Show recommendations?

[danzibr]

My wife and I just finished Silo (season 1), looking for a new show. Recently we’ve seen 3%, Squid Game, Alice in Borderland, Erased (live action), Game of Thrones, Altered Carbon… looking for something similar-ish.

Did some googling, a lot of what popped up we already saw, or didn’t quite fit the bill. My wife more like twists and mystery.

Not particularly fond is space faring and aliens and whatnot. I mean, it’s fine, but not really up my wife’s alley. And English audio is a must (my wife crochets and can’t always watch the screen for subtitles).

Oh, bonus points if the show is complete. Too many shows are ongoing/never got completed.

Thanks!

[Peelee]

My wife and I just finished Silo (season 1), looking for a new show. Recently we’ve seen 3%, Squid Game, Alice in Borderland, Erased (live action), Game of Thrones, Altered Carbon… looking for something similar-ish.

Did some googling, a lot of what popped up we already saw, or didn’t quite fit the bill. My wife more like twists and mystery.

Not particularly fond is space faring and aliens and whatnot. I mean, it’s fine, but not really up my wife’s alley. And English audio is a must (my wife crochets and can’t always watch the screen for subtitles).

Oh, bonus points if the show is complete. Too many shows are ongoing/never got completed.

Thanks!
Seen Ted Lasso yet?

As for twists as mystery... Over the Garden Wall sounds like it might be right up your wife's alley.

[Palanan]

I don’t recognize most of the shows you mentioned, but based on what you’ve said I have two suggestions:

First, Orphan Black. Complete series, and one of my absolute favorites. Watch the first two episodes and see if you aren’t hooked. The show has its share of twists and layers, and it's equal parts an action-mystery-thriller about medical ethics and a story of rather oddball sisterhood. Also, Tatiana Maslany is amazing.

If you like Game of Thrones, I would recommend The Last Kingdom, also a complete series, based on some excellent historical novels involving the turbulent time of Alfred the Great and his successors as they fought the invading Danes. Intelligent, rife with dark humor and in the later seasons it becomes a generational epic. If seaxes and shield-walls are your jam, you’ll love it. Destiny is all!

[runeghost]

I'll second the recommendation of Orphan Black.

I'll also recommend Person of Interest, which was one hell of a ride.

Here's the Wikipedia summary of the show's premise:

John Reese, a former Special Forces soldier and CIA operative, is burnt out and presumed dead, living as a vagrant in New York City. He is approached by Harold Finch, a reclusive billionaire software genius who built a computer system for the U.S. government after September 11, 2001 called the Machine, which monitors all electronic communications and surveillance video feeds, in order to predict future terrorist activities. Finch and Reese attempt to understand the threat to, or by, people the Machine identifies as being "of interest" by providing only their social security numbers, and try to stop the crime from occurring. They are helped by New York Police Department Detective Lionel Fusco, a formerly corrupt officer whom Reese coerces into helping them, and Detective Joss Carter, an ex–United States Army warrant officer and former senior military interrogator in the 4th Infantry Division who initially investigates Reese for his vigilante activities.

It starts out as a good, solid, but fairly standard guest star of the week / procedural, with two solid leads and the Machine as the gimmick. And after the first season, it slowly ramps up into a cyberpunk thriller worthy of William Gibson and never stops, with a pretty damn solid ending in it's fifth and final half-season.

[Batcathat]

If space faring isn't a total no, I would really recommend the Expanse. Very good show and one of the reasons I took a liking to Silo is that it reminded me of the Expanse.


I'll also recommend Person of Interest, which was one hell of a ride.

Here's the Wikipedia summary of the show's premise:


It starts out as a good, solid, but fairly standard guest star of the week / procedural, with two solid leads and the Machine as the gimmick. And after the first season, it slowly ramps up into a cyberpunk thriller worthy of William Gibson and never stops, with a pretty damn solid ending in it's fifth and final half-season.

Seconding this so much, Person of Interest is one of my all time favorite shows and I've always wondered why it didn't get more attention (it got five seasons so it's not like it was exactly unpopular, but I feel like it's rarely talked about). Probably one of few shows where I wasn't at least a little disappointed by the final episode.

[Ionathus]

Have you seen Severance yet? It's not finished, but I'd recommend it just on the strength of the first season. Extremely well done and really hits the trippy "what the hell is going on" vibe beautifully. Plus some stellar character work and a great dose of humor.

[Morgaln]

If your wive likes twists and mystery, Dark might be an option.

[Bohandas]

I'v thinking maybe Fringe, Twin Peaks, Ghost in the Shell, and maybe anthology shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits

And for lighter fare, The Heart, She Holler, which is basically Twin Peaks with the strangeness turned up to eleven for humorous effect

[danzibr]

Thanks for the input everyone!

