Hidden Gems of Netflix's Watch Instantly

Higgledy wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

Looks like Away isn't getting a second season. I haven't even gotten around to trying it out yet.

Oh. Good news.

It's worth a try. The first episode is representative of the rest in terms of quality and tone so you'll know by the end of it if it's for you.

I'm confused. Is it good news it's cancelled?

I was trying to get to the end of For All Mankind on Apple TV+ before getting to Away.

Then Disney+ has The Right Stuff going

MannishBoy wrote:
Higgledy wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

Looks like Away isn't getting a second season. I haven't even gotten around to trying it out yet.

Oh. Good news.

It's worth a try. The first episode is representative of the rest in terms of quality and tone so you'll know by the end of it if it's for you.

I'm confused. Is it good news it's cancelled?

I was trying to get to the end of For All Mankind on Apple TV+ before getting to Away.

Then Disney+ has The Right Stuff going :)

Must have been the power of wishful thinking. I was sure you said it was getting a second season. Damn.

I'm going to fire up a free trial for Apple TV and try to consume For All Mankind as quickly as possible.

So I guess we are officially done with the Netflix gives everything 2-3 seasons before cancelling. We are about half way through the series, not sure it's even worth finishing now as I'm assuming season 1 doesn't tie much up at the end.

For All Mankind...I am a fan. Thought it was the best of the bunch of Apple TV+ originals. Don't read anything about it if possible. You will know by the end of the first episode if it is for you.

Higgledy wrote:

I'm going to fire up a free trial for Apple TV and try to consume For All Mankind as quickly as possible.

It's pretty good. We're using my daughter's free year. My wife and I have Android phones.

Not a lot of content there. Only things I've watched are Greyhound and For All Mankind. My wife has watched a couple of other series I think.

pizzaddict wrote:

So I guess we are officially done with the Netflix gives everything 2-3 seasons before cancelling. We are about half way through the series, not sure it's even worth finishing now as I'm assuming season 1 doesn't tie much up at the end.

If you are talking about Away, I still think it's worth watching to the end. I'm bummed if it's not getting a second season though.

My favourite comedy group, Aunty Donna, have a show coming to Netflix on Nov 11. I'm really looking forward to it, if a little cautiously optimistic.

Haven't they done well!

An Aunty Donna / Comedy Bang Bang crossover (featuring PFT) might save 2020 for me.

Looks like Away isn't getting a second season. I haven't even gotten around to trying it out yet.

Nooooooooo!

I was just coming to this thread to say i binged Away while visiting my dad in LA. It is fantastic, intense and emotional. (and dare I say hopeful as it exemplifies how humanity should be with a common goal like surviving a pandemic)

It ends well if that is going to be the end of the show. But I could have easily watched:

Spoiler:

another season with them on Mars and then another half on Mars and half the journey home.

Cursed is a little trite in places, and has the acting of an amateur dramatics society in places, but all in all it's quite a lot of fun. Not nearly as bad as I was expecting.

My wife and I finished Ratched last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I watched The Trial of the Chicago 7 yesterday. I like Aaron Sorkin, despite his flaws, and thought this was a good-not-great example of what he does. The performances were generally quite good (though Sasha Baron Cohen's accent was not great), an engaging story told mostly through people arguing and speechifying. Some parts are a little cheesy and there are some liberties taken with the history that I have seen some people shrug at and some people outraged by, but honestly I knew basically nothing of this story so that didn't affect me. I think this is one of those things that going into it, you're probably going to know if you'll like it or not.

MannishBoy wrote:
Higgledy wrote:

I'm going to fire up a free trial for Apple TV and try to consume For All Mankind as quickly as possible.

It's pretty good. We're using my daughter's free year. My wife and I have Android phones.

Not a lot of content there. Only things I've watched are Greyhound and For All Mankind. My wife has watched a couple of other series I think.

Ted Lasso is great. I really hope they make a second season.

The first episode of The Queen’s Gambit was a fun watch. Vaguely disturbing as well. But I’m looking forward to seeing the rest.

beanman101283 wrote:

The first episode of The Queen’s Gambit was a fun watch. Vaguely disturbing as well. But I’m looking forward to seeing the rest.

Just finished it. Not a bad show. Actually gets better as it goes along. Wasn't sure if I was going to continue after watching the first couple of episodes.

Yeah I watched a couple more episodes today and I'm enjoying it. Anya Taylor-Joy is amazing as always, and the other actors are doing great so far.

