What is the latest good TV series you have watched?

[maildude99]

Apple TV+ has a new series out. Bad Monkey is a lot like The Rockford Files meets The Gods Must Be Crazy with a dash of a funnier episode of Miami Vice. Vince Vaughn plays former Miami detective Andrew Yancy, another one of those TV dudes who wants back in but fucks up too much...especially with a former enemy's widow named Bonnie (Michelle Monaghan). Narrated by his old boating friend who remains unnamed (Tom Nowicki), the story begins with Yancy's acquisition of a severed human arm found during a fishing trip. Convinced by his ex-partner Rogelio (John Ortiz) to pursue the case unofficially, Yancy finds himself mixed up in theft, murder, cover-ups, and all the Hollywood deadwood that has made detective shows a staple since the Civil War. Just as we get comfy, the tale shifts to one Neville Stafford (Ronald Peet), a devil-may-care Jamaican fisherman living in his father's beach house with his pet monkey. He's upset about developers urging him off his beach, so he seeks the aid of a voodoo priestess known as The Dragon Queen (Jodie-Turner Smith) to turn the tide, and, well...things get interesting as the two stories begin to coalesce. I like it in a mild way. It's a crime show with a couple of unique turns. Vaughn is good and Peet is great. Hey...it kept my attention even with a few bathroom breaks. Recommended.
WHAT'S THE POINT?: Sexual talk, and one quick scene with Vaughn and Monaghan screwing in the shower...man is that woman skinny!!
GRADE: B-

 

[maildude99]

A Small Light

A fact based drama about someone who hid Anne Frank and her family during the Nazi occupation in Amsterdam. The drama is not about Anne herself, but the people around her which are very well developed and portrayed throughout the series.

Actually watched the first episode of this earlier today, based on your recommendation. Good show!!

 

[tvstrip]

Sometimes re-watching kids shows makes you notice things You Missed as a child:

That last shot of the sign outside the girl's window makes you realize why Peter took his mask of for her, and also makes that "I'll keep your secret for the rest of my life" line hit much harder.

 

[SuperCJ79]

The Alienist : Seasons 1 & 2

 

[maildude99]

Well...here it is, ten years later, and I've just discovered Skinemax's Banshee. It stars Antony Starr (Homelander) as an ex-con, just released and on the run from some angry Serbians. Somehow, he ends up in the small town of Banshee where the local economies of Amish woodwork and hillbilly drug-making are controlled by local bad dude Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen). Starr figures the best way to hide is to assume the identity of their recently-killed new sheriff, and take up law enforcement...which he does with the help of criminal friend and gender-confused techie Job (Hoon Lee) and new bartender buddy, former boxer Sugar Bates (Frankie Faison). Naturally, there's a lot of Krav Maga-type fisticuffs, gore, titties, car chases, and more titties. If you liked Roadhouse and you're a fan of titties, this is your show. Because there's lots of fighting, terrible acting, shitty dialogue, and titties. It's an okay show for a banal ball-breaker. But, hey...it's got titties.
WHAT'S THE POINT? Everybody...and I mean everybody...shows their titties. Even Amish chicks. Plus there're some cute asses, and love interest Ivana Milicevic gets totally naked, revealing a finely-sculpted Brazilian strip. Like cunnilingus? Got it. Graphic ass worship? Yep. Sexual brutality? You bet. Horses? No...but I haven't watched the whole thing yet.
GRADE: C+ And the grade is only this high because of the nakidity.

 

[John_8581]

I thought this was a really good documentary on the old Michael Crichton directed Westworld (1973) Yul Brynner and all the stuntmen ...

 

[Bluejaye]

Well...here it is, ten years later, and I've just discovered Skinemax's Banshee. It stars Antony Starr (Homelander) as an ex-con, just released and on the run from some angry Serbians. Somehow, he ends up in the small town of Banshee where the local economies of Amish woodwork and hillbilly drug-making are controlled by local bad dude Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen). Starr figures the best way to hide is to assume the identity of their recently-killed new sheriff, and take up law enforcement...which he does with the help of criminal friend and gender-confused techie Job (Hoon Lee) and new bartender buddy, former boxer Sugar Bates (Frankie Faison). Naturally, there's a lot of Krav Maga-type fisticuffs, gore, titties, car chases, and more titties. If you liked Roadhouse and you're a fan of titties, this is your show. Because there's lots of fighting, terrible acting, shitty dialogue, and titties. It's an okay show for a banal ball-breaker. But, hey...it's got titties.
WHAT'S THE POINT? Everybody...and I mean everybody...shows their titties. Even Amish chicks. Plus there're some cute asses, and love interest Ivana Milicevic gets totally naked, revealing a finely-sculpted Brazilian strip. Like cunnilingus? Got it. Graphic ass worship? Yep. Sexual brutality? You bet. Horses? No...but I haven't watched the whole thing yet.
GRADE: C+ And the grade is only this high because of the nakidity.

