I love your “Who’s it for” descriptions. Hubby and I were in disagreement on many of these options so we didn’t finish. We did enjoy Black Doves. Agreed. Hurray.
I am almost done with season 2 of Somebody Somewhere and it's such a comfort show. I love the platonic relationship between Sam & Joel and I just love Tricia's character. I'm here for the petty Lying C**t pillow.
The pillows are extraordinary. Honestly, the whole sisters' relationship arc is satisfying and REAL. I'm so delighted you are watching :) Thx for sharing, Aurelie, and happy holidays. I'm glad we met and got to know each other this year. Whenever I put in French words (like in my next review), I think, "Aurelie will understand." I love getting to flex langue française!
Ohhhhhhh I can't wait. I love seeing some French in the wild. And same. I'm sooooo glad we crossed paths here. One of the highlights of 2024 for me for sure 😊
One of the few reasons I want to return to work is to catch up on The Agency. We started watching it on our breakroom TV the day before I left for vacation, so hopefully, I'm not too far behind.
Yesterday, I started watching White Lotus (late to the party, as always. lol). Three episodes into S1, and I'm pretty hooked.
Okay, Kevin. The fact that you watch "The Agency" with work friends in the break room speaks to how good it must be. Plus, I love the communal work-watch experience. That's amazing. You are in for a treat with "The White Lotus." - S1 is my favorite, but S2 holds. And in another month, it's time for S3 with Walton Goggins and Parker Posey!! Mike Smith, whom I used to think of as 1/2 of the power talent team/ride or die that is Laura Dern, does scathing social commentary and satire SO well. He gets the class divides and absurdities inherent in these wealthy enclave resorts. Love that he exploits the tension in his work. It's incredible.
In the time between these posts, I managed to binge both S1 & S2, and am pretty excited for S3. I don't normally get sucked in like that, but when I do, I go all in. lol. Goggins and Parker Posey? yes please!
That show is EASY BINGE. It's so well done. In the time between our replies, I'm now two episodes into "The Agency" - I like it. I keep comparing it to the French original ("The Bureau") and the few episodes I could watch on a free trial before I cheaped out and gave up the show. Still, Mathieu Kassovitz vs Fassbender, Kassovitz is much more human and endearing in his main character portrayal. Fassbender is a machine. There's something about Kassovitiz's fallibility that does more for me. "Shows that are good but lack SOUL" might be a future post.
Tried to watch Man on the Inside and boy was that bad. Ted Danson is a comic marvel if given the proper material, but here it feels like he's reading lines. And I love Mary Elizabeth Ellis as "The Waitress" in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but she's even worse, and given horrible, cliched dialogue. Oh well.
I couldn't tell if you intentionally labeled the Black Doves image 'Black Crowes' or not, but it made me laugh either way. I thought about starting that, but I'm kind of tired of spy shows after watching 3 seasons of Slow Horses (which I love BTW).
Yes, Somebody Somewhere is a top ten all-time show for me (of the 30 minutes or less comedy/dramedy variety). I've been meaning to get to Silo, but it's one of those shows I have to watch alone, as my wife is 0% interested.
We're watching Bad Sisters now (seen 2 eps), and I'm wanting to give up but I'll probably stick it out. But the believability, already pretty stretched in season 1, is even more so here. Which is hard for me to take.
I'm all ears when you finish your Sharon Horgan love song!
You know you usually earn at least one LOL humbling moment of the day from me, and here it is. Black Crowes - I had the hardest time (dyslexic?) keeping the bird family straight and labeled this show "Black Crowes" more often than not, so I'm keeping it as is. I'm finding it hard to get inspired by shows lately. Max is still the standout with some Apple TV+ thrown in there. And I need a whole post dedicated to Sharon Horgan.
So many thoughts after reading this! I need to watch the 1973 Jackal now - very interested. Shame that No Good Deed didn’t live up to expectations as I was hoping the cast would carry that. I must finish Bad Sisters, it’s so good I just got distracted; and I wonder if The Agency will work - I also loved the original. Love having a line-up of quality shows to get excited about!
'Hysteria' started fun but got stretched into less impactful length. I preferred 'The Red King' which is on no one's fantasy radar because it was free British telly.
'Somebody, Somewhere' is low key yet so charming.
'100 Years of Solitude' is doing something different!
'Black Doves' is, as you said, binge worthy, but I battle with convenient script writing such as the Minister of Defennce having zero home security so the baddies can walk up to his house and enter a side door.
