Etoile on Amazon, which was excellent. It's about the National Ballet of Paris and the NYC Ballet trading artists to stay afloat. Features professional performances, and shows the process of creating a ballet, as well as the day to day drama of keeping both operations a float. With quippy dialogue, also it's in French and English. With a great cast. First season aired. Second is filming and should be released sometime in 2026.
The Four Seasons - on Netflix. It's an adaptation of Alan Alda's 1981 film of the same name. Updated for the 21st century. About three couples who travel and vacation together during various seasons of the year. The couples are in their fifties. When one of the couple's gets divorced, it goes some upheaval. There are two episodes for each season. The adaptation was created and written by Tina Fey, the original was written and directed by Alan Alda. It stars, Fey, Steve Carroll, and Colman Dolmingo.
**
Working on:
* The Residence - have two episodes left of Shondra Rhimes satirical comedy about a brilliant detective solving a murder in the White House. It's not really a political satire, and kind of swings away from current politics for the most part. The humor is subtle, and witty. It reminds me a lot of the Knives Out films. And I adore the detective.
* The Night Agent - started watching this while visiting my mother, about a week ago. It's not as good as S1, there's ahem, plot holes? And a lot of things don't quite jive in season 2. But still entertaining. I have about four episodes left, I think.
* Sullivan's Crossing - which I'm rapidly losing interest in, for various reasons - mainly because it's on the CW, my DVR isn't working well, it has commercials, and the story feels kind of like a Hallmark melodrama? Which is fine, but the drama is usually...tepid or off-screen.
Great Performances on PBS
* Next to Normal - a cult hit, and I'd seen the original version on Broadway. This is the West End Revival, and it's still excellent. It's a musical, swings heavily towards rock opera, about mental illness, and how this affects a family. It's also about grief and how mental illness and grief can interconnect. You might still be able to catch it on PBS at some point or on PBS Passport. Not sure if the BBC will air it or not. PBS is kind of the US equivalent of the BBC (except it is a non-profit funded by subscribers for the most part, it has had federal funding and grants, but not that much and even less now.)
* YellowFace (a play by David Henry Wang, which is somewhat autobiographical) - it's a satire about race and racial dynamics in the US. Stars Danial Dae Kim (LOST and Angel), Ryan Eggold (Blacklist and New Amsterdam). Quite good, and rather funny in places.
no subject
Finished:
Etoile on Amazon, which was excellent. It's about the National Ballet of Paris and the NYC Ballet trading artists to stay afloat. Features professional performances, and shows the process of creating a ballet, as well as the day to day drama of keeping both operations a float. With quippy dialogue, also it's in French and English. With a great cast. First season aired. Second is filming and should be released sometime in 2026.
The Four Seasons - on Netflix. It's an adaptation of Alan Alda's 1981 film of the same name. Updated for the 21st century. About three couples who travel and vacation together during various seasons of the year. The couples are in their fifties. When one of the couple's gets divorced, it goes some upheaval. There are two episodes for each season. The adaptation was created and written by Tina Fey, the original was written and directed by Alan Alda. It stars, Fey, Steve Carroll, and Colman Dolmingo.
**
Working on:
* The Residence - have two episodes left of Shondra Rhimes satirical comedy about a brilliant detective solving a murder in the White House. It's not really a political satire, and kind of swings away from current politics for the most part. The humor is subtle, and witty. It reminds me a lot of the Knives Out films. And I adore the detective.
* The Night Agent - started watching this while visiting my mother, about a week ago. It's not as good as S1, there's ahem, plot holes? And a lot of things don't quite jive in season 2. But still entertaining. I have about four episodes left, I think.
* Sullivan's Crossing - which I'm rapidly losing interest in, for various reasons - mainly because it's on the CW, my DVR isn't working well, it has commercials, and the story feels kind of like a Hallmark melodrama? Which is fine, but the drama is usually...tepid or off-screen.
Great Performances on PBS
* Next to Normal - a cult hit, and I'd seen the original version on Broadway. This is the West End Revival, and it's still excellent. It's a musical, swings heavily towards rock opera, about mental illness, and how this affects a family. It's also about grief and how mental illness and grief can interconnect. You might still be able to catch it on PBS at some point or on PBS Passport. Not sure if the BBC will air it or not. PBS is kind of the US equivalent of the BBC (except it is a non-profit funded by subscribers for the most part, it has had federal funding and grants, but not that much and even less now.)
* YellowFace (a play by David Henry Wang, which is somewhat autobiographical) - it's a satire about race and racial dynamics in the US. Stars Danial Dae Kim (LOST and Angel), Ryan Eggold (Blacklist and New Amsterdam). Quite good, and rather funny in places.
Looking forward to:
Andor (Disney +)
Murderbot Diaries (apple tv)