This blog post will be a bit of a departure from my usual Walter Winchell/ADD styled format. I will attempt to limit it to one subject. Here goes nothing.
One of the modern luxuries that I enjoy most is streaming. There are so many streaming services, it's easy to become fatigued by the constant barrage of options, not to mention, subscription fees can add up quickly. I have several that I subscribe to and several that seem to be included with my cable service. Admittedly, I am somewhat technologically illiterate, so I am still learning to navigate some of the platforms.
This time around I thought I would highlight some TV shows/movies that I discovered (or re-discovered) on various platforms in recent months, in no particular order, and completely absent of rhyme or reason.
First is "The Gray Man", a movie based on Mark Greaney's novel of the same name, available on Netflix. The movie is a spy thriller starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Billy Bob Thorton, among others. If you like action, this one is for you. I have read that this movie is intended to launch a franchise of future films based on Greaney's books and I hope it comes to fruition.
Paramount+ is a treasure trove of shows with "1883" and "The Mayor of Kingtown" both being fantastic shows. Taylor Sheridan will be bringing several more shows to Paramount+ that look very interesting.
The Parmount+ show that I want to touch on is "Joe Pickett", a series about a Wyoming game warden who gets caught up in a murder conspiracy. This series is based on C.J. Box's novels and features a very out-of-character role for David Alan Grier. I am hearing that Season 2 is currently filming.
On Hulu as well as FX, "The Old Man" is a series based on Thomas Perry's novel (noticing a pattern?). This is another spy thriller but with some very unusual characters in the genre. The end of season 1 felt a bit incomplete until I read that it had been renewed for a second season. Stellar performances by Jeff Bridges and Jeff Lithgow make this show must-see.
Michael Connelly's books have made some great TV show recently. On Netflix, "The Lincoln Lawyer" is a great series. At first, I wasn't wild about some of the casting choices, but after watching the entire first season, I am hooked.
On FreeVee, "Bosch: Legacy" is a continuation of the amazing "Bosch" series from Amazon Prime Video. If you haven't watched them yet, I cannot recommend them (or the Bosch books) highly enough.
Also on Amazon Prime is "The Terminal List", based on Jack Carr's novel and starring Chris Pratt. This series is high on action, but short on feel good moments. I'll leave it at that to avoid spoiling it for anyone who hasn't watched it yet.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a sucker for detective/cop shows from the 70's and 80's. I know. I know. Some are cliche-filled and cheesy by contemporary standards. I do not care. I still enjoy them.
"The Rockford Files" is probably my favorite all-time favorite TV show, and the entire run is available on Peacock. I confess to having the series on DVD as well.
One gem I recently re-discovered is "Crazy Like A Fox", a short-lived series from the mid-80's starring Jack Warden as cigar-smoking, devil-may-care San Francisco P.I. Harry Fox, who constantly gets his strait-laced attorney son begrudgingly involved in his cases. Della Reese and a young George Clooney were guests stars during the series' run.
In one episode, Harry and his son travel to Los Angeles and Harry crosses paths with another detective agency named Bailey and Spencer, no doubt an homage to 50's, 60's detective show "77 Sunset Strip". That I noticed an obscure reference like that probably explains why I have so few friends.
This show was the victim of revolving time slots and sadly lasted only two seasons and one made-for-TV movie. Unfortunately, not all the episodes are available on Crackle, but I'll take what I can get.
I recently binged the available episodes and have an idea for a script for a re-boot (if any TV execs end up reading this).
"Banacek" was a show from the early 70's, starring George Peppard as ultra-cool insurance investigator Thomas Banacek (pronounced Ban-a-chek), who solves seemingly impossible theft cases on a freelance basis. This show was part of the NBC Mystery Movie rotation, that included shows like "Colombo" and "McCloud" during its various incarnations. It is part of FreeVee's library. I dig the Felix character. Maybe because he owns a bookstore.
I was watching "Simon & Simon" on XUMO, but this platform is one I am having difficulty navigating. Hopefully, I can figure it and finish the series.
I need to finish the new (final?) season of "Peaky Blinders", but I started to watch the first episode and realized it's been so long between seasons, I forgot some key plot points. Looks like a "Peaky Blinders" marathon in my future, when the weather turns cold.
I hope you enjoyed this post and possibly learned of a new show to watch.
Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you soon.