The TV Series discussion thread

[Carnifex]

Ok, last night I finished off the fourth series of Fargo, after starting some months ago, taking a long break, then coming back to re-watch the first two episodes and those that followed. So many thoughts!

So this series is much different from the others, or at least seems so to me. You've got several competing factions in Kansas City, circa 1950, all trying to grab as much illicit business as possible. Three major factions: the Irish, Italians, and Blacks. Chris Rock's character leads the latter, and he's a plan to take over ALL the graft. The story is mainly about his plans, and yet if you're familiar with some of the other Fargo series, you are going to find out where Mike Milligan truly came from, what life forged him into at an early age.

I'm not going to spoil anything here, just watch the bloody thing. Hey, Olyphant shows up as a lawman here, that ALONE makes it worth watching. You've got a deadly nurse(small side-note: I thought early she might turn out to be Malvo's mother from the first Fargo series, yet that didn't seem to pan out), deadly factions and plenty of betrayals along the way. Check it out!

 

[danutz_plusplus]

I started season 3 of Fargo, after seeing the excellent season 2, and I'm not sure why I never went past the first episode. I might've been burned out, but I never managed to get back to it to give it a proper chance. I hope to someday do that, and then also try season 4.

Speaking about wanted series, I'm still hoping that maybe maybe they'll greenlight and start work on a season 4 of True Detective. I loved season 3, and would very much hope that's not the final one.

 

[JDR13]

Speaking about wanted series, I'm still hoping that maybe maybe they'll greenlight and start work on a season 4 of True Detective. I loved season 3, and would very much hope that's not the final one.

I still need to get around to watching the 3rd season of TD. I really enjoyed the first two seasons. Not sure why, but the previews for season 3 didn't grab me. I think because it lacks the star power of the first two.

 

[danutz_plusplus]

I still need to get around to watching the 3rd season of TD. I really enjoyed the first two seasons. Not sure why, but the previews for season 3 didn't grab me. I think because it lacks the star power of the first two.

I found season 3 significantly better than season 2. But not close to season 1 which is still one of the best tv series of all time.

 

[JFarrell71]

I found season 3 significantly better than season 2. But not close to season 1 which is still one of the best tv series of all time.

Same. I didn't even make it through season 2, I disliked it so much. Season 3 was a solid season of television, though as I sit here and type this, I find that I don't really even remember thing one about it without jogging my memory. Season 1 was on another level completely.

 

[Lemonhead]

I found season 3 significantly better than season 2. But not close to season 1 which is still one of the best tv series of all time.

This is true for me as well, I rank them as 1,3,2 in order of how good they are. Season 3 is much more similar to S1 than S2. Great cast. I would say the script is slightly weaker to S1 though. It kind of fizzled for me towards the end. Really glad I watched it though.

Anyone seen the new Dexter series on Paramount+? I want to watch it but I don't know if it's worth the subscription fee.

 

[Myrthos]

I finished watching the four seasons of The Man the High Castle. It was a great ride, although I felt the end was a bit too easy, although I am not sure how they could have ended it in a better way, without adding a couple more episodes.
It is one of the better shows I've seen.

 

[Carnifex]

Agreed, Mythros, Man in High Castle did a great job of turning one small, decent book into years of watchable entertainment. I plan on re-watching it all in a few years, it's just that good!

Right now I'm hoping for another series for Fargo. After coming off watching the last season, now I'd like more, please. More connections to earlier seasons, more goofy alien connections to other films/seasons, heck, they could even continue the supernatural stuff that's in the fourth series. I'd LOVE to see where Esmeralda might wind up at some point, that girl was scary smart and I doubt she just become some housewife of the future. She and her beau could have the makings of their own season for sure, that brush she had with Loy and his world could have opened her eyes to other possibilities.

 

[JDR13]

I found season 3 significantly better than season 2. But not close to season 1 which is still one of the best tv series of all time.

Same. I didn't even make it through season 2, I disliked it so much. Season 3 was a solid season of television, though as I sit here and type this, I find that I don't really even remember thing one about it without jogging my memory. Season 1 was on another level completely.

I've always been surprised that so many people disliked season 2. I think it's underrated. Even Colin Farrell was good, and I never liked him in anything before that.

Season 1 was obviously better though. McConaughey's performance should have won him a lot more than it did.

 

[JDR13]

I finished The Silent Sea last night. I thought it got a little silly towards the end, but it was still enjoyable overall. The atmosphere is pretty strong, and I was getting some Event Horizon vibes from it.

Don't expect strong acting, but it might scratch your itch if you're craving some new sci-fi.

 

[Carnifex]

Last night I polished off the Wheel of Time show, and for me it all felt a bit average, save perhaps for the final two episodes. At least it needn't worry about renewal, so I'll likely check out the next series when available, certainly the first couple of episodes. It just feels so hum-drum when compared to other shows, like after watching this I fired up an episode of Americans and, though I've watched it before, I was far more entertained with the latter.

