COVID-19: What to Watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime

From Worldometer,  COVID-19 new deaths:

           DAY USA   WORLD   Brazil   India   South Africa

May     27    1535     5283         1148     190         28

            28    1223     4612         1067     177         25
            29    1212     4873         1180     269         34
            30    1015     4084           890     205         32
June      1      638     3189          480      223         40
              2      730     3053          732      200         22
              3    1134    4669         1232      221         50
             4     1083    4928         1269      259         37
             5     1031    5511         1492      275         56
             6       975    4906         1008      286         60
             7       706    4253           910      297         44
             8       586    3157           813      266         82

Summary:  Looks good, except for South Africa.

I'll start with an AMC series called Quiz, which received 96% from reviewers and 100% from audiences.  AMC played episode 1 on May 31 and 2 on June 7.  The third and final episode will come on Sunday night, June 14.  This is a must see for anyone who had./has any interest in Do You Want to Be a Millionaire.  Of course, you need to find a way see #1 and #2 first, and there are many ways to do this.  Be enterprising.  The original WWtbaM started in 2001 when Charles Ingram unexpectedly won a million pounds.  That was around $1.5 million.  The music, the setting, the WWtbaM 20th anniversary  version with Jimmy Kimmel on ABC unfortunately ended last week after nine episodes.

This is Part 3 of what to watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime.  There is some minor repeat.  Part 1 focused on series and Part 2 on films.  Today, because you will need to be a lot more selective about what to watch, now that the lockdown is over, I will list what appears to be programs on these sites that you can consider in the future, now knowing Rotten Tomatoes ratings.  First Netflix (number in the parenthesis represent the number of seasons).  I only provided the scores for season one, for you can then decide whether to continue.

                                        Reviewers  Audiences

Dead to Me (2)                        91              91

Babylon Berlin (2)                100              95

Border Town (3)                        ?            100

The Keepers  (1)                      97              94

Derry Girls (1)                         98              96

Elite (3)                                  100              85

Kim's Convenience (4)           100              92 

Dirty Money (2)                      100              90

Broadchurch (3)                       94              96

Patriot Act (4)                         100              75

Fauda (3)                                100               92

Bodyguard (1)                           93               83

Russian Doll (2)                        97               87
Queer Eye (6)                            97               91
Hannibal  (3)                             92               94
Twin Peaks (3)                           93               95
Dark 1                                        89                91
         2                                       100               97    
Community (6)                           90               96
How to Get Away w/ Murder 6  85               86  
Better Call Saul (5)                    97               95  
Stranger Things (4)                   97               96                         

Most of these series were one hour long, meaning anywhere from 44 to 56 minutes of viewing time. 

Dead to Me:  Ten half an hour long episodes each.  American black comedy of two grieving women, starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini.     While season 1 only got 86/93 ratings, season 2 scored 97/88.  Manic lives with major twists...good escape watch.

Babylon Berlin:  Started with 16 one-hour episodes, leading to 12 in season 2.  German neo-noir program which starts in 1929, following the early rise of the Third Reich.  Engrossing.

Border Town:  Ten (11 in season one) one hour long episodes,  A Finnish crime drama occurring in a town near the Russia border. Reviewers said things like big, bold, tense and a step above NCIS.

The Keepers:  Seven one hour episodes, I think.  Haven't watched this yet.  American documentary exploring the unsolved murder of nun Sister Cathy Cesnik.  A priest suspected by students of a girls school in Baltimore was later found guilty of sexually abusing students.  Said to be riveting.

Derry Girls:  Two seasons of 6 half-hour episodes.  British sitcom of teen life in Derry, Northern Ireland in the 1990's.  Strong language and of adult content.  Has already won several British awards.  There will be a third season.

Elite:  Three seasons of 8 one-hour episodes each.  Spanish teen drama with sexual theme.  These Spanish series are well-written and produced.  Many of the same actors return to perform.  I'm beginning to feel that Korea and Spain are ahead of the pack today,

Kim's Convenience:  Four seasons of 10 half-hour episodes each. Comedy of a dysfunctional Korean family with a Canadian twist running a convenience store in Toronto.  Haven't watched it yet, but with those scores and the fact that the series will go on into seasons 5 and 6 must say something.  Heard it's really funny,

Dirty Money:  Two seasons, 6 one-hour episodes each, of different corporate corruption cases, so one is not connected to any other.  Absolutely fascinating.

Broadchurch:  Three seasons of 8 one-hour episodes each.  British serial crime drama said to be a rare but only somewhat tarnished gem in a garbage littered landscape.  Very well done.

Patriot Act: Six seasons of 6 half-hour episodes each,  American comedian Hasan Minhaj comments on world affairs.  Has won an Emmy and a Peabody.  Stand up comic doing something interestingly different with political satire.  Six seasons already.  Never heard of him.

Fauda:  Three seasons of twelve 45-minute episodes each.  Israeli adventure of the Defense Forces pursing their enemies in the Middle East.  Elite undercover commandos in violent action, yet heartwarming.

Bodyguard:  Six episodes, some longer than an hour.  British police political thriller occurring mostly in London. Has won a few awards.  

Russian Doll:  Eight episodes of 20 minutes each.  An American comedy-drama having to with Nadia in a seemingly inescapable party one night in New York City.  She repeatedly dies, and reappears at the beginning, as she tries to figure out what is happening to her.  Natasha Lyonne in a strong performance.  While sounds awfully close to Groundhog Day, is fresh and different.  Can you believe that was 27 years ago?

