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Showing posts sorted by date for query money heist. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query money heist. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Saturday, July 25, 2026

THE BEST SERIES OF ALL TIME

But first, a segue into the make-up White House Correspondent's Dinner last night, the one added to the first attempt on April 25, when a Trump assassin showed up.  This second one was almost as chaotic.

  • Of course, you must know that President Trump refused to attend any of these dinners in his first term.
  • His first appearance was on 25April2026.
  • From the liberal viewpoint, CNN:

Trump bombed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — and proved its point

Members of the media mocking a leader’s dismal performance on live TV and all across the internet? In some other countries, that’s a criminal offense. But in the US, it’s the norm, so maybe Trump’s speech unwittingly underscored the theme of the dinner: America’s robust First Amendment protections.
In a rambling hour-long speech, Trump insulted journalists by name, repurposed old nicknames for political opponents, made a strange number of fat jokes that weren’t funny at all, and sounded mad at his unnamed writers for giving him weak material to work with. “Does anyone understand this stuff?” he said at one point, and the answer was generally no.


So into my topic of the day, for I have spent too much time recently streaming.  
  • Not swimming, but watching TV.  
  • With all the new films and series popping out on all your streaming and regular channels, surely you've considered going back in time and seeing the entire production of the most popular ones.  
  • But which ones?
    • They're all there, somewhere.
    • Scores of sources provide ratings of the best ones.   But there are so many biases based on age, context shift, country and the like.
    • Plus which streaming channels carry them. 

I begin with some classics, like Taxi, Cheers and Seinfeld.  

  • Turns out that Taxi only has a 77 audience rating.  On Paramount+.
  • Cheers?  87/95.  Also on Paramount+.
  • Seinfeld?  89/92.  9 seasons and 180 episodes, each 22 minutes.  On Netflix.

Then I turned to to Rotten Tomatoes, and they have a top 50:

  • #1    Brooklyn Nine-Nine 95/88.  On Peacock.
    • Never heard of this one.  And it is #1! 
    • Andy Samberg, Terry Crews (yes, the guy from America's Got Talent).
    • Aired from 2013 to 2019 for eight seasons and 153 episodes.
    • 22 minutes/episode.
    • Revolved around the New York City Police Department.
    • Scored 100% in seasons 2, 4, 5 and 6.
    • On Peacock and Netflix.
  • #2    Grimm 89/90.  Peacock and Prime.  Never heard of it either.
  • #3    2 Broke Girls 65.  Prime.  What, how can this be #3, only scoring 65 on Rotten Tomatoes.
  • #4    Game of Thrones  89 85.  Netflix.  Okay, this is one that I've looked into watching.  Now on Max (was once known as HBO Max).
  • #5    The Walking Dead  79 78.  Netflix.  I don't understand why this is #5.
    • Seasons 1-11 will remain with Netflix.
    • But multiple spin-offs will depart on 19August2026.
  • #8    Spartacus  64.  Netflix.  Also never heard of this one, and further makes no sense to me in the top ten with only a score of 64.
  • #9    Modern Family 85 89.  Peacock and Hulu.  Okay, I've seen a few episodes. After all, 11 seasons and 250 episodes.  Sofia Vergara is a judge on America's Got Talent.
  • #11  Parks and Recreation  93 89.  Peacock.
  • #16  Breaking Bad  96 97.  Why isn't this near the top?  It's on my watch list.  5 seasons and a total of 62 episodes.  Can be found on Netflix.
  • #18  Big Bang Theory 81 85.  12 Seasons and 279 episodes.  Watched many of these.  Max
  • #20  The Office 81 89. 9 seasons and 201 episodes. Peacock in the USA, Netflix internationally.
  • #29 24  87 87.  The one with Kiefer Sutherland.  9 seasons and 205 episodes.  On Hulu.
  • #33  The West Wing  81 95. 7 seasons and 154 episodes on Max and Netflix.
  • #34  The Sopranos  92 96.  Also on my watch list. 6 seasons and 86 episodes, but 55 minutes/episode. On Max, Hulu and Prime (but must also have Max).
  • #35  Batman and Beyond  100 95.  Wow, should be #1 with those scores.  3 seasons with 52 episodes, each around 22 minutes long.  On Max.
  • #43  Seinfeld  89 92. 9 seasons and 180 episodes.  Netflix.  But the series is currently set to leave on October 1.  Where to?  There will be a bidding war.
  • #50  The Twilight Zone  92 95.   So highly rated, and so low?  First one in 1959, with 5 seasons and 156 episodes    Length for 25 minutes, except for season 4, with each episode at 51 minutes.  Can be found on Paramount+, Amazon Freevee and Tubi.

