Can it still be called television when none of the choices actually appeared on a network or even cable channel?
Of course it can.
It's the 21st century, and the days of all the good stuff just being on ABC, CBS and NBC are long gone.
Though I would freely be open to a return of Battle of the Network Stars.
Just saying...
: )
Now, on with the shows!!
Bosch
Take one of L.A.s finest, who has run ins with his superiors almost as often as he's having run ins with the bad guys, and you have one of the better crime dramas from the last few years. The first of two Amazon originals, Bosch has had two great seasons so far.
The consistent part from season to season is Titus Welliver's portrayal of Detective Bosch. He takes all of it in stride, not caring who he upsets to get the job done.
In a world where the world seemingly hates cops, Bosch is a reminder that most are indeed out there trying to help us navigate through a dangerous world, and as the curveballs that season two threw at the audience, life as a cop is very, very dangerous.
Luke Cage
Marvel and Netflix have done it again.
Now, much more fleshed out than his appearance in Jessica Jones, Mike Colter brings Luke Cage vividly to life in his own series.
Much like the other Netflix series, my biggest complaint with this one was that it felt about 3 episodes too long.
Hopefully in Season 2, or the Defenders, Luke Cage also doesn't have to psych himself up to actually go out and be a hero.
That did get a bit old as the series wore on.
He could have stopped so much violence if he would have just acted, instead of waiting for everyone around him to die.
Plus, of the two bad guys Cage faced, I much preferred the first one, to the one that's set to be a recurring character.
The Man In The High Castle
What if the Axis won World War II ?
This fascinating "What If?" scenario plays out on Amazon, and the results are fascinating, and truly scary, all at the same time.
This was perhaps the slowest series for me to get hooked on, as there are a lot of people flying around the first 2 episodes as they introduce every character and you try and get a sense of who they are, what they're doing, where their allegiances truly are...
But once you're hooked, you're along for a very interesting ride.
You realize that there is no turning back time, at least as far as I know, but you get hooked on the lives of many of the characters, even those of the Japanese or German side. In many ways, they are more fleshed out and three-dimensional than the American resistance.
Season 2 is available now, and we'll see if it returns next year to the countdown.
Daredevil: Season 2
Hands down, the best 4 episodes of any and all Marvel television.
Then they added Elektra to the mix, and the results became decidedly less enthusiastic on my part.
I would have actually preferred a more long, drawn out season with the Punisher, maybe 10 total episodes.
The trial should have taken 2 to 3 episodes, but instead it was nearly a blink and you miss it, in favor of more Elektra and a ninja Matt Murdock.
It's as if Marvel wanted to remind me of why I never really bothered with this character in the first place! :)
Still, a good show, and they seriously need to use Foggy more.
Seriously.
Making A Murderer
Was it a documentary?
Was it a television show?
This was the idea that I wrestled with at the end of the year, and ultimately put this under television while the ESPN 30 for 30 wound up in the documentary section.
Could I have flipped them?
Absolutely.
I decided that at over 10 hours, I have to call this gripping documentary television, since it was divided into episodic segments instead of just a 2 hour program.
I heard criticisms after it aired that the directors were only giving one side of the story.
That may, or may not be true, but the side they present is sooooo amazingly wrapped in cover-up after conspiracy after shady dealings that you might literally yell at the television at the end of each episode when the latest bombshell gets dropped.
It should make you seriously question the entire legal system at the least, and make you seriously hope you never find yourself facing its wrath, whether guilty OR innocent.
I'm waiting for an additional episode to air that reveals what has happened to several of the people in the documentary since the film has been released.
If nothing else, it appears that some justice is indeed being finally served.
Stranger Things
This is one of those few times that I watched something at the same time as the rest of the world.
: )
While we didn't binge, we did move along much quicker than usual when watching a Netflix series.
Yes, it was as good as you heard or were led to believe.
I maintain that if you're not hooked in the initial 8 minutes of episode 1, then yes, this is not the series for you.
My little 5 year old even came in during the middle of the episode and wanted to know what happened to Will.
She may have been the biggest fan of the show, but everyone was entertained.
A great cast, including possibly the best group of child actors to ever assemble since The Goonies.
Also, for me, it was the perfect length.
I've often criticized the Marvel series for being about 4 episodes too long, and Stranger Things came along and proved that I was right.
:)
The episodes fly by, and with no real fluff and bluster, combines nicely into 8 compact episodes that grab you at the beginning and hold you until the end.
Season 2's bar is already set incredibly high, so hopefully it will make it to Best of the Year list in the future.
Looking forward to what might be heading my way in 2017!
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