Yeah some of the credibility of these crime shows (and films) is a bit far fetched. The whole premise of “Juror #2” hinges on us believing that an overworked medical examiner wrongly IDed cause of death causing him to rule homicide (attack) vs hit and run based on the body evidence. The woman was found thrown over the side of a curvy road after a storm after sustaining injuries consistent with a car hit and yet??!! I’m really drawn to “100 years is solitude” and started it. The “how does this book translate to visual storytelling format” on TV, also in light of all the incest is curious. I’m just now finishing “Bad Sisters” season 2 but perhaps I’ll take a detour back there. Been enjoying “The Sticky” (dark dramedy - breaking bad style) on Prime and “The Agency” has improved or maybe I’ve become more accommodating of its flaws. Jeffrey Wright, per usual, delivers.
So many good movies, especially foreign, that it's hard to get to series.
I put 'The Juror' #6 on my crime list, but that may be my warmth for Eastwood more than anything else. '‘The Last Stop in Yuma County’ and 'The Order' are stronger.
Like The Good Place, Man on the Inside finds its way to depth. I was initially leery it would veer into, as you said, hacky geriatric humor, but it really doesn’t. The later episodes are quite moving. This was a delightful watch for me in the 2024 season. Re The Jackal-you know I am Golden Globe ANNOYED about that one. It was fine, but not a Nom-worthy show and DEFINITELY not at the expense of Somebody Somewhere 😉
Ha! Fair question. I don’t necessarily endorse him. Hated Yellowstone and don’t watch any of the spinoffs.
Lioness is a CIA thriller, which is in my favorite spy/political/action thriller genre, so I was’t going to NOT watch it. It was actually good tho. Female lead with the demanding job, supportive husband who holds down the house, political intrigue.
Landman is surprisingly good. Very snappy writing, and the Billy Bob character is written as a “fixer” whose wife and daughter are incredibly annoying. It’s an interesting view into the world of nowhere Texas and the discussion around oil vs renewable energy.
Interesting on the Lioness front. Another reader endorsed it and wrote about it as a show you can watch with your husband in our collaboration essay! I don’t have Paramount - I’ve jokingly dubbed it “the Yellowstone network” but the cast of “Landman” had me intrigued. You’ve opened by eyes a bit.
Excuse me for piping in here. We've started most of Taylor Sheridan's series' (not knowing many of them were his), but with most, got to a point where we DNF. We've seen 2 episodes of "Landman" and it's good, though misrepresents what a Landman really is: they are the ones who deal with all the land deals. That's it. No "fixing" involved, but that said, Billy Bob is such a watchable actor. He gets some GREAT lines.
ok you've got my attention with Somebody Somewhere (it has totally passed us by!) - and I agree with you on Day of the Jackal (although I persevered), it felt like too much emphasis was given on the superficial and the casting was all wrong.
Thanks for sharing! My husband persevered on "Day of the Jackal" - I fell asleep when I tried. Oh well. And you must give "Somebody Somewhere" a whirl. I have a feeling it's right up your alley. Be well and Happy New Year!
"Black Doves" looked interesting to me. Ben was the new Q in the James Bond movies and I'm glad they'd made that a younger character. But my interest is now piqued thanks to the Milli Vanilli reference. And there are moments when I wish I had Apple TV because there were a couple of shows on their that I wanted to watch. That kinda sucks about "Jackal." It seemed like it would've been right up my alley. Until you mentioned Eddie's face. LOL And you're right. He really has a memorable face, and I was thinking he'd be doing disguises like Glenn Powell in the movie "The Hitman" (which I lurved - on Netflix). LOL BTW, I'm not watching ANY of these. As someone who lurved "Dexter" and was UTTERLY PISSED at how it ended, I wasn't interested in watching any other iterations they came up with. Including the origin story.
I love your “Who’s it for” descriptions. Hubby and I were in disagreement on many of these options so we didn’t finish. We did enjoy Black Doves. Agreed. Hurray.
I am almost done with season 2 of Somebody Somewhere and it's such a comfort show. I love the platonic relationship between Sam & Joel and I just love Tricia's character. I'm here for the petty Lying C**t pillow.
The pillows are extraordinary. Honestly, the whole sisters' relationship arc is satisfying and REAL. I'm so delighted you are watching :) Thx for sharing, Aurelie, and happy holidays. I'm glad we met and got to know each other this year. Whenever I put in French words (like in my next review), I think, "Aurelie will understand." I love getting to flex langue française!
Ohhhhhhh I can't wait. I love seeing some French in the wild. And same. I'm sooooo glad we crossed paths here. One of the highlights of 2024 for me for sure 😊
One of the few reasons I want to return to work is to catch up on The Agency. We started watching it on our breakroom TV the day before I left for vacation, so hopefully, I'm not too far behind.
Yesterday, I started watching White Lotus (late to the party, as always. lol). Three episodes into S1, and I'm pretty hooked.
