It’s summer and the few decent network series (Scandal, Designated Survivor, Blacklist) have ended their seasons, and the summer movie blockbusters, interesting only to pre- and post-adolescent boys, have flooded the cineplexes. But your video craving in those few hours between sunset and bedtime doesn’t go on hiatus. With the advent of streaming services, you now have more shows than you can possibly watch so here are some suggestions to navigate all those choices. These selections are for original series only, but you can watch pretty much whatever you want on these services.
Rake, Netflix, three seasons
This is the old-fashioned definition of “rake” – a bounder, a cad, dissolute and debauched. Which sums up Australian barrister Cleaver Green. He has lots of issues - drink, drugs, gambling and women - but he is still a damn good lawyer. And he has to be, because the oddball clients who retain him can’t get any self-respecting firms to come near them: like the cannibal or the man accused of relations with a family pet. There is definitely an “eww” factor in some of his cases, but, dissolute as Cleaver is, he is also glib enough to get even the seediest of defendants acquitted.
Richard Roxburgh is so perfect for this role that you forget he’s an actor with a script. Supporting him are unknown (at least in the US) but talented actors in quirky, diverting roles: his ex-girl-friend, also an ex-hooker, now trying to get her law degree and go straight as the girl-friend of the state prosecutor; his befuddled law partner, furious because Green sleeps with his wife; his son who has a fixation with older women like his teacher and the MILF across the street; his ex-wife, a psychiatrist with the most dysfunctional of families. Even without all these outrageous situations, there is something inherently funny (at least to the American ear) in the singsong, g’day, mate Australian accent that makes even the mundane seem humorous.
Grade: A
Bosch, Amazon Prime*, three seasons
If you like LA detective noir, this is perfect for you. Harry (short for Hieronymus!) Bosch is a cop with a bad attitude, naturally. He’s divorced, difficult, disdains authority, but maintains a strict, internal code of honor. A modern-day Philip Marlowe. Based on a mix of Michael Connelly novels, this series is riveting.
From the start Bosch is in trouble. He shoots a suspect in an alley and it may or not be a “good” shoot. Harry is always on the edge of being cashiered out of the force. When cornered, he retreats, angry and depressed to his precarious hillside home, purchased with the money he received for being a consultant on a successful TV cop show.
Titus Welliver as Bosch carries the show and has another strong supporting cast. Very binge-worthy!
Grade: B+
Man in the High Castle, Amazon Prime
Even darker and dystopian is Man in the High Castle. Based on Philip K. Dick’s novel of the same name, the happy premise is that the Nazis and the Japanese won World War II and have carved up the U.S. into spheres of influence on each coast with a large area in the middle of the country still up for grabs.
Leading the largely unknown cast is the memorable Alexa Davalos as the heroine, Juliana Crane. Crane becomes part of the Resistance after her sister is killed by the Nazis. Her accomplice is Frances Frink (Rupert Evans) who is drawn into the underground movement because he is Jewish. Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank), a double agent who falls for Juliana, may or may not be their nemesis. Blake is the most complicated of the characters, and you sympathize with his internal struggles, even as he is drawn into the Nazi hierarchy in Berlin.
With its unrelentingly dark lighting and complicated but intriguing premise, Man in the High Castle requires commitment, but you are rewarded with original plotting and excellent, restrained acting. Too draining to binge, dole this one out in digestible bites.
Grade: B
Mozart in the Jungle, Amazon Prime, three seasons
On a happier note, Mozart in the Jungle, follows the ups and downs of members of a New York symphony orchestra as they deal with the arrival of Rodrigo (Gael Garcia Bernal), the super-star conductor, who replaces the reluctantly retired Thomas, played by Malcolm McDowell with his usual sly relish.
There really is no star, but a mix of indelible characters played by accomplished actors: Rodgrigo’s naïve, but ambitious assistant (Lola Kirke); the world-weary cellist (Saffron Burrows); the flighty board chairman (a role made for Bernadette Peters); the journeyman violinist and union head (Mark Blum).
The episodes are all 30 minutes and can be gobbled up in twos and threes, but may be a little rich for more in one sitting. Without a cohesive storyline, Mozart is successfully character driven.
Grade: B+
Narcos, Netflix, two seasons
This show manages to make Pablo Escobar, the legendary Columbian cocaine drug lord, a sympathetic, even tragic hero. Wagner Moura plays Escobar as multi-dimensional. He is a charismatic man who loves his wife and children and takes great delight in sharing his wealth with the people of the slums where he was born and raised. But he is, of course, a ruthless, murderous, adulterous thug who is smart enough not to snort his own product, but is rarely seen without a joint in his hand.
Equally ambiguous are the two DEA agents who will do anything, even bribe and murder, to take down Escobar. Pedro Pascal and Boyd Holbrook give gritty, realistic performances as they struggle with their shifting moral imperatives.
Shifting sympathies keeps you watching. At times you root for Escobar as the up-from-the-streets Robin Hood, but it’s impossible to ignore his depravity. You know the cops are the good guys, but you can’t ignore their corruption. Narcos succeeds by avoiding stereotypes as you watch Escobar navigate his dangerous world, knowing that eventually he will be brought down by his own greed.
Grade: B+
Z: The Beginning of Everything, Amazon Prime, one season
I never thought I’d say this, but I’ve finally had it with Zelda and Scott. Their sad story has been so over-exposed that it feels like an endless reality show.
In our lifetime we saw the revival of interest in Fitzgerald’s writing in the sixties, the Redford-Farrow Gatsby in 1974, and the publication of Matthew Bruccoli’s 1981 biography Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald. We were stirred by their tragic romance, his dissipation and her madness. But enough! Let’s leave them alone for, say, 30 years and maybe another generation will find their story fresh and important.
Christina Ricci is an unlikely Zelda. Her acting is forced and her southern accent phony. David Hoflin is more convincing as a drunk than he is as a brilliant novelist. I’m amazed this got picked up for a second season.
Grade: C-
Orphan Black, Amazon Prime, four seasons
I originally reviewed this show in 2013, but, since people tell me they haven’t heard of it, I’m touting it again. Orphan Black is simply the best, most underrated TV series around.
The premise is anything but simple. The Leda project, devised by a futurist organization, created 20+ female clones. Some have died but the others slowly band together to foil a splinter group that wants to eliminate them. Don’t be put off by the sci-fi aspect. This is a taut thriller, leavened with just the right splash of humor.
Tatiana Maslany, in what can rightly be called a tour de force, plays all the clones. Remarkably she gives each one a distinct look, accent and personality. Three of the most memorable are the street-hustler, Sarah; the wacky suburban housewife, Allison; and the Russian assassin, Helena. Maslany finally won an Emmy last year after previously being nominated for the show's first three seasons.
The fifth and last season is currently on BBC America, but go back and start from the beginning or you’ll be completely lost. You won’t find better writing, better characters, better acting anywhere.
Grade A
*Amazon Prime and Apple TV
One of the major inadequacies of Apple TV has been the absence of the Amazon Prime channel. Supposedly the two tech giants have come to an agreement to allow the Amazon app onto an upcoming release of Apple TV, but a date hasn't been announced.
In the meantime, it’s pretty simple to get Amazon Prime to magically appear on Apple TV even without the app, as long as you have an iPhone. Follow these simple steps that even the tech-challenged, like me, can handle.
- Turn on Apple TV
- Sweep up the control panel on your iPhone
- Turn on Bluetooth
- Click on AirPlay mirroring
Whatever you see on your iPhone screen should now be on your TV. Then all you have to do is open the Amazon Prime app and find the show you want. If it doesn’t work, ask your favorite Millennial for help!
