LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

This Hulu show is quite good though the premise is preposterous. Two 33 year olds portray themselves as middle schoolers in 7th grade & relive the agonies & ecstacies of that time. The premise actually works & the only reason I bailed out is because I didn’t attend an American middle school so it’s hard for me to relate.

So good. Really enjoyed this limited series on Hulu. Both leads are excellent.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

A Teacher looks good. I love me some Kate Mara!

Four-parter from the BBC. Hugh Laurie carried this entire thing.

Bit of a hot mess with a ton crammed into roughly 4 hours. A cast of thousands with dozens of subplots. It ended with the potential for a second season, but I will skip that.

All time favorite mini-series:

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

The Night of - excellent

Band of Brothers - seen it a million times

Enjoyed this 7-part reality show on HBOMax.

Loved this show on HBOMax.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

You should do a limited series Hall of Fame...I think you can get 5-6 people to do it.

Just bought the dvd of this so I can watch it again. Very good limited series.

I'm surprised to see you liked that, @Stirchley. I thnk I'm right in saying there's another series of that coming.

Sat down & watched this entire thing again. Loved it.

Familiar with Piper from her previous show when she portrayed a hooker. I find her very likable & I want to watch the show again.

Unaware that a season 2 is coming. I follow these things intently & have not heard this.

Good show. Saw it last year. Or was it the year before?

Went looking and, yes, Sky annouced in February that they've comissioned a second series. Good news as I enjoyed this too.

I don't know if you know but she directed and starred in a film called Rare Beasts, which sounds quite good and in a similar vein.

Great about season 2.

I’ve put Rare Beasts in my Netflix Q though it’s the first time I’ve heard about it. Thanks!

So disappointing. Wanted so much to like this as I’m a huge fan of Jean Smart.

Trying so hard to be funny, but not funny at all. And don’t get me started on her drippy co-star. Beyond blah.



Watched 3 episodes, but it’s not really my cuppa tea. The two leads are excellent though & the show is well-produced.

I know @AgrippinaX likes this actress, but don’t know if she’s seen the show.

That’s very annoying, know what you mean.

I’ll check it out, I do like her, but that’s not to say everything she’s in is good. In fact, she tends to veer into comedy, which is a hard sell for me more often than not.

As someone who's around that age i could relate to it pretty heavily: the AOL instant messaging and the general feelings of emabarrassment.

I think you might like this show.

No clue where this new show from Denmark on HBOMax is going, but I’m along for the ride so far.

Re-watch of this British limited series on HBOMax. Brilliant cast & an excellent original storyline.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

theres a mini series called love and death releasing next year im excited for it

Loved this mini-series. Lead actress really excellent. Finished it yesterday.

New 4-parter on HBO based on a true story, but, strangely, playing as somewhat of a black comedy.

Rather good & the two leads are, of course, fantastic together.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

I think it's such a bizzare story (bizzare in it's banality not the crime itself) that black comedy is really the only way to go and tell the story. Otherwise it'd have to be an arthouse thing with nothing happening, a crime and then nothing happening again for decades.

I just watched the first ep of Landscapers, and am captivated by it. The story is strange enough, but it is the acting that is sensational, especially from David Thewlis. Olivia Colman is superb as well.

I'll watch anything that Thewlis is in. He, along with Mark Rylance and Anthony Hopkins, are my favorite Brit actors. Hopkins and also Colman were stunning in The Father (2020).

True as regards black comedy. But is it fair to make comedic the murder of a real couple? Who most likely still have some family members still alive? Seems a tad tasteless to me.

I'd argue that's not what they're doing though. That is, from what I've heard because I've not watched it yet. TMK they're not making the murder of the people comedic.

But if that's not what happens or how you see it then that's fair enough. I disagree but I understand why you'd think that. I mean, it was her parents they killed. I don't know if she had siblings or not but, if not, everyone else will probably be dead as well as...

Let’s discuss after you’ve seen it. Got the impression you had.

Watched all four episodes of Landscapers. Although the true crime story itself was a foregone conclusion, because of those who haven't seen the entire miniseries, I won't comment on the particulars of the path the series took.

In the main I really enjoyed it. As mentioned above, the acting was superb. The first episode was a little strange, but fairly straightforward and fascinating. At the start of the second episode onward, it was pretty heavy art-house, although it never remained full on into the absurd or surreal, but rather folded in different aspects of the story and illustrated the way the principals may have seen it.

The story line, cinematography, and editing were fresh and absorbing. Advertised as a black comedy, IMO there were very few examples of comedy-- black or otherwise. The title itself was certainly a bit of gallows humor, yet there was far more fantasy in the production than there was humor. The production within a production portions were surprising yet digestible.