Okay, Kevin. The fact that you watch "The Agency" with work friends in the break room speaks to how good it must be. Plus, I love the communal work-watch experience. That's amazing. You are in for a treat with "The White Lotus." - S1 is my favorite, but S2 holds. And in another month, it's time for S3 with Walton Goggins and Parker Posey!! Mike Smith, whom I used to think of as 1/2 of the power talent team/ride or die that is Laura Dern, does scathing social commentary and satire SO well. He gets the class divides and absurdities inherent in these wealthy enclave resorts. Love that he exploits the tension in his work. It's incredible.
In the time between these posts, I managed to binge both S1 & S2, and am pretty excited for S3. I don't normally get sucked in like that, but when I do, I go all in. lol. Goggins and Parker Posey? yes please!
That show is EASY BINGE. It's so well done. In the time between our replies, I'm now two episodes into "The Agency" - I like it. I keep comparing it to the French original ("The Bureau") and the few episodes I could watch on a free trial before I cheaped out and gave up the show. Still, Mathieu Kassovitz vs Fassbender, Kassovitz is much more human and endearing in his main character portrayal. Fassbender is a machine. There's something about Kassovitiz's fallibility that does more for me. "Shows that are good but lack SOUL" might be a future post.
Tried to watch Man on the Inside and boy was that bad. Ted Danson is a comic marvel if given the proper material, but here it feels like he's reading lines. And I love Mary Elizabeth Ellis as "The Waitress" in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but she's even worse, and given horrible, cliched dialogue. Oh well.
I couldn't tell if you intentionally labeled the Black Doves image 'Black Crowes' or not, but it made me laugh either way. I thought about starting that, but I'm kind of tired of spy shows after watching 3 seasons of Slow Horses (which I love BTW).
Yes, Somebody Somewhere is a top ten all-time show for me (of the 30 minutes or less comedy/dramedy variety). I've been meaning to get to Silo, but it's one of those shows I have to watch alone, as my wife is 0% interested.
We're watching Bad Sisters now (seen 2 eps), and I'm wanting to give up but I'll probably stick it out. But the believability, already pretty stretched in season 1, is even more so here. Which is hard for me to take.
I'm all ears when you finish your Sharon Horgan love song!
You know you usually earn at least one LOL humbling moment of the day from me, and here it is. Black Crowes - I had the hardest time (dyslexic?) keeping the bird family straight and labeled this show "Black Crowes" more often than not, so I'm keeping it as is. I'm finding it hard to get inspired by shows lately. Max is still the standout with some Apple TV+ thrown in there. And I need a whole post dedicated to Sharon Horgan.
'Slow Horses' is the best show the UK has given us!
Terrific list! We loved A Man On The Inside but understand your POV
Thanks, John! Perhaps I need to give "Man on the Inside" another try? Sell me on it! Does it get better?
So many thoughts after reading this! I need to watch the 1973 Jackal now - very interested. Shame that No Good Deed didn’t live up to expectations as I was hoping the cast would carry that. I must finish Bad Sisters, it’s so good I just got distracted; and I wonder if The Agency will work - I also loved the original. Love having a line-up of quality shows to get excited about!
Updates-
The Agency is a good watch. We are at the finale episode
Bad Sisters ended fittingly
No Good Deed my husband persevered and loved it!
Oh interesting! So the long game for No Good Deed…
'Hysteria' started fun but got stretched into less impactful length. I preferred 'The Red King' which is on no one's fantasy radar because it was free British telly.
'Somebody, Somewhere' is low key yet so charming.
'100 Years of Solitude' is doing something different!
'Black Doves' is, as you said, binge worthy, but I battle with convenient script writing such as the Minister of Defennce having zero home security so the baddies can walk up to his house and enter a side door.
Yeah some of the credibility of these crime shows (and films) is a bit far fetched. The whole premise of “Juror #2” hinges on us believing that an overworked medical examiner wrongly IDed cause of death causing him to rule homicide (attack) vs hit and run based on the body evidence. The woman was found thrown over the side of a curvy road after a storm after sustaining injuries consistent with a car hit and yet??!! I’m really drawn to “100 years is solitude” and started it. The “how does this book translate to visual storytelling format” on TV, also in light of all the incest is curious. I’m just now finishing “Bad Sisters” season 2 but perhaps I’ll take a detour back there. Been enjoying “The Sticky” (dark dramedy - breaking bad style) on Prime and “The Agency” has improved or maybe I’ve become more accommodating of its flaws. Jeffrey Wright, per usual, delivers.
So many good movies, especially foreign, that it's hard to get to series.