I've started watching this. Only a couple of episodes in so far. Two of the female characters have spent as much time naked (very lovely ladies) as they have doing anything else and the main character is a raving violent psychopath. It's certainly intriguing and could be worth continuing to watch.
Not something to watch in mixed company unless you're all very sure of yourselves.

 

[Bluejaye]

Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes (slightly different title for each season).
I grew up watching the old black and white Basil Rathbone movies, I watch the Peter Cushing version whenever it's on and I watch the Tom Baker (yes Dr Who did it too) version on the very rare occasion when it's on. I even watched the modern BBC adaption.
But they all pale into nothing when compared to Jeremy Brett's Sherlock. The period being correct did help, but everything about his portrayal was spot on.

 

[maildude99]

Our friends at RTE have brought us the four-part Irish miniseries The Boy That Never Was...an adaptation of the Karen Perry novel about a young couple living in Morocco, whose two-year-old boy is lost after a building collapses during an earthquake. Colin Morgan is exceptional as Harry, the grieving father who can't let go, and Toni O'Rourke shines as well, the mother who has to balance loss, her husband's moods, and a bad secret. This show treads territory often portrayed in film and TV. But it does so effectively, with powerful performances and enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. Europe has seemed to figure out the typical viewer better than America has: keep it engaging, intelligent, and don't stretch out a good thing. You'll find yourself reminded of movies and shows you've seen before, but still feel compelled to watch. Recommended.
WHAT'S THE POINT: *Spoiler Alert* O'Rourke gets a little naked during a steamy sex scene with her lover.
GRADE: B

 

[maildude99]

After a twenty-year hiatus, Wandavision spinoff Agatha All Along has arrived...and in ground fashion. Kathryn Hahn reprises her role as The Scarlet Witch's nemesis, playing out the events after the end of the former series. Awakening to find herself in a clone of Mare Of Easttown, Agatha quickly finds things aren't quite the way she...or we...remember. As more comes to light, she discovers her destiny, with the help of a young sidekick, a handful of washed-up witches, and the stealthy and repetitive hand of Marvel's best and blightest. Admittedly, this hiccup is watchable if only for the gruff slapstickiness of Hahn's portrayal. But ya gotta wonder: why the delay? And why this? I've watched the first two episodes...the next ones will be released once a week I presume. So far, eh....I suppose it's better than clipping coupons. Well, most coupons. I give it credit for acting strength and...pretty much that's it.
WHAT'S THE POINT?: Hahn shows her butt in a brief nude scene. What's next for Disney? A remake of Caligula?
GRADE: C-

 

[maildude99]

Back in the '80s, wrestling was at the beginning of a type of Renaissance. You had Macho Man. You had the Hulkster. You had The Iron Sheik. And over in Japan, you had Dump Matsumoto and The Crush Gals. Oh. Did I mention they were girls? Because in Japan, women's wrestling was huge. Maybe not as huge as they wanted to be, but bigger than it was here at the time. Netflix must've banked on this when they ordered this Japanese miniseries masterpiece, created by Osamu Suzuki. The Quean Of Villains tells the story of Matsumoto in a heartfelt and candid fashion. Played masterfully by Yuriyan Retriever, Dump (she got her name when one of her trainers compared her to a dump truck) is viewed as both a victim and a menace that must be stopped...or encouraged, if you're a network executive. It traces the life of this wayward gal, from her days as a forgotten stepchild, to a runaway wrestling hopeful who was too fat and too talentless to make it in such a competitive venue. We get to see her transformation, from stomped on to stomper. And it's electric. Her climb into the heights of Japanese sport, and the lows of fan hatred, are outshined only by the sour taste of corporate usury. Her battles with the organization, the networks, and especially her former friend Nagayo Chigusa (Erika Karata) and Chig's partner Lioness Asuka (Ayame Goriki) are shown in full, bloody burnout, with a salt-shaker of tears. I loved this. No. I FUCKING loved this. It's unmissable. You can watch it dubbed or with subtitles. Either way, don't miss it. Even if you hate wrestling. Trust me.
WHAT'S THE POINT? Nobody gets naked. But there's lotsa Japanese gals in tights.
GRADE: A
EXTRA CREDIT: HERE'S a link to the actual wrestlers fighting in a sanctioned WWE match. WARNING: The real Crush Gals aren't quite as pretty as the miniseries ones.

