When I sat down to compose this piece about television, I was of the opinion that I’m a casual TV-viewer rather than a TV-viewing addict, seeing that I engage with the boob tube for an average of one and a half hours per day. That’s a fairly modest amount of time. As has happened frequently before, however, working on stories for Yeah, Another Blogger has led me, as if by magic, to discern the truth about things. Meaning, I now realize I’d go half-mad were my TV-watching privileges ever to be revoked. Anyway, what would I replace those hours with? Learning to crochet erotic hand puppets? Attempting to become one of the world’s best tiddlywinks players? Hell, I don’t even want to think about life without television, because I absolutely need TV. I’m addicted!
An ace dial-flipper, I regularly tune in to bits and pieces of news, sports, nature, cooking and late-night talk shows. I’m all by my lonesome when viewing the majority of those bits and pieces. What I catch the most of, by far, though, are scripted drama and comedy series. And I always watch them — in their entireties, unless we ditch them because we decide they suck — with my spouse Sandy. It’s one of our favorite things to do, for we have similar tastes in series fare. Let’s take a look at two shows that entertained Sandy and me recently.
Have you seen Adolescence, a British miniseries? It is a huge Netflix hit and has garnered a lot of media attention. Justifiably so. I place it in the pantheon of series, up there with The Queen’s Gambit, Anxious People, The Investigation and Call My Agent, to name but a few. Adolescence is really, really good.
Foremost among its explorations, Adolescence delves into the mind of Jamie Miller, a seemingly normal 13-year-old lad who, his insecurities enflamed by the taunts of a female classmate, loses all control and murders that young lady after meeting up with her one evening. The foul deed turns his life upside down and deeply damages the lives of the people who love him the most: his parents and older sister.
The show probes its subject matters with precision and honesty. The third episode hits especially hard. Set in the youth detention center where Jamie is being held, nearly all of its 52 minutes are devoted to a talk between Jamie and a court-appointed psychologist. The episode left Sandy and me shaken, so powerful and disturbing are Jamie’s words and actions as the session progresses. In my opinion, Adolescence is not to be missed. Its scripts are as tight as square knots, and each main member of the cast performs magnificently. First-time actor Owen Cooper, for example, is incredible as Jamie. Equally splendid is Stephen Graham, who not only plays Jamie’s father Eddie Miller, but co-created and co-wrote the production. What a talent he is. Adolescence, I believe, will stay in my mind for quite a while.
And then there’s the frothy Loot, a series that tips heavily into the wacky–as–hell category. Your life won’t be incomplete if you skip Loot, whose two seasons are available on Apple TV+. If you decide to tune in, however, you might end up digging it as much as Sandy and I did. It’s light, but it’s also refreshing.
Maya Rudolph shines in Loot, her comedic and dramatic talents fully on display. The show centers around her character, Molly Wells, who goes ballistic when she discovers her husband John has been cheating on her. She loses no time in divorcing him. The dissolution sends Molly reeling. She’s in pain. She’s also unimaginably wealthy, to the tune of over 100 billion American dollars, her share of the assets she and John, a tech industry genius, had jointly owned.
What to do with all that dough? Well, Molly, spoiled but possessing a heart of gold, doesn’t go for the usual approach of attempting to become even richer. Instead, she opts to give it all away, to groups and social causes that will better the human condition. The conduit for her generosity becomes the Wells Foundation, a do-good organization Molly founded while married but then totally forgot about until after the divorce came through.
I’m going to leave it at that, except to note that crazy situations have no trouble finding and enveloping Molly and her Wells Foundation employees, and that I laughed my ass off at some of the lines tossed out by the actors.
Till next time, boys and girls! If you have any series recommendations, please let me know. Sandy and I always are on the prowl for viewing options.
Yeah, Another Blogger 
I haven’t seen Loot but Adolescence is incredibly well done. One of the best series I’ve seen in an incredibly long time; I agree that it’s up there with the Queen’s Gambit. It was gripping, thought-provoking, and layered. Thanks for the other suggestion. Cheers.
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Adolescence is such an excellent show. Absolutely top of the line.
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my mate keeps banging on about ‘Adolescence’ and you make it sound almost unmissable so looks like I’ll be checking it out —
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Yeah, give it a try. It’s maybe not to everyone’s taste, but I have a feeling you’ll like it.
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I typically watch less television than you, but I also wouldn’t want to be without it. My computer is the thing I’m most addicted to.
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Hi Pete. Computers/smart phones are unbelievable. Their capabilities are almost infinite.
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Typically, we watch a Netflix movie on TV or one of our many vids, on a Friday night – is that addiction or boredom?