It seemed to pretty well cozy up to the real life story, although the financial motive for the crimes was not really emphasized. The writers and director certainly came up with an interesting approach to telling the story, and the memorable acting took it over the finish line.

⬆️ Wonder how he got to see all 4 episodes when only one has dropped on HBOMax so far. One drops every Monday evening.

Watched it via Sky Atlantic from the UK.

They felt that she had been cheated out of her inheritance by her mother. Which was more or less true. And I guess she wanted some of that money to finance her Gary Cooper collection among other things.

Finished it. Very strange & a good amount of effort was put into this 4-parter based on a rather slim true story. But, whatever.

Mindless reality show, but I enjoy watching people who are unlike myself.



Seems okay, but not my cuppa tea. Bailed out of the pilot.

I'm thinking mostly of @Stirchley but others may also enjoy this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDkh-GK1G_g
A Very British Scandal

I thought it was OK, but I really expected more... Dirt? Scandalous behaviour? Nastiness? Something. It just felt underwhelming to me, but in terms of how it's made and the acting it's first class. I don't know if it's the treatment or the story itself which I have a problem with?

Is this A very British sex scandle?

Not unless it has that title in the US, no.

I found it. It’s on prime here. Yes, I would like this, but I am currently overwhelmed with my streaming library. I don’t think I can add another show to it. :rolleyes:

Watched a few of these on Hulu. “Adventurers” who put themselves in the most ridiculously dangerous situations & then jeopardize the lives of their rescuers. And so many of them (mostly men) brag at how their near-death experience has only made them want to have more “adventures”. :rolleyes:

Mindless nonsense, but I watched the entire thing. :rolleyes:

Currently watching:


Superstore (finishing it soon)
Jessica Jones (kinda cool to see a dark side of Marvel)
Sherlock Holmes (the Cumberbatch one)


Gonna get started on:


Ozark
Narcos

Ozark is brilliant.

Good show. Didn’t know what to expect, but it’s 6 x 30 minutes parts & they slip down easily. Sandra Oh is a standout in her lead rôle.

Would not have any problem with a second season.

The college is filmed partly in Washington, PA & partly in Pittsburgh. @Yoda @Austruck

I assume you mean they filmed partly on a college campus. There are a bunch of colleges here. Do you know offhand which one they used? (I think one reason Wonder Boys remains a favorite movie—although I have many reasons—is that much of it was filmed at my alma mater here.)

“Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, and the Shadyside campus of Chatham University in Pittsburgh were used to represent Pembroke University, with the Shadyside neighborhood standing in for the town of Pembroke.” Wiki

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

Both my daughters-in-law attended Chatham and I have a best friend who worked in the registrar's office there. :) Also have friends who attended W&J, which is less than an hour from here.

It all looks very nice on the show.

Yeah, I thought it might be Washington & Jefferson because it has a nice campus. I grew up in Mt. Lebanon. Used to spend some time playing frat parties at Waynesburg College, as well as Pitt. Shadyside is a pretty part of town. They used to have a great art house cinema there.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

So looking forward to Inventing Anna on Netflix & the show is horrible. It’s a true story of swindler Anna Delvey, but the series put the emphasis on the reporter who wrote the original story. In other words, they switched the rôles. Julia Garner did a good job as Delvey, but the series sucks. So disappointing. What was Shonda Rhimes the show runner thinking? :mad:

Loved this 10-parter on Netflix. Was so sorry when it was over. Margaret Qualley is a terrific young actor. Very impressive.

The story unfolded slowly & unhurriedly. One really felt for all the people involved no matter how dysfunctional.

#domestic abuse #verbalabuse #spousalabuse #homelessness

So very bad. But I still watched all 20 episodes. :rolleyes:

I think there are a few reasons they did it this way. (I'm one episode away from the ending.) First, it gave them four people (the writers in Scriberia) to sit and discuss what was unfolding. A nice way to control the narrative a little bit. Also, I'm guessing they knew far more about Vivien Kent (actual name Jessica something-or-other) than we'll ever really know about Anna Sorokin/Delvey. So there was naturally more material to work with there. And the journalist's own sketchy background and impending motherhood added a sort of pathos it might not otherwise have had. It gave us that connection between a sympathetic writer interviewing Anna and wanting to see her as real, broken, tragic figure and Anna herself, who made that connection hard for Vivien to establish.

There are other reasons not to like this show (that accent, for one thing--although I heard from a friend who's listened to the real Anna in interviews that Garner's accent is what Anna really sounds like... yeesh!), but the way they handled telling the story wasn't a deal breaker for me. (Plus, I just enjoy any stories that have writers in them.) ;)

I detested the Scriberia bit. Zero interest in them. Reporter’s impending birth was of no interest to me either.

