As I’ve mentioned any number of times before on these pages, streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video helped keep me sane during the days when the COVID pandemic wreaked havoc with humankind. Even though the worst is behind us, COVID-ly speaking, my addiction to the streamers hasn’t abated in the least. Man, five or more nights each week my wife Sandy and I tune in to one series or another for an hour or two. This practice pleases the hell out of me, an entertainment hound. Basically, I love it!
Sandy and I enjoy nearly all of the series we watch, partly because we do a fair bit of research before hitting a production’s Play button. We’re not about to look at anything that gets less than a strong rating on IMDB, for instance. Nevertheless, losers occasionally pass before our eyes, such as the Netflix series Marcella, a detective show whose first season we dialed up a few months ago. It’s beyond me how Marcella has garnered a 7.4 on IMDB. With way too many plotlines and riddled with ludicrous situations, it started rubbing me the wrong way in a very big way after two or three episodes. At that point I said “F*ck this!” and, with Sandy’s blessing, tossed the series aside. I’m not fabled for making good decisions, but saying bye-bye to Marcella was the indisputable proper move.
There were no complaints from me or Sandy, however, earlier this month as we polished off, consecutively, three series that kept our eyes glued to the TV screen and our emotions running high.
First up was season one of The Night Agent, released this year on Netflix. In this tale, Peter Sutherland (played by Gabriel Basso), a low-level FBI agent, becomes involved up to his neck in a murder investigation that in no time has him questioning whom he can trust. It all starts when Sutherland becomes the unwitting protector of Rose Larkin (portrayed by Luciane Buchanan), who has witnessed the assassinations of her aunt and uncle and is on the run from the killers. Why were the aunt and uncle killed? Who was behind the murders? Will Peter and Rose solve the mystery and not get whacked? I can be a dumbshit, but by the end of the final episode I had a pretty good understanding of what the hell had been going on, which is not always the case with me and thrillers. Sandy and I hope that the already-promised season two will fly as high as the initial run does.
Next on the bill was The Diplomat, another new Netflix series (its season two also has been OK’d). A drama starring Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, the show deftly, and in a stylized manner whose wryness agreed with me, douses its viewers with political maneuverings and negotiations.
Wyler isn’t sure she’s cut out for her new job. But from the get-go she proves that she’s got what it takes. Adept at getting her points across, she helps to avert an international crisis and likely a war by convincing the U.S. president that Iran, the presumed culprit, was not behind the attack on a British naval vessel that killed dozens of sailors. As a result, the cagey British Prime Minister, for now neutralized, doesn’t retaliate against Iran. But murky waters lie ahead nonetheless. Things are not what they seem to be, Kate learns more than once. And a seemingly innocuous situation leads to a cliffhanger of major proportions, guaranteeing that Sandy and I will return for season two upon its release.
You know, I’m a rock and roller at heart. I would have loved living the life of a rock musician. There was and is one problem, though: I have zero musical talent. So, I’ve lived that life vicariously, and continue to do so even now at my ridiculously advanced age. All of which means that I was smitten with Daisy Jones & The Six, a ten-part Amazon presentation released this year and based on the novel of the same name by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
The (fictional) saga of the titular band that, during the 1970s, rose to lofty heights and then fell apart, Daisy Jones & The Six has all that you might expect: sex, drugs and heaps and heaps of rock and roll. The series chronicles the group’s history and brings the story into sharper focus by including interviews — conducted 20 years after the band’s dissolution — with band members and their inner circle, none of whom had spoken publicly before about why the implosion took place.
Armed with good scripts and actors who do justice to the words written for them, Daisy Jones & The Six has a lot going for it. What’s more, much to my astonishment, the series made me think . . . about love’s complexities, for love in various stages of development and strength lies at the heart of the show. Billy Dunne and Daisy Jones (brought to life by actors Sam Claflin and Riley Keough, respectively), the leaders and vocalists of the band, have a contentious association at first, which mellows with time and then morphs into something far more nuanced and intimidating. I’ll say no more, except to reiterate that love and relationships damn sure can be complicated.
Thanks for reading, boys and girls. Sandy and I would be happy to learn about the shows you recommend. We’re always on the lookout for series to watch. We thank you.
Yeah, Another Blogger 
I’m sad to report I don’t have a suggestion. We don’t watch movies. I’m sure that Jeopardy isn’t on a referral list, but it does make one think for a half hour M-F? Or maybe ‘ef that idea’ 😏 A series with music, love, and adventure does sound good. Happy watching to you two 🥰
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Flipping the dials late last night, I found a repeat episode of Jeopardy. I couldn’t believe how smart the contestants were. Jeopardy has been on the air for decades. It’s high quality.
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I miss the days of it with Alex. It’s not the same now but we still attempt to watch and play along most days. We surprise ourselves when we know the answer before the contestants 🤣
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We recently watched Poker Face. As long as you don’t binge watch it, it’s fun. When you binge watch, it’s too formulaic. Let’s see — looking forward to watching the last season of Endeavor, which, in our area, begins its final run on PBS starting on June 18, which is Father’s Day. Accused has been on regular TV and that’s interesting, but I have to be in the right mood to watch it because it can get a little intense. I want to see (but haven’t so far) Based On A True Story. That looks interesting. Also, there’s a Kathy Bates Matlock that I want to see whenever it comes out. Again, that’s on regular TV. I hope it’s not already out. I need to check on that. I do want to watch the Daisy Jones show that you mentioned. I would probably enjoy that! I didn’t read the last 100 plus comments on this particular post of yours, yet, so I don’t know if others have already mentioned these or not. Either way, hope you and Sandy enjoy the offerings of summer television/streaming! Mona
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Thanks for these recommendations. There are a couple we can’t watch, because we don’t get the network or streamer that they are on. But I’m going to look into the rest. Thanks again, Mona.
