What To Watch As A COVID-19 Escape

Capt MJ

Formerly Known As Attila The Hunnette
15-Year Member
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Sep 27, 2008
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Last night, saturated by COVID-19 news and discussion, I cruised around and found “Top Gear,” which I had always meant to watch. The British humor laced through the ongoing discussion (rather like Monty Python meets Car Guys) had me laughing out loud - the innovative stuff they tried (the British public lamented the apparent lack of snowplows and “grit spreaders,” so they adapted a large harvesting machine with a snow plow, which inadvertently scooped a buried car, grit thrower [broke windows] and ?!?! a flame-thrower), and interesting ways of testing car models. Most diverting. Three episodes back-to-back were restorative.

We have the theater-release movie thread very well covered. Any series, specials, others you want to suggest? Ancient gems? Obscure PBS series? Nature specials? History shows (I’ve been a fan of “Vikings”). I wish they would run that one on the Blue Angels that took us through an entire season, showing the team visualizing and acting commands and stick actions around the table. Anyone recall what network that was?

Binge-watching confessions kindly treated here.
 
"Outbreak" is currently streaming on Netflix. Too soon???

I've been watching Hogan's Heroes, The A-Team, MacGyver, and Leverage. Sometimes I just want to be entertained. Otherwise, I have been watching the old Victory at Sea series.
 
DH and I are enjoying the heck out of "For All Mankind," an alt-historical series about the moon landings and Apollo program. It's produced by Ronald Moore, of ST:TNG, "Battlestar Galactica," and "Outlander" fame. It's on AppleTV+. You can get a free week, then it's $5 a month.
 
The ultra realistic documentary "Annapolis" was on earlier 😂😅😅

That could be an entire sub-category over in the Movie thread: Bad Movies About SAs/Military. Add “Texas Cadet Murder” to that list.

Thinking of things military, I wish “The Winds of War” mini-series would be shown again.

With live shows with audiences drying up, I think that provides opportunity for networks to break some good stuff out of the vaults.
 
Last night, saturated by COVID-19 news and discussion, I cruised around and found “Top Gear,” which I had always meant to watch. The British humor laced through the ongoing discussion (rather like Monty Python meets Car Guys) had me laughing out loud - the innovative stuff they tried (the British public lamented the apparent lack of snowplows and “grit spreaders,” so they adapted a large harvesting machine with a snow plow, which inadvertently scooped a buried car, grit thrower [broke windows] and ?!?! a flame-thrower), and interesting ways of testing car models. Most diverting. Three episodes back-to-back were restorative.

We have the theater-release movie thread very well covered. Any series, specials, others you want to suggest? Ancient gems? Obscure PBS series? Nature specials? History shows (I’ve been a fan of “Vikings”). I wish they would run that one on the Blue Angels that took us through an entire season, showing the team visualizing and acting commands and stick actions around the table. Anyone recall what network that was?

Binge-watching confessions kindly treated here.
No judgement here. Our whole family enjoyed the entire season.

We have switched to Animal Planet. And Impractical Jokers. Both great escapes....
 
Last night, saturated by COVID-19 news and discussion, I cruised around and found “Top Gear,” which I had always meant to watch. The British humor laced through the ongoing discussion (rather like Monty Python meets Car Guys) had me laughing out loud - the innovative stuff they tried (the British public lamented the apparent lack of snowplows and “grit spreaders,” so they adapted a large harvesting machine with a snow plow, which inadvertently scooped a buried car, grit thrower [broke windows] and ?!?! a flame-thrower), and interesting ways of testing car models. Most diverting. Three episodes back-to-back were restorative.

We have the theater-release movie thread very well covered. Any series, specials, others you want to suggest? Ancient gems? Obscure PBS series? Nature specials? History shows (I’ve been a fan of “Vikings”). I wish they would run that one on the Blue Angels that took us through an entire season, showing the team visualizing and acting commands and stick actions around the table. Anyone recall what network that was?

Binge-watching confessions kindly treated here.
I had forgotten. Thanks for the memory jolt. I am now going back to re-watch "Fawlty Towers." The one and only!
 
Thanks for that jolt, @CaptMJ. We added "Homeland" to our queue sometime last year and forgot about it. We also watched 2 eps of "The Wire" and 2 eps of "Lonesome Dove" on Starz.
 
No idea if you could find it outside of the public library but one of my all time favorites is the British older person rom-com television series with Judi Dench called "As Times Go By." The dashing young lieutenant and the young nurse are in love but get separated/lose track of each other due to WWII. They meet by chance in their 60's and fall in love again. Of course, Judi Dench is a treasure but I also love the male lead. Was on PBS during I think the 90's.
 
Last night, saturated by COVID-19 news and discussion, I cruised around and found “Top Gear,” which I had always meant to watch. The British humor laced through the ongoing discussion (rather like Monty Python meets Car Guys) had me laughing out loud - the innovative stuff they tried (the British public lamented the apparent lack of snowplows and “grit spreaders,” so they adapted a large harvesting machine with a snow plow, which inadvertently scooped a buried car, grit thrower [broke windows] and ?!?! a flame-thrower), and interesting ways of testing car models. Most diverting. Three episodes back-to-back were restorative.

We have the theater-release movie thread very well covered. Any series, specials, others you want to suggest? Ancient gems? Obscure PBS series? Nature specials? History shows (I’ve been a fan of “Vikings”). I wish they would run that one on the Blue Angels that took us through an entire season, showing the team visualizing and acting commands and stick actions around the table. Anyone recall what network that was?

Binge-watching confessions kindly treated here.


HIGHLY recommend Sherlock (BBC) with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman on Netflix. Four "seasons" (Brits apparently call them Series), but each consists of only 3 episodes that run approx 90 mins each. By the time you get to Series 3, you are fully invested in the characters and in my opinion Series 3 is stellar and puts this show in company with some of the best television ever made.
 
Every episode, every season of “Horatio Hornblower,” the one with Ioan Gruffydd.

Ditto “Sharpe’s Rifles,” with Sean Bean.

Park me on that sofa and let me binge, and practice a healthful period of “mental distancing.”
 
Victory at Sea....now that's an oldie & a goodie!


Here’s a sip. Lotsa water in these. I may have to watch some - it will be interesting, demographically and culturally, to now view them from a 21st c lens. The Navy looks, speaks and acts very differently, in terms of people and gear.

 
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HIGHLY recommend Sherlock (BBC) with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman on Netflix. Four "seasons" (Brits apparently call them Series), but each consists of only 3 episodes that run approx 90 mins each. By the time you get to Series 3, you are fully invested in the characters and in my opinion Series 3 is stellar and puts this show in company with some of the best television ever made.
I’ve caught a few episodes, because I like Benedict C, but I really need to start at the beginning and commit. On my list now.
 
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