Some thoughts on TV I've been watching or am geared up to watch...
I mentioned that I was rewatching Seasons 1/2 of Better Call Saul and then finally getting around to watching 3 & 4 (will have to wait till 5 lands on Netflix). I was worried that since I had seen seasons 1/2 that I'd find it boring to rewatch. I mean, I've rewatched through series but it's usually comedies. I've probably seen every episode of Seinfeld over the years a dozen times and gone through The Office a couple of times. But I find it easy with sitcoms because even if I know what's going to happen, I'll still get a chuckle. Dramas, for me, often rest on the tension of the unknown/the outcome. Luckily, as it's been a few years since I'd seen season 2 of BCS, it felt fresh again. Even the parts I did remember still had a freshness. I was happy to finally get resolution for what happened at the end of S02 w/ Jimmy and Chuck during S03. Also, the ending of S04 I really enjoyed; in so much that I think Kim finally saw the bottomed-out baseness of Jimmy/Saul with his brother's letter thing.
I also mentioned HBO Max the other week. I ended up signing up for it and they give you access to HBO Now beforehand. I'm watching The Midnight Gospel at a trickle (episode here and there - really good show; very interesting concept; can get very heady so I think it works good at a trickle) on Netflix, but for the most part have turned my attention to HBO. Although I have put Dead To Me on my watch list. I've heard enough people say good things about it here that I think I'll give it a go.
I am currently watch Barry. I've wanted to watch it since I heard Bill Hader on an NPR interview. Fantastic show. The entire ensemble is great. Much respect to Bill Hader as a powerhouse creator. He is another example of how comedians can tap into emotions and put forth some fantastic dramatic performances (much like Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Bob Odenkirk - those are just a few off the top of my head). I already loved him (and Kristen Wiig) in Skeleton Twins, and Barry continues to show his creative range. A couple other notables: Henry Winkler is great; Paula Newsome (Janice) I really liked. But probably my favorite - Anthony Carrigan as NoHo Hank. I'd only ever seen him in Gotham (a good performance in an okay show), and I think he is great in Barry.
Other items on my HBO watch list that I've always wanted to watch or heard good things about on here:
Chernobyl
Deadwood
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones (really, I've watched all but the last season - but I think when I do watch it I'm just gonna rewatch the whole series now that I have unfettered access)
His Dark Materials
Sharp Objects
Silicon Valley
Succession
True Blood (I watched the first couple of seasons years ago, so I figure I'll give it a whirl)
True Detective (I watched the first season and loved it - I heard mixed things about S02 and better things about 3)
Veep (excited about this - can't go wrong with Julia Louis-Dreyfus)
Watchmen
Westworld
Six Feet Under