Need an engrossing show to keep my mind off the current madness

ShineOn7

Looks like Westworld is a non runner based off feedback in the other thread and my own research elsewhere

I'm looking for a show that totally sucks you in and distracts you from the outside world. I'm going to be doing Udemy courses and other projects during the day, but a riveting TV show in bed at night would be useful so my mind doesn't start overthinking things

Some of my all time favs (to give you an idea of taste) would include Breaking Bad, The West Wing and Lost (my top 3) and The Leftovers, The Shield, Line Of Duty (and similar UK Dramas like Happy Valley, Broadchurch etc) and Sopranos also impressed me

Watchmen was suggested as it was made by a Lost/Leftovers writer, but is it Marvel/DC World typical stuff? They normally aren't my kinda thing. I find the whole Marvel/Avengers "universe" a bit tedious

The Wire:

This is a "hmmmm, maybe" to re-try. I watched one season years ago and didn't understand the hype at all. I much preferred The Shield

Homeland:

Tried the first season and - again - couldn't see what the fuss was all about

Game Of Thrones:

Watched all seasons bar the last one. I'll have to get around to completing it just because. But I believe it's a brutal last season :pac:

Chernobyl:

Tried an episode when exhausted on a flight so I think it affected my thoughts on it. Might try again. It has excellent reviews

Peaky Blinders:

Heard it starts strong but drops in quality


That's just some off the top of my head. I'll say if I've seen any other show when they're mentioned

I'm looking for that show where you're having a crap, stressful day (like many of us are currently) but then you think to yourself "at least there's Show X to look forward to later"

Thanks

Penn

Years ago I bought the first season of The Wire on dvd, couldn't get into after maybe 4 episodes and stopped watching it. A while later, said I may as well finish Season 1, then I'd trade in the dvd. Within a week, I bought the full boxset (meaning I now had two Season 1s) and watched the whole thing over the next month. I've probably watched it about 5 times since. It's an absolutely brilliant show. It definitely does take a bit to get into it. Each season can start off quite slow, and especially in Season 1 because it drops you straight into the world, doesn't ease you into it at all. But it's definitely worth it, because once you start understanding how everything feeds into the show as a whole and how all the pieces matter, it's one of the best shows ever. Fantastic characters, very funny, some incredible scenes, terrific acting, great stories and a world that feels so real you'd swear you could visit the city and see half the characters there.

Kinda outdated in terms of tech etc, which is understandable, but doesn't detract from everything as a whole. A lot of people didn't like the main story in the final season either, which I didn't at first either, but it's not like GoT final season or anything, it still works.


Chernobyl is a great watch too but it's only 5 episodes so might not keep you going too long. One of the best mini-series I've ever seen though.

ShineOn7

Penn wrote: »

Years ago I bought the first season of The Wire ....

Cheers Penn. Is it true to really get into it you need to find it online with subtitles? I read before that it's lost on a few people because they can't understand what's being said

Getting it online with subtitles from a cousin mightn't be easy

Penn

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Cheers Penn. Is it true to really get into it you need to find it online with subtitles? I read before that it's lost on a few people because they can't understand what's being said

Getting it online with subtitles from a cousin mightn't be easy

Nah, I never watched with subtitles. I don't think they'd help anyway, as it's more to do with the terms and slang some characters might use for things and understanding what they mean. You get used to how they talk within a few episodes, but it is something that can put people off when they first start. A lot of characters and hierarchies involved too so it can take a while to put names to faces etc. Like I said, you're kinda just dropped into the world of the characters.

I'd say if you can get to the end of Season 1, you'll have it pretty much all sussed (though each new season introduces some new settings, characters etc). If you finish Season 1 and you don't like it, then it's probably not worth going on with.

Tom Mann Centuria

Justified. Great actors playing great characters. Plenty of episodes to keep you busy and they finish the series very well.

Luther

My OH is on series 3 of Fargo. He also enjoyed Ozark. I think they’re all on Netflix.

gmisk

Damages, the americans, the good fight and trapped (Icelandic) on Amazon prime are all excellent imo.

Bbc have a show called devs on iPlayer only seen first episode but seems very interesting I think Alex Garland is behind it who did ex-machina.

Rodney Bathgate

Bosch or Justified

gmisk

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

Justified. Great actors playing great characters. Plenty of episodes to keep you busy and they finish the series very well.

Deadwood is excellent as well.
No idea why Timothy Olyphant isn't a much bigger star TBH

ShineOn7

Deleted User wrote: »

My OH is on series 3 of Fargo. He also enjoyed Ozark. I think they’re all on Netflix.

Loved Fargo season 1 and 2 so might give the third a bash, thanks

I really tried hard with Ozark. I even went back months later and rewatched the few episodes again. I don't get the praise this show gets at all

ShineOn7

Meant to say; I've never seen Life On Mars and the reviews of it look very promising

All of it recently landed on Netflix

4Ad

Succession on sky..theres 2 series..very good..

riffmongous

Dark, watch in German with subtitles if you can. It's like a massive puzzle that slowly reveals itself

is_that_so

Unforgotten - 3 seasons of it now on Netflix. Also Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.