 

[JDR13]

I watched the recap for season 1 of The Witcher today in anticipation of starting season 2. I had wanted to rewatch the first season because my memory of certain things was a little sketchy, but I just don't have the time to do the entire thing again.

I also watched a couple of short pieces on NetFlix related to The Witcher. They have "The Bestiary" parts 1 & 2 that explain the background of every monster shown in the series. I found those pretty interesting. They're only 10-15 minutes each and worth watching if you like the lore of the series.

 

[Redglyph]

I finished The Wheel of Time, I quite like it. The opinions vary a lot apparently, it must have something to do with the changes to the original story and other personal preferences. It's been a long time since I read the books so the changes don't bother me too much, overall I find they did a reasonably good job.

The only negative points I have are the arguable change at the beginning regarding Perrin and his wife, the additional romance which is too obviously there to lure more audience, and how compressed it is. I understand those issues must come from budget and marketing requirements, but they remind me too often that it's a commercial show.

I'm watching the 2nd season of The Witcher now, only at the 1st episode.

Spoiler

The bruxa was really well made!

Apparently, the release of the 2nd season has triggered a big increase in the game sales being played recently.

 

[JFarrell71]

I've been watching Fear of the Walking Dead. My first attempt fell off very quickly, a couple of years ago. I watched 2 or 3 episodes of the first season and didn't like them. I had always heard that it got quite a bit better as it went on, but I wasn't willing to power through those early episodes for a payoff that might not even come.

I skipped those first few this time and just watched the last few of the first season, which were okay but still not very good, and then on into the second season. I guess the consensus is that the 2nd season is mediocre and FoTWD gets good from season 3 on, but I liked the 2nd season. I'm most of the way through the 3rd at this point and have enjoyed that too. Overall I like it more than The Walking Dead. TWD has high points, but is also gratingly stupid at many points, and FoTWD is more consistently good.

That doesn't happen to me often, where I'll give up on a series and then resume it and end up liking it (the 100 is the only other time that comes to mind), but I'm glad it happened here.

 

[JFarrell71]

Apparently, the release of the 2nd season has triggered a big increase in the game sales recently.

It's strange to me that there are enough people out there who would play such a game and somehow hadn't all the way up to late 2021, but good for them, I guess.

 

[Carnifex]

Yes, one of my personal gripes with the telly version of Wheel of Time would be what they did to Perrin's backround story, among many other things. Like I've said before, I've only read the first four books of the series, it just never really took to me like others have, yet the show is just....average.

And now a show that's NOT average, Cobra Kai. This show is how you do television, especially an already-existing series, honouring both the past and establishing a new, vibrant present. Sure, it likely takes a bit more work to finangle all this, yet when it's done, look at the result: a show that doesn't suck. The next series is likely to be the best of all, with Chozen being fully back into the swing of things(at least that's what I'm hoping for, I've always enjoyed his character from the second film and thought he got a raw deal). The only real gripe I have with the show is that it left youtube for the icky Netflix. -xxxx

 

[SleepingDog]

Invasion

Invasion is a 10 episode TV series from Apple TV+ which has also got a second season. I managed to watch the first three episodes and then gave up. Its not that it is bad just that there are many other series that I would prefer to watch.

The series was inspired by "War of the Worlds" though it is not an updated version. The 1st 3 episodes explored the impact on 5 social groups of what appear to be random disasters. It covers many of the current issues in society (bullying, homophobia, retiring or change, marriage etc). I felt that the acting was good, story ok, special effects fine but it felt more like a disaster movie than an alien invasion. So not my thing.

IMDb and RT did not give it high scores.

 

[Redglyph]

It's strange to me that there are enough people out there who would play such a game and somehow hadn't all the way up to late 2021, but good for them, I guess.

It wasn't really correct, sorry. The number of players has increased. The sales too, a little, but that was due in great part to recent discounts.

 

[JDR13]

I've been watching Fear of the Walking Dead. My first attempt fell off very quickly, a couple of years ago. I watched 2 or 3 episodes of the first season and didn't like them. I had always heard that it got quite a bit better as it went on, but I wasn't willing to power through those early episodes for a payoff that might not even come.

That first season is incredibly boring. I really liked it from season 2 on though. It's way better than the TWD has been over the last 4-5 years, although I guess that's not saying much.

 

[JFarrell71]

That first season is incredibly boring. I really liked it from season 2 on though. It's way better than the TWD has been over the last 4-5 years, although I guess that's not saying much.

It's a low bar for sure. I liked the first Angela Kang season, aka the last one with Rick, but a lot of the rest of it is mediocre to bad.

I genuinely like Fear at this point, though. I keep trying with shows like this because I'm a sucker for the basic premise of a group of disparate people banding together in a harrowing situation.