I haven’t watched Adolescence, and it sounds quite impacting – I’ll keep an eye out for the series. Just watched the O.J. Simpson documentary over a few weeks. The whole situation was incredible!
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Although Simpson wasn’t convicted and jailed for the murder, he was tried and convicted and jailed for another crime he committed some years later. What a weird, violent person.
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Yes, armed robbery and 33 years in prison was in the documentary – bizarre.
I still can’t get my head around how people can aspire and hold up to a pedestal a celebrity that brutally murdered 2 people. It was a trial about race and not the slain 2 victims.
Simpson even admitted to his manager in a roundabout way that he’d committed the murders. I’m not sure why his manager didn’t step up and tell the police.
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Thanks for the Loot recommendation – I’ll look out for it. We’re currently watching another Stephen Graham thing, A Thousand Blows on Disney + about criminal gangs and bare knuckle boxing in 1880s London. If you’re a podcast listener, Marina Hyde and Richard Osman had a Q&A with the director of Adolescence on The Rest is Entertainment recently, which was fascinating – particularly on the one-take thing and that drone shot.
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It’s amazing that each episode was filmed in one take. I read that each episode required about ten tries before they got a take that was without mistakes.
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Quite a few of the actors have stage backgrounds, which I think helped with the stamina for one-takes.
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Everyone is raving about Adolescence but I don’t have Netflix so will wait until it pops up on Canal+
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Hi Sheree. Adolescence is unusually good. It’s a powerful show.
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Thank you, Neil, for your interesting reviews but I watch mainly the news, weather, and nature documentaries.
Joanna
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Hi. A news station I like a lot is France24. Do you watch that one?
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I watch BBC news, Neil, as they are reputable.
Joanna
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I have mixed feelings about whether I will watch Adolescence. My favorite genre for tv, as well as books, is humor. Stories that are tension-filled, scary, or stressful leave me feeling…well…tense, scared, and stressed, which are very unpleasant emotions.
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Hi Denise. If you have Netflix, I think you’d like The Residence. It’s a wacky, humorous, murder mystery. It’s charming and very entertaining. My wife and I are watching it now. We have two episodes to go.
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Thanks! I will watch it.
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I’m definitely a casual TV viewer, but I’ll watch a show every so often. Loot is on the watch list and I’ve enjoyed the episodes I’ve watched so far. Maya is hilarious and I’d watch her in just about anything.
Adolescence looks a little too dark for my tastes, but I’ll mention it to my other half. That may be more to her liking.
Thanks for the recommendations!
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Howdy. Is this Richard? (You’re listed as Anonymous). Maya Rudolph sure is great in Loot. She’s a big talent.
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I do not own a working television, but I will check out “Adolescence” on my laptop’s TV app. The show seems like something to engage my interest in criminal psychology.
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Hi. I think that Adolescence will prove to be right up your alley.
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I’ll have to try watching T.V. again – for some reason have gone off it lately.
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Hi Helen. Yeah, the “need” to watch TV can come and go. I’m sure you’re spending time productively.
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Hi Neil! I hope all is well. I loved your memoir. Adolescence was so, so good. Heartbreakingly superb. We haven’t watched Loot.
Some series my wife and I enjoy are Hacks, The Pitt, and Ripley. I enjoyed American Primeval. Best wishes and continued great writing.
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Hi there, Ernie. Thanks for mentioning The Pitt. My wife and I plan to watch it. Ditto for Hacks!
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Haven’t seen either. With a friend this week finally watched the last of Mrs Maisel! Everytime l visit we watch a couple of episodes. It was a great series!
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The Maisel show is terrific. I was very glad that, after all the years of trying to make it, she finally became a big star!
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These shows sound like things I would get into. However we just got rid of Netflix, possibly just for the summer as we watch baseball in the summer. And we don’t have Apple.
I recently got hooked in Killing Eve with Sandra Oh and Josie Comer. Both are fantastic in this show. It is dark and witty and quite unique. Eve, played by Oh, starts off as a bored security officer for MI5. And then there is Villanelle, played by Comer who is a very creative assassin. No matter how dark it gets, you keep wanting to revisit these characters.
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Hi. My wife watched Killing Eve a few years ago. She raved about it. Are you a Blue Jays fan?
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Yes. I am a huge Blue Jays fan. I started following the game about 6 years ago after I realized that it was a game about pitching. The skill of a good pitcher and then the skills of each batter as they try to hit the many different pitches. Are you a Phillies fan?
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Yes indeed.
