What TV series are you watching?

[Delora Filth]

For me it's 90% nostalgia keeping me there if an episode comes on these days. I really don't feel it aged well.

Watched first episode of His Dark Materials. Not bad. Hope they do a better job of it than the movie.

 

[Ser Jon]

I tried to get through The Last Kingdom yet again, but I found myself trying to slog through it just as I did when it started so I had to put it down. It makes me wonder if the books are any better. Decided to spend my time watching the first episode of His Dark Materials.

It is definitely already far superior than the movie, but I noticed right off the bat they changed a lot of things that seem simple in the long run but are important to the characters. It didn't make the show bad, but as an adaption it is a worrying sign towards the media it draws from. For a slight spoiler and example of some of the changes they made, and please skip if you don't want spoilers (I would suggest watching first), this is what I mean:

Spoiler

The scene when Lyra hides inside of the wardrobe under the command of her uncle (after saving him from nearly being poisoned) is almost entirely different to that of the book scene. He tasks her to spy for him, sure, but she never hears anything from the Master in the show that she does in the book, which is crucial information.

That's not all. They chose to purposely spoil aspects of the story out of order by adapting scenes from other books in the story to the start of the scene, such as from the book La Belle Sauvage, instead of starting with what actually happened in the first book of the series. I don't want to spoil too much here, but it is worrying for the quality as we go further, because it means they are going to expand the series much faster in an effort to get the viewer to the end without wasting time at the expense of original quality.

Anyhow, enough of the rambling I guess. Even though I have some issues, they aren't major. I am fully aware that no adaption will hit the screen without sacrifice or experiencing alterations, sometimes major (as sad as it is), so this by no means the episode was bad. It had moments where it felt a bit too fast pace, but it managed to convince me to keep watching. I would suggest it.

Beyond His Dark Materials, I sat down to begin my second watch through of Netflix's (not sure if it is an exclusive to be honest) Zone Blanche (Black Spot / White Zone). It is a really good show, one I really hope they get to conclude properly. 

 

[LeChat]

My favorites series are :
Profit (cancelled after 8 episodes) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profit_(TV_series)
Now and again (cancelled after first season) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_and_Again

 

[TheLoneWolf1]

My favorites series are :
Profit (cancelled after 8 episodes) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profit_(TV_series)
Now and again (cancelled after first season) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_and_Again

So did you stop favoring series after you discovered you are cursed?

Watched the Boys season 1 and I really enjoyed it. I like the whole concept of Super-Heroes being beautiful and just on the outside but completely ugly and corrupt on the inside(better than DC/Marvel). Karl Urban is too awesome in this one.


Amazon is growing on me with shows like this, raising my hopes too in anticipation of the LotR series. I am thinking about watching Carnival Row next but I am not completely sold yet to be honest. Has anybody watched it?

 

[LeChat]

My favorites series are :
Profit (cancelled after 8 episodes) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profit_(TV_series)
Now and again (cancelled after first season) : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_and_Again

So did you stop favoring series after you discovered you are cursed?
...

Haha ! At least they do not last long enough to become ****ty !

 

[Adorno]

First episode of The Mandalorian is okay. Visually very nice.
There's an odd preponderance of men in the cast. Maybe because it's a (galactic) western 'movie'.
The soundtrack seems to hint at classic western tunes mixed with modern techno soundscapes. It's different, but works well.

 

[Arvenski]

First episode of The Mandalorian is okay. Visually very nice.

This was my thinking through most of the episode. It was okay, but... just okay. Visually it was nice, but I thought the CGI looked a little weird at times. Hopefully it will get better.

I was expecting a longer episode, like an hour long, as opposed to 40 minutes. The Mandalorian himself, and probably everyone else who's going to be a regular character, is going to need character development as the season goes on. A walking suit of armor that doesn't say much is not going to be an interesting character. We need to see his face, and we need to know more about him. And flashbacks alone won't cut it. I hate it when shows think they can just throw some flashbacks at you and make a character interesting. I'm not accusing this show's writers of doing that; I'm just saying they had better do more than that. Also, the 'fan service': I'm talking about things like guys frozen in carbonite, or the hooded alien like the one from A New Hope, or those monkey-lizards like the one Jabba the Hutt had in Return of the Jedi. I hope they tone that down in future episodes. The Solo movie had a lot of fan service, too, and honestly it felt cheap. Now, I'm just tired of it. I want to see new Star Wars content, not new Star Wars that constantly says "Look at how cool we are for referencing old Star Wars, because you like old Star Wars, so you'll like this. Right? Right?"