Just hated the entire thing. I wanted to see Julia Garner in every single scene & I didn’t.

I had the opposite reaction. I love Chumley but found Garner a bit hard to believe. She never struck me as someone who could have pulled the wool over so many people's eyes. I kept thinking, "So WHY are these people falling for all this? She's clearly a huckster."

And I was never sure if it was Garner's acting that made me feel that way or the situation itself.

Chumley’s ok. Excellent in Veep.

Garner is terrific in Ozark & I love her movie “The Assistant”.

Much to my amazement, I loved this mini-series on Hulu. Lily James unrecognizable as Pamela Anderson & Sebastian Stan brilliant as Tommy Lee, the drummer from Motley Crue. Seth Rogen also excellent in his rôle.

Loads of fun watching this nuttiness.

I have to admit, I'm surprised you liked that too, @Stirchley. Although, as I've not seen it, I might be unfairly judging it. I had no interest in watching it at all, but then I saw that scene in the bathroom with TL talking to 'himself' on Gogglebox (UK tv show) and thought 'y'know what? Maybe it could be worth watching' My sister felt (and had) the opposite reaction. :D

It’s just so well-acted. Sebastian Stan was Tommy Lee to a T. Not that I would know because I had zero interest in Motley Crue. I had no idea Stan was such a good actor. And he’s so reserved in the extras of the show. Very quiet & mature, unlike Tommy Lee.

And anyone who spends 4 hours in hair, etc. & then has to learn “American” deserves kudos for her hard work: Lily James.

Give it a shot. :)

Excellent true-story mini-series. Elle Fanning really good. Chloë Sevigny too.

I question the taste levels here though in making a re-enactment, in essence, of a story where all the players except the boy who killed himself are all alive. Can’t imagine his mother watching this show & seeing herself as depicted by Sevigny. Strange indeed.

Oof, not for me. Couldn’t make it through the pilot.

im still waiting for love and death trailer that stars my 2 favourites elizabeth olsen and lily rabe 🙂❤️. im excited for the essex seperant that stars my other 2 favourites tom hiddleston 😍😍❤️ and claire danes 🙂❤️

Very good limited series of 2 seasons. Rosamund Pike, Chris O’Dowd, Brendan Gleason, Patricia Clarkson play the 2 couples. In all, 20 episodes that are only 10 minutes each.

Any of my fellow Brits seen this on Apple/Sundance?

Borgen returns for a 4th season after 9 years away. Wasn’t sure about whether to watch this on Netflix as it’s been away so long, but it was well worth it. Really enjoyed it. Danes are terrific actors.

This is a terrific limited series. James Garfield is great in it, but, really, the entire cast is incredible.

I give it 10 out of 10.

I didn't quite make it through the first episode, not because it was bad, but because it was stressing me out! I have it on my Hulu watchlist for a time when I can watch a few episodes in a row and get in a groove with it.

I think Andrew Garfield is doing some interesting stuff of late.

Garfield recently said he’s taking a break from acting.

I barely made it through the pilot & wanted to bail out at least 3 times from the entire show. It did bog down in the weeds a few times & it could be shorter. But, I persevered & I think it got better as it went along. Garfield definitely kept the whole thing going.

What impressed me so much is actors who had hardly a thing to do early on & who developed into a major role as the show progressed.

Almost bailed out of the pilot. Glad I didn’t. Enjoyed it very much & wish there were more since there’s loads of material here.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

The fact it's by the same people as Normal People was enough to put me off.

I bailed out of Normal People.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

I stayed the course and what a load of whiney, emotional masturbation it was. Very well made and acted, but not for me. I kept waiting the whatever it was to happen.

Loving this 10-parter. Gleason & Carell both excellent. One episode each week on Hulu.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

@Stirchley - binged the three episodes that are on Hulu and can't wait for the next. Great rec

Same.

Finished this show. So very excellent. Spoilers abound so beware if you start this series. It would ruin it for you.

This limited series is good on AppleTV. IIRC, @xSookieStackhouse likes Tom Hiddleston very much.

Clare Danes made the series for me. Loved her wigs & costumes too.

8-part series. Loads of cliffhangers at the end, but I don’t think a second season is in the works.

Unusual storyline - quite original - & the two leads are excellent. The entire cast is very good too.

