Friday, January 26, 2018

What's On? Jungle Reds Bingewatch

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Of course we watched THE CROWN. And I was riveted, The personalities the history. The clothes. The lipstick. Phillip the pill. Margaret the wacko spoiled one, Elizabeth trying so hard but she can't help it, she's got to be the Queen.  And I was doubly riveted because it felt like I was learning history at the same time.

Turns out, sadly, I wasn't, necessarily. So many articles are now revealing so many things that did happen at all the way they are portrayed in the series. Which is really too bad, but I don't want to list them because I don't want to spoil--if it would be spoiling--the show if you haven't seen it. I mean, it's STILL good, but you kind of have to google as you go. (Well, Rhys doesn't have to.)

But on to happier TV stuff.  Well, not exactly happier. We just finished watching Ozark, which is so incredibly suspenseful I watched the first episode curled up in a chair, saying to Jonathan--I CAN'T WATCH THIS!! And then proceeded to to be glued.

We are also--and I hesitate to reveal how behind we are--watching Breaking Bad. So now you are laughing, because that's pitiful. But wow. It's incredible. (I know, I know, I don't have to tell you.) And Mrs. Maisel, hilarious.  And my private secret treat: Project Runway. Though it's better with Tim and Heidi.

So, Reds are readers, catch us up. Point us in the right direction. What are you watching?  

HALLIE EPHRON: J'adore The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The first episode is so brilliant, and it just keeps going to a fantastic finish. Can you even imagine trying to break out as a stand-up comedian? 

I'm catching up on Vera which happily I missed. And just watched the last episode of The Detectorists and looking forward to the new season about to drop. Sadly, apparently the last. Love those sad sacks so much.

My guilty pleasure is watching (again) the episodes of Sherlock. I saw them but can't believe how much I forgot. I wonder if there will be any more. And can't wait for the new episodes of GLOW. Who knew I'd love ladies' wrestling.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Hallie, I rewatch Sherlock, too. They are just so brilliant!!! And I love The Detectorists but am way behind. Where are you getting that?

JENN McKINLAY: I just started watching Game of Thrones a few months ago. Ack! I know! WAY behind but I had to work up to it. And now, I am desperately crushing on Jon Snow. Also I am addicted to YOUNGER, which is the greatest show ever!!! (A forty year old woman can't get a job in publishing because she's been out of the loop, raising her daughter in the suburbs, so she pretends she's 26 and gets hired - SO GOOD)! And now I am going to have to watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel because it sounds wonderful and I trust you and Hallie implicitly! 

INGRID THOFT: "Mrs. Maisel" is definitely going on the list, but I can’t do “Game of Thrones", which is too complicated and too violent.  I think I was the only person on the planet who couldn’t get into “Breaking Bad,” and that’s worse than being late to the show, Hank!  I just watched “Loch Ness” on Acorn, which I enjoyed, and I’m planning on tuning in to “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.”  I’m caught up on “This is Us,” one of the few network shows I watch, and I’m definitely in love with Sterling K. Brown.  There.  I admitted it.

DEBS: Ingrid, who isn't in love with Sterling K. Brown??? 

HANK: Me. No This Is Us for me. Too sad.  And Ingrid,  it took me two attempts to like Breaking Bad. But when I feel, I fell hard.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Jenn, I've been thinking about watching YOUNGER, and you've sold me on it. Besides, who doesn't like to fantasize she could pass as fourteen years younger? Like everyone else, I've got "Mrs. Maisel" on my list, and I'm also excited about the Philip K. Dick-based series ELECTRIC DREAMS which just went up on Amazon.

Youngest and I both adore THE GOOD PLACE, and if you haven't been watching, you need to see it right now. Original and oh-so-funny. I've also been enjoying THE EXPANSE, from the SyFy (sic) network. In fact, I liked the first season so much I've put the second on hold while I finish the novels upon which the series is based. Coming up later this year, Harlan Coben has a series titles SAFE that sounds great, and very Coben-esque: a thriller set in a gated suburban community. And of course, I will keep on watching anything from HGTV. Drew and Linda's Nursery Addition? Yes. Rehab Addict Rehab? Sure. Flip or Flop Poughkeepsie? Bring it on.

