Shows on TV & OTT 2023

In Indian landscape, there is so much good work happening in multiple OTT channels, but each has such limited audience. 

OTT has its Pros & Cons. More opportunities for family & friends to see varied movies & shows  together. Often they are ad free. I consider Binge watching as a con. I prefer shows be lined across days or weeks to savor them.

Farzi (Prime)

Made by my favorite directors, so had to watch. Interesting one time watch. Paintings, Amol Palekar, Kay Kay Menon, Vijay Setupathi.

Rocket Boys

In captivating & keeping attention, historic figures, it’s at par with the Crown. 

Intro theme song is a gem, I have never skipped the intro, just for it. Another such gem is Scam intro song. Both are by same guy Achint Thakur. 

Covers a range of historic figure beginning with Scientists  - CV Raman, Homi Bhabha & Sarabhai prominently and in 2nd season sliding towards APJ Kalam and Raja Ramana. 2nd season show brings in more political figures. Basically covers 1940s to 1970s people, theories, treaties, events & everything from our Science & History books of all years of 90s Maharashtra schools.

Jubilee - 

Loved it and here the long post.

Poker face - on Paramont Plus

Brilliant. Waiting for next season. 1st episode is enough to hook. Filled up the gap left by Knives Out and Last Onion.

First interest was coz its of Rian Johnson who created Knives Out & Glass Onion. And then the first episode totally trapped us for forever. Similar format combined with stars Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale the main character. Thereafter every episode builds on it and gets better & better. Add to it, every episode has star actors in cameo appearance for that episode mystery. Nothing here to not like.

Nick Nolte episode was good.
Raoul: What ? Its a women intuition thing?"
Charlie: Its not a tampon commercial, ok?

The episodes were released weekly. I am anti-binging in general and this show did deserve a weekly watch to savour it all week long. And what Rian Johnson says, explain it perfectly.

"Poker Face" Starring Natasha Lyonne Is Pure Entertainment Gold In The Form Of A Murder Mystery Series

"The streaming serialised narrative has just become the gravity of a thousand suns to the point where everyone's collective memory has been erased," Rian Johnson said. "That was not the mode of storytelling that kept people watching television for the vast history of TV."

BEEF on Netflix

BEEF was a very satisfying watch. Only N original series exciting after Inventing Anna.

Biggest hook was the road rage beef & the escalation. It reminded of Ayyappanum Koshiyum, and I enjoyed that movie a lot.

It started there, then ventured into personal lives dramas, showcasing a variety of Asian lifestyles, and escalations took a backseat for a while. Escalations came back and not in a Hollywoodish way. A lot of things in this were real life like, some aspirational. Muli-cultural mix, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, European all Americans, with complex layers and multiple characters 1 to 1 interactions.

As each of their characters slowly unravel, the resentments, generational trauma, and rage that they’ve pushed down inside comes bursting out. 

10 episodes felt like too much. Should have been 6 or 8. Like Ep 7 was just to provide childhood parallels. Esp 9 was gory voilent climax and last episode 10 was the sublime trippy much needed ending.

For all the sculpture art of George, turns out Issac, the rougefian cousin, is an artist in real life.

 

Marvelous Mrs Maisel

S4 - I am on S4:E6 & there hasn’t been any end of episode Stage Performance yet by Mrs Maisel. I miss that. Last seasons had such powerful ones. Everything else is great. The characters & story arc the way it’s progressing is just right. Mariam’s eyebrows are always angry with a great reason.

S5 - Finally a performance. I have been waiting 2 seasons for it. 

Marvelous Finale - every single section of it. Not one single bomb. Even the end montage was sweet. 

FUBAR  on Netflix - 

Why this show ? Arnold Schwarzenegger first. Then the Fun spy action & psyco-babble. All ensemble actors & their roles was good. Even the office guys. Basically its format is one to one relationship. There are non-romantic pairs and their inter-personal conflicts and discussion coming out of them. 

Quantum Leap (S1)

Good Wife

This show is a great one to expose or coach anyone on office politics; even if they go get resolved cinematically. Actually a lot of cases dont resolve, or the good guys dont always win.

But there are some very good standout points.
The giggling's - first Diane, then Will, then a relaxed Alicia. 
Will & Diane's working rapport. Grief handling in S5. The multitaking episode S2:E3
By S7, I had learnt the different formats of court - regular court, grand jury, depositions, arbitration, bar court.

DAHAAD (Prime)

Very detailed police procedural. Nicely made. No boring episode. Side characters & their side track was also good. Even in high profile horrid situation, everyone is level headed & keep emotions regulated. 

This role was perfect fit for Sonakshi given her the angry young women outlook. Gulshan Devaiah was good. And Vijay Verma was epic.

Hunters S2 - (Prime)

Just to close the brilliant yet sick S1. Some episode were sickening.