I put 'The Juror' #6 on my crime list, but that may be my warmth for Eastwood more than anything else. '‘The Last Stop in Yuma County’ and 'The Order' are stronger.
You had me at French
These are the French that camp on your border except when watching ice hockey.
Easily the best crime movie is 'Red Rooms' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1sj0OFXbkE
Confession time: I voted and *then* I started watching "Life & Beth" on Kanopy. It's sucked me right in.
Ha!!! So glad -and you can vote twice!!
Thank you. i just might do that!
Like The Good Place, Man on the Inside finds its way to depth. I was initially leery it would veer into, as you said, hacky geriatric humor, but it really doesn’t. The later episodes are quite moving. This was a delightful watch for me in the 2024 season. Re The Jackal-you know I am Golden Globe ANNOYED about that one. It was fine, but not a Nom-worthy show and DEFINITELY not at the expense of Somebody Somewhere 😉
Golden globe annoyed is my resting angry 😡 face for Jan 5th and 6th
Right? They got so much wrong! Like..SO much! I can’t wait for your Alt Globes to set things right!! 💥
Okay, I’ve picked The Agency. I don’t think I heard about it until now. I tried Day of the Jackal but it didn’t hook me.
I saw you watched Lee. I really wanted to watch it when it was out in theaters but somehow never got to it, now it’s not streaming yet in Canada.
That’s such a bummer about Lee. Hopefully 🤞 it will come to streaming soon. Here, it was barely in the theaters. I need to start “The Agency”!
We enjoyed Black Doves and are currently watching The Agency. This is my primary genre, so I don’t really care how good or bad they are! 😂
Bryan watches Bad Sisters, Silo, and Somebody Somewhere.
We’re also on a Taylor Sheridan kick, despite how ridiculous Yellowstone became, watching Landman and Lioness.
Jen, sounds like I'd be watching TV with Bryan in your house. :)
Do explain, PLEASE, for the love of Jon Hamm and all that is Fargo (and right in the world), what you see in the Taylor Sheridan shows.
Ha! Fair question. I don’t necessarily endorse him. Hated Yellowstone and don’t watch any of the spinoffs.
Lioness is a CIA thriller, which is in my favorite spy/political/action thriller genre, so I was’t going to NOT watch it. It was actually good tho. Female lead with the demanding job, supportive husband who holds down the house, political intrigue.
Landman is surprisingly good. Very snappy writing, and the Billy Bob character is written as a “fixer” whose wife and daughter are incredibly annoying. It’s an interesting view into the world of nowhere Texas and the discussion around oil vs renewable energy.
Interesting on the Lioness front. Another reader endorsed it and wrote about it as a show you can watch with your husband in our collaboration essay! I don’t have Paramount - I’ve jokingly dubbed it “the Yellowstone network” but the cast of “Landman” had me intrigued. You’ve opened by eyes a bit.
Excuse me for piping in here. We've started most of Taylor Sheridan's series' (not knowing many of them were his), but with most, got to a point where we DNF. We've seen 2 episodes of "Landman" and it's good, though misrepresents what a Landman really is: they are the ones who deal with all the land deals. That's it. No "fixing" involved, but that said, Billy Bob is such a watchable actor. He gets some GREAT lines.
Ok can you write about the inaccuracies please??!!!
And this, which is even better! Plus, there's a video! https://www.landman.org/about/who-we-are/what-is-a-landman
Found this. https://www.oiljobfinder.com/members/entry-level-jobs/landman/responsibilities/
Not sure I can add much more, but I'll try.
Great List - Thanks Beth!
ok you've got my attention with Somebody Somewhere (it has totally passed us by!) - and I agree with you on Day of the Jackal (although I persevered), it felt like too much emphasis was given on the superficial and the casting was all wrong.
Thanks for sharing! My husband persevered on "Day of the Jackal" - I fell asleep when I tried. Oh well. And you must give "Somebody Somewhere" a whirl. I have a feeling it's right up your alley. Be well and Happy New Year!
"Black Doves" looked interesting to me. Ben was the new Q in the James Bond movies and I'm glad they'd made that a younger character. But my interest is now piqued thanks to the Milli Vanilli reference. And there are moments when I wish I had Apple TV because there were a couple of shows on their that I wanted to watch. That kinda sucks about "Jackal." It seemed like it would've been right up my alley. Until you mentioned Eddie's face. LOL And you're right. He really has a memorable face, and I was thinking he'd be doing disguises like Glenn Powell in the movie "The Hitman" (which I lurved - on Netflix). LOL BTW, I'm not watching ANY of these. As someone who lurved "Dexter" and was UTTERLY PISSED at how it ended, I wasn't interested in watching any other iterations they came up with. Including the origin story.