Excellent limited series on AppleTV. Based on the true story of the flooded Memorial Hospital in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

I have read about some of the stories from this, so I need to find a way to watch this...(outside of Apple TV haha)

Loads of good stuff on AppleTV.

https://external-content.duckduckgo....3e2&ipo=images

The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco, 2018

Jean (Julie Graham) and Millie (Rachael Stirling) are a decade out of their work as code-breakers during WW2. When they realize that the murder of one of their colleagues during the war seems to be connected to a series of murders in America, they head to San Francisco. There they meet Iris (Crystal Balint) and Hailey (Chanelle Peloso), kindred spirits who help them to investigate the murders and other crimes.

I was a fan of the first season of The Bletchley Circle back when it came out in 2012. I really enjoy codebreaking, mystery-type stuff. Like, give me a scene of people poring over bus schedules to connect them to murder sites any day.

Unfortunately, the four mysteries (each taking part over two 45-minute episodes) here are really not very well written. One of them has a conclusion that is so far-fetched it made me feel a kind of contempt for the writing. The others aren't as bad, but they often depend on way too much coincidence.

The stories also don't do a great job of developing the characters themselves. The one that maybe comes closest is an episode involving gay men being attacked, which forces the character of Hailey to grapple with her own sexuality and the pressure---including from her friends---to keep it concealed. But even this storyline feels only partly developed. This episode does feature some of the more fun code stuff---involving different ciphers and newspaper ads--but it just doesn't click.

The acting is okay, but the writing is overly broad and it sometimes has that feeling of actors having to fight against their lines to make the dialogue feel at all natural. Some of the actors really grapple with doing American accents, and there are a few actors who end up doing that British thing where they somehow manage to have a Texas accent and a New York accent at the same time.

Okay, but not more than okay.

Season 2 of this terrific show is really good. Loved The White Lotus.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

Overly long (almost 7 hours) and very repetitive. Wash, rinse, spin, wash, rinse, spin …

Naomi Watts & Bobby Cannavale both excellent & Mia Farrow is scary as a weird neighbor.





In the pilot, there was an amusing homage to Tony Soprano when Bobby Cannavale shlepps down his driveway in his bathrobe to fetch the newspaper.

Season 2 is fun & there will be a third season.

Does Willow count as a mini-series? :D

Season 2 (3 Xmas parts) is very good. It’s gotten darker as the show progresses. Lots of material there for a third season I hope.

I thought the pilot was ok, but the reviews were terrible so didn’t want to waste my time. Disappointing.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

I watch a lot of limited series. Some very good ones are below:

The Night Of (crime drama)
The Queen's Gambit (chess and addiction drama)
Making a Murderer (documentary. Season 1. I didn't really feel like Season 2 matched the quality of Season 1)
The StairCase (documentary. This is much better than the HBO fictionalized series version)
Dope Sick (fictionalized, starring Michael Keaton, about the opioid crisis)
Unbelievable (Netflix show about the pursuit of a serial rapist)
The Looming Tower (very interesting fact-based drama about the failures of the CIA/FBI, well before the 9/11 attacks
Maid (a show I would not typically watch that ended up being much better than I thought it was going to be, and very relatable)
The Honourable Woman (spy thriller genre, set around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)
The Night Manager (spy thriller genre)
American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson (fictionalized)
American Crime Story: The Assassination of Giani Versace (fictionalized)

Haven’t seen all of these, but most of them. I loved Maid too.

Cheers to @AKA23 for suggesting The Looming Tower (2018). I hadn't heard of it, so I fired it up, and am enjoying it, most especially Bill Camp's work playing Robert Chesney, a wizened FBI agent.

It's also Jeff Daniels' most impressive acting that I can recall.

The story, of course, is hokum, but as a production it keeps up the intrigue and tension for the viewer. Also the cinematography is first rate. All told, a very nicely done series.

I watched some of it because I am a big believer in Toni Colette. But I bailed out. It was not up to the standard of a Toni Colette worthy show.

Agree.

Is the title of the show a wang joke?

Unfamiliar with “wang” jokes, but, of course, it spells penis.

https://thelearningkaleidoscope.file...x7sq.gif?w=584

How clever.

Four-parter from Denmark based on a true story of a nurse who was killing her patients.

The two lead actresses very good.

Anyone watching this very highly-rated Netflix series about Korean-Americans?

The reviews were all positive & I did finish all 10 episodes, but I would never watch it again. I didn’t think it was as good as it’s purported to be.

Excellent acting from everyone, especially the two leads.

Re: LIMITED SERIES & MINI-SERIES
 

I saw bits of it on Gogglebox and it didn't look like anything I'd particularly enjoy. Felt like something which I would tire of fairly quickly, too.

Same reaction from me. I'd probably enjoy the actors, but the rest of it just seems like a pass for me.

I was surprised I finished it.