Other TV shows Worth Checking Out - Modern

[OneMoreChapter]

I really don't watch much new stuff so only going to check this out if it's good. I'm very picky and selective and don't watch - and haven't watched - any of the shows people have raved about for the last 10-15 years (basically "Lost" was the last big one I watched), not because I'm "above them", far from it. Can't explain it - just they never seem to appeal to me. So I've never seen "Breaking Bad", "Mad Men", "Billions", "Severance" (the recent one I see everyone raving about) - I'm sure they're all fantastic, cutting edge TV, just don't interest me for some reason. (Last new show I watched was "Yellowjackets" and I really liked it but must admit even then I gave up just a couple of episodes before the end - they're still on my too watch list, probably before the second season starts. I did watch "Dexter" too - original and New Blood - and got burned by its endings twice lol and most of "Yellowjackets" and the first season of the very mediocre "Big Sky" - but other than those, the last series I loved was "Lost" and before that "Twin Peaks". I've also seen the first 3 seasons of "Person of Interest" but ran out of steam with it too.)

I think I'm just not as big into TV shows anymore or willing to commit to them - and there's so much out there, it's overwhelming. I'd rather watch old stuff I like or movies in between writing time. Nevertheless, I'm starting this thread as I trust the taste of form Dugpa/now Tulpa members - and thought we needed a thread where we could recommend stuff to others. So interested in hearing all of your thoughts on other TV shows, even the ones I mentioned that don't seem to be for me. The focus here is probbaly on new or new-ish shows. I might start another thread to discuss Classic TV shows from the 90's, 80's and earlier.

 

[sneakydave]

I think since The Return in 2017 my expectations for new TV is unrealistic. Nothing gets close to the excitement that watching it brought me.

That being said, I still watch a lot of TV. Most of the time staring at my phone but some shows stick.

My favourites in recent years have probably been:

The OA - netflix
Brand New Cherry Flavour - netflix
Severance - apple TV
Servant - apple TV
Raised by Wolves - SKY TV
Sense 8 - netflix
Maniac - netflix

There's likely lots more but nothing that sticks like Peaks.

 

[Tulpa]

Sharp Objects scratches the TP itch rather well.

 

[sneakydave]

Yeah, Sharp Objects was good. Amy Adams was superb. And Chris Messina is always watchable.

Mare of Easttown was another recent show that was very, very good. A few references to Peaks in there too. The crying policeman at a crime scene being the one that jumped out the most. But, even outwith that, it was a very strong drama with a great performance from Kate Winslet

 

[Ickles]

My favorite contemporary-ish series:
-Perry Mason (HBO reboot)
-Only Murders in the Building
-Barry

Those are my top 3 of the last couple years but I've enjoyed others, to a somewhat lesser degree:
-Hacks
-Mare of Easttown
-The Other Two
-Our Flags Means Death
-The Afterparty

 

[MoondogJR]

Recently watched and loved Raised by Wolves, Brand New Cherry Flavour and Station Eleven.
Dexter New Blood was a complete swing and miss. Didn't like that one bit.

 

[OneMoreChapter]

Sharp Objects has been on my list for a long time. Didn't realise it was Peaksy - that might move it up. Finishing the last two episodes of Yellowjackets is also on the list, plus that new Prime show Outer Range which is also apparently Peaksy (created a separate thread for that one). Plus Severance (maybe) and the new Courtney Cox show (that also has Sheriyn Fenn), Shining Vale. All on the list.

 

[thunderclap]

Some I’ve really enjoyed in the last decade that have some Twin Peaks vibes: Severance, True Detective S1 and S3, DARK (German show), Black Spot (French show), Russian Dolls, and Yellowjackets.

 

[stone cold muad’dib]

channel zero is great. anthology series based on creepypastas. harley peyton worked on it. nick antosca (creator who also created brand new cherry) speaks about lynch’s influence on him a lot. season 3 lifts a lot of imagery from fwwm.