CastorTroy

Banshee
A guy just gets out of prison and through circumstances becomes sheriff of the town of Banshee.
Some of the best fights I've seen with the women just as tough as the men.
When recommending it, I usually say you'll know by episode 3 whether it's for you or not

Spartacus
The first episode didn't appeal to me the first time I watched. But I heard the first season was good so tried again and thought it was excellent overall.

And in shows with less nudity, sex and violence
Person of Interest
While the first season is mostly case of the week, it goes on to a great overall ongoing story. Some great characters as well.

gmisk

is_that_so wrote: »

Unforgotten - 3 seasons of it now on Netflix. Also Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.

Unforgotten....is brilliant.
How could I forget that!
Each of those seasons was a gem.
Seriously underrated but so well done.
Season 4 fingers crossed this year!

Fargo is great.

Most of the Star Treks are on Netflix. They're really good to fill an hour or 2 at a time. Pretty easy to watch.

km79

gmisk wrote: »

Unforgotten....is brilliant.
How could I forget that!
Each of those seasons was a gem.
Seriously underrated but so well done.
Season 4 fingers crossed this year!

This or Luther ?

ShineOn7

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Meant to say; I've never seen Life On Mars and the reviews of it look very promising

All of it recently landed on Netflix

Loved Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.

ShineOn7

First bit of research on Succession and I see Jesse Armstrong is the creator

It already has my attention!

Nody

Longmire
Lucifer
Red Dwarf
The Blacklist
Burn notice

pjdarcy

ShineOn7 wrote: »

First bit of research on Succession and I see Jesse Armstrong is the creator

It already has my attention!

It's really excellent

el Fenomeno

An under the radar show I loved that was fairly luke-warmly received was Jericho (with Skeet Ulrich and Lenny James).

It got cancelled after season 1, but it had such a cult following that fans bombarded the network with mail, calls, and peanuts (yes, peanuts - it's a reference to a famous line in the show) so they relented and gave them a second series to wrap it up.

It's not going to win any Emmys (it didn't), and can be a bit cheesy at times with the small-town charm it forces down your throat. But it was a damn entertaining show and always left me with the urge to watch just one more episode.

Ive recommended it to 2 people who've genuinely gone on to watch it. One said it was great and thanked me for the recommendation. The other said it was the biggest pile of **** he'd seen since Under The Dome. Can't please them all

banie01

Banshee,
Battlestar Galactica,
Narcos,
Billions,
Ozark,
Ray Donovan,
Watchmen, from episode 3 on it is brilliant!
CastleRock
Man in the High Castle

Just a few, but if you are any way into Stephen King, castleRock is an easter egg tour de force.

Oh and watch The Wire. It's fantastic. Completely different show from The Shield.

NATLOR

Another Fargo fan here

Recently watched The Outsider,The Stranger,Dr.Foster.The Fall and Killing Eve would recommend them all (not all Netflix shows)
Currently on Ozark, looks promising

Sleeper12

Deleted User wrote:

My OH is on series 3 of Fargo. He also enjoyed Ozark. I think they’re all on Netflix.

Two very good shows imo

thefasteriwalk

Succession. All day long.

is_that_so

Marcella, Collateral, Wallander are a few others I'd add.

ShineOn7

From looking at the summery and who's involved with Succession it looks even more promising. A show with Brian Cox as the lead? Yes please

Jesse Armstrong was involved in two of my favourite Comedies - The Thick Of It and Veep (Which reminds me, I still need to finish Veep's last season or two so that'll be added to the list)

Is Succession like Veep and The Thick Of It or has it more drama in it?

gmisk

km79 wrote: »

This or Luther ?

They are very different shows.
If you want action etc Luther.
But I'd personally go for unforgotten if you have the patience, fairly slow but so well done I found it immensely gripping.

gmisk

el Fenomeno wrote: »

An under the radar show I loved that was fairly luke-warmly received was Jericho (with Skeet Ulrich and Lenny James).

It got cancelled after season 1, but it had such a cult following that fans bombarded the network with mail, calls, and peanuts (yes, peanuts - it's a reference to a famous line in the show) so they relented and gave them a second series to wrap it up.

It's not going to win any Emmys (it didn't), and can be a bit cheesy at times with the small-town charm it forces down your throat. But it was a damn entertaining show and always left me with the urge to watch just one more episode.

Ive recommended it to 2 people who've genuinely gone on to watch it. One said it was great and thanked me for the recommendation. The other said it was the biggest pile of **** he'd seen since Under The Dome. Can't please them all

I enjoyed it but it isn't for everyone, ending also felt rushed.