 

[tvstrip]

Germans aren't known for their humour, but this is off to a good start

 

[tvstrip]

Back in the '80s, wrestling was at the beginning of a type of Renaissance. You had Macho Man. You had the Hulkster. You had The Iron Sheik. And over in Japan, you had Dump Matsumoto and The Crush Gals. Oh. Did I mention they were girls? Because in Japan, women's wrestling was huge. Maybe not as huge as they wanted to be, but bigger than it was here at the time. Netflix must've banked on this when they ordered this Japanese miniseries masterpiece, created by Osamu Suzuki. The Quean Of Villains tells the story of Matsumoto in a heartfelt and candid fashion. Played masterfully by Yuriyan Retriever, Dump (she got her name when one of her trainers compared her to a dump truck) is viewed as both a victim and a menace that must be stopped...or encouraged, if you're a network executive. It traces the life of this wayward gal, from her days as a forgotten stepchild, to a runaway wrestling hopeful who was too fat and too talentless to make it in such a competitive venue. We get to see her transformation, from stomped on to stomper. And it's electric. Her climb into the heights of Japanese sport, and the lows of fan hatred, are outshined only by the sour taste of corporate usury. Her battles with the organization, the networks, and especially her former friend Nagayo Chigusa (Erika Karata) and Chig's partner Lioness Asuka (Ayame Goriki) are shown in full, bloody burnout, with a salt-shaker of tears. I loved this. No. I FUCKING loved this. It's unmissable. You can watch it dubbed or with subtitles. Either way, don't miss it. Even if you hate wrestling. Trust me.
WHAT'S THE POINT? Nobody gets naked. But there's lotsa Japanese gals in tights.
GRADE: A
EXTRA CREDIT: HERE'S a link to the actual wrestlers fighting in a sanctioned WWE match. WARNING: The real Crush Gals aren't quite as pretty as the miniseries ones.

This is totally up my alley! Thanks!
The closest we've seen recently is GLOW and Heels, but this is based on the hard realities of Joshi wrestling. I hope Megumi Kudo has a role too - you can't talk about Hardcore Joshi without mentioning her!

 

[maildude99]

FX's latest shock series is the Ryan Murphy-helmed Grotesquerie. It's a Fellini-Bergman-Lynch inspired horror miniseries combining faith and biblical philosophies with the crimes of a gruesome serial killer. Yep. I know. Seven and Resurrection and a dozen others just like it. Sure, Murphy follows the same formula here. The difference lies on two fronts: first, the sheer visual horror of the show. No punches are pulled here. Second, the talent of leading lady Niecy Nash-Betts as Detective Lois Tryon---a woman with a drinking problem, a husband on life support in a bizarre hospital, and overweight daughter Merritt (Raven Goodwin) who's a compulsive eater. Nash-Betts is formidable as the angsty detective trying to overcome her issues while dealing with the worst crime the town's ever seen. Added to this, the sudden appearance of journalist nun Sister Megan Duval (Micaela Diamond) who eerily knows a whole lot about such things. Murphy has had gems and farts in his basket. This lies somewhere in-between. I'll give it a thumbs up if not entirely for the performances and a kind of this is horrifying...I wonder what they'll do next enticement to it. NOTE: Look for Travis Kelce in a bit role in this. I don't know why.
WHAT'S THE POINT? No funky stuff yet, but who needs it? It's gory!!
GRADE: C+

 

[SuperCJ79]

Missing: The Other Side - Season 1

 

[Torre82]

The Penguin
HBO Max, 8 episodes.
Sunday release, around 9p
Episodes 1-7 are out, final ep in a few days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfJG6IiA_s8

Has not disappointed. Excellent acting, considering the cape-story roots.