I've long wanted to watch Breaking Bad, but five seasons and 62 episodes will keep me occupied for a long time.  I might now do it because I subscribe to Netflix, and it is leaving in 2027.  Further found out from Google AI that it was right at the top of all global series.

While "the best" is ultimately subjective, Breaking Bad (USA), The Wire (USA), and The Sopranos (USA) are universally considered the greatest television series of all time by global critics and audiences. However, several global masterpieces frequently top international and critical lists. [1, 2, 3]
  • UK/USA  Chernobyl (see review later)
  • Germany  Dark on Netflix.
  • UK  Sherlock, with Benedict Cumberbatch on Hulu.
  • Spain  Money Heist.  One of the best I've ever watched.  On Netflix.
  • Denmark  Borgen.  Started, but never finished.  On Netflix.

IMDb has a top 70:

  • #1    Chernobyl
  • #2    Breaking Bad
  • #3    Band of Brothers
  • #4    The Pacific
  • #8    The Sopranos
  • #10  Game of Thrones
  • #16  Sherlock
  • #30  The Big Bang Theory
  • #31  Money Heist
  • #38  Vincenzo.  First Korean entry.  Terrific.
  • #60  Shogun.  Excellent.  Second season coming at the end of 2027.

As Chernobyl was rated so high, thought I would see it last night.

  • First problem, there are dozens of films, series and documentaries with that title.
  • Digging deeper, found out that Chernobyl, a 5-part HBO/Sky miniseries, was the right one.
  • Rotten Tomatoes scores of 95 by reviewers and 97 audiences.
  • Watched Episode 1 on Max.
    • Grim.
    • Nightmarish.
    • I'll definitely finish this series, but maybe only reluctantly.
    • Why?  You could get nightmares and feel awful after this experience.  Watch this trailer to decide.

Typhoon Noul at 100 MPH made landfall over China.  However, the track turned slightly east, with the eye around 50 miles to the north and east on Hong Kong.  

Fights out of Hong Kong could have been cancelled.  While all that was happening, my travel partner sent these photos from the Hong Kong International Airport.  Luckily, she departed on time to Manila according to Philippine Airlines, and I'm now awaiting her call when her connecting flight arrives in Honolulu.

From the airport lounge, a chicken dish.  Don't look too closely, for there are parts of a chicken you don't normally see in a meal.

Good news.  She just called.  Her flight arrived in Honolulu.

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Friday, October 3, 2025

HOW TO WATCH NETFLIX SHOWS

  • No one expects the Hamas to accept all of them, but they did agree to release all captives and the act of handing over administration to Palestinian technocrats.
  • So far, in the Gaza Strip, 66,288 have been killed and 169,165 wounded.  
  • On 7October2023, almost two years ago, 1139 were killed in the initial Hamas-led attack.
About my topic of the day, I've long been lamenting the overflow of watchable films and series available on Netflix and Prime.  Why expand into the plethora of other streaming options when I can't keep up with what I have, which costs me around $30/month.  And, of course, why venture out to a movie theater to end up watching a film that will cost me around that amount of money, when you add the popcorn, drink, gasoline cost, time it takes to get there and back, and the risk of a car accident or worse.  Oh, also getting infected with the latest COVID or flu virus.  I hate to wear a mask.