Penn

ShineOn7 wrote: »

From looking at the summery and who's involved with Succession it looks even more promising. A show with Brian Cox as the lead? Yes please

Jesse Armstrong was involved in two of my favourite Comedies - The Thick Of It and Veep (Which reminds me, I still need to finish Veep's last season or two so that'll be added to the list)

Is Succession like Veep and The Thick Of It or has it more drama in it?

More drama, definitely. A good few laughs to be had, but it's mostly a drama. Great cast though, and the acting, story and presentation are all top-notch.

GreeBo

Succession
Billions
Banshee

For light hearted goodness I highly recommend watching How I Met Your Mother and/or Arrested Development.

GreeBo

Penn wrote: »

More drama, definitely. A good few laughs to be had, but it's mostly a drama. Great cast though, and the acting, story and presentation are all top-notch.

Its quite similar to billions

ShineOn7

Meant to say in my OP; the only show i watch weekly currently is the amazing Better Call Saul

Hopefully this thread helps others find an hour of TV distraction a day in these strange times, and if you haven't seen Better Call Saul yet it's definitely worth your investment

dastardly00

What about something like Band of Brothers?
It's only 10 episodes but more than enough to get engrossed into it.

el Fenomeno

Is The Newsroom worth a watch? Downloaded it some time ago but never got round to watching it. I usually like anything Sorkin is involved in.

CastorTroy

gmisk wrote: »

I enjoyed it but it isn't for everyone, ending also felt rushed.

They filmed 2 endings. 1 in case of cancellation and 1 for being picked up. But yeah it wasn't a great ending. The other ending is available online as well

Doctors room ghost

Watch treme

Burts Bee

ShineOn7 wrote: »

From looking at the summery and who's involved with Succession it looks even more promising. A show with Brian Cox as the lead? Yes please

Jesse Armstrong was involved in two of my favourite Comedies - The Thick Of It and Veep (Which reminds me, I still need to finish Veep's last season or two so that'll be added to the list)

Is Succession like Veep and The Thick Of It or has it more drama in it?

I'm still sad that we've finished Veep!

GreeBo

el Fenomeno wrote: »

Is The Newsroom worth a watch? Downloaded it some time ago but never got round to watching it. I usually like anything Sorkin is involved in.

Yeah I liked it.

Danny2580

Putting aside all the hype and shyte, Love Hate is superb and having recently re-watched series 1 & 2, which I partly missed first time around, it hasn't aged at all. RTE Player, find the APK to sideload the player on firestick to watch with no ads.

Top of the list for losing yourself in a complete other world for me would be Mad Men, which is on Netflix. It used to bore me when it was on late at night on TV because I'd miss episodes here and there, but it has subtleties aplenty that you can't just jump in on. Myself and the missus gave it a go from the start a while back and got nothing done for two months. 7 seasons and it's brilliant.

ShineOn7

el Fenomeno wrote: »

Is The Newsroom worth a watch? Downloaded it some time ago but never got round to watching it. I usually like anything Sorkin is involved in.

Definitely. If you're a Sorkin fan you'll love it. Not as strong as The West Wing, but then again what is

Bonus; if you're a straight male it has Olivia Munn

ShineOn7

dastardly00 wrote: »

What about something like Band of Brothers?
It's only 10 episodes but more than enough to get engrossed into it.

Thanks. I've never seen it and last I remember it's number one on IMDB TV, voted the best TV show of all time by its users

mayo londoner

The Bodyguard is well worth a watch. Friday Night Lights is unreal, can be a bit cringe at times but I've watched the whole series 3 times, don't even need to be into sport to like it

PyreOfHellfire

I'd suggest The Boys. Only 8 episodes in the first season with the second coming later this year. I downloaded it on a whim just because the reviews were so good and it was described anti-marvel superhero story. First episode hooks you within the first 10 minutes and by the end of the episode you'll be straight into the second without thinking. If it were made for Netflix instead of Amazon you'd probably have heard about it by now but because it was an Amazon original it kind of got glossed over. Very underrated.

ShineOn7

GreeBo wrote: »

Its quite similar to billions

GreeBo wrote: »

Billions

I liked but didn't love Billions and stopped after one season. I'm still giving Succession a go later though. It looks superior to Billions in terms of who's involved in it

arcticmonkeys

The shield at one point was up there as my all time favorite shows still ranks up there at top 3 of all time though. If your into high-octane type cop shows I'd thoroughly recommend, last season is on par with breaking Bad as all time favorite finale.

Duvetdays

I second the bodyguard or Marcella if you like the uk dramas.
Recently rewatched the 1st season of Fargo had forgotten how brilliant it is.
The crown is worth a watch didn’t think I’d enjoy it as it’s usually not my bag but I was pleasantly surprised.

I gave up on the wire during season 3. And homeland, Luther and ozark struggled past the first episode.

Power is excellent if you’re into the American drug type violent shows.