LUCY BURDETTE: I barely watch TV so I'm not much use. John is the resident expert. But even he quit on BREAKING BAD, because it was too scary. (His golf buddies tease him relentlessly about admitting this.) We are in the second season of THE CROWN, though I think the first was more compelling. Now will have to watch Mrs. Maisel!

RHYS BOWEN: I regret to say I'm with Lucy. I don't watch much TV. I devoured the Crown. I'm now into the second season of Victoria although I don't find that as compelling for some reason. I am a sports nut and currently watching the Australian Open tennis from which I will go straight into the Winter Olympics. I do confess to a secret pleasure in Project Runway and the Amazing Race. And I must watch Mrs. Maisel. I've heard so much about it.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Can I even admit that I haven't watched The Crown? Ack! I will, I will. I just haven't got to it yet. Rick watched Breaking Bad but I just couldn't work up to it. We did the first season of Game of Thrones, and now I'm wondering if we should pick it up where we left off. What say, GOT fans?

HANK: Yes, yes! I even love hearing the Game of Thrones theme music. Don't stop!

DEBS: I've just started re-watching Vera from the beginning, because it is so good, and I've missed episodes or parts of episodes here and there. And I've only seen Shetland intermittently, so would like to watch all those from the beginning, too. And I am totally in love with an old series from the mid-nineties that's been running on my PBS station, called Pie in the Sky, starring Richard Griffiths as a police detective turned chef. I adore it! Haven't missed an episode since I discovered it.

Our big couple thing lately has been Star Trek: Discovery, the new series that takes place time-wise ten years before the original Star Trek. It is SO good!!! Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays Michael Burnham, the first black female first officer in the Star Trek canon, is just riveting. And Jason Issacs as the captain? What's not to like?

HANK: SO, reds and readers, point us in the right direction! Are you liking The Alienist? (SUCH a great book! But the TV show? Hmmm.)  What are you watching? 

88 comments:

  1. Like Julia, we enjoy THE GOOD PLACE and I have to admit that I, too, enjoy re-watching SHERLOCK. We also enjoy PLANET EARTH. YOUNGER is fun and even if the history isn’t quite right, that doesn’t change how much we enjoyed THE CROWN.

    We aren’t big sports-watchers, but we watch figure skating and we’re looking forward to the winter Olympics . . . .

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    1. We've got to try The Good Place..hmmm.

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    2. Youngest and I will be watching a lot of the winter Olympics as well, Joan. We don't follow any of the sports year-round, but the Olympics are the sort of old-fashioned Event Television, with the whole family sitting together in front of the tube. You don't see that much anymore.

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  2. Not much of a tv watcher but I do admit to binging on The Crown. Loved it, even if the history is slightly off. Definitely going to have to check out Sherlock and Younger. Thanks!

    I have never seen The Game of Thrones, something about people wearing hairy clothes... nuff said. I always feel as if I should see it, just to have the conversation, but then I sit down and can't quite get the finger to the remote button! Maybe there'll be Cliff notes. Do they still have Cliff notes?

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    1. CLiff Notes! Such a fun idea. I really love GOT, I have to say. ANd I think the costumes are amazing. Only one culture wears hairy clothes. SO funny...

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    2. tomandlorenzo.com has recaps of every episode.

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  3. I also don't watch much TV...I have not seen any of the shows listed above!

    I have been hooked though on Longmire. Love reading the Craig Johnson books and I was a slow convert to the TV series. I am slowly doling out episodes for this last season. They are ending on a high note.

    And I just signed up for Amazon Prime less than a month ago, so I started watching Bosch. Again, Titus Welliver is great as Michael Connelly's protagonist.

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    1. Love Bosch. ANd ooh, AMazon Prime. Such good shows..and so many things I have NEVER heard of!

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    2. Bosch is great! They had to update it. Can't have a Vietnam vet tottering around. . .

