Deadwood is great, Ian McShane is a standout! I also loved him in American Gods.
I can definitely see the DS9 comparisons.
Deadwood is great, Ian McShane is a standout! I also loved him in American Gods.
I can definitely see the DS9 comparisons.
In the show, he was definitely a bad and corrupt cop that nobody liked. The Mao investigation was something he got really fixated on, mostly because of selfishness. He saw a picture of a pretty girl and made up an idea she could redeem who he became. Or love him.
I didn’t expect him to be reliable. But the season did such a great job focusing on him, making him three dimensional, that I didn’t expect him to be a relatively minor character in the grand scheme of things.  And also, besides Cowboy Bebop, there’s not a whole lot of noir detective/noir stories in space. I guess Doctor Who also, to some extent - though that’s more akin to Scooby Doo (not a criticism). So it wasn’t just Miller for me that made me feel betrayed. It was also the change of genre.
I didn’t read the books, but the show’s storyboarding is certainly atypical. I appreciated it a lot more starting in Season 3 when I was able to reflect on the series as a whole and see the genre changes in each season as a creative choice.
Ah good to know.
I did enjoy BSG, but it took some episodes to appreciate. And I had to accept the fact that the characters were pretty incompetent. They weren’t the best or brightest due to the circumstances and had to adapt to survive.
Yeah, I never watched Atlantis. My ol’ friend who recommended SG-1 (years ago) said the other series weren’t worth watching, but maybe he just meant Universe. What was wrong with Universe?
I just watched some YouTube clips of Atlantis and saw Colm Meaney makes some appearances. So… adding to the list!
It’s wild to me when fans of the show disregard the first season. To me, that season is pretty much perfect. Three arcs - a detective story, a motley crew, a political thriller - pay off feels so great when it all comes together at the end. Season 2 was such a drastic change in pacing, concept and ‘feel’ that I didn’t want to keep watching. I felt a little betrayed that Miller wasn’t actually the main character.
Besides Amos, I don’t really care about the Roci crew. I had to wait until Ashford came along in Season 3 for a new favorite character.
All in all - Avasarala, Bobby and Drummer carried the series for me.
I didn’t mention Travelers in my watched list because it’s not very ‘Star Treky’, but I absolutely adored the series. It had some faults, but really clever writing, well thought-out characters, great acting, cool story. I still think about it. Did you not like Season 3? Enrico Colantoni was brilliant. Also loved him in Station Eleven.
I’m always worried watching stuff that’s cancelled too early. Does it end in a decent place?
Oh thanks for the reminder, I forgot that was coming out! Glad to know it’s good.
Thank you, I’ll check it out!
I have mixed feelings on AC. I really loved the first season. Beautiful cinematography, amazing acting (Joel Kinnaman is incredible), great concept and plot. Pacing could’ve been a little better, but it really evoked that Blade Runner vibe in a cool way.
Season 2 didn’t really resonate with me :/ Felt like a cheap Marvel movie.
I love, love, love For All Mankind! I didn’t put it on the list, I think of it more as a drama than a Sci Fi show. I didn’t realize it’s the same writer as DS9/BSG! Small world
Ah yeah, I saw Mandalorian. It was pretty fun to watch, but I didn’t find it super compelling beyond the visuals - especially compared to Andor.
Of course, Futurama is one of my favorites! Haven’t heard of Final Space, I’ll put it on my list - thanks!!
It’s very, very good. Every season is basically a different genre though - within the context of the setting.
The first is my favorite and is basically a noir/detective story.
Second is my least favorite and is basically a monster movie.
Third is political thriller and I fell in love with the show again, fourth is like a western/frontier story and fifth is a family drama.
The best thing about the Expanse is the world-building. A lot of attention to detail. Great characters too.
Thanks for these recommendations! I actually never watched X-Files, and a friend of mine binge watched all of it earlier this year and was sending me funny clips. I should add it to the list.
LOVED Station Eleven. It might be a top 5 show of all time. The first episode felt like a slog until that last minute. Partially ‘cause we were kinda living that pandemic.
But I was absolutely hooked and psyched to see more. And every episode after was “holy crap!” moments through to the very end.
Some of the best storytelling I’ve seen on TV. Really rich character development and such a beautiful concept altogether. It made me really hopeful.
Same writer/creator as The Leftovers (which I also recommend, very cool show - 3 seasons with an ending, gets progressively weirder and wilder).