I was a little skeptical about Lower Decks due to a lot of “meh” reactions on YouTube. But it was fantastic. Funny and spoofy without being disrespectful of the franchise, LD is a complete delight.
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I’ll have to try it. As a lifelong Trek fan, I have been hesitant because I’d be pretty annoyed if it disrespected the franchise (not that the first 2 seasons of Enterprise don’t already do that). So this is the kind of endorsement I needed : )
Lower Decks is amazing and I told you all so last year!
Barry. Bill Hader is amazing in this, and it’s well-made, the comedy is jet black, and it’s got Henry Winkler. Watching Hader bounce between frustrated hitman and frustrated actor is wonderful, makes the whole thing worth watching.
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Is there a new season out or are you watching the older ones? My wife and I love the show. NoHo Hank steals every scene. Hader is great but because of that it is also a frustrating show - it is easy to forget he’s a stone cold killer and you just want to root for the guy to catch a break and he never seems to.
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Only just discovered it!
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Barry was fantastic, like a modern day take on Grosse Pointe Blank.
Currently watching Warrior on HBO on the recommendation of a friend, who I’ve determined has different tastes than I. Kind of a Bruce Lee situation, San Fran at the start of the century, Bruce Lee character kicks everyone’s butts. Lots of nudity, violence, what you’d expect from a show that was originally on Cinemax.
Definitely can’t watch it during lunch at work so we’ll see how far I make it.
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Warrior was literally a Bruce Lee project IIRC!
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Guess I’ll have to stick with it then!
We’ve binge watched Man Down on Netflix. The premise is your typical underachieving man-child struggling through life, but Greg Davies and Mike Wozniak are absolutely hilarious. Some great characters, one insane Star Wars cameo, and some running gags that are just great. Some seriously funny body/injury humor as well. 4 seasons with only 6 or so episodes, so a quick watch.
Them. Got a good line in visuals, and conjures up neighbourhood claustrophobia well, though it’s a tad black and white (sorry).
Jupiter’s Legacy. Taking a long time to actually get going. Not impressing me once you’ve seen The Boys, or better yet, Invincible.
Beforeigners. Thanks to @biffpow for mentioning this one, I finally got around to it, despite what looks like an absolute lack of effort put into that title translation. Well worth the time, as the world has to deal with a slow influx of unwilling time travellers from the past.
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Deadwind, on Netflix. Perfectly acceptable Scandi-murder* on the lines of The Bridge - loner woman detective with complicated personal backstory, murders that reach into the political and business worlds, solemn music and moody overhead shots of a city at night. It’s Finnish and the city is Helsinki, and it’s a bit snowier than the Malmö of Saga Norén, but the story beats are familiar. Still, enjoyable despite the feeling that the scriptwriters‘ starting point was The Bridge box set with director‘s commentary.
Amusingly, Netflix only has German subtitles, which is fine up to the point people start talking German so of course no subtitles - ok, I can cope, after a processing pause - or English, where I carry on reading the subtitles out of sheer momentum until I realise what’s happening. Then i start quibbling about the translation. Smooth mental gear changes, not so much.
*yes, i am perfectly aware that Finland strictly speaking is Nordic but not Scandinavian. Nordi-murder sounds silly though.
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Lower Decks Season 1 is now available in the iTunes store. Instabuy. 
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Mare of Easttown. Crime drama on HBO starring Kate Winslet as a detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigating a local murder. Winslet’s performance is great along with Jean Smart who plays her overbearing mother.
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My 8-year-old is interested in Star Trek. What series should I start with him? TNG seems obvious, but more action-heavy/less-cerebral might hold his attention more. Voyager, maybe?
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Well, the Lower Decks maybe?
Pro: Animated and more on the humor/action side, also shorter episodes (cough attention span cough)
Con: a lot of Star Trek universe inside jokes which may go “Woooosh!”
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Pro: Lots of Easter Eggs that let you explore episodes from all the series whenever something tickles their fancy.
“Who are the blue guys with antennas? And why does the funny brown man say “hu-mons”?”
I shudder at the thought of my first Trek being Voyager… Although I can see why it could be a good choice–it is written and acted in a way that will probably appeal to an 8 year-old. So maybe you have a point.
I’ve been struggling with this question too (mine turns 5 in a few weeks) and have kind of thought I might start with TOS. Hammy acting, simple plots, a fair amount of action and weirdness. While I love Trek, I can barely stand most TOS anymore, so whether it’s that or Voyager, a bitter pill it shall be, I think.
Maybe the fourth movie, The Return Home, with the whales, would be a good place to start?
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I was considering the movie, but is it as good if you don’t know the characters? Especially the Spock bits, like on the bus? I’m not sure. I was considering TOS as well.
My knowledge of Trek is far from comprehensive, but we started my kids at about that age with Wrath of Khan, then Voyage Home, and they liked both. They haven’t clamored for more, but seem happy enough to consider it if offered. 4 is now a funny period piece from history times for them, so, though it loses something in lack of familiarity with the characters to start there, it gains additional humor. And most of the context of the characters can be gleaned from a pretty brief summary, so it’s probably fine.
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19-2. The trials and travails of a shift of Montreal police officers. Really quite compulsive viewing, there are no good guys, everyone gets their hands dirty, and their work leaves marks on them. It took a little getting used to, seeing actors I only associated with the wonderful comedy of Letterkenny in a serious drama, but it was worth sticking with. Some episodes are incredible, most are at least good.
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