I have worked out a tracking system for films I've seen and series being watched.  
  • About movies, I sometimes first check with Rotten Tomatoes for how good/bad they are.
  • But I always use RT for series, as some of those go on for a dozen and more episodes, each lasting around an hour.  Some of those Korean dramas have 16 chapters, with each one going on for 75 minutes.
  • How many Netflix series am I now watching?  Here is just one page of 15 pages.
  • There are 13 shows just on this page, so multiply by 15, and I'm now in the midst of trying to complete 195 series only on Netflix.  There are also stored series from Prime, FX and Showtime.
  • For each, I include the date of production, Rotten Tomatoes scores, length of each episode and what episode I should next watch.
  • You say, why don't I finish each series and go on to the next one?  Good question.  But I guess this is just me, and one of my weaknesses.
  • Since I began this tracking system, I've only completed the following series on Netflix.
  • When I began viewing Squid Game, there were no Rotten Tomatoes scores.  
    • Reviewers have since given it ratings of 95 for Season 1, 84 S2 and 86 S3.
    • Has won six Primetime Emmys.
    • There will be a Season 4.  Actors?  Nothing yet official.  But here is some speculation.
    • Perhaps David Fincher will get involved.
  • Among my favorites include:
    • Extraordinary Attorney Woo.  Rotten Tomatoes scores of 100/94.  She is an autistic attorney in Seoul.  There are 16 episodes, each with a running time of from 64 to 82 minutes, or close to 20 hours of your time.  
    • Money Heist, a Spanish production which had three parts, with #s 1 and 2 getting 100 Rotten Tomatoes ratings, and a couple of spinoffs.  I've got a lot more to see here.
So how best for you to watch shows on Netflix?
  • Develop a computerized system to keep track of those series you will want to watch.  
  • Rotten Tomatoes is your best source to determine what to see.  Here are the 100 best now showing on Netflix.
    • There are 13 of them rated 100 by reviewers.
      • #1 is Dark Winds, but only a score of 74 by people like you, the audience.  3 seasons.
      • #2, The Survivors, 71 by the audience, first season.
      • #3, Blood of Zeus, 93 audience, 3 seasons, animated.
      • #15, Derry Girls, 99/95, 3 seasons, Irish comedy.
      • #17, Better Call Saul, 98/96, 6 seasons.  Can't remember if I've all, or only some of these seasons. 
      • #36, Our Planet, 96/90, 2 seasons.  David Attenborough documentary.
      • #74, Seinfeld, 89/92, 9 seasons, some rated 100 by reviewers.
      • #100, The Hunting Wives, 76/62, first season.
I end today with Taylor Swift.
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Sunday, August 3, 2025

Part 2: THE BEST STREAMING SERIES

I yesterday focused on streaming films and Rotten Tomatoes.  In Part 2 today, I will bring series with episodes into the discussion, beginning with the best 50 series from Rotten Tomatoes.

  • #1    Fleabag (2016-2019) 2 seasons, Rotten Tomatoes 100/93 (Amazon Prime Video), watched a couple of episodes before the pandemic, and never returned.  So I now will.
  • #2    Master of None (2015-present) 3 seasons,  94/71 (Netflix)
  • #3    Catastrophe (2015-present) 4 seasons, 98/92 (Prime), watched one episode from season 1 and never returned.  Guess I'll now take a re-look.
  • #4    Happy Valley (2014-2023 3 seasons), 98/94 (started on Netflix, but switched to AMC+)
  • #5    Dear White People (2017 to present) 4 seasons, 88/39 (Netflix).  Careful, there is also a film with the same title, with the same actors, 91/61, which can be found on Disney+ and Hulu.
  •  
  • #21  One Day at a Time 99/89 (2017-present) 4 seasons 99/89 (Netflix).  Re-make of an old American series with Bonnie Franklin that aired on CBS from 1978 to 1984.

  • #50  Bojack Horseman 93/96.
The problem is that some of them above are not today available for streaming.  
From Rotten Tomatoes, best shows (meaning series) of 2025.  You would think there would be a close correlation with the above list, but, no.
  • #5    Get Millie Black 100/76
  • #6    North of North 100/77
  • #7    Toxic Town 100/84
  • #8    Adolescence 98/74
  • .
  • #34  Dexter 89/83
  • .
  • #57  Squid Game: Season 3 80/51
  • .
  • #70  And Just Like That...: Season 3 68/36
Aside from Squid Games, no Korean series, and many of them are at or close to 100 as rated by Rotten Tomatoes.  Could be because they are not "popular."  There are also some other shows from Spain and other parts of the world that should be on that list.


Netflix dominates in series, especially from Korea, but Time magazine has an article entitled, The Best K-Dramas (also meaning series) that are Not on Netflix.

  • They don't themselves talk about this much, but Hulu and Disney+ dominate this list.
  • However Prime and Tubi also should be checked.
  • Rakuten Viki, an American streaming service, incidentally, is devoted entirely to Asian content.
  • Here are some of the best K-dramas not on Netflix.

