It’s a struggle to find episodic content that Shirin and I can watch. This is a list of programs that we’ve felt are worth watching and worth avoiding (we jumped off the train after 1-2 episodes). You’ll see the year we watched the series, not necessarily the year it was released. We list the most recently watched series and work back in time (2021 and 2020 for now). The themes and styles vary. Feel free to add your titles in the comment section at the bottom of this page.
If you’re interested, here are Clyde’s recommended film list, recommended reading list, book summary list and recommended listening list.
2021
Worth Watching
Designated Survivor. An attempt to re-create the early 2000’s glory of “24” with Kiefer Sutherland. It’s a little more than half of that series, yet sufficiently interesting that we watched the entire first season. I think we started the second season and bailed because it felt predictable.
Night Stalker. The very sobering yet gripping account of the serial killer that terrorized Southern California in the 1980s and 90s. Strange fact: one of our son’s best friends was in his mother’s womb when their house was stalked. His father had a premonition and picked up a golf club, walked through the house and saw someone with his face pressed against the window. The guy ran away, but his shoe print matched the Night Stalker who was caught three days later. That’s eerie.
Resurrection Ertuğrul. The most ambitious viewing project of my life. Thanks to my friend Shohrat, I was introduced to this series shortly after I decided to try to learn Turkish. That was four years and 441 episodes ago. I still have another 7 episodes to finish the series…but I’m now able to watch the series in Turkish with Turkish subtitles!! Someone should write a master’s thesis on this because it is a reflection of the political ambition of the current regime in Turkey without apology… namely the resurrection of the Ottoman Empire.
The One. I caught the last two episodes with Shirin. Interesting premise…what if there was one perfectly suited person for me and a DNA test would match me with that person?
Amend. Documentary series hosted by Will Smith on the significance of the 14th amendment. It could be argued that America really didn’t begin until the passing of this amendment in 1868.
Worth Avoiding
Tiger King. Watching the first episode convinced us we had better things to do with our lives. But that was towards the end of the pandemic. So no judgment on those who watched it during the pandemic.
Marseilles. A French series with…wait for it…Jean Reno…almost…Gerard Depardieu. Too French. No redeeming characters, only scheming. Everything is transactional.
The Last Czar. It started as a very compelling concept. A docudrama on Russia’s final czar and the rise of Rasputin. It quickly went off the rails for us as it would go from an expert commenting on the historical facts to the characters playing the Czar and Czarina in extended sex scenes.
2020
Worth Watching
The Crown. Not as good as Downton Abbey (what is?), but very solid. We lost momentum with the actor who played the older queen.
The Ottomans. A reenactment of the fall of Constantinople at the hands of Mehmet. Life Lesson: choose your allies well. The Genoese got going when the going got tough.
Inside the Mind of Aaron Hernandez. The tragic, true story of the New England Patriots player convicted of murder.
The Pharmacist. True story about a local pharmacist who realized the overprescribing of opioids was ruining his community.
Manhunt: Unabomber. Fascinating recreation of the search for the lone wolf who terrorized America for a number of years.
Madame Secretary. Interesting enough to hold our attention for eight or nine episodes. Then it became too formulaic.
Love on the Spectrum. Two thumbs way up! A very tender, first-person portrayal of people on the autism spectrum interested in finding love. I still follow Kelvin on Instagram!
The Last Dance. I waited for it to come out streaming so I didn’t have to watch one episode a week on ESPN. A very pro-Michael take on the guy who changed basketball and defined GOAT. Fascinating footage of much of what goes on behind the scenes.
Kim’s Convenience. A touching story of a Korean family, their convenience store and the cast of characters around them in Canada. I think we made it through five episodes which is pretty good for us.
Tehran. A compelling thriller series about Israeli spies inside of Iran.
Ted Lasso. A compelling story of a happy-go-lucky American football coach thrust into a highly dysfunctional premier league coaching job.
Ethos. A beautifully told story of a Turkish housecleaner who develops a unique relationship with a psychologist. Fascinating characters.
Queen’s Gambit. I watched every other episode while Shirin watched the series. A very richly filmed story of a child chess prodigy. Who would’ve thought a story about chess could be compelling?
Manhunt: Deadly Games. A re-telling of the story of the search for the bomber in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Life Lesson: don’t be too zealous in your work (like the prosecuting attorney).
Worth Avoiding
Goop. Gwyneth Paltrow gets to talk about whatever the heck she wants. The episode with Wim “Ice Man” Hoff was actually useful. He’s the cryotherapy guru.
Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich. We could not stomach the recounting of his abuse of teenage girls
________________________________________________________________________________
These are great! I’ve enjoyed the first 3 seasons of Alone! I hit fast forward alot because they repeat things but it is pretty fascinating how life alone in the wilderness changes people’s perspectives.
Kevin, mi amigo!So good to hear from you. I think somebody else recommended that. I’m adding it to my list.
Hey Clyde-
We also bailed on Designated Survivor after Season 2 (we might not even have gotten to the end of S2). As for The Crown, pretty sure we bailed after the 3rd or 4th ep of Season 1. Agree 100% on Kim’s Convenience, Ted Lasso, and The Queen’s Gambit. Give The Kominsky Method a try with Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin. We’re only a few episodes in, but are really enjoying it.
-Rich
Rich!Awesome to hear from you! Shirin was watching the Kaminski method. I watched the episode where they had the funeral for Alan Arkin’s character. Very well scripted and acted.
Hi Clyde!
Thank you for the recommendations!
I would recommend to you and Shirin a PBS Masterpiece Theater series called POLDARK on Amazon Prime. It’s one of our ALL TIME favorites! The main character is Ross Poldark who is a British soldier who returns home to England after the American War of Independence. The scenery is breath taking and each episode ends with a cliffhanger!