The final gunfight was fun. IG-11 was cool, as was watching him spin around and shoot stuff. I was not expecting to see who we saw at the end. Wow. If... that character sticks around (doesn't get killed off or something), they could become a pretty important character in Star Wars lore after Episode 9. Interesting.

 

[Mr.Milker]

I was surprised I predicted who the bounty was EXACTLY, because I thought I was being funny. I wasn't.
So far the M. is a lot like Rogue One the TV show, but the character has some potential to not be horribly flat. (we know he takes off the helmet as we've seen him without it in promo pics)
Also can't wait for Gina Carano to show up. Mmmm, mommy!

His Dark Materials is leaving me very cold so far. It feels rushed somehow, and aimless. I couldn't even finish the second episode, the direction seems super bad to me. It's distracting to see good actors deliver lines awkwardly and just act poorly. The main girl was great in Logan, but I suspect not having many lines helped with that.
And young Dr. Xavier is not convincing as a tough explorer guy, that role was better suited to Daniel Craig in the movie.
I didn't think it possible, but this so far feels sillier than the movie.

 

[Delora Filth]

I've fallen in love with Derry Girls.

 

[Vieira151]

Apple+ is now streaming.

Watched first episode of The Morning Show.
A male news anchor is accused of sexual misconduct, and we follow how it affects various people involved on the station.
It's obviously a "post-me-too" show. I fear it might be so politically correct that there are no real conflicts. We'll see.
The question is more whether the viewer will be invested in the people on a fictional TV show. Not sure I'll bother.

See is pretty odd. The premise of a post-apocalyptic world where the few remaining humans are all blind is fun.
The first episode (almost 1 hour long) failed to build the characters, though. And I think that'll be the biggest problem.
The acting is pretty bad, but they also have little to work with. The dialogue is scarce and banal.
The bad guy (Witch Hunter General, or something) is really cliché, and so are some of the others. The "Queen" I'm still trying to figure out.
The show must have been very expensive, but the costumes and general aesthetic makes it look cheap.
I think the only 2 things the show has going for it is the basic lore/story, that could be interesting down the line, and the beautiful Canadian landscape.

On the plus side I've now seen a queen perform a masturbation-prayer 

I got the trial to see how the shows were.

I didn't really get in to See. The fights were very video gamey and while the whole tribal atmosphere was interesting none of the characters really grabbed my attention.

I actually enjoy The Morning Show. It's definitely gotten stronger as the episodes have gone on - I thought the first episode was iffy. I don't think it's overly politically correct and they explore a bit more from the characters point of view. I think it's more critical of corporate culture than anything else.

Did you give For All Mankind a go?

 

[Adorno]

I will skip For All Mankind, purely based on the trailer. I never found those "what if" scenarios interesting (like The Man in the High Castle).

I've now seen 3 episodes of The Morning Show. It does get better. The acting is overall good, and some of the writing is not bad.
It'll be interesting to follow Steve Carell's character - he might be a sort of trickster in the show.

 

[Vieira151]

Shame. I'm quite enjoying the what if so far!

I haven't seen episode 5 yet but episode 4 is my favourite so far of TMS.

 

[NunoR]

Man in the high castle;
Vikings;
The last kingdom;
Mandalorian;
Homeland Security

 

[gokiller]

Been watching "The Crown" the past weeks, quite enjoyable! It was fun to see Anton Lesser (Qyburn GOT) make an appearance. 

 

[Arvenski]

He also plays a regular character in Endeavour, if you want to see more of him. It's a very good show.

 

[Delora Filth]

World on Fire is a pretty fun WW2 period drama. Decent characters, good aesthetics, and I like how everyone speaks their native language instead of English with accents. Combat scenes have the right feeling of brief, brutal intensity mixed with long periods of nervous quiet. The scenes from the invasion of Warsaw are suitably brutal and sad.

