Hidden Gems of Netflix's Watch Instantly

BadKen wrote:

This is why I actively avoid Netflix rom-coms (can this even be called that?)

That's the thing. I'm usually a sucker for rom coms, including bad ones.

In cheerier news, I'm digging into iZombie's season 3 and it's still great stuff. If you liked the premise and/or first two seasons, you'll enjoy the rest too.

And to bring things back down in related zombie news: No more Santa Clarita Diet.

(SCD is fun, but iZombie is the superior show, and the final season starts super soon, I think next week.)
(This "up then down" post thing reminds me of one of my favorite Parks and Rec scenes, a very popular show that was rumored to be leaving Netflix soon)

Bummer, but the interesting tidbit is the strong possibility that The Algorithm Demands 3 Seasons. Netflix has been on a downward trajectory in my opinion for a while, but they jumped off their original programming by branding themselves as a place for unique creative visions unburdened by the worries over ratings. That was never exactly true, but this suggests the age of pretending it was is done. Befriend the machine.

Was just coming to post that about Santa Clarita Diet. Really hope Timothy Olyphant gets more comedic roles.

Bonus_Eruptus wrote:

Was just coming to post that about Santa Clarita Diet. Really hope Timothy Olyphant gets more comedic roles.

Hellooooo, he's got Deadwood coming soon!

Finished and loved the first season of Bonding. It's really unique and interesting.

I don't agree with the Netflix is down thought, I think I watch more on Netflix now than ever before. Just finished Money Heist which I thought was good and am now watching Black Summer which I'm also enjoying.

SpacePPoliceman wrote:

(This "up then down" post thing reminds me of one of my favorite Parks and Rec scenes, a very popular show that was rumored to be leaving Netflix soon).

To my great chagrin, P&R is not on Netflix France.

It's on Amazon prime in the UK. Maybe the same en France?

SpacePPoliceman wrote:

And to bring things back down in related zombie news: No more Santa Clarita Diet.

Very sad news. I loved that show.

I just hope the 3 season thing isn't set in stone. Some things like travelers had a solid end with it's 3rd. But Stranger Things 3rd is out in a couple months and I hope we get more.

I read somewhere that the way Netflix structures its deals causes its costs to go way up after 3 seasons, so only really high profile shows get a season 4 and beyond. Pretty sure Stranger Things falls into that category.

I used to trust Netflix for supporting shows. Now, I feel like they cancel shows faster than the traditional networks.

Doesn't leave a good feeling for me never quitting Netflix down the road.

I haven't gotten to the end of Santa Clarita Diet yet, but in general, I'm not necessarily against letting shows end after a few seasons. How many times has there been a show you start out loving, but after four or five seasons, it takes a turn for the worse because they're out of ideas, everyone's tired of making it and is kinda phoning it in, or the people responsible for it leave and the ones left just don't have the same spark? Killing a show that's in its prime is always sad if you're a fan of it, but just think of it as an opportunity for the creatives involved to go do something new that they're excited about.

The exception is when a show gets canned unexpectedly, and the writers have to leave a bunch of storylines completely unresolved. That's the absolute worst. Planned endings are best, but as long as they wrap up the major beats, it's not the worst thing.

Unfortunately, SCD s3 ends on a massive change to the status quo (though, admittedly, one I was a bit lukewarm on), so this is the latter.

DudleySmith wrote:

It's on Amazon prime in the UK. Maybe the same en France?

I thought it was but I was on my Amazon US page. It is unavailable in France, to my great chagrin.

Anyone else check out Street Food? I've binged most of the first volume so far, and its great to see all these people get their stories told. Each episode is a different country and the stories from that place about the local history and the street food vendors. Definitely would recommend, but not when you're hungry.

Why did you guys never tell me that The Magicians is so awesome?! I binged the first season this weekend and am totally hooked!

DeThroned wrote:

Why did you guys never tell me that The Magicians is so awesome?! I binged the first season this weekend and am totally hooked!

Just you wait, it gets awesomer! Yes, awesomer is a word.

Dominic Knight wrote:

Anyone else check out Street Food? I've binged most of the first volume so far, and its great to see all these people get their stories told. Each episode is a different country and the stories from that place about the local history and the street food vendors. Definitely would recommend, but not when you're hungry.

Yep! Enjoyed the first couple episodes!

pizzaddict wrote:

I don't agree with the Netflix is down thought, I think I watch more on Netflix now than ever before. Just finished Money Heist which I thought was good and am now watching Black Summer which I'm also enjoying.

I really liked Money Heist, though I wish they'd stuck with some variant on the original title "The House of Paper". (Spanish: La casa de papel).

Bella ciao!

Yeah, the name was awful and I didn't understand why they didn't stick with the original name.

DeThroned wrote:

Why did you guys never tell me that The Magicians is so awesome?! I binged the first season this weekend and am totally hooked!

We did try.

SpacePPoliceman wrote:

And to bring things back down in related zombie news: No more Santa Clarita Diet.

(SCD is fun, but iZombie is the superior show, and the final season starts super soon, I think next week.)
(This "up then down" post thing reminds me of one of my favorite Parks and Rec scenes, a very popular show that was rumored to be leaving Netflix soon)

Bummer, but the interesting tidbit is the strong possibility that The Algorithm Demands 3 Seasons. Netflix has been on a downward trajectory in my opinion for a while, but they jumped off their original programming by branding themselves as a place for unique creative visions unburdened by the worries over ratings. That was never exactly true, but this suggests the age of pretending it was is done. Befriend the machine.

I wish they'd stop cancelling things without giving them an ending. It's not that hard to plan ahead. Besides shows must be more valuable when they have a good wrap-up. I don't know about you but I've avoided some shows that had bad (or no) endings.

It really feels like they are cancelling things to see if there is enough outrage to justify a new season.

My wife and I just finished off Santa Clarita last night, and now we're both sad about it. I think I'm going to have her try What We Do In The Shadows as something with a sorta similar vibe.

Yeah very unlikely I start SCD now knowing it has no end

Stele wrote:

Yeah very unlikely I start SCD now knowing it has no end

It ends on a cliffhanger, but at the same time it wrapped up enough threads to feel like an okay place to end. I'd say it's still well worth watching, particularly if you're either a big fan of Timothy Olyphant (and if you aren't, who hurt you?) or you like the idea of a silly, lighthearted comedic take on zombie fiction.

I was going to pass on “Money Heist” because of the title alone.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I was going to pass on “Money Heist” because of the title alone.

It sounds like it was named by a sh*tty algorithm that just generates random "$target $crime" strings.
Cash Theft! Wallet Mugging! Valuables Burglary! Life Murder!

If Parks and Rec gets removed, I'll riot. I've rewatched that show so many times. Granted, it's also available on Hulu, but Netflix is just so much easier. And P&R is infinitely better than Friends.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

I was going to pass on “Money Heist” because of the title alone.

Don't pass on it, it's pretty good.

Stele wrote:

Yeah very unlikely I start SCD now knowing it has no end

As others have said, it's still worth watching. I wouldn't really call the ending a cliffhanger. It essentially finishes the storylines from the first 3 seasons, but set up a possible new story line for the 4th.