We went with The Witcher season 2 (kinda forgot about it, didn’t get around to it).

After that… probably Person of Interest or Dark.

[Wintermoot]

Thanks for the input everyone!

We went with The Witcher season 2 (kinda forgot about it, didn’t get around to it).

After that… probably Person of Interest or Dark.

Dark is in german with subtitles. I'm pretty sure you said you didn't want subtitles.

[Morgaln]

Dark is in german with subtitles. I'm pretty sure you said you didn't want subtitles.

There is an English dub for Dark, you don't have to watch the original German with subtitles.

[danzibr]

Dark is in german with subtitles. I'm pretty sure you said you didn't want subtitles.
Oh cool German. Definitely interested.

There is an English dub for Dark, you don't have to watch the original German with subtitles.
Nice! Yup dub a-okay.

[Trafalgar]

If space faring isn't a total no, I would really recommend the Expanse. Very good show and one of the reasons I took a liking to Silo is that it reminded me of the Expanse.


Seconded. The Expanse is one of my favorite series from the last 10 years.

[CallMeBagel]

The Afterparty It's a fun whodunit with each episode the same event is being told from a different characters prospective.

Continuum A time travel series, it does a good job at asking if time can be changed or are things already set. You also get to see the hero, whether intentional or not, is building a dystopian corporate run world.

Only Murderers in the Building Martian Short, Steve Martian, and Selena Gomez, host a podcast about a murder that happened in their building. Funny but also dark.

Newsroom Jeff Daniels plays a newscaster kind of trying to start over.

Battlestar Galactica If space fairing is totally out. I recommend BSG. It's only of my favorite series. The series is as much political intrigue/human survival as it is (If not more) about the space travel.

[Primeone]

It's a bit old, but how about Rome?

Even better, and even older, is I, Claudius.

[Rodin]

If you enjoyed Game of Thrones, I really recommend House of the Dragon. It's GoT but done in the style of long-form historical drama like The Tudors. The writing is a big jump up from the later seasons of GoT and it's on the whole a lot more restrained than its predecessor.

How did you find Silo? I adore the original novels the series is based on but don't have Apple TV to watch it on. I'd be super interested to know if it's worth seeking out.

[CallMeBagel]

How did you find Silo? I adore the original novels the series is based on but don't have Apple TV to watch it on. I'd be super interested to know if it's worth seeking out.

I really enjoyed Silo. I read Wool (I recently found out that's not all the series) years ago and forgot a lot of the details, just the overall story. I like the show a lot, and will probably go back and re-read the series. From the vague memory, the show has more of a grim tone then the book. The book to me was somewhat upbeat given the dystopian nature.

[Batcathat]

I really liked Silo too (as I mentioned earlier, it reminded a lot of the Expanse, which is one of my all time favorites. I can't really put my finger on why it reminded me. Maybe just the tone and general feel of it?). I haven't read the books, but from what I've read about them (I wasn't aware of them before watching the show and now I don't want to risk spoiling myself) there seems to be quite a few changes, though I'm not really sure whether it's just surface level stuff or more important parts.

[Rodin]

I really liked Silo too (as I mentioned earlier, it reminded a lot of the Expanse, which is one of my all time favorites. I can't really put my finger on why it reminded me. Maybe just the tone and general feel of it?). I haven't read the books, but from what I've read about them (I wasn't aware of them before watching the show and now I don't want to risk spoiling myself) there seems to be quite a few changes, though I'm not really sure whether it's just surface level stuff or more important parts.

I'm generally okay with changes as long as the result is good, and it sounds like that's the case here. I was going to say the original novel is tightly written and was rather shocked when I found out it's 576 pages! Turns out that what I thought was the first novel is actually the first half of the first novel, and that's what the first season covers going by the title of the final episode. That's a good sign, as 10 episodes is about right for that part of the story if you throw in some adaptation expansion and take your time to tell the story well.

Time to go badger a family member with an Apple TV subscription into watching with me, I guess!

[CallMeBagel]

I'm generally okay with changes as long as the result is good, and it sounds like that's the case here. I was going to say the original novel is tightly written and was rather shocked when I found out it's 576 pages! Turns out that what I thought was the first novel is actually the first half of the first novel, and that's what the first season covers going by the title of the final episode. That's a good sign, as 10 episodes is about right for that part of the story if you throw in some adaptation expansion and take your time to tell the story well.

Time to go badger a family member with an Apple TV subscription into watching with me, I guess!

