The Lemon Fool

It's possible I'm in the minority who haven't watched it, but all six seasons of the Sopranos has been my binge-watch of the pandemic. It feels strange being so late to the party but... like... wow.

That has to be my favourite series of all time. Just brilliant. Even the ending - which imho was perfect. If you haven't seen it, then don't miss it.

The problem after watching such a brilliant show is - what next?

I've seen Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones etc. The Wire is a prospect, although on my last attempt I lost interest during Season 2.

As an aside, I find the following Android (and possibly iPhone Apps) useful:

Hobi - helps you track where you are on series (https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... bi.android)
JustWatch - tells you what streaming service has a certain film/tv show to watch free, rent or buy. (https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... .justwatch - although the rating seems to have dropped due to a buggy release)

neversay wrote:It's possible I'm in the minority who haven't watched it, but all six seasons of the Sopranos has been my binge-watch of the pandemic. It feels strange being so late to the party but... like... wow.

That has to be my favourite series of all time. Just brilliant. Even the ending - which imho was perfect. If you haven't seen it, then don't miss it.

The problem after watching such a brilliant show is - what next?

I've seen Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones etc. The Wire is a prospect, although on my last attempt I lost interest during Season 2.

Goodness! How can you lose interest in The Wire?

I watched all series when originally broadcast on BBC2. Who knew, at the time (original series), there were so many British actors in it? Or that one of the 'boys' was a girl - I do remember wondering at the time how old 'he' was as 'he' appeared very young.

I used to watch the Sopranos (on ITV?) and enjoying it, but ended up missing most of it. If I remember, it was moved to a later time in the evening, which I followed. Then, for some reason it was moved to the early hours, when I dropped it. It then moved to satellite, which I don't have.

I must say I do not watch a lot on TV but the Sopranos were excellent to the extent that I have the entire series on old fashioned DVDs. I watch them from time to time.

Dod

I have the Sopranos Blu-ray box set and the Wire DVD I've not watched either in completions bit saw the odd ep of both years ago when they were on terrestrial TV so I think I know the premises. I didn't see Game of Thrones but I liked Breaking Bad watched it a few years ago but for whatever reason got sidetracked and never completed Seasons 4 and 5.
I do watch a lot of TV so might come to them ultimately, Amazon Prime and Netflix does give me loads of options without needing to push plastic discs in a machine...

Mad Men?

The Sopranos is an excellent show, well worth trying for anyone who has never seen it. Here are four shows you might like to try, which are on Amazon Prime (with no extra payment). I'm old school and if I like a series I buy it on DVD (streaming services have a habit of taking shows offline, often with little or no warning). I've linked to trailers on YouTube where possible.

Justified. Best show ever IMHO. US Marshals in Kentucky versus hillbilly weed growers, wannabe-Nazi bank robbers, corrupt mining companies and the Dixie Mafia (amongst others). Justified is a modern day western, based on an Elmore Leonard short story (he was an executive producer). Exceptionally well written with lots of humour and character development.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H8s0U3FAHc

19-2. Canadian police drama, focusing on patrol cops in Montreal, it’s the English remake of the French-Canadian series of the same name. 19-2 has more than a touch of Hill Street Blues, albeit without the humour. Seasons 1 & 2 are on there, seasons 3 & 4 used to be but they’ve gone (hopefully temporary, otherwise DVDs).

Leverage – America’s answer to “Hustle”; here a team of expert criminals (hitter, hacker, grifter and thief) led by a retired insurance investigator help people who have been wronged by companies, criminals and/or governments. Leverage ended in 2012 after five series, but it has recently been brought back and they are currently filming series six.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reXPb9NpBfM

Republic Of Doyle – Light-hearted Comedy-drama about a father and son team of private detectives. Set in Newfoundland. Russell Crowe (yes, the Russell Crowe) guest-starred in an episode during the third series.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UORcma6dXwk

If you haven't seen The Shield I would recommend it, especially for a fan of the Sopranos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shield

Personally, I've started to get a bit of a sinking feeling when I see a series has 7 or 8 seasons, so here are some shorter ones:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fargo_(TV_series)
Black comedy/crime drama inspired by the Cohen Brothers film Fargo. Three seasons with one more in the pipeline. They are all loosely connected but essentially standalone. Seasons one and two are among my favourite shows of all time. Available on Netflix.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadwood_(TV_series)
3 seasons. (Very) Loosely based on the real frontier town Deadwood and its real-life residents. Ian McShane and Timothy Oliphant are excellent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome_(TV_series)
Et 2 seasons Brute

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godless_(TV_series)
Gritty western with an excellent Jeff Bridges. One season Netflix mini-series.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spy_(TV_series)
True story of a MOSAD agent infiltrating the Syrian military. One season Netflix mini-series

JamesMuenchen wrote:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fargo_(TV_series)
Black comedy/crime drama inspired by the Cohen Brothers film Fargo. Three seasons with one more in the pipeline. They are all loosely connected but essentially standalone. Seasons one and two are among my favourite shows of all time. Available on Netflix.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadwood_(TV_series)
3 seasons. (Very) Loosely based on the real frontier town Deadwood and its real-life residents. Ian McShane and Timothy Oliphant are excellent.

Fargo season 4 is our current watch
- consistently great and quirky TV

They finished off Deadwood with a movie recently: was more of a victory lap than contributing anything new, but well worth a watch if you haven't seen it

-sd

Regarding Mad Men:

Set in the early 1960s advertising world of Manhattan. Cocktails and mistress at lunchtime, then home to dutiful wife in the evening. Ambitious women coping with the challenges of an incredibly sexist world, where sexism isn't a thing, it's just the way it is. Ad men spinning dreams for clients in order to win "pitches". How do you market cigarettes when medical studies are starting to show the connection to lung cancer? Don Draper knows. Like all the best long series, he provides that complex central character.

The Americans.

Six seasons, I'm near the end of season 4. I find myself finishing an episode and wanting to watch the next one, and then the next and so on. Very compelling drama. Excellent acting. Main characters are two Russians living in USA as completely convincing husband and wife Americans whilst being KGB agents. Gripping and suspenseful.

Anyone who is looking for more gangster drama series might like to try these four shows (all links are to trailers of series 1):

Boardwalk Empire – HBO drama about prohibition era America, mixing real and fictional characters, mostly set in Atlantic City.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRpqQsdU-dg

Sons of Anarchy. Californian gun-running biker gangs, where the structure of the show (at least initially) is very close to Hamlet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia4cggzpqYQ

Bad Blood. Six-part miniseries set in Montreal. It’s a dramatization of the true story of the Rizutto crime family. Currently on Netflix UK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JbZKsfgXq0

The BBC’s “Peaky Blinders”, set shortly after the end of the First World War, where the Peaky Blinders gang comes to the attention of Special Branch after a consignment of Lewis Guns is stolen from the BSA works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVzVdvGIC7U

I hang my head in shame for making a post then being away from TLF for days on end

Thanks for the great suggestions - just in time for another lockdown!