Streaming recommendations (including Netflix)

Binged Squid Games 2 today. Won’t say anything to avoid spoiling.

You could say if you think it’s any good without spoiling anything!

Despite enjoying the first series, I am feeling no desire to watch this season for some reason, it just feels like its time has passed somehow.

Death’s Game was good.

I lasted 3 episodes of SG2, same as Timmy’s, just feel it’s had it’s time as it’s no longer a fresh concept.

I’ve well and truly dissapeared down the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ wormhole

Did you see Sunderland Til I Die on Netflix?

The series that apparently prompted them to make the Wrexham show. It’s quite a bit better IMO – but I don’t find the Wrexham duo to be nearly as funny as they think they are. Maybe if they get Danny Devito in for the next series though…

I think what made SG1 so good was the shock factor and that you had no clue what was going to happen next. SG2 suffers I think from that loss of shock.

Did you see Sunderland Til I Die on Netflix?

@chakaping – I absolutely bloody loved Sunderland Til I Die. Literally like watching a slow motion car crash. Compelling stuff. I’ve got a mate who’s a diehard Sunderland fan and he had to turn it off after 20 minutes of the first episode for the sake of his blood pressure

60 years of music on the BBC 4 hours of non stop nostalgia

Cunk on Life on the iPlayer. The best one yet, had numerous coughing/laughing fits. I’d love to see the outtakes!

Not too many car chases or shoot-em-up scenes, but the newest season of My Brilliant Friend is … brilliant. If you’ve seen any of the earlier seasons, this is the best so far.

The latest Harlan Coben thriller, Missing You, has just landed on Netflix. Like most of the rest of them, it stars Richard Armitage…

Might start on it later on tonight. At least this one is only 5 episodes; the trend for having a series drag out over 8 or 10 episodes is annoying.

Harlan Coben thriller, Missing You

One I’ll be sure to avoid, I cannot understand how that man manages to sell any books, let alone why people make them into TV.

No offence meant if you see something in them I don’t btw!

No offence meant if you see something in them I don’t btw!

Oh none taken!
I think it’s a bit like Dan Brown. Somehow sells millions of books, all of which end up in charity shops having left 2 or 3 largely forgettable films in their wake.

Even many of the Reacher books are like that. There are a few authors who have managed to crack the code behind writing essentially the same book 15 times and then selling millions of them. It’s quite impressive. I’ve watched most of the Harlan Coben stuff on Netflix and I literally couldn’t tell you any of them other than Richard Armitage pops up in most of them and they while away an hour per episode.

In fact there’s a review of it which says basically that!

https://amp.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jan/01/netflix-missing-you-review-you-wont-remember-a-thing-about-harlan-coben-latest-mystery-10-minutes-later

I struggled to tell the individual episodes apart. In terms of plot they’re mostly the same thingN ot exactly Agatha Christie level writing. Maybe that’s the secret to the sales. Make it really simple and repetitive.

I watched episode 1 of Missing You last night. Here are my thoughts.

When you’re young you watch stuff and even if it’s meh you watch it and go with it and you don’t really care that much.

But then you grow up.  You realise what good writing is, what engaging dialogue is, what character development looks like, what competent acting feels like, and based on this you can spot shonky plots, forced plots, impractical dialogue, silly coincidences, contrived events and GCSE-level stupid exposition.

Missing You was total drivel. It was so bad I started to enjoy it. The writing, acting, dialogue and entire premise were awful. When did writing and production become this bad? There’s no way this should have become real.

When did writing and production become this bad?

1948

My Brilliant Friend is … brilliant. If you’ve seen any of the earlier seasons, this is the best so far.

Strangely compelling isn’t it?! I don’t know why I enjoy it so much, but it’s great. Taking a bit of getting used to the new Lenu actress cos she’s nothing like the old one!

I enjoyed Flora & Son on Apple TV. A sweet tale with an emotional performance at the end.

It would be a nice family friendly film but for the swearing…a lot of it! (It’s set in Dublin). And a few sexual references that might not be suitable for the little ones. Stars the girl who plays the youngest sister in Bad Sisters.

If you liked Once or Sing Street it might be worth a watch.

Enjoyed Rebel Ridge on Netflix yesterday.

Solid action crime thriller.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rebel_ridge

Stars the girl who plays the youngest sister in Bad Sisters

Bono’s daughter? 🙂 She’s very good.

Missing You was total drivel. It was so bad I started to enjoy it.

Pulls me in every time! You know what you’re going to get; painting by numbers with some silly plot twists.

Rebel Ridge was quite nicely done in a low body count Jack Reacher fashion. I didn’t realise the main character is played by a Brit.

Wasn’t Bono’s daughter in the Nicole Kidman tosh Perfect Couple earlier in the year?

Beeb’s SAS is good value. After the high jinx of series 1, series 2 is quite good showing the increasing psychological toll on the main characters.