Rotten Tomatoes has a binge guide on 11 Korean-dramas, all on Netflix.  I've seen a few, as the ones below.

  • Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022), Rotten Tomatoes 100/94.  Season 2 is in the making.  She definitely is most extraordinary.

  • Hospital Playlist (2020), /100.
  • K2 (2016), /100.
  • Crash Landing on You (2019), 100/97.
  • I must have another two dozen or more K-dramas in various phases of watching.

What's new on Amazon's Prime Video in August?

  • A new heist comedy, The Pickup with Eddie Murphy and Eva Longoria.
  • Six-episode spy thriller Butterfly, with Daniel Dae Kim and Piper Perabo.
  • Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction returns.

Google's Artificial Intelligence Overview lists the following popular shows on Netflix:  Squid Game (South Korea), Money Heist (Spain), Dark (Germany), Lupin (France), Elite (Spain), Mirzapur (India), The Family Man (India) and Asur (India).


Last year, PC magazine ranked the 37 best foreign-language shows on Netfllix:

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Saturday, February 22, 2025

SURELY, YOU'RE NOW STREAMING

First, two comments about our president, Donald Trump.  

  • Remember how I've been telling you that Trump failed in his 6January2021 coup attempt mostly because he had no real control of the Department of Defense?
    • Trump also replaced Admiral Lisa Franchetti, head of the U.S. Navy, as well as the Air Force Chief of Staff and the judge advocates general for the Army, Navy and Air Force.  They ensure enforcement of military justice.
    • Representative Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, said the firings were "un-American, unpatriotic, and dangerous for our troops and our national security. This is the definition of politicizing our military," he said.
    • President Trump now has total control of the military, something he theoretically already had in 2021, being the Commander in Chief, but really didn't.
    • But now Trump is in good position to actually become a dictator whenever he decides to take that step.
  • The Supreme Court actually ruled against Trump yesterday, who had appealed to overturn his firing of Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, an agency charged with protecting the rights of federal employees.  Actually, this declination was not really so, for the lower court judge only reinstated Dellinger for 14 days, and now Dellinger will instead be released on February 26.  Not sure why the White House even bothered to appeal.

Okay, now to the topic of the day.  Network TV is great for local news and most sports.  But streaming channels gained huge momentum during the pandemic (for people avoided movie theaters), expanded their impact since then, and now, more and more, are also beginning to manage key sporting events, a sign of what will come.

  • I'm a good example.  I've had access to Netflix and Amazon Prime for more than a decade, and paid those monthly fees, without using them much.
  • However, when COVID-19 came I stopped going out to movies and instead became satisfied with these two channels.
  • Then it occurred to me that when I did go to the theater, I had to drive there and back, buy a ticket, which is now around $15, and also popcorn with something to drink, perhaps doubling the cost.
  • Why bother going out when these streaming channels are always available, and I had by then built up a list of dozens of series I had started, with more films than I could possibly watch.
  • Since 2020 I've been to a theater only once, to watch Barbenheimer, which was an event worthy of my participation.

  So join the future:


Around 85% of U.S. households now have at least one subscription to a video streaming service, such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video orMax. U.S. users have an average of four streaming service subscriptions, according to the Deloitte Digital Media Trends Study. Another study found that 7% of Americans have six or more streaming subscriptions.3, 4, 10

A full 15% of people said they spend $50 or more on video streaming subscriptions per month, but the majority of people spend between $20 and $29.99. Those aged 35 to 49 spend the most on streaming subscriptions, with 24% paying for more than five.  A whopping 93% of Americans said they plan on increasing their streaming options or at least making a change to their existing streaming plan.10

I subscribe to Netflix and Amazon Prime.