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  4. I don't have Netflix so I can't watch any of the shows that are from there.

    I do love The Good Place, which is both funny and twisty without becoming too difficult to follow.

    I actually finished a rewatch of all 7 seasons of Game of Thrones.

    I'm working on a rewatch of the science fiction series Farscape and I'm watching the complete series DVD set for the PBS Sherlock Holmes series that starred Jeremy Brett.

    I'd also recommend The Wire to anyone looking for a great drama to watch.

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    1. How was GOT the second time around???

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    2. The Wire is the BEST SHOW EVER. Just saying.

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    3. Isn't Laura Lippmann's husband the producer of The Wire? David Simon?

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    4. Hank, still great though I tended to skip through the stuff that irritated me the first time around.

      And The Wire is one of the best shows ever put on TV for sure.

      Karen, David Simon was the head honcho of the show.

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  5. I love The Crown and Victoria (which isn't quite as good as The Crown) and re-watching Inspector Lewis (I miss you Sgt. Hathaway!) and Sherlock. I re-watch Doctor Who while waiting for new seasons. I'm slowing making my way through the DC superheros on Netflix; I'm almost the end of Arrow season 1.

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    1. Wonder why Victoria isn't as good? I haven't seen one bit of it, but I do hear this..

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  6. I'm with Roberta and Rhys. Where do you all find the time to watch so many shows? I did watch the Crown, and am now keeping up with Victoria, but mainly until Call the Midwife starts up. And that's it.

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    1. Hmm. I think one reason TV is such a different animal now is that we can watch whenever we want--shows are always on, and it's all about each person's convenience. It would be impossible if TV were like it used to be, with shows on only when there were on, and if you miss it, you miss it. Now if I want to rest my brain, or engage it, I can watch three-seasons-ago Breaking Bad. SO great to have such control! And with fast forwarding, no commercials!

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    2. Edith, I do the same thing as Hank. I rarely ever watch a TV show on my actual television. Instead, I'll wait until I need some mental downtime or distraction and stream three or four episodes at once. No cable, but with Amazon Prime, Hulu and Netflix, I don't need it.

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    3. Exactly. TV becomes only the box for providing the content we select, and the time we want it.

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    4. Each May, when the networks announce their fall schedules, I have a chart that I use to fill in the days of the week and which shows are on which day and time.

      Once the five major networks have made their announcements, I look at my schedule and then if I have multiple shows on at the same time, I decide which I'm going to watch "live" and which will be viewed on On Demand.

      I print out a weekly list and as I watch, I mark off the shows so I know what I still have to watch.

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  7. Old school here--basic cable and that's it, but I'm enjoying the current seasons of both The Librarians and Marvel Agents of Shield and watching Death in Paradise on our local PBS station. Most nights if I want to watch somerhing I pick a DVD from the ones I own. We have all the episodes of Midsomer Murders. That alone is months of binge watching.

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    1. I really enjoyed the first inspector in Death in Paradise. The second annoyed me and now it seems there is going to be a third. And I can't get over the female cop working in sexy beach attire. My friend Robin Bur elk would have a fit!

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    2. I really enjoyed the first inspector in Death in Paradise. The second annoyed me and now it seems there is going to be a third. And I can't get over the female cop working in sexy beach attire. My friend Robin Bur elk would have a fit!

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    3. Oh, that would be hilarious. Ish. It's like TV reporters in very high heels on the street. No way.

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  8. I loved Longmire but it got too dark so I'm on pause. Where do I find YOUNGER?

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    1. I tried to find it, too, and it would only give us saason four, not season one. Grr.

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    2. I have to disagree with you Hallie. For me, Longmire has simply gotten better with each successive episode and season.

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    3. Younger is on TVLand - you can stream it on TVLAND.COM or watch it through Amazon. It's not on Netflix - yet.

