So many great shows out at the moment, and not enough time to watch them all. I have to be very selective with my choices. I normally build a “to watch list” as I get closer to finishing my last list, and below are the shows that have made my selection for February and on..
For All Mankind:
seasons 1 – 4
This is a series I always liked the look of, but never got around to start watching. As we are up to season 4 already, and I believe they are planning a total of 7, I thought it was time to step in.
In an alternate timeline in 1969, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov becomes the first human to land on the Moon. This outcome devastates morale at NASA but also catalyzes a U.S. effort to catch up. With the Soviet Union emphasizing diversity by including a woman in subsequent landings, the United States is forced to match pace, training women and minorities who were largely excluded from the initial decades of U.S. space exploration. Each subsequent season takes place 10 years later, with season two taking place in the 1980s, season three taking place in the 1990s, and season four taking place in the 2000s.
Ronald D. Moore explained how historical reality had been different from the series: “Sergei Korolev was the father of the Soviet space program; in our reality, he died during an operation in Moscow (in 1966) … And after that point, their Moon program really never pulled together…. Our point of divergence was that Korolev lives, … and he made their Moon landing happen.”
Rate: 3/5
Good show, started off really well for the first couple of season. Last two a little predicable, and felt like they dragged a bit. I think they are planning on another couple of season still to come.
Wayward Pines:
seasons 1 – 2
I have never heard of this series, it just popped up on my YouTube feed one day and I thought it looked interesting. Only made two seasons..
In the first season, Ethan Burke (Matt Dillon) is a U.S. Secret Service agent investigating the disappearance of two fellow agents in the mysterious small town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. Ethan awakens from a car accident unable to contact the outside world and unable to leave. He finds one of the agents dead and the other, his former lover Kate Hewson (Carla Gugino), settled down in the seemingly idyllic town. But the inhabitants of Wayward Pines are trapped there by an electrified fence and set of rules enforced by the strict Sheriff Arnold Pope (Terrence Howard). Any attempt to escape is punished by a public execution known as a “reckoning”, when the Sheriff slits the condemned’s throat. Ethan reconnects with his wife and son while working to discover the truth.
In the second season, Dr. Theo Yedlin (Jason Patric) is a surgeon who is caught in the battle between Jason Higgins (Tom Stevens), leader of the First Generation, which took over Wayward Pines following the Abbie incident that closed season 1, and the underground rebels led by Ethan’s son Ben Burke (Charlie Tahan).
Rate: 3/5
Really enjoyed this series. Shame they aren’t making anymore seasons. Now I know it’s based on on three books by Blake Crouch I’m going to get them.
Blue Eye Samurai:
season 1
I don’t know anything about this series, only it has had great reviews, and I wanted to watch something like this.
During Japan’s Edo period (17th century), half-white half-Japanese Onna-musha Mizu quests for vengeance against four white men, one of whom is her father, who illegally remained in Japan during the closing of its borders by the Tokugawa shogunate.
Rate: 4/5
Amazing show. Looks great and griping story. Looking forward to season 2.
Rick & Morty:
season 7
It’s Rick & Morty, what more can I say….
The show revolves around the adventures of the members of the Smith household, which consists of parents Jerry and Beth, their children Summer and Morty, and Beth’s father, Rick Sanchez, who lives with them as a guest. According to Justin Roiland, the family lives outside of Seattle, Washington. The adventures of Rick and Morty, however, take place across an infinite number of realities, with the characters traveling to other planets and dimensions through portals and Rick’s flying saucer.
Rate: 3/5
A little disappointed on season 7. Just didn’t hit any of the normal marks for me. Could easily have skipped this and not missed it.
Believe Nothing:
season 1
I’m a big Rik Mayall fan, always have been way back to the young ones. And I can’t believe I have never seen this show. They only got one season out of it…
Believe Nothing (2002) is a British sitcom starring Rik Mayall as Quadruple Professor Adonis Cnut, the cleverest man in Britain, and Oxford’s leading moral philosopher. He is paid huge amounts of money for his views, consulted by the government, but he is bored and wants adventure, so he joins the shadowy organization The Council which controls everything going on in the world. Starring alongside Mayall is Michael Maloney as Brian Albumen, Cnut’s faithful servant, and Emily Bruni as Hannah Awkward who becomes professor of pedantics
Rate: 3/5
I can see why they only made one season of this. Love Rik Mayall, but this isn’t in the same league as Bottom, Young Ones or anything else he’s done. Good idea, but just didn’t seem to go anywhere.
Monarch Legacy of Monsters:
season 1
Another show I know nothing really about other than its after Godzilla has appeared…
In 2015, one year after the re-emergence of Godzilla, half-siblings Cate and Kentaro Randa investigate their missing father Hiroshi’s connection to Monarch, the covert organization monitoring giant monsters known as Titans. Two generations earlier, Bill Randa and Keiko Miura are scientists involved with the early development of Monarch. Former Army officer Lee Shaw becomes a close ally to the Randa family across both time periods
Rate: 4/5
Great show. Nice to see back story and lore around Godzilla. Looking forward to a 2nd season.
Slow Horses:
seasons 1 – 3
A British spy thriller based on novels by Mick Herron. Three season are out and I believe they have at least five.
Slough House is an administrative purgatory for MI5 service rejects who have bungled their job but have not been sacked. Those consigned there are known as “slow horses”. They are expected to endure dull, paper-pushing tasks, along with occasional mental abuse from their miserable boss, Jackson Lamb, who expects them to quit out of boredom or frustration. Life in Slough House is defined by drudgery. Yet the Slow Horses somehow get involved investigating schemes endangering Britain.
Rate: 4/5
I can not recommend this enough to everyone. It’s such a great show. Gary Oldman is on top form as Jackson Lamb.
Sexy Beast:
season 1
Looks like a great series. The prequal to the movie of the same name.
It traces the relationship between best friends and thieves Gal Dove and Don Logan, who together become involved in London’s criminal world during the 1990s. Gal begins a romance with the seductively alluring adult film star Deedee, which proves to be a dangerous endeavour.
Rate: 4/5
Great series. Even better than the film. Every episode was full of tension and drama making want to watch the next one. Really hope the do a 2nd season.
What If?….:
season 2
The first season was ok, though I’m not sure about the second as I have gone off Marvel lately, but I will give it a chance..
The second season of the American animated anthology series What If…?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, explores alternate timelines in the multiverse that show what would happen if major moments from the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) occurred differently.
Rate: 2/5
I was really disappointed with this. I may be suffering with Marvel fatigue, but I didn’t see a point at all to season two. I hope they stop now.
Dracula:
season 1
Only three episodes in this series, but looks interesting.
The series follows Dracula from his origins in Eastern Europe to his battles with Van Helsing’s descendants and beyond. Netflix’s description reads: “The Count Dracula legend transforms with new tales that flesh out the vampire’s gory crimes – and bring his vulnerability into the light.”
Rate: 4/5
Great show. Just wish they had made more than 3 episodes. Claes Kasper Bang played an amazing version of Dracula. Looked great and all actors were perfect.