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We have to keep up with what our adult children watch in order to be a part of the crazy conversations and inside jokes that make up dinners and cook outs and holidays and the like. SO ours run all over the platforms from Apple+ to Hulu to Netflix. Our absolute favorites have been Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Marvelous Mrs.Mazel, The Sandman, The Witcher, and The Last of Us (which I did not think I would like because it has ZOMBIES and I HATE ZOMBIES but i covered my eyes when the people eating started and my husband would tell me when that part was over – so aside from that it was pretty good) We are currently watching Succession on Max and it is full of greed and avarice and mean people. It sure makes me miss Ted Lasso. In fact I may watch Lasso after this just to cleanse my palate, so to speak.
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Thanks for the input. We don’t have Apple or Hulu, but we do have Netflix. Have you seen Netflix’s Never Have I Ever? It’s a good comedy/drama partly set in a high school. Over the past week my wife and I watched its final season. We’ll miss that show.
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so fyi: I am planning to watch Sweet Tooth and The Last Kingdom – both on recommendations.
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Thanks for the recommendations! Right now we have been watching ‘Doc Martin’. There’s several seasons. Have you seen it?
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Hi Denise. I know of it but haven’t seen it. PBS airs it, I think.
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Yes … PBS
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“With way too many plotlines and riddled with ludicrous situations, it started rubbing me the wrong way in a very big way after two or three episodes. At that point I said ‘F*ck this!'”
Ed and I had EXACTLY the same reaction for the same reasons to Nicola Walker’s new series “Annika.” She was an actress we had loved in a series we had loved–MI5–but “Annika” STANK. I’ll check out “The Night Agent.”
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Hello there. We might have discussed this before. Anyway — have you seen Unforgotten? It’s a real good series with Nicola Walker.
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Don’t recall hearing about “Unforgotten” but will definitely check it out now. Thanks!
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Oh me. So many books, so little time, no time at all for Netflix. The good stuff I don’t see would fill a few theaters, so thanks to you & Sandy for picking up the slack.
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Book-reading is one of the best activities of all.
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Neil, series-watching is addictive! I found the same with Marcella and just couldn’t get into it and gave up. Otherwise, thoroughly enjoyed lots of Netflix series (our only streaming service). Just finished The Diplomat and am glad to hear the second series is secure. Others that have had us hooked include Ozarks, Better Call Saul, Bridgerton, The Queen’s Gambit, The Komisky Method, Squid Games and Atypical. Writing this list was far too easy and I must cut down on TV viewing! 😀😀 Happy Viewing!
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It’s a very addictive activity! My wife and I just started watching Sweet Tooth, a fantasy/apocalyptic story. This isn’t a genre we normally watch. But so far we like the series.
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Marcella has never appealed, unsure why but now I don’t think I’ll bother. Loved the Night agent and watched in 2 sittings. Will have to give The Diplomat a go but like you didn’t get on with Succession. I need to find a character or plot that I want to follow or the series is lost to me. I noticed someone mentioned Fargo and Mare of Easttown, both really good.
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Greetings, Claire. Yeah, the people in Succession are very distasteful. I watched season one but not two or three. I plan to watch the final season, though, to see how things wind up.
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On my TBR least.
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Correct about Marcella. Absolute rubbish! We got rid of netflix last year because we thought a lot of it was very poor to be honest. I really did enjoy bloodline though.
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Hi Vinny. My wife and I are watching season two of The Lincoln Lawyer now. We’ve already seen season one. It’s on Netflix. An enjoyable, action-packed series.
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I’ve heard of that, it’s supposed to be quite good!
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I missed this post! I started watched Daisy while I was overseas but found it a bit too cliché, so switched to THE LOOMING TOWER with Jeff Daniels and loved that.
Right now, really into HIJACK, a new series with Idris Elba. It’s on Apple TV and airing episode 5. There may only be 7 in total. Each episode is one hour in a 7-hour flight from Dubai to London, and the flight goes awry as per the series name! Idris’ character is fantastic. Great cast, storyline, and INTENSE.
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Thanks for the tips. Those shows sound real good. We’re watching season one of Modern Love now. Each episode is a stand-alone. Some episodes are better than others, but it’s a quality series overall.
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My husband loved The Diplomat. I never bothered to watch it – too much going on – but the snippets I did see looked very well done. Keri Russell seemed perfect for the part.
A series we’re watching now is Hijak starring Idris Elba, just like the previous commenter. I didn’t think an airplane hijacking could be stretched out to a whole series, but I was wrong! This is a tense, tense show, and the acting is so good!
We also watched Silo, which was really good, and also very intense. But you kinda have to be in the mood for it…
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Thanks for the tips. Both of those shows sound really good.
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