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  9. I live - and watch from - under a rock when it comes to popular culture on TV; I still order DVDs from Amazon or the library for my viewing pleasure. Here's a list of go-tos:
    British and known:
    Downton Abbey, of course
    Call of the Midwife, of course
    British, possibly not known:
    Happy Valley with the magnificent Sarah Lancashire - cop in northern England. Couldn't get more real, but you'll need the subtitles to decipher the accents
    Last Tango in Halifax, also with the magnificent Sarah Lancashire. Real families, real stuff going down. Three seasons. totally gripping
    Silk, with the remarkable Maxine Peake. British legal drama set in London (I still need the subtitles)
    Foyles War, with the lovely Michael Kitchen
    International:
    Borgen, Danish, politics and intrigue set against the lives ordinary people. The prime minister is a woman. Fantastic series
    A French Village, French, set in a village in WWII - amazing acting, heartwrenching stories of ordinary people grappling with the practical and the moral quagmires that are war
    Janet King, Australian legal drama with the fabulous Marta Dusseldorp
    A Place to Call Home, Australian, also with the fabulous Marta Dusseldorp - this one is set in the 1950s. It covers tough issues - homosexuality, abortion - in 1950s Australia. Need I say more? The acting is superb.
    Damn. Now I have to go to work, but would rather head to my couch to watch! Sigh.

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    1. Amanda, I CANNOT find Borgen. I have looked and looked!

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    2. And sometimes we use closed captions to decipher accents. Life-changing!And soon, you don't need it any more.

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    3. I'm a huge fan of closed captions when it comes to accents. I started using them on "Shetland" and now can't imagine watching stuff from the UK without them!

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    4. Ingrid, Ross and I let our kids (then still pre-teen and younger) watch the beautiful, inspiring BILLY ELLIOT. I didn't realize until years later the film was riddled with f-bombs - we just couldn't decipher them with the thick Yorkshire accents!

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    5. Oh, that's too funny, Julia! And isn't it true that you get accustomed to it, and eventually don't need it?

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    6. I started watching Last Tango in Hallifax, and had to quit. It was so tensely scripted! Made me a nervous wreck.

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    7. Amanda LeRougetel, wow, I just copied and pasted your list onto my To Watch list! I am so with you on Happy Valley and the actress Sarah Lancashire. You might look at "Wanted" which my husband and I loved like we loved Happy Valley. Thanks for the list!

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    8. Hank: I think I bought my set of the Borgen DVDs through MHZ, which distributes international high-quality drama. But try Amazon - if you still have a DVD player, of course! I've not yet gotten into streaming from here and there, so am satisfied with DVDs.

      Sasscer: My pleasure. Always happy to share a list of good viewing! Now I'll have to try your recommendation of Wanted, which is new to me. Thanks!

      Julia: Hilarious re. Billy Elliot and the f-bombs!

      Karen: I hear what you're saying about the tension in Last Tango, but that's what kept me hooked. Such real-life stories, and talk about ordinary settings. Gillian's farm, with those sheep. And the Aga in every kitchen!

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  10. Love The Crown. And yes, I do look up the history right after. Fascinating characters even if they have to compress/dramatize the facts. Liked the Duke of Windsor episode this season. And like Victoria, too. Honestly? I often like tv to be far from actual life. Need a break.A lot of people I know have recommended Mrs. Maisel, along with Reds today. Must start! Frankie and Grace - hilarious and touching and old pro actresses. And This Is Us. I think it's brilliant writing and acting.Plot often surprises me, and that doesn't happen too often.

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    1. You are so brave to watch This is Us!

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    2. Hank, I thought "The Wire" was gut-wrenching, much sadder than "This is Us." Why one and not the other, do you think?

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    3. OH, that is SO interesting! Hmm. I wonder..if one is more about crime, and one is more about families? Maybe...and just brainstorming, the Wire is more straight-forward? Less..manipulative? (I say this without having watched one frame of This is Us!)

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    4. The Wire was one of the best shows ever, but we watched it streaming, not when it was current, and it became tough going.It was so bleak, with less hope all the time. Realistic, probably, so I have much respect for it, but it was not a break from real world. We never did see the last season. This Is Us is sad, funny, sometimes hopeful. I guess I got hooked by the brilliant first episode - I'm paying a lot of attention to the storytelling. Plus husband is even more hooked so it's a family activity. :-)

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  11. Debs, I haven't watched "The Crown" yet, either. We're the only two on the planet apparently!