 

[Arvenski]

Saw the first episode of The Witcher. I... I dunno. I've never read the books, so maybe if I had I'd have gotten more enjoyment out of it, but it honestly didn't do much for me. It wasn't bad; I'm just not excited about seeing more of it. Does it get better? I'll probably watch some more someday when I'm bored, but I thought I'd ask.

Spoiler: A few questions for those who've read the books or know more than me

1.) That vision/prophecy Geralt had in the woods: how did that happen?

2.) I know Geralt is known as "The Butcher of Blaviken." He killed a gang of bandits who attacked him first: why would that anger everyone so much (apart from the fact that they hate and distrust witchers already)? In-post edit: I watched the fight again; I guess he killed 10 people in total, so I guess that is a lot, but still, it didn't seem like enough to warrant him being called 'butcher' for the rest of his life.

3.) In the Witcher 3, which was my main experience of the Witcher story, there was a scene where Ciri was training to be a witcher when she was still a little girl. In the show she's already a teenager, and has yet to be taken under Geralt's wing. Is she older in the show than she is in the books?

 

[Sarin]

Saw the first episode of The Witcher. I... I dunno. I've never read the books, so maybe if I had I'd have gotten more enjoyment out of it, but it honestly didn't do much for me. It wasn't bad; I'm just not excited about seeing more of it. Does it get better? I'll probably watch some more someday when I'm bored, but I thought I'd ask.

Spoiler: A few questions for those who've read the books or know more than me

1.) That vision/prophecy Geralt had in the woods: how did that happen?

2.) I know Geralt is known as "The Butcher of Blaviken." He killed a gang of bandits who attacked him first: why would that anger everyone so much (apart from the fact that they hate and distrust witchers already)? In-post edit: I watched the fight again; I guess he killed 10 people in total, so I guess that is a lot, but still, it didn't seem like enough to warrant him being called 'butcher' for the rest of his life.

3.) In the Witcher 3, which was my main experience of the Witcher story, there was a scene where Ciri was training to be a witcher when she was still a little girl. In the show she's already a teenager, and has yet to be taken under Geralt's wing. Is she older in the show than she is in the books?

Spoiler

1. Wasn't in the books. Since they omitted the previous meeting between Geralt and Ciri, they needed some other way to show the bond between them I guess. It was stupid and lazy IMO.
2. Blaviken was more complex in book. But essentially, Renfri promised alderman she'll leave peacefully, but intended to take everyone in market hostage, killing them one by one until Stregobor comes out. Geralt figured that out during breakfast, and caught them preparing before anyone else arrived at market. Then it played out in similar manner, but what wasn't well shown in show was that no villager saw the actual confrontation, they only saw the aftermath without knowing what Renfri and her gang planned. Thus the butcher was born.
3. Yeah, they're condensing it this way to save on having to hire different actresses or massive CGI to show her growing up for a few years in Kaer Morhen....don't remember how long she was there, I think about 2-3 years.

 

[Adorno]

Does it get better?

I was also a little sceptic to begin with. After the first 3 episodes, though, the story evolves and the characters get more interesting.
It's still somewhat mediocre, but fundamentally a good story. I say watch a bit more, and if it's still boring then it's not for you.

I look forward to season two. Here's an interview (AMA) about future seasons.
https://collider.com/witcher-season-2/
The full AMA
https://www.reddit.com/r/wiedzmin/comments/el1jnj/ama/

 

[Moose!]

Does it get better?

It gets better and then it gets worse. 2-5 is the sweet spot, IMO.

Spoiler

2. Blaviken was more complex in book. But essentially, Renfri promised alderman she'll leave peacefully, but intended to take everyone in market hostage, killing them one by one until Stregobor comes out. Geralt figured that out during breakfast, and caught them preparing before anyone else arrived at market. Then it played out in similar manner, but what wasn't well shown in show was that no villager saw the actual confrontation, they only saw the aftermath without knowing what Renfri and her gang planned. Thus the butcher was born.

As someone who hasn't read the books, that's really disappointing. Episode 1 didn't make a lot of sense to me, since I didn't see why...

Spoiler

...Geralt would kill Renfri just to prevent her from killing Stregobor, since Stregobor was obviously a pretty bad hombre himself what with all the child murder.