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Adolescence is on my long watchlist Neil. I have so many that are just waiting… I just finished season 2 of Severance (Apple) but there are new seasons of some of my favorite dystopian shows out (The Last of Us, Handmaids Tale) plus some streaming movies… it’s quite challenging to know where to go first!
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We live in a golden age of entertainment. The choices are almost endless.
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We watch a good amount of television too, and Marianne and I tend towards those things both of us like. We just finished The Bondsman on Prime. Kevin Bacon is a bail bondsman/Bounty hunter who is killed. He finds himself back to life, but apparently on the condition that he hunt down creatures that have escaped from hell. We found that the 8 episodes flew right by.
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Hi. I hadn’t heard about that one. Thanks for the tip!
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I watch TV a few hours a day, a mix of news and scripted drama. So, I guess I am an addict. Like you, I channel surf, especially when watching cable news. Right now, I am enjoying Dark Winds, which is a series set in the seventies and focuses on the Navajo Tribal Police. It is based on the novels by Tony Hillerman. Highly recommend.
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Hi, and thanks for the tip. Dark Winds might be right up my and my wife’s alley.
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Haven’t seen either, but I have read some great reviews regarding the show and praise its hard-hitting portrayal of teenage struggles and its potential to spark important conversations about mental health and digital media consumption. I am currently watching Big Little Lies. I love the compelling plot: the mystery of a murder investigation and the exploration of the women’s lives and relationships keep me fully engaged. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
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Howdy, Aiva. My wife watched Big Little Lies (this was before I got hooked on TV). She loved it. I should watch it.
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I’ve read about Adolescence and it seems to be universally liked, well done, provocative in the right way. Other than Matlock I haven’t watched anything new lately. By that I mean, we’re watching Elementary for the first time but it’s been out for a while.
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Hi Ally. I think Matlock is a pretty big hit. It’s great that Kathy Bates has the lead role in a series.
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Loved Adolescence! And may check out Loot – thenks!
Lilianne Milgrom
https://www.instagram.com/liliannemilgrom/ http://www.liliannemilgromauthor.com http://www.liliannemilgrom.com http://liliannemilgrom.wordpress.com
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Hi, and thanks for visiting. Will you be posting again on your WordPress site?
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Yikes! Adolescence sounds very harrowing. Not my cup of tea. Loot sounds like fun though. I might watch if it ever makes it to India.
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Yeah, Adolescence is pretty gut-wrenching. It’s powerful stuff.
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Have not seem but, you have convinced me to.
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Hi. I hope you’ll like them!
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As TV shows go downhill, I’ve discovered YouTube videos–webinars, documentaries, old movies. Pretty fulfilling.
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Hi Jacqui. I have to disagree with you about TV. To me, there has been an incredible number of good-to-great TV shows in, let’s say, the last 20 years. And more and more keep rolling off the production lines.
I like your choices too. Webinars, docs, old movies can be terrific.
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That’s interesting. And that’s why they produce them–different tastes.
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We do an hour at night and like you, wouldn’t miss it for anything. Mostly streaming, but we have some network shows we like as well. Just started Mobland and am enjoying it. It is like Mayor of Kingstown only with a London location.
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Hi there. We’ll keep Mobland in mind. Thanks for the recommendation.
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😊
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I second the recommendations for Dark Winds and Severance.
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We’ll look into them. Thanks!
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I’ve been watching Dark Mirror on Netflix. A bit bizarre but I like it.
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Hi, and thanks for the tip!
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Adolescence sounds interesting, but we don’t have Netflix, or Apple. But, I’ll try to remember it if it’s every on another platform. Maggie
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Hi Maggie. It’s truly an excellent one.
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Okay, but I still like the book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television, by Jerry Mander (Wm. Morrow & Co.). Haven’t had a TV in the house in 45 years (You Tube interesting) and, believe it or not, life is full and never boring.
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Right, there’s nothing requiring anyone to watch TV. You’re happy without it, and that’s the most important thing.
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I’m yet to watch Adolescence. I’ve heard so much about it.
You should watch Unbelievable. It is such a good mini series. Although please check out the trigger warnings before watching it.
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Hi there. I’ve seen this show. Tt’s really good!
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Thanks for the recommendations,Neil!
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Hi. If you watch them, I hope you’ll like them. Have a good rest of the week!
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Neil, thanks for the shout out about the “Adolescence” Netflix series. I dismissed checking it out because of its title. “Loot” sounds like fun, but we don’t subscribe to Apple TV+.
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Adolescence is powerful.
We’re currently watching another Netflix series called The Residence. It’s a hoot!