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    1. I've not yet seen The Crown. That makes at least three of us on the planet...

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    2. Make it four. I've never seen it and have no plans to.

      Ingrid, maybe it is because I've watched so much stuff from Britain, but I have no problem with the accents, so I don't need subtitles.

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    3. I never heard of it until today! I have not heard of most of the programs mentioned here today, having given up cable a few years ago. I watch DVDs from the library, and I buy the ones I especially like, so I can see them again whenever I want to.
      DebRo

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  12. I loved "The Crown," but yes, the first season seemed to be more compelling. Same with "Victoria." We watched last night and all I kept saying was, "I don't think I've ever read about any of this" and I've read and re-read biographies of Victoria all my life.

    Ingrid, I couldn't get into "Breaking Bad" either. And we don't have HBO, so no "Game of Thrones." Never seen "This is Us."

    We are going to watch "The Alieniest." We also watch "Agents of SHIELD," and "The Blacklist."

    I will guiltily admit that my decompression viewing at the end of the day are the DC comics shows on The CW - Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. They are so campy and cheesy.

    And despite typing al that...I am often not in the mood to watch TV and I'd rather read. But The Hubby uses TV to wind down before bed and I feel like I ought to spend some time with him, so...

    Mary/Liz

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  13. My husband, amazingly, has been binge-watching The Crown, and I'm doling it out more selectively. If you have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Tom & Lorenzo, I highly recommend their costume analyses of this show, and lots of others, including Big Little Lies, GOT, Mad Men, and on and on. tomandlorenzo.com They also do screen caps, and episode recaps, and if you need to catch up on a show, they're your guys. They started out as a fashion blog for Project Runway, and their original blog name was ProjectRungay.

    I watched all the Vera episodes recently, as well as Hamish MacBeth, Agatha Raisin, and I'm up to date on Doc Martin. (Can you tell I have an Acorn account?) Ann Mason recommended The Indian Doctor, and I watched all three seasons. If you get a chance to see this, it's very good, about an Indian doctor and his wife who move to a little mining town in Wales in the 50's, to take over the office of the local doctor.

    I like Victoria, but it's harder to relate to her than to Elizabeth. For one thing, Victoria had a fairly undramatic life, especially in comparison to Elizabeth. For another, Claire Foy is a much more mesmerizing actress, in my opinion.

    I still have not watched the third season of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt, but am looking forward to it, as well as the fourth season of the hysterically funny Grace and Frankie, which just dropped on Netflix. I watched The Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce, which is sort of a modern take on Friends by way of Cougars. It's okay, a bit shallow, frankly.

    But Game of Thrones is not for me--too gory, and too complicated. Love the costumes, though.



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  14. A PS: NY Times this AM had an astonishingly good review of the remade One Day At a Time. I remember the original fondly - a sharp Norman Lear , right up to the minute comedy about changing families, changing lives. New version is updated for THIS minute. And Rita Moreno. Guess I will have to find it!

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  15. I LOVED Breaking Bad, Happy Valley, and I highly recommend the original Netflix series "Wanted," filmed in New Zealand. The scenery is beautiful, the acting great, and the story riveting, at least for me. Peaky Blinders is a bit rough, Irish/UK, and closed captions help with the accents. Not for cozy-only fans, but I loved it. I also liked a Canadian production called Intelligence. Again it was a bit dark but I liked the acting and the story line a lot.
    But here's the thing, I like dark, but I loved The Crown and adore the Miss Fisher Mysteries. They are fun, light, and Miss Fisher's clothes are to die for. Am also watching replays of John Cleese in Faulty Towers. Should I label myself eclectic? Another good dark one is "Ozark" on Netflix.

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    1. Miss Fisher is my sick day go-to for binge watching.

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  16. We watch TV from about 6-8, and since we have a news blackout, this means PBS, HULU, Netflix, Acorn or Britbox. The latter is hard to navigate until you get used to it, but if you like Britcoms et al, it and Acorn are the place to be.

