TV You Have Watched

[Neon Ignition]

The Lazarus Project: Season 01
This was... okay. I thought it was going to prove to be a rare example of following the villain rather than the hero after it veered off the typical path so quickly but no, it mostly seems to be case that no-one on the team is remotely suitable for the job that they have been given. I enjoyed it and will watch the second run but it's an odd mix of unlikeable or weakly cast characters pretty much screwing up constantly rather than fully diving into the mysteries of its set up.

[Finsbury Girl]

finished Under the Banner of Heaven - really enjoyed it, the 2 leads absolutely knocked it out of the park. Very strong performances.

[Neon Ignition]

The Terminal List
I know there's been some chatter about a second season but this is the definition of a show where it isn't suited to one. It just about holds up till the end, the opening is okay and weirdly the middle is the peak of the show before things become stretched and worn in the latter end.

[fallenangle]

Still really enjoying The Blacklist on 5USA (currently up to Series 2 Ep13).

Likewise the repeats of late 70s BBC/BRT series Secret Army on TPTV.

Top quality entertainment for a Monday evening.

TPTV have shown the Kessler 'sequel' series to Secret Army recently, that was good too but I wonder if the 'missing' epilogue episode of Secret Army, which was apparently considered too 'controversial' by the BBC will ever be broadcast. Hope so.

Wednesday Edit

Also meant to add last week about the very welcome return of the period crime investigation series Vienna Blood on BBC2. Nothing special from the plots point of view but the settings and pre-WW1 simmering antisemitism always in the background makes this a good watch.

This week there was even a nod to Carol Reed's The Third Man which, of course, was also set in (post-WW2) Vienna.

[QualityChimp]

Lads, the wife and I have bingewatched all 12 episodes of The Traitors (BBC iPlayer) in 3 days to avoid someone spoiling the ending.

Proper event television, up there with Big Brother S1 and Derren Brown for me.

Fascinating from a psychological viewpoint and also dissecting how it's put together to be so effective.

It's been a perfect show to watch with the missus as we analyse the events unfolding.

I can imagine subsequent series will be full of fame-hungry influencers and overly complex game twists.

Some really nice people on it and it's about double-crossing, it's fascinating that strangers can be friends you haven't met yet.

If you get chance to watch it, do it.

10/10

[Neon Ignition]

Chucky: Season 02
This was fun, a little bogged down by carrying so much baggage from the first season but generally a solid follow up.

[Finsbury Girl]

binged the latest Jack Ryan really enjoyed it. Way better than the previous season in my view. Some nice action and espionage. Disappointed Ding Chavez didn't turn up. Cannot wait for season 4.

[Neon Ignition]

White Lotus: Season 01
On the back of the high praise it received on the arrival of the second season we took a spin of this to find a show that is... okay? It's short and a pretty easy watch but there's not a huge amount to it. It's a big stretch to refer to it as a comedy as some reviews have, there's some humour but it's very light and sporadic. The show is about different groups of rich people staying at a hotel in Hawaii and some of the staff who run it, it pretty much focuses on the character interactions and the idea that whilst they're staying in 'paradise' they can't escape their every day realities and... that's about it.

[fallenangle]

My sister and niece were looking for suggestions of what to watch yesterday and as the former was a regular Neighbours' viewer and a couple of former Neighbours' actors are in it I suggested the new C5 Aussie series Riptide.

Just had an email from them about it, quote: ".......absolute drivel".

You have been warned.

[charlesr]

Intro to Jack Ryan S3 is really stylish. Well worth not skipping past

[fallenangle]

Vienna Blood Season 3 Episode 3 "Death Is Now A Welcome Guest" shown last night, unfortunately the last in this short series, was the best so far. Quality stuff.

[Neon Ignition]

The Traitors
Seeing QC big it up was the final straw so we gave it a go. I was glad that we were able to binge it rather than watch one per night, wasn't sure about it at first but hats off to them it is actually very good and ends with a suitable amount of drama. The missus feels it's very much a one and done, I could see the appeal of a second run where the contestants go into it thinking they have it sussed.

[SilasSting]

Really enjoyed Willow on Disney+ over the Christmas break, very weird and silly in places with hammy acting but that's why I liked it to be honest.

[SilasSting]

Planning to watch Succession at last for the new year as we got it on DVD for Xmas

[QualityChimp]

The Traitors
Seeing QC big it up was the final straw so we gave it a go. I was glad that we were able to binge it rather than watch one per night, wasn't sure about it at first but hats off to them it is actually very good and ends with a suitable amount of drama. The missus feels it's very much a one and done, I could see the appeal of a second run where the contestants go into it thinking they have it sussed.

Glad you watched it and with someone. It's the kind of telly that improves if you have someone to discuss it with.

There's definitely mileage in the format, that needs some tweaking to stop what happened at the end repeating, but not too much where it overcomplicates things.