Netflix/Prime/Hulu Discoveries

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Just finished up one PBS series I liked - Indian Summers. Only one season so far, but I look forward to the second one. Home Fires is also promising, although the episode I watched last night annoyed me with the anachronistic music choices. The episode was set in 1939-40 but some genius tossed in some late 40's R&B instead of the swing/pop that people would have played in WW2 Britain. I hope they won't be dancing to Elvis on D-Day.
 
Has anyone else watched Occupied? It's a Norwegian political thriller involving an energy crisis and a "partnership" with Russia (I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but the title is a bit of a clue!). I watched the first 3 episodes last night and I'm loving it so far.

My only complaint is to do with the quality of the subtitles. I noticed this in another Netflix series too. The text is small and all white with barely any outline, so if the scene on screen is also white it's almost impossible to read.

(Edited to fix title: it's Occupied, not Occupation as I'd called it earlier.)
 
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Funny you should mention that. I was considering that one after giving up on Humans. I might give it a try tonight.
 
Has anyone else watched Occupation? It's a Norwegian political thriller involving an energy crisis and a "partnership" with Russia (I won't say more to avoid spoilers, but the title is a bit of a clue!). I watched the first 3 episodes last night and I'm loving it so far.

My only complaint is to do with the quality of the subtitles. I noticed this in another Netflix series too. The text is small and all white with barely any outline, so if the scene on screen is also white it's almost impossible to read.
There's some discussion of it earlier in the thread. I love it and am desperate for the next season to come out. I didnt notice the subtitle issue, probably because I watch on my iPad with the screen only about 14" from my face.
 
Just finished the latest episodes of Luther and it is as good as always. Too bad the 4th season is so short! :(
 
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Indian Summers is cancelled. Season 2 already aired. I was going to see it through 'means and ways' but I heard it almost deserved to be cancelled after the last few episodes. So I didn't bother.
 
My only complaint is to do with the quality of the subtitles. I noticed this in another Netflix series too. The text is small and all white with barely any outline, so if the scene on screen is also white it's almost impossible to read.
That's your own fault (probably). Your Netflix subtitle format is set by the user account. You are using the default, but there are lots of options for making it bigger, or coloured, or outlined. I used it mostly to make them smaller and less noticable, so I could watch English movies that were subtitled in Spanish.

You don't change it in the app you are using if it is on your TV (like using a Playstation or Xbox), it is on your user account on the internet and on tablet apps it sends you to the account on your browser. Your settings there apply to everywhere you watch on your account.

Eta- I'm not quite right. Apple as usual is different. But instructions are here. https://help.netflix.com/article/en/node/372?ba=GSButtonClick&q=

I keep editing this. That link is not giving the correct instructions for the xbox. I know the options for the subtitles within the xbox app are only on or off. And that only works some of the time, because subtitles are kind of embedded with foreign language movies. But like I said, changing the settings on my account on the internet gives me all kinds of options that are then displayed through my xbox. Possibly apple products might work the same way. It is surprising that the netflix site itself gives the wrong information.
 
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Indian Summers is cancelled. Season 2 already aired. I was going to see it through 'means and ways' but I heard it almost deserved to be cancelled after the last few episodes. So I didn't bother.
Well, damn. It got off to a good start. And the actor who played Aafrin is hot.
 
I thought it (Indian Summers) had a lot of good elements to it, but it was also very soapy and trod a lot of familiar ground. I've only seen season 1 though -- I won't go out of my way to find season 2 but when/if PBS airs it I'm sure I'll watch.

And speaking of Home Fires, the Seattle PBS just started re-airing season 1. I hope that means they're gearing up for season 2 in the fall!
 
OK, I just finished watching Peaky Blinders. Yes, I had to avert my eyes from some of the violence, and I did have some issues with the use of the female characters and with the continuity of the family backstory (although given the accents maybe I misunderstood some of what I thought I heard). But in general I would add my recommendation to Nan's if gang stories are of interest to you. And for those to whom it makes a difference, Cillian Murphy is exceptionally pretty to look at, perhaps too much so.

And on the subject of averting one's eyes from violence, I could also recommend Spartacus for the storyline, characters, politics, etc. The violence is frequent, usually extreme, sometimes campy -- I couldn't make it through the first 10 minutes the first time I tried to watch, but after reading some positive reviews I gave it another try and got hooked. Of course, with a story about gladiators and warfare, there is a lot of violence that is all part of the storytelling, so by turning away or squinting my eyes I probably missed some details that were integral to the plot.
 