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great article
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I too was caught up in Adolescence…it was riveting. I confess to binge-watching it though it left me incredibly sad. We’ve watched too much action/blood etc on T.V. so I’ve returned to quieter, gentler times if you will: Watching the newer version of All Creatures Great and Small, for example. My husband is still glued to Yellowstone. I had to stop after a spell; it was too much! We will be TV- free for six weeks as we embark on our 500-mile Camino De Santiago walk (God willing we can do it). Happy Springtime to you and yours.
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Hi. Have fun on your Spanish adventure! By the way, have you seen The Residence? It’s on Netflix. It’s whacky and lighthearted and clever as can be. I think it’s totally great.
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Thank you, Jerry. Have a real good rest of the week.
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I share your love of “Loot” and am thrilled that it’s been renewed for a new season. For a very light but fun (and sports-related) show, I’d recommend the comedy “Running Point” on Netflix.
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Evening! And thanks for the recommendation. I hadn’t heard of it before.
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Both of those sound very good! I’m especially intrigued by “Loot!”
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Try it — I think you’ll like it.
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I don’t watch tv (I haven’t for years and years) and I don’t crochet play tiddlywinks. What do I do with my time? Good question. Read – alot. And walk/hike/workout each day. Cook. And blog….a lot. Now there’s my addiction!
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Hi. You have a well-balanced life!
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Our TV is on all day long unless we leave the house. Thanks for the Netflix suggestions!
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Hi. Netflix blows my mind — it has SO many series and movies.
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We just finished watching White Lotus season 3. I was on the fence on this series when it first came out but grew into a solid fan during season 2. I also loved Season 3. The plots are not spectacular but the settings, dialogs and actors are top notch.
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Hi. We saw the first two seasons of White Lotus. I think we will give season three a whirl too. Thanks for mentioning it. Enjoy the day!
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I live without a television in the house, but do watch the occasional documentary on my computer. Two that I really enjoyed, and that might appeal to you, are music related. The Last Waltz is available on YouTube; it focuses on The Band’s farewell concert at Winterland in San Francisco in 1976. The other that I loved was Muscle Shoals. I’m a great fan of southern rock and swamp pop, and the history of that studio is terrific.
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Hi. I’ve seen both of those. They’re good. A book you might like is Rythm Oil, by Stanley Booth. It focuses mostly on Southern music.
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I thought Adolescence was fantastic – Teddy and I were gripped. It should win many awards for it’s multi-layered approach to such a sensitive subject. The young actor was astonishingly good in his role.
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Hi. Right, he did an amazing job. If he decides to continue with acting, he’ll have a very bright future ahead of him.
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Thanks for the recommendations. We like to watch series too. I’ll write these down.
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I hope you’ll like them!
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It was worth watching and very scary at the same time. Les and I were thankful after watching to being childless 😉
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What a top-notch series Adolescence is. Hi there, Suzanne. Tonight my wife and I finished watching The Residence. It’s a madcap murder mystery. We think it’s great. It’s on Netflix.
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Yes, I have seen the prelude, thanks for reminding me, Neil.
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Adolescence looks really disturbing. Just the kind of thing to give me nightmares but probably worth it. And we’ve seen Loot! It’s a cute show. I’ve always enjoyed Maya’s comedy. Did you ever see Beef with Steven Yeun, the guy from early Walking Dead episodes? I think you two might enjoy that one…
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Hi. Yes, we saw and liked Beef. What a wild and crazy plot!
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We tried to watch Adolescence, but it was sooooo slow! When does it pick up?
Have you watched The White Lotus?
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Evening, Kathy. We’ve watched the first two seasons of Lotus. Have you seen season three?
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I haaave! I was disappointed by the end, but it was still just as good.
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Fantastic review 💯
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Thanks very much.
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Thanks for the recommendations! It’s so hard to find a series that catches our interest. We too did watch the White Lotus 3 and loved it. But otherwise, it’s tough. I hate to admit that we still watch repeats of Law and Order even though we’ve seen them a billion times.
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Hi, and thanks for visiting. You and a few other commenters have given the thumbs-up to White Lotus3. So, I think my wife and I probably will watch it!
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I have t seen Loot and not having apple tv I might have to edit for it to come on other platforms but I have seen adolescence and being a mother of two adolescents it completely terrified me .
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I agree. That program shows how a person can lose total control of themselves.
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‘1883’ on Netflix. A western narrated by an 18 year old young woman. A prequel to Yellowstone which I have no intention of watching. ‘1883’ was very good, I thought.
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Thanks a lot for the recommendation. Appreciated!
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Okay…..now you *must* do a piece on ‘erotic hand puppets’! The world awaits…..
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I will! Well, maybe.
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