 

[Ickles]

Since a lot of folks are talking about Twin Peak-esque shows I might as well confess something...I typically don't like Peaksy/Lynchian shows or movies not actually made by Lynch himself. The world and mood of Twin Peaks is so unique to Lynch and Frost that anything that tries to emulate it, even lovingly as a homage, typically falls flat for me. Sometimes I can overlook the surface similarities if the core of the show/film is good anyway so it's just a lot of window dressing but generally when somebody describes a show as "Twin Peaks-like" to me it's not a selling point. It's sort of a singular thing for me.

 

[Tulpa]

I tend to agree. Ones that evoke the feeling without seeming like they're trying to work for me.

I felt Brand New Cherry Flavor was a bit of a try hard in that respect. Though I did still enjoy it.

My favourite Peaksy stuff echoes the show in subtext, while many just ape the text on a very superficial level.

Personally, I feel the Kingdom Hearts video game series is more successful as companion piece to Twin Peaks than so many of the clearly indebted Golden Generation "prestige" shows.

Sharp Objects (and Jean-Marc Vallée's works in general) succeeds in this regard. Any connections to Twin Peaks may be purely coincidental. But for me they're there.

 

[secretlettermkr]

TRUE DETECTIVE
(only season one, a True Masterpiece)

MR. ROBOT
(one of the best TvShows of the last decade, and IMO a Must for Lynch/Peaks fans)


SHARP OBJECTS
A deep and difficult journey. So great

ATLANTA
In show's creator Donals Glover own words "Twin Peaks for Rapers". -But is more, sooo much more than that. TV at its BEST
TOP OF THE LAKE (only season one)
Jane Champion's Masterpiece, with STRONG Peaks Vibes

MAD MEN
another Masterpiece

EUPHORIA
This show is so great, not ´perfect but trully great. Sam Levinson directing is wild and strong, and he obviously channels Lynch in some of the more dark/out there scenes.


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- Breaking Bad, was not that good, and recently I rewatched it with my girlfriend who had not seen it and it really aged BAD. Its not taht good, in fact, it was pretty forgetable. Better Call Saul is WAY better

 

[Olson]

Dark, Succession, Chernobyl and Russian Doll are some absolute gems from the last few years.

The Leftovers' second season might be my favourite season of any show, but season 1 is a lot more style over substance, so the journey to there is a bit rough. Likewise, The Fall started off promising, but ultimately fell flat on its face by the end.

On the lighter side of things, The Good Place is fantastic.

 

[sneakydave]

I totally forgot to list Mr Robot in mine.

Absolutely one of the best shows I've ever seen.

 

[secretlettermkr]

The Leftovers' second season might be my favourite season of any show, but season 1 is a lot more style over substance, so the journey to there is a bit rough. Likewise, The Fall started off promising, but ultimately fell flat on its face by the end.

I agree with the above!

 

[tudwell]

I don't watch a ton of TV (most of what I see is just whatever my wife's watching at the moment lol) but one recent show I quite enjoyed was 2019's The Act on Hulu. The two leads (Joey King and Patricia Arquette!) are simply phenomenal. There's such depth and life in these characters. Real felt suffering. Both contemptible in their own way, both incredibly sympathetic in their own way. It would be easy to turn such a strange and eccentric real-life crime drama into some slick, cynical vehicle (how many true-crime cash-ins have their been lately?), but no, there's real substance here.

 

[secretlettermkr]

i almost forgot the Wonderful BOARDWALK EMPIRE

 

[Vedic]

Just finished Severance and thought it excellent - some overlap with TP perhaps, but also The Prisoner, which is no bad thing.

 

[Mb3]

One of the best shows that I've seen lately ( I think it was last year) was The Underground Railraod. The only thing I finally need to do now, is to read the novel it was based on.

 

[writersblock]

Legion, Watchmen, Perpetual Grace Ltd, Homecoming, Brand New Cherry Flavor, Seveerance seem to have been directly influenced by the Return in my eyes... not necessarilly in an obvious way but they felt like they were written as one large piece and then cut into component parts after the fact (I know for a fact it's not the case because there were different writers and directors and Legion Season One came out before the Return - but they definitely generated the same feel in my eyes!

Homecoming end credits in season two were clearly a homage to The Return End Credits... and Mr Robot gets a special influence because there are scenes that are explicitly lifted (albeit in a different context) from the season two finale.