Oh, I definitely agree with you, alwaysamom.
I also started watching Big Little Lies. Intriguing so far.
I loved Big Little Lies.
I had some fun watching (most of) Riverdale this weekend. Itâs a Netflix show that reeks of the high-concept pitch: Archie Comics meets Pretty Little Liars in Twin Peaks. If any of those references evokes strong negative feelings, donât bother watching. If you are tired of shows where 25-year-olds of dazzling beauty and perfect complexion pretend they are in 10th grade, donât bother watching, either.
That said, I was pretty entertained. The show is really uneven. Some characters are conceived and written extremely well, while others get mired in one-note caricature. Some of the acting is truly great, and some just isnât. What (who) really makes the show worth watching is Lili Reinhart as Betty and, to a lesser extent, Cole Sprouse as Jughead. The writers do a good job with both of them, although you have to spend a couple of hours on the show before you start getting payoff out of Jughead. Reinhart is so conventionally pretty that itâs probably a career liability, but she can make her face show five conflicting emotions at once. (This showâs Betty is a stew of hormones and conflicting emotions, like most of the characters.) By contrast, KJ Apa as great-at-everything, unwitting-chick-magnet Archie is one of the showâs weakest links. The family dynamics on the show are great; the central mystery and many other plot lines are a bust.
Thereâs fun meta stuff. Former famous pseudo-teens Luke Perry, Skeet Ulrich, and Madchen Amick play parents of the main characters. (The former do it really well; Amick devours scenery with gusto.) Jodie and the Pussycats (all-AA, hyper-focused, hyper-professional, obsessed with their branding) somehow manage to do a slinky cover of âSugar Sugarâ from the Archie cartoons of the late 60s. And of Donna Summer.
Bingeing on DexterâŠjust about done w season 1.
Iâm guessing there are no âChannel Zeroâ fans here? Hello? Horror anthology based on creepypastas?
I really liked the first season but this second season is a little slow.
Just finished The Lava Field, which is Icelandic noir. It was a bit uneven but entertaining and Iceland is gorgeous.
Poldark is back and we have also started watching a PBS series called the Collection.
I am caught up on Poldark, have The Collection sitting on the DVR for later, and also watched The Durells of Corfu season 2 premiere last night. Itâs am embarrassment of riches on PBS Sundays right now!
Iâve taken many ideas from this thread [thanks, everyone!]. I laughed to realize that just this weekend did I try the series mentioned in the thread title, âBroadchurch.â Iâm enjoying it.
Just finished Manhunt, story based jon Unabomber, Ted Kaczinsky(sp?). Well done.
Two things I want to watchâŠBig Little Lies and Silicon Valley. But, alas, donât have HBO and Iâm too cheap to subscribe to it
@coralbrook , I donât have HBO either but have been able to rent seasons of Silicon Valley from my library.
Just curious about âSilicon Valleyâ-born and still living here and am not familiar with the show. No one around here talks about it.
Is it a comedy? This place is very unique and not always in a good way.
Yes, Silicon Valley is a comedy about a group of friends/colleagues who found a startup. My husband and I think itâs hilarious, and so does our son who works at Google.
Not exactly a binge since it took me almost a month to get through it, but just finished The Vietnam War. Born in '57, I wasnât old enough to have perspective during the war, but it is part of my memory from that time period since it was on our televisions each evening. Like all of the Ken Burns/Lynn Novick docs, it is so well done. A colleague told me last week that she was going to binge it and I advised against it since I think it needs to be absorbed in small doses and tissues are required at times.
Also ânot exactly a binge,â but Iâll suggest âMadame Secretaryâ anyway. Another great episode tonight.
Anyone waiting on pins and needles for Stranger Things season 2 to start? Ack!! I canât wait
Meanwhile, Netflix has this new one out, MindhunterâŠso good. The beginnings of the BAU basically (think Criminal Minds circa 1970s Quantico). Only one season with 10 eps
@CALSmom, we had such high hopes for Mindhunter, but turned it off after half an hour. I thought the characters were painted with a trowel. Very disappointed. Bummer.
Agree with @rosered55 . Last nightâs Madam Secretary was superb. They sent a real world message in a fictional vehicle and did it so very well.
If Bebe Neuwirth is really gone, Iâm going to miss her. Loved her in Cheers & on this show. I saw her on Broadway in Damn Yankees and she is a fabulous dancer.
The Bebe Neuwirth loss is really a sad one. I wonder whether it was her choice, the producersâ budget choice, or a creative decision to introduce some new character.
Off topic for this thread â I hate that CBS moved Madame Secretary to 10:00 pm, which means 10:30 or later during football season. It used to be a Sunday night ritual for my wife and I to watch it together. (Sometimes we had to choose between that and Call The Midwife, but for the most part the new MS episodes didnât line up against new CTM episodes.) But 11:30 is way too late for my wife to stay up on a âschoolâ night, and itâs too late for me to be watching TV. I do anyway, but always regret it. So this show is likely to drift out of our lives.