OK, I just finished watching Peaky Blinders. Yes, I had to avert my eyes from some of the violence, and I did have some issues with the use of the female characters and with the continuity of the family backstory (although given the accents maybe I misunderstood some of what I thought I heard). But in general I would add my recommendation to Nan's if gang stories are of interest to you. And for those to whom it makes a difference, Cillian Murphy is exceptionally pretty to look at, perhaps too much so.

I'm glad you liked it enough to recommend it. :)
 
And speaking of Home Fires, the Seattle PBS just started re-airing season 1. I hope that means they're gearing up for season 2 in the fall!

Home Fires Season 2 is much, much better. I did not care for Season 1 at all. Unfortunately cancelled as well and at a bad time too!
 
That's your own fault (probably). Your Netflix subtitle format is set by the user account. You are using the default, but there are lots of options for making it bigger, or coloured, or outlined. I used it mostly to make them smaller and less noticable, so I could watch English movies that were subtitled in Spanish.

You don't change it in the app you are using if it is on your TV (like using a Playstation or Xbox), it is on your user account on the internet and on tablet apps it sends you to the account on your browser. Your settings there apply to everywhere you watch on your account.

Eta- I'm not quite right. Apple as usual is different. But instructions are here. https://help.netflix.com/article/en/node/372?ba=GSButtonClick&q=

I keep editing this. That link is not giving the correct instructions for the xbox. I know the options for the subtitles within the xbox app are only on or off. And that only works some of the time, because subtitles are kind of embedded with foreign language movies. But like I said, changing the settings on my account on the internet gives me all kinds of options that are then displayed through my xbox. Possibly apple products might work the same way. It is surprising that the netflix site itself gives the wrong information.

Well, I changed the subtitle settings on my account via my laptop, but they didn't carry through to watching on the TV. And there's no setting for subtitles via the TV. (I'm watching Netflix through my cable box -- Netflix is a "channel" on Telus Optik.)

Oh well. It's frustrating and I've had to rewind a couple of times, but it is legible, just. And I might be picking up the odd word in Norwegian. :D

ETA: I figured it out! While playing a program, you hit the down arrow on your remote, and you get an "audio & subtitles" menu.

That seems to be the method for most set-top boxes.
 
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I don't remember this one being mentioned earlier: Garfunkel and Oates. About the real-life comedy music duo of the same name, aka Riki Lindhome and Kate Micucci. Very funny and the music is hilarious and clever. However it's not a good series to binge-watch, more than one episode at a time would I think be too much. (but as I've said before, that's often the case with comedies)

And I finished Occupied last night. It kept getting better and better as the stories & characters developed. I'm assuming there will be a 2nd season, so I'm looking forward to that.
 
I'm glad Highway of Tears is making it to Netflix. It's a big topic in my neck of the woods and I've missed all the local screenings.

I saw it at a special screening a month or two ago. It's excellent, I highly recommend it -- and should be required viewing for every politician in Canada.
 
I finished season 2 of Detectorists last night -- but via a DVD from the library, not Netflix. I'd guess Netflix will get it before too long though.

It was just as good as the first season. And yet another demonstration of why I prefer the British TV format of short seasons: quality over quantity.
 
I started watching Turn:Washington's Spies on Netflix. I enjoyed it so much that I watched 20 episodes in 3 days! Instead of it being a general overview of the American Revolution it focuses primarily on one group of people, the Culper Spy Ring.
 
I just came across this site/app: Just Watch. It lets you search for which streaming services offer which movies & programs -- very useful, since neither Netflix nor Shomi will let you do a full browse/search until you've signed in.

Based on this I've been able to determine that Shomi has enough unique content for me to sign up with them for a free month -- specifically for Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent. Then after that I'll do a month of Crave for Family Tree, The Librarians, and maybe Billions.

Ok, that's my summer planned. :D
 
I suspect one can't help comparing Wentworth with Orange is the New Black, though I must say that Wentworth has kept focus on its core character group (i.e. Bea, Franky) a little more tightly than OINTB, IMO.

I'll have to double check if Season 3 has already been made available.
 
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