I read the Wool Omnibus, which I assumed was the whole series. Boy was I wrong. I looked into it after seeing the series. I'm not sure if I'm going read it again soon, or wait till the TV series is done.

[Wintermoot]

So the series the tv show is based on is in several parts. The author originally did a novella called "Wool" and then bound it up with four other stories into a Novel called "Wool" which is part of the problem. Then he did a second group of three short story/novellas called "Shift" divided into first, second and third shifts. Hilariously, they THEN bound those eight stories up into a collection called "The Wool Omnibus" which makes it even MORE complicated and unclear.Then, finally, there's a final novel called "Dust" that completes the story.

So he really wrote 8 short story/novellas and 1 final novel. But because of how its usually bound and distributed, it's easiest, i think, to think of it as a trilogy. Wool is a five "act" novel, Shift is a three "act" novel and Dust is a one act novel.

The tv series covers most of the first three "acts" of Wool.

There are -some differences, but not all that many. The story follows the core narrative pretty closely, as I remember it, but its been a few years since I read it. They've shifted some characters around and created a couple to help move the narrative or give people sounding boards and, in a visual medium, you need to explain things through talking and not thinking.

The Judicial guy played by Common, isn't a thing in the novel. They split one character into two, I guess to have a clearer bad guy. So Common and the starry-eyed IT guy, Lukas, who watches the stars and starts a quasi-romance with Juliet are the same guy in the novel.

My real interest is going to see where they take it, if they get picked up and get to move on with the series. It's pretty obvious and clear what the second season will be, but once they get out of Wool and into Shift, it turns into a completely different thing that is less friendly to turn into a tv series. (IMO)

Everything below this is a spoiler, so don't read if you don't want to be spoiled.



So what we learn in the books is that Silo 18, where our heroes live is just one of 50 silos. At some point in the historical past, some corrupt evil bad guys didn't like how the world was going and decided to save it from itself. Humanity had recently discovered nanobots and were using them for things like environmental engineering. The corrupt evil bad guys were afraid that someone would eventually use them for nano-warfare weaponry, so they decided to do it first. So they released a nanocloud weapon but not before putting mind-erased breeding stock into 49 silos, while saving themselves in silo 1 to monitor and control the experiment. The plan was to let the nanocloud wipe out earth and hide out for 500 years or so, then pick the best silo experiment to repopulate the earth and wipe out the other 49 "fail" silos.

The three "shift" novellas are told from the perspective of some of the evil bad guys living in silo 1. They sleep in cryo animation, with only some of them being awake every now and then to monitor progress, wipe out any silos that are going bad and keep the experiment going. Eventually one of the evil bad guys realizes "hey wait a minute, we are evil bad guys" and decides to stop being an evil bad guy. This is why the story intersects with our heroes from Wool as the good evil bad guy wipes out silo 1 to keep them from wiping out the other 49 silos.

Dust wraps up the story as a group of survivors, following Juliet, wander the earth only to find out that the nanocloud is ONLY remaining in a small sphere over the silos and the natural environment of earth is pristine and rebuilt, healthy again, for them to wander out and repopulate.

[CallMeBagel]

I'm definitely going to have to go back and re-read this one.

[Psyren]

If you haven't already, definitely give Good Omens a watch, the second season got announced recently so this is a good time to get caught up.

If you're okay with subversive superhero fare, I can't recommend The Boys and Umbrella Academy highly enough.

[Batcathat]

If you haven't already, definitely give Good Omens a watch, the second season got announced recently so this is a good time to get caught up.

If you're okay with subversive superhero fare, I can't recommend The Boys and Umbrella Academy highly enough.

Speaking of Gaiman adaptations, the Sandman is also very good.

[Peelee]

If you haven't already, definitely give Good Omens a watch, the second season got announced recently so this is a good time to get caught up.

If you're okay with subversive superhero fare, I can't recommend The Boys and Umbrella Academy highly enough.

I recommend the TV show The Boys as highly as i recommend against the comic book The Boys. Which is to say, extremely.

[Psyren]

Speaking of Gaiman adaptations, the Sandman is also very good.

Sadman is another great recommendation, albeit a slow burn (I'm not familiar with everything in the OP to say if that's a deal-breaker for them or not.)


I recommend the TV show The Boys as highly as i recommend against the comic book The Boys. Which is to say, extremely.

Yes - do not, I repeat, do not bother with The Boys comic, even ironically.

[gbaji]

There is an English dub for Dark, you don't have to watch the original German with subtitles.