    The only network show we watch is "This is Us," and the examination of family dynamics is incredible, as is the cast. Lucy Roberta, I'd like to hear your take on this, with your clinical psychologist hat firmly in place.

    We do not watch Game of Thrones or The Wire. OZARK was incredible, as was Breaking Bad, and I can't wait for each new season of Call the Midwife. I binge-watched "Shameless" over the past couple of months. It is shameless for sure.

    Of course we've seen all the royal shows, The Crown, Victoria, and whatever else comes along. If you have Britbox, you can also catch specials like the Queen's Christmas address, etc. How are you living without this and Acorn?

    I am devoted to Doc Martin, Vera, Shetland, all on Acorn. Even though up to date, I still enjoy going back and watching the old ones. How do I find the time? Easy. I don't write books!

    At 8 o'clock I go to bed to read and Julie watches METV, all the golden oldies while she reads. As I said before, I can't read with any distraction.

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    1. I love your approach to life, Ann: into bed at 8pm. That's my approach to work/life balance!

      I'm going to have to investigate an Acorn account. Not at all sure how to do that, but Google will likely help.

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    2. Bonjour Amanda. I think you will enjoy Acorn although some content may not be available in Canada, like Vera. Not sure why but you will sort it out. We have a yearly subscription, only Couple it three bucks a month.

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  17. The Alienist is one of my favorite books, but the series is just a bit off. I had my own ideas of what Sara and a younger Teddy Roosevelt looked like, and Dakota Fanning and whoever plays Roosevelt don't even come close. No offense, but, Dakota Fanning?? The casting of Kreisler and John Moore is pretty good. But I can see the hand of Hollywood trying to take what is already a wonderful book and make it more commercial (big surprise).

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    1. So agree in every way! Plus there’s a difference between “suspense”
      and “slow.” :-)

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  18. Wonderful post! I have not seen Mrs. Maisel. Will I need to subscribe to HBO to watch this? I had a hard time choosing between the Outlander and Victoria because they were on at the same time.

    Though I like THE CROWN, they did make a mistake with the scenes with Princess Alice, aka mother of Prince Philip. Since she was deaf, there was no mention of her deafness in the tv series, though the companion book by Robert Lacey mentioned her deafness. In one of the scenes at Sophie's funeral, another daughter is whispering in her mother's ear. And deaf people have to look at you when you talk. To a deaf person, a whisper would feel like a whooshing of the air. The deaf person cannot decipher words from a whisper! Hello Magazine mentioned an error with a scene that showed a building in the 1950s when it was built in the 1960s.

    I've been watching Midsomer Murders on AcornTV. I also watched Grace and Frankie on Netflix.

    Ingrid, do you think Loch Ness is too violent? I tried to watch it the other day.

    Haven't read The Alienist yet.

    Diana

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    1. Diana, I was worried that Loch Ness was going to be too gory for me. It is a little on the graphic side, definitely at my limit, but it didn't put me off. I was engrossed enough in the story that I was able to deal with the yucky stuff!

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    2. The Alienist is a must read ! Must must must .
      I am having trouble with the TV version though—as Celia said, that is NOT Teddy Roosevelt!

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    3. Ingrid, thank you for letting me know. I'll give it another gander.

      Hank, what did you like about The Alienist?

      Diana

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    4. The book? The beginnings of forensics, the beginning of psychological focus in criminal investigation, a young Teddy Roosevelt, the atmosphere and politics of New York at that time, and a really good story Remember, ti was written in 1994, so it was incredibly innovative. (But I fear not one of the characters in the TV show look like what I'd pictured, so that's frustrating. Even though it's not the production's fault.)

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    5. Hank, thank you. I already have a long list of to be read books. Adding The Alienist to my list. When did they make the movie?

      Diana

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  19. Sneaky Pete is a really good show on Amazon and about to start it's second season. Agree that Happy Valley and Vera are both great shows. But at risk of being pummeled by rotten eggs, I tried a few episodes of Mrs. Maisel...meh. If you've never tried Orphan Black it's a great show. It's worth checking out just to watch the outstanding acting of Tatiana Maslany as she portrays all of the variations of the "orphans".