Did binge Missing You while hungover and avoiding the weather y’day. V silly plot, but watchable. There’s 9 more Coben series on there as well apparently….??

Just waiting for Reacher 3 and Nightwatchman 2.

At some point i need to can my Netflix subs for a few months of Apple TV and watch slow horses. Rosalind Eleazor from Missing You is in that too apparently.

Bono’s daughter?

That’s the one! Turns out she can strum a guitar and sing a few notes as well. (Awaits obvious joke.) ☺️

Just finished Black Doves, what a load of crap that was. Ridiculous plot lines, cliché characters and dialed in performances. Seriously underwhelming.

Ive just started Black doves, and most ridiculous so far is Keira Knightly becoming a super assassin by hanging round with Ben Wishaw under a motorway underpass.  And also the lesbian super ninja assassins

Ben Wishaw is bloody good though.  He makes the best of it

Just finished Black Doves, what a load of crap that was. Ridiculous plot lines, cliché characters and dialed in performances. Seriously underwhelming

I enjoyed it, but “realism” wasn’t on my list of expectations.

Taking a bit of getting used to the new Lenu actress cos she’s nothing like the old one!

Whereas the new Lila could easily be the old one grown up!!

I know 3 month free trials are all over the place, but Apple TV is available for free to everyone this weekend (Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th).

Did binge Missing You while hungover and avoiding the weather y’day. V silly plot, but watchable. There’s 9 more Coben series on there as well apparently….??

Just waiting for Reacher 3 and Nightwatchman 2.

Yep, watched Missing You. Some fairly obvious “reveals” but it’s all quite watchable. The “weirdo dog breeder” farm is over in Glossop and I recognise most of the Manchester landmarks. It adds an extra dimension to watching them. There was some other Harlan Coben one which used a load of locations in St Helen’s, Morecambe and the Runcorn Bridge. Was quite jarring watching the main character drive over the Runcorn Bridge and arrive in Morecambe…

Reacher 3 had better be a significant improvement over the absolute drivel that was Season 2.

Night Watchman…? You mean The Night Agent? Cos the first season of that was brilliant. I fear the most likely thing with Season 2 is that they balls it all up but fingers crossed for that one.

I enjoyed it, but “realism” wasn’t on my list of expectations.

Obviously one expects a degree of artistic license but there comes a point when it’s just slop to cover a poor story / weak characters and BD was well into that.

Quite enjoying The Madness on Netflix at the moment. Coming to the end sadly.

Spoiler – It does not feature Suggs etc.

Not sure if it was on this thread or another one, but the lack of love for the latest series of “Strike” had me looking for the first series. Which we watched last night. Really enjoyed it. Assume it goes downhill from here 🙂

I know 3 month free trials are all over the place, but Apple TV is available for free to everyone this weekend (Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th).

Where might one find a 3 month trial, quite fancy watching Slow Horses and 3 days isn’t going to cut it!

I recently binned Apple TV (after the three months free trail thing) as I struggled to find stuff i wanted to watch. I did enjoy 1971 though. It’s about the music from 1971 and has some great stuff on Marvin (What’s Goin On) and Sly (There’s a Riot Goin On). I also caught The Long Way Up which was interesting if a little contrived. Which made me go watch Long Way Round.

On Netflix recent stuff has been:

When the phone rings (about a couple where the wife is subject to a kidnapping who then starts to ‘collude’). It features Chase Soo Bin so I’d watch it regardless but I’m enjoying it as entertainment. It concludes this weekend.

Mr Plankton which I’ve actually forgotten the main thrust of the series but features Lee You-Mi. I remember enjoying it (as entertainment)… Anyways, an unhappy bride to be is kidnapped by someone who is a ‘mistake’ of artificial insemination and is ‘forced’ to accompany him on his final days (genetic disease)/journey…

Also Love Next Door about a couple who ‘grew up’ together with all that familiarity but never acknowledged their (mutual) feelings for each other… Features Jung So Min (Mu-Doek from Alchemy of Souls).

I also watched the Creedence Travellin’ Band docu/live at Albert Hall thing. Man, John Fogerty can play!

Best way to get 3 months free is to buy a new Apple device. Ipad will only cost you about £1200, so a free 3 month sub is a bargain addition!

The free weekend has been advertised like an amazing deal, but it’s obvious they want people to see the amazing programmes (ha!) they offer and get addicted.

My 3 month trial ends today, but we have a few Bad Sisters to finish, so I’ll keep it for January then bin it.

Just seen – 6 month trial with EE https://ee.co.uk/help/mobile/extras-and-add-ons/add-ons/get-free-apple-tv-plus

Best way to get 3 months free is to buy a new Apple device. Ipad will only cost you about £1200> is to buy it for £8.99 per month

FTFY. £8.99 per month is much cheaper than £400 per month.