[Rocksteady]

The Money Heist
Only seen episode one so far.... But it seems rather derivative and isn't really grabbing me at the moment; do I persist, does it develop, or more of the same?

I'm enjoying Money Heist. So far every episode has got better and better (I'm on episode 8 or 9 I think). Yes it's pretty silly, and in the vein of Prison Break or 24, but it's fun to have a Spanish twist on that theme and the interplay between the characters and the character development is ultimately what starts to make it very engaging in my opinion.

It's not as good as The Bridge or The Killing but it's not really trying to be serious like them. It's a glossy, flashy thriller with entertainment value rather than a gritty, scary thriller if that makes sense.

Quick edit to note that I enjoyed it much more as soon as, halfway through the first episode, I put it in Spanish with English subtitles rather than listening to the cheesy American dubbing. Before that I was about to give up on it and turn it off.

[Oldmanmatt]

The Rain.

Netflix and in Danish but dubbed.

And yet riveting.

[TobyD]

Hidden on iPlayer. Diverting police drama; great shots of Snowdonia. I'm enjoying it.

[gme]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b98nb0

Loving BBCs Gone fishing with Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse. Old mans TV but a thing of beauty.

Bonus in tonight's episode is its filmed on the Derbyshire Wye in Monsal dale.

[TobyD]

Currently on iPlayer the BBC Reith lectures are well worth listening to. Glad to see the Infinite Monkey Cage is back as well.

[Falling Down]

Reporting Trump the three parter following the NY Times in his first 100 days is absolutely brilliant television.  Well worth watching!!

[galpinos]

Season 2 of GLOW is up on Netflix.

[Oldmanmatt]

Jago.

BBC iPlayer

Watch it in a dark room.

[Andy F]

Futureman on the Sci-fi channel (Sky/Virgin) is an utterly hilarious Back to the Future/Last Starfighter mix up. It's got the funniest self pleasuring scene since American pie.

[tommytwotone]

Goes without saying but if you ain't watching Killing Eve on iPlayer at the moment you need to start.


Watched the first on on BBC on Saturday and have been trying to restrain ourselves from caning through the rest too quickly.


Also we now have Netflix and have enjoyed some of the recommendations on here as well as The Staircase, Stranger Things and Dark Tourist.

[r-man]

Jago.

BBC iPlayer

Watch it in a dark room.

Yes, beautiful film. And a rare example of self-funded indie filmmaking which actually broke through to the network channels.

[TobyD]

Also we now have Netflix and have enjoyed some of the recommendations on here as well as The Staircase, Stranger Things and Dark Tourist.

I watched an episode or two of ST but didn't really grab me. It's okay but it's not better call Saul!
I'm sure most other people have also been watching Bodyguard, but if anyone hasn't... Get to it!

[tommytwotone]

Don't get me wrong - Stranger Things ain't The Wire (my yardstick for Greatest TV Show Ever) but it's an enjoyable watch...

Agree on Bodyguard. Not watched Call Of Duty but completely brilliant.

[dontfollowme]

Line of Duty?

[Andy F]

Also we now have Netflix and have enjoyed some of the recommendations on here as well as The Staircase, Stranger Things and Dark Tourist.

I watched an episode or two of ST but didn't really grab me. It's okay but it's not better call Saul!
I'm sure most other people have also been watching Bodyguard, but if anyone hasn't... Get to it!

You need to keep watch ST, it gets better with every episode.

[SA Chris]

Agree on Bodyguard.

It's very good, but not the best thing I've ever seen. make sure you don't read any spoilers in the press.

[galpinos]

Agree on Bodyguard.

It's very good, but not the best thing I've ever seen. make sure you don't read any spoilers in the press.

It's good, but definitely missing something that would elevate it, not quite sure what though. Excited about Killing Eve though, as everything Phoebe Waller Bridge writes seems to be golden, from Crashing to Fleabag.

[tommytwotone]

Line of Duty?

FFS - getting my games and TV series mixed up!

[tommytwotone]

A rant (with slight Killing Eve spoiler so look away now if you're watching it)...

I am getting increasingly annoyed with the obsession in modern TV of never ending a series / season. Why are writers / commissioners obsessed with the next series, at the expense of (in my opinion) frustrating the viewers?

I get this all the time now - you are engrossed in something, enjoying watching it but midway through the penultimate episode, uh oh there it is. You can see the plot lines not being drawn to a close, potential ambiguity being opened up and you know you're in for the televisual equivalent of being put on hold.

Killing Eve's a case in point - and I just know Bodyguard is going to do the same.

The best TV series (in my opinion) have managed to drive smaller series-level plots that can be resolved, but still exist within a wider universal narrative.

Think The Wire, any of the seasons of which can be enjoyed without necessarily seeing the previous ones. The same is true to a certain extent of The Sopranos.

The Bridge was a master of this - "the case" was satisfactorily rounded off within the series, and also a chapter of Saga's life too.

True Detective even managed to do a first season that was compelling, self-contained and actually had an ending after the final episode. It's not that hard. (Caveat that subsequent series have I gather been terrible so maybe not the best example but you get the idea).

Not everything has to be bloody Lost, meandering along with no sense of an ending!

[SA Chris]

McMafia too. really pissed me off.

[Will Hunt]

This has been a pet hate of mine for years and is the reason that I haven't ever bothered with any of the multitude of American imports that my friends tell me to watch. Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Prison Break, Better Call Saul, Stranger Things, Cold Souls, The Walking Dead etc etc etc. Predominantly American writers take a simple plot and rack their brains trying to expand it over the maximum amount of air time. And really, the art of storytelling should be taking the premise and condensing it into the shortest possible time, keeping the pace high throughout the story.

As you say T3, it's fine if each series stands alone well, but this is so rare. I've enjoyed the Handmaid's Tale till now but this is basically going the same way through a repetitive will-she-won't-she-escape-Gilead theme. I've enjoyed the first two episodes of Killing Eve (in part because I am entranced by Jodie Comer) so am disappointed to hear what is in store.

[teestub]

Was pleasantly surprised that the new Jack Ryan series on Netflix was almost completely self contained with no cliff hanger bs and a good pace per episode.

GoT is a funny one because the pace of each episode varies from amble to all out sprint through action, which actually kind of matches the books. If you are into fantasy stuff at all the last two series are essentially 9 hour long high budget feature films.

[tomtom]

Was pleasantly surprised that the new Jack Ryan series on Netflix was almost completely self contained with no cliff hanger bs and a good pace per episode.

GoT is a funny one because the pace of each episode varies from amble to all out sprint through action, which actually kind of matches the books. If you are into fantasy stuff at all the last two series are essentially 9 hour long high budget feature films.

Wondered what JR would be like... will give it a go. 

[SA Chris]

Anyone been watching The Preacher?

I've been watching episodes on and off and find it pleasantly weird.

[TobyD]

American imports that my friends tell me to watch.Breaking Bad, Prison Break, Better Call Saul, Stranger Things, Cold Souls, The Walking Dead etc etc etc. 

Breaking Bad and BCS are worth all of their run time. BB especially.