Queer Eye:  47 one-hour episodes through 5 seasons.  A reboot originally from Bravo, depicting how gay men can teach straight men how to dress, groom, cook and attract women.  Very polished and indicative of how the U.S. has changed.  They're doing something right, for a sixth season was approved.

Hannibal:  Three season of 13 episodes each.  The first season got 84/92 Rotten Tomatoes ratings.  Season 2 received 98/97 and the 3rd, 98/91.  Remember Science of the Lambs (RT:  96/95) with Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins?  Mads Mikkelsen is Hannibal, with Laurence Fishurne in the cast.

Twin Peaks:  Three seasons of 48 episodes.  Actually started in 1990 by David Lynch on ABC, leading to a 1992 film, rested for 25 years, then returned on Showtime with a third season on Showtime.  Kyle MacLachian stars.  The episodes are kind of complicated, so go to Wikipedia.  But:

Watch it all in the order it was put out. The pilot (American version), followed by Season One, followed by Season Two, followed by the prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Dark 1:  There are two seasons, but I'm watching this first year because season 2 garnered 100/97 ratings. But I need to wade through 10 episodes to get to #2.  Time travel, haunted, historic, more evocative than Twin Peaks, which was rated 93/95.

Community:  There are 6 seasons with 10 half-hour episodes each.  I need to at least get to season 2 because it got a 100% rating from reviewers and 98% from audiences.  A suspended lawyer is forced to go back to a community college and....  Sneaky, tender and fast-paced, it stars Joel McHale, Chevy Chase and Ken Jong. Critics said engaging, funny, fresh and zippy.

How to Get Away with Murder:  There are 6 seasons with 10 episodes each.  This is the lowest ranked series of this entire Netflix list, but made for those with this mentality.  Viola Davis stars.  Nerve-wrecking and frantic.  The pilot got a 100% rating.  That's why I watched it.

Better Call Saul:  Five seasons of 10 one-hour episodes.  One of my all-time favorites.  Why?  Good question.  Prequel of Breaking Bad (also had 5 seasons featuring Bryan Cranston, and hit 100% several times).  Bob Odendirk is irrepressible, ably assisted by Rhea Seehorn and Jonathan Banks.  You just gotta give this one a chance.

Stranger Things:  Four seasons about 8 one-hour episodes.  Said one critic:  Stranger Things is nothing if not a surprising, sometimes scary, moving and successful homage to the era of Spielberg's 'ET' and the 1980s themselves.

The problem with Prime is that there is too much control.  To access almost anything, you need to go through the password process.  Also, most of the films costs money.  However, their original series tend to be free.  Very few of them, however, reach the ratings level of those Netflix series.  Plus, everything is free on Netflix.

Amazon Prime:

Space Force  (1)                       39          75
Jack Ryan 1                               75          88
Jack Ryan 2                               67          55
Homecoming 1                          98          71
Homecoming 2                          55          61
Undone                                    100          93
Upload                                        87         88
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 1   94          96
The Expanse                              93          96
Bosch                                         83          90
Catastrophe (2015)                   98          92
Fleabag (2016-2019)               100          93 

I start with Space Force and Homecoming 2 because they're well-publicized, although disappointing.  I watched two episodes each and am not sure if I'll continue, for I don't want to miss those 100-rated series.

Space Force:  Steve Carell plays a 4-star Air Force general tapped to lead the newly formed sixth branch of service, Space Force.  John Malkovich is one nemesis.  One critics said, we do not have liftoff.  Actually the two episodes I saw were not bad, and I might someday return.

Jack Ryan:  John Krasinski plays Jack Ryan.  Action occurs in the Middle East.  Big budget, suspenseful and predictable.  Seems like you already saw this production.

Homecoming 2:  Homecoming 1 featured Julia Roberts, and you can click on that origin, but I start with season 2 starring Janelle Minae because that is now the advertised attraction.  I only saw the first episode, and it was confusing, with poor ratings, but I'll probably return someday, for there are intriguing aspects of this follow-up.  Season 1 was praised by reviewers, but the audiences, including me, were not so generous.

Undone:  I watched this series because there were only eight half-hour episodes and one season.  There is something special here, and reviewers have said:  visually captivating, compelling journey of self-examination and exhilarating.  I stopped watching mostly because the production is animated.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maizel:  I watched one episode and wondered if I had the time and interest to continue.  A satisfied housewife become a comedic star.  Reviewers said, stylish, exuberant, best show in decades.  Has won a Golden Globes and an Emmy.

The Expanse is a sci-fi adventure that is into season 4, with 10 one-hour episodes in S1 and S4, and 13 Es in S2 and S3.  While S1 got 77/95 RT ratings, S2 received 95/97. S3 100/98 and S4 100/94.  Anything with numbers like these deserves a watch.  Sometime in the future, when we have colonized space, war is threatened among Earth, Mars and the Outer Planets.  Unlike Star Trek or Star Wars, this American production is very realistic, yet futuristic.

• I am into the Year 2008:Iran launches a rocket into space.
• A gamma-ray burst became the brightest object ever in the Universe.
• First bionic eye implanted into a blind patient.
• A 7.9 moment magnitude earthquake in Sichuan, China kills 87,000.

• Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
• SpaceX Falcon 1 is first private vehicle to make orbit.
• Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual file bankruptcy, Dow Jones falls 778, the largest single-day loss in history,
• Spotify music streaming service launched in Sweden.
• Large Hadron Collider inaugurated in Geneva.
• Satoshi Nakamoto introduces the bitcoin.
• Barack Obama elected 44th U.S. President.

Top 10 songs of 2008 in two minutes.  I finished SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Humanity.  The Huffington Post published my first article for them:

     Well, Barack, We have a Problem...

This was my first plea for World Peace.

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