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    1. Nancy, I wasn't instantly won over by Mrs. Maisel..but now I am. And there is RARELY egg-throwing around here...xoxxo

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  20. I watched the Crown too. I thought that PM was a real pill. Recognize him from Endeavor? Then I found out the show did a hatchet job on him. Why? Now I'm going to question everything that happens on the Crown. I watched Electric Dreams on Amazon. Some stories were good, some meh. But that's normal. Don't judge but I adore Lucifer on Monday nights. He makes me laugh! Incorrigible. I also watched The Alienist. I haven't read the book so I don't know how it compares. Our family watched season 2 of Stranger Things. Such a cool show! I've never made it past the first season of Breaking Bad, but I did get hooked on Better Call Saul. And I've been watching X-Files. There again, some good episodes, some meh. And again, don't judge, but I adore the TV series Evil Dead with Bruce Campbell. He makes me laugh. Outrageous. Has anyone been watching Better Late Than Never? It is about the travel adventures of the foursome of William Shatner, Terry Bradshaw, George Foreman, and Henry Winkler. That show can make me laugh or cry. Mainly laugh, but it does have its tender moments. One more show. I just found The Indian Detective on either Netflix or Amazon. I loved it. Here is a Canadian born man of Indian parents who is a constable. His mom is dead and his dad has moved back to Mumbai and insists his English-only-speaking son come visit. And bring his Harris tweed jacket. It is very funny, fish out of water, and has a mystery too! I've seen just the first episode; I understand there are only four for this season. Worth watching.

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    1. Oh, THAT's where he's from! It was driving me crazy. xo

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  21. I'm new to The Crown, just starting watching it, but I'm liking how they show what a heavy responsibility was thrust upon Elizabeth at such an early age and how being the Queen while still being a wife was quite the challenge. I watched Ozark and loved it. Of course, with Jason Bateman and Laura Linney it, I expected it to be amazing. I continue to love Doc Martin on Acorn. Martin Clunes is the best. He's actually quite the animal lover and has done shows about dogs, but on the show it's funny to see how he convincingly acts like the dog that keeps hanging around is a complete nuisance. During the Thanksgiving holidays, my husband and I watched Godless and were blown away at how awesome it was. I was hoping that Jeff Daniels would win the SAG award for the his category, as Godless showed just what a versatile actor he is. William Massey did win a SAG award, not for the same category, for his role in Shameless, which I watch mainly because of him. I'm a bit lukewarm about Victoria this season. I did watch the recent season of Broadchurch, and I really like this show, in part due to the two lead characters, David Tennant and Olivia Colman. I'm looking forward to the new season of Agatha Raisin this year sometime, even though the Agatha, Ashley Jensen, doesn't resemble the Agatha of the books. Ms. Jensen is very good in the role though.

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    1. Hank, I am just in awe of the amazing job Jeff Daniels did in portraying such a complex character. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the whole show was done.

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    2. Loved Godless! I hope there's a second season.

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  22. I'm getting so many great ideas for my To Be Viewed list! Thanks, everyone!

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  23. The best series I've watched recently is "Undercover". I love all the British, Australian, Scottish, etc. shows. Mostly mystery or police. Broadchurch!!

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  24. Pie in the Sky was terrific.
    Made me want a "proper" meat pie. Do they really exist?
    Libby Dodd

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    1. Also the Canadian show Slings and Arrows. Very well done. Wish it had gone longer.

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  25. I have to second the recommendation for The Good Place. It took a couple of episodes before I got into the first season, but once I did, I loved it. It's got such a wide mix of humor, it often catches me by surprise with the laughs. I just love it.

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    1. Such a surprising show, I hear.. we will put it on our list! xoxoo

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  26. Has anyone watched Riverdale? I'm curious but haven't watched it yet.

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  27. Not much of a TV watcher myself. I've started re-watching old episodes of Buffy and Angel though.

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