I did find that the subtitles often varied from the dubbing in some ways that often made things more clear if you had both on. Not a deal breaker, and I highly highly recommend Dark. Um.... But you might want to take notes. Or watch season 1 and 2, then go back and watch them both again, then proceed on to season 3. It's a beautifully wrapped up story, but OMG you need a map, a compass, a St Bernard, and a flock of Penguins to navigate it.

The wife might want to put down the crochet needles for this one. :smalltongue:

Oh. Second the recommendation for Person of Interest. Great show.

[Rodin]

If you haven't already, definitely give Good Omens a watch, the second season got announced recently so this is a good time to get caught up.

If you're okay with subversive superhero fare, I can't recommend The Boys and Umbrella Academy highly enough.

Good Omens interests me, because they’re out of source material to pull from. Normally I would immediately disregard such an attempt, but the extra scenes they put into season 1 were high quality.

The Boys is excellent, but I do have to warn about grimdark fatigue. I got ground down so much that I stopped watching a little ways into season 3.

[CallMeBagel]

Good Omens interests me, because they’re out of source material to pull from. Normally I would immediately disregard such an attempt, but the extra scenes they put into season 1 were high quality.

Apparently there was a sequel written but never finished before Terry Pratchett died. So Neil is finishing that, and that's what they are using. I had the same thought when i first heard about season 2 as well.

[Peelee]

The Boys is excellent, but I do have to warn about grimdark fatigue. I got ground down so much that I stopped watching a little ways into season 3.

I grt grimdark fatigue fast, but The Boys largely avoids it for me. Mostly because it's mostly in service to social commentary and parody.

Which is also why the comic its based on is so terrible. Imagine the show, but much more graphic in every way, and then strip out all social commentary. It's nothing but pure edgelord drivel.

[Rodin]

Apparently there was a sequel written but never finished before Terry Pratchett died. So Neil is finishing that, and that's what they are using. I had the same thought when i first heard about season 2 as well.


Oooooooh. Consider my interest piqued!


I grt grimdark fatigue fast, but The Boys largely avoids it for me. Mostly because it's mostly in service to social commentary and parody.

Which is also why the comic its based on is so terrible. Imagine the show, but much more graphic in every way, and then strip out all social commentary. It's nothing but pure edgelord drivel.

Yeah, I’ve heard….bad things. I’m honestly astonished they decided to use it as source material, but there’s no denying the results. The show is almost certainly going to supplant the original comic long term.

[CallMeBagel]

Yeah, I’ve heard….bad things. I’m honestly astonished they decided to use it as source material, but there’s no denying the results. The show is almost certainly going to supplant the original comic long term.

I liked the first season. The second was OK, but got uncomfortable (for me). The last season was too far. I'm not that squeamish, but I just couldn't handle the last season. I don't think I'm going to watch anymore.

[danzibr]

If you enjoyed Game of Thrones, I really recommend House of the Dragon. It's GoT but done in the style of long-form historical drama like The Tudors. The writing is a big jump up from the later seasons of GoT and it's on the whole a lot more restrained than its predecessor.

How did you find Silo? I adore the original novels the series is based on but don't have Apple TV to watch it on. I'd be super interested to know if it's worth seeking out.
Oh yeah! We did start House of the Dragons… may continue.

And we liked Silo, though I haven’t read the book.

Also, if you can manage, you can do a free Apple TV trial for a week, watch Silo, then cancel before you pay (I mean, it’s an option, though I’m all for supporting).

[Peelee]

Also, if you can manage, you can do a free Apple TV trial for a week, watch Silo, then cancel before you pay (I mean, it’s an option, though I’m all for supporting).

And Ted Lasso!

[Ionathus]

Good Omens interests me, because they’re out of source material to pull from. Normally I would immediately disregard such an attempt, but the extra scenes they put into season 1 were high quality.

TBH, the extra scenes in Good Omens s1 were the best parts of the show. David Tennant and Michael Sheen absolutely knocked it out of the park -- though the writing and extra character-building didn't hurt at all!

Also impacting my opinion is the fact that when I watched the show, I'd literally just finished reading the book for the first time - and the show takes a lot of dialogue and narration verbatim instead of adapting it. Not a bad thing when the book is so good! It's just that a lot of the cleverest lines were already vivid in my head, so they didn't feel as fresh watching them again so soon.

I am incredibly excited for season 2.

[Rodin]

My favorite scene is actually a throwaway gag from the book that mentions how Crowley's plants are incredibly healthy because he threatens them. The depiction in the show is Tennant at his villainous best, and the plants literally trembling with fear got a huge guffaw out of me.

[CallMeBagel]

And Ted Lasso!

If you like Ted Lasso, you should check out Shrinking also on AppleTV. It's a very different show, but has teh same vibe.