You gots to netflix and chill
relax your mind let your conscious free
And get down to the sounds of EPMD

In case anyone was wondering, the new Rebecca on Netflix is disappointingly dull. They somehow managed to make a B tier version of an A tier movie (and novel). Not worth it IMO.

Kermode had an interesting take on the new Rebecca. Obviously it can't compare with Hitchcock, so it tries to be its own thing. Some critics don't like that but Kermode found it interesting and worth a recommendation.

I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but it's on my list as I haven't seen the 1940 film or read the novel.

Netflix kills things so fast that it seems foolish to invest in anything they make until it's finished.

BadKen wrote:

Kermode had an interesting take on the new Rebecca. Obviously it can't compare with Hitchcock, so it tries to be its own thing. Some critics don't like that but Kermode found it interesting and worth a recommendation.

I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but it's on my list as I haven't seen the 1940 film or read the novel.

Thanks for the link, interesting bit of background! I don't think it stands up in isolation either, but to each their own.

I will definitely watch Rebecca, I am a huge fan of Ben Wheatley, he has never made anything that I havent enjoyed and in Kill List and A Field in England two of my favourite films. The reviews are troublesome but I hope I still find something to enjoy in it.

Mrs Sorb watched Rebecca and quite enjoyed it. Probably helped she hasn’t seen the Hitchcock version though.

Malor wrote:

Netflix kills things so fast that it seems foolish to invest in anything they make until it's finished.

This is depressingly true. Can't believe they killed Mindhunter, which was completely awesome. Everyone I know who watched it loved it.

I worry Netflix is going to cater to the lowest common denominator and not make anything of any real value. I suppose that many people, myself included, feel like Netflix is something they'll never cancel, and that can make them take our business for granted.

Netflix may have been bulletproof at some point but that's not true anymore. Before I would have never cancelled Netflix. Now with HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Xbox Game Pass and Disney Plus it is harder to explain away Netflix. They are still releasing some things I am interested in but overall if they reduce the content I am interested in any further it will be a hard sell.

That's true. I was wondering earlier if I should try to cancel Netflix, if just for a month. We have Amazon Prime, and we're getting HBO Max free with our AT&T service, so we have plenty to watch.

Stealthpizza wrote:

Netflix may have been bulletproof at some point but that's not true anymore. Before I would have never cancelled Netflix. Now with HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Xbox Game Pass and Disney Plus it is harder to explain away Netflix. They are still releasing some things I am interested in but overall if they reduce the content I am interested in any further it will be a hard sell.

It doesn't seem they're reducing the content, just constantly churning it.

My biggest problem with it is not that they're doing it, but that they're not producing content that so deeply sets up additional seasons before the cancellations. If you're not sure you're going to make season 3, wrap up most of the big arcs while maybe leaving hints at what could come. Don't do the things they did with the Marvel shows.

We know that Netflix uses an algorithm and watch numbers to determine whether or not to continue a show, but it seems they also utilize how much the show costs. David Fincher said Mindhunter was expensive. I'm not sure if that means it was more than the cost of The Crown (per season), or if the cost per ROI/ROsubscribers is just not high enough to justify the season. I do wonder how the pitch process works with Netflix, if they prefer multi-seasons planned out or if they prefer to go one season at a time. I imagine they prefer the former but if the watch numbers aren't there then there's no sense greenlighting the rest.

I seem to remember I read somewhere the standard contract is a 2 seasons + 1 seasons option (for Netflix). Also their most important metric is what is the first thing that new or returning subscribers watch, which is why shows get canceled after three series normally. Because that is the renegotiation point, and new subscribers are not signing up to start watching in the middle of a series. Basically growth, not retention, is what they are still chasing.

fangblackbone wrote:
Looks like Away isn't getting a second season. I haven't even gotten around to trying it out yet.

Nooooooooo!

I was just coming to this thread to say i binged Away while visiting my dad in LA. It is fantastic, intense and emotional. (and dare I say hopeful as it exemplifies how humanity should be with a common goal like surviving a pandemic)

It ends well if that is going to be the end of the show. But I could have easily watched:

Spoiler:

another season with them on Mars and then another half on Mars and half the journey home.

Does it get better after the first two episodes? Because the first two were... not good. I can definitely see how people would get turned-off and stop watching, even that early in the season - and I'm sure Netflix is tracking those statistics.