I have been watching my share of the tube during this pandemic. I usually do, but now it seems to be its own pandemic. The escape seems addicting. I could cancel all my streaming services (Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, PBS) and survive on HBO only. A lot a good content is on these other services but they are few and far between, while almost everything is amazing on HBO.
What is still good? Sex Education season 3 was still very good which is unusual on Netflix. Succession on HBO is still an amazing drama. The Roy's may be my favorite fictional dysfunctional family. Big Mouth on Netflix seems to have jumped the shark. It has been taken over by the imaginary characters leaving little room for the pubescent character's stories. It seems to be more about shock value now than anything Star Trek: Discovery season 3 might be the best season yet where we get a look at the Federation in the 31st Century ... hint: things aren't good, not at all.
This post isn't about those shows, the stand-bys, but the new ones that I've discovered last year. I've tried to rank them in order my favorites to least, but this is always an impossible task.
Raised By Wolves (HBO): This one truly surprised me. I knew nothing about it going in. I just discovered it on HBO while clicking around. I didn't want to see because I thought someone was "raised by wolves" but fortunately, these wolves are metaphoric. They are androids who accompany babies from Earth to a distant planet, Kepler 22b, to start humanity anew. What's this? Sci-fi, real sci-fi on television. Most television that claims to be sci-fi is actually just an action shows or soap operas taking place in space. Raised By Wolves is real sci-fi and it is fantastic tackling issues like religion vs. science, love, survival, hope and the nature of humanity. Season two just dropped and I'm loving it.
Dopesick mini-series (Hulu) - This is another badly named show that might turn off a few viewers. It is in reference to a stage in addiction where you are no longer sick from what caused you to take a drug, it is now the drug making you sick. The withdrawal is making you sick. The show is a drama showing the opioid crisis from all angles, the doctors, addicts, pharmaceutical salespeople and the Sackler family. It is based on the 2018 book by Beth Macy with the same name. It stars Michael Keaton as an Appalachian doctor who becomes addicted himself. My life has been personally impacted by this crisis so I watched this one with particular skepticism but it was very well done. I didn't see any major problems with it. It is entertaining, moving and educational.
Station 11 (HBO) - This is a show about a pandemic. Imagine that! But it is much worst than our current real pandemic. It kills about 90% of the planet's population quickly leaving our protagonists struggling for survival. The narrative bounces back and forth between pre-pandemic, to the few days into it, to ten years later. It centers around a group of actors and a graphic novel ... it is confusing at times but truly captivating. I hear the book, by Canadian author Emily St. John Mandel, is even better.
Mare of Eastown (HBO) - Kate Winslet plays a police detective in suburban Phillie investigating the murder of a teen mother. Great writing and acting brings this one home. I didn't figure out the entire mystery until the last episode. This was a seven episode limited series that they are talking about a second series but nothing is planned yet.
The Landscapers mini-series (HBO) - This is a short series about a pleasant elderly British couple who kill her parents and bury them in their suburban garden. It is based on actual events. It is not gruesome as it sounds. You barely see the crime. It takes place a few years after the event actually happened and after they confess to the crime. The narrative has a phenomenal mix of reality and delusion.
30 Coins (HBO) - Here's another surprise. I am not a huge fan of horror, but if it is well done, it can be a real treat. This is a Spanish horror series based in the tiny town of Pedraza, Segovia, where one of the 30 silver coins that Judas used to betray Jesus are found. Apparently, if you possess all 30, you can summon demons. The setting in beautiful and I found it to be a lot of fun.
The Investigation mini-series (HBO) - This is another one based on real events. It is Danish and it is a drama about the murder of journalist Kim Wall, something I knew nothing about before I watched the show. Six episodes long, it keeps you engaged the whole time.
White Lotus (HBO) - This is a sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, sometimes cringy drama about a resort in Hawaii. It does a great job tackling class issues and the dividing line between the guests, locals and staff. It is scheduled for a second season which is hard to believe due to the Shakespearean tragedy like ending.
Squid Game (Netflix) - This Korean show was very popular, probably the most successful Korean show ever in America. I enjoyed it but not as much as a lot of people. It is gruesome and it doesn't have a lot of likeable characters. They all seem to get what is coming to them. It reminds me of the original Star Trek episode The Gamesters of Triskelion where the wealthy place bets on the poor while they kill each other. Very dark! Most Netflix shows really taper off after the first season. Hopefully this isn't the case for Squid Game.
Search Party (HBO) - This show is a lot of fun and it gets more outrageous each season. It is about a group of four self-absorbed millennials trying very hard to be good people and failing miserably.
The Head (HBO) - This might be the worst named series ever. It is a mini-series thriller based in the South Pole. The plot revolves around a severed head.
Beforeigners (HBO) - This is a Norwegian sci-fi buddy cop show about time refugees that keep showing up in the Oslo harbor. They come from three eras, Vikings, 18th century and the stone age, and they try to integrate into 21th Century culture. Murder ensures.
Hacks (HBO) - This is about a Joan River type of comedian trying to rekindle her image.
Beartown (HBO) - Norwegian hockey team ala Friday Night Lights
Bridgerton (Netflix) - This is a fun period piece about a couple pretending to be in love to get their family off their case and then they accidentally fall for each other. This premise gets old fast, the B plots really don't hold it up.
Stargirl (HBO) - This is based on the DC comic and it has the same problem that most comic book shows and movies do, it stops being interesting after the origin stories. Teenagers may love this one.
You (Netflix)- This is told in the first person by an obsessive stalker. It suffers from what many Netflix series does. The first season was decent but the second is horrendous. I couldn't get through it.
Titans (HBO), Superman and Lois (HBO) and Doom Patrol (HBO) - all have the same problem as Star Girl. They are entertaining until they aren't.
The Nevers (HBO) - I am sick of superpowers.
Call the Midwife (PBS) - If you are into woman screaming in pain each episode, this is your show. It is fine if not for that. I lasted about a season.
Dr. Who - I give up trying to like Dr. Who. I don't get it. I never have. Whatever doctor, whatever series, I just don't like it and I am going to strop trying.
The Sex and the City reboot was so bad, I only watched one episode. It might even be worse than the movies.
2022 has been great so far, I've discovered Pennyworth and Y: The Last Man. If there is no baseball this year, you can expect this post to be very long next year.
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