (where I am) seems to be the set up for S4. It is not a feel good show and not everyone lives happily ever after. The macho attitude is pervasive and you have to just accept that. I still haven't figured out how much I like Doron.

 

[Kyriakos]

I am watching Inhumanoids. Aired recently, in 1986.

 

[Patine]

I am watching Inhumanoids. Aired recently, in 1986.

That was a cool cartoon. I used to watch that on Saturday mornings as a kid in the '80's (when they still had a dedicated Saturday morning cartoon slot) along with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess of Power, Visionaries, Care Bears Countdown, a bunch of less-memorable, short-lived ones, as well as Jem and Gen1 Transformers and G.I. Joe (those last three, and my memories growing up with them, making me utterly DETESTING the "Bay Butcheries," of remake movies).

 

[Kyriakos]

Inhumanoids is one of the very few dark cartoons associated with US studios
The other one I can think of is Spiral Zone.

 

[Sommerswerd]

After a colleague recommended it, I am now watching Umbrella Academy. It's also trending in France.
But... so... this is like X-Men, just slower, with less action? I'm through half of the first season, not sure if I'll watch the second one.

I've been watching it as well (well my wife started watching it, and I sort of got brought along for the ride halfway through season 2). I felt pretty much the same as you. I'd seen her watching it before from the beginning but I hadn't paid much attention to it, my initial reaction was it was kinda like Heroes... which was, in-and-of itself a shameless X-Men knockoff, albeit pretty well done. But when my wife asked me to watch the rest of the show with her and I asked her what it was about, when she started explaining it, my reaction was like "Oh OK so exactly like X-Men". I finished season 2. It seemed to have most of the back stories for the main characters. In retrospect it's pretty much a cross between X-Men and Heroes. So super-duper knockoff'ey. Because of that, I'm not going to go back and watch the episodes I missed and/or slept through. If you're familiar with X-Men and/or Heroes, all you need to see a couple of episodes of Umbrella Academy, and you've got the jist.

I'm looking forward to Evil Justice League, AKA The Boys Season 2.

The 3 percent. Brazilian show, set in a dystopia, where everyone lives in a slum, but at their 20th birthday they need to pass a test to get the utopian part, where everything is better. Only 3% of the candidates pass the test, therefore the name. I found the setting intriguing, but you don't really get to see much of it. The show itself is fine, it follows multiple people through various tests in the first season and shows how they bond and what their story is. Just not what I expected from something labelled "science fiction". Did not bother with S2.

I thought this show (Season 1 at least) was excellent. Essentially it was a much grittier, more substantive version of Hunger Games, where there a high degree of emotional investment and character development in multiple main "hero" characters instead of just one. The story didn't completely revolve around any one character so it just felt deeper. I also really enjoyed the Brazilian-Portuguese with English subtitles, it was much more immersive.

I will say that after you've seen Season 1, Season 2 is kind of like fluff, it was a little dissapointing... I felt like that part of the story didn't really need to be told... similar to Season 2 of Agent Carter I stopped watching after finishing Season 2. Apparently they're all the way to Season 4 and still going.