  • I pay... I don't know, I think around $30/month, but I also purchase products from Amazon, so Prime is almost free.
  • 84% of those who have Netflix, also subscribe to Amazon Prime
  • Netflix and Prime dominate.  # of subscribers:
    • #1    Netflix  302 million
    • #2    Prime  200 million
    • #3    Disney+  125 million
    • #6    HBO Max  100 million
    • #7    Paramount+  72 million
    • #8    Hulu  54 million
    • #9    Peacock  36 million
    • #12  Apple  30 million
    • #14  ESPN  25 million
    • #55  FuboTV  2 million

  • What is your best guess by country?
    • Germany:  #1 is Netflix, #2 is Prime
    • Japan:  #1 is Prime, #2 is Netflix
    • China:  #1 is Tencent Video, #2 iQ1Y1
    • Russia:  #2 Kinopoisk, #2 ivi TV
  • Netflix.
    • In 2021, had more than 3700 movies and 3500 series, almost half being Netflix originals, then in 2023 6,621 titles.  They regularly add and remove titles.
    • Netflix Serbia has a catlog of 7,436 titles.
    • They add new shows and remove old ones, so that number might still be close to what are available today.
    • Squid Game generated 1.65 billion hours in the first month.
    • Money Heist accumulated more than 6 billion viewing hours since first shown.
    • They are both worth your while.
  • There was a time when ads were rare.  Not now, especially on Prime, but also Netflix.  To remove commercials, you can pay more/month.
  • Cost:

As of February 2025, Netflix has three subscription plans: 
  • Standard with Ads: $7.99 per month for up to 1080p/Full HD streaming
  • Standard: $17.99 per month for up to 1080p/Full HD streaming
  • Premium: $24.99 per month for up to 4K Ultra HD with HDR and Dolby Atmos streaming
    • Cost:
Amazon Prime membership costs $139 per year or $14.99 per month in the U.S. There are also discounted membership options. 
Discounted membership options 
  • Students: Young adults (ages 18-24) and college students can try Prime for six months at $7.49 per month or $69 per year
  • Government assistance recipients: Qualifying recipients can try Prime Access for 30 days at $6.99 per month
Amazon Prime benefits include: 
  • Free delivery on more than 300 million items
  • Exclusive deals
  • Savings for eligible members
  • Free two-day delivery on prescriptions from Amazon Pharmacy
  • Exclusive discounts on medication orders through Amazon Pharmacy
  • Access to One Medical's healthcare services

So what's new on Netflix in 2025?

  • Here are the  new films in February,
  • Korean Dramas.
  • I watched The Menu, a shocker of a film.
    • Rotten Tomatoes scores of 88/76.
    • Stars Ralph Fiennes, with Anya Taylor-Joy
    • Oh, a really high class gourmet documentary.  I was once into Michelin 3-star restaurants, and dined in several of the World's 50 Best Restaurants.  The gourmet-quality of the movie beginning exceeded any of the ones I experienced.  But then....
    • Yikes!  A staff member commits suicide.  An irreverent diner gets one of his fingers chopped off.  A lot more.
    • Oh my gosh, this is a horror film. 
    • I won't say any more.
  • Even though I already have many dozens of series I've already begun and not finished, I was fishing around and The OA caught my attention.
    • Brit Marling, creator and main actress.  I remembered her, for I saw a couple of her films more than a dozen years ago.  In 2011, Another Earth:
#2  Another Earth (72%) has won awards at the Sundance and Maui Film Festivals, and while it has huge scientific flaws, as I once worked on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence looking for extrasolar planets, found the premise of an Earth 2 suddenly appearing about as faraway as our present Moon from Earth 1, interesting and creative.  Nothing is explained as to why--although this could have something to do with parallel universes colliding--but the heroine, who was soon to enter MIT to major in astrophysics, while driving back home from a party, and obviously inebriated, is transfixed on the new planet and runs into the car of a Yale professor and composer, played by William Mapother (who is a character in the Lost TV series and has had small parts in five Tom Cruise films...they are cousins...Cruise's real last name is Mapother--and William took on this commanding role for $100/day).  He survives, but his pregnant wife and young son are killed. Actress Brit Marling is relatively new to the screen, and co-wrote the script of this film.  She spends four years in jail, and the rest of the film has her attempting to make up for this tragedy, where the relationship with the composer becomes intimate, without any knowledge on his part about her past.  Turns out that Earth 2 is a mirror of our Earth, with what appears to be the same people.  A journey to Earth 2 is planned, and the student wins an essay contest to join the expedition.  After finally admitting who she is, the opportunity to go is given to the professor to revisit his possible family.  A few months later, the final scene shows the two Marling characters staring at each other.  This movie gets you thinking.  Trailer.
There was a fifth alien movie:  Sound of My Voice (RT: 74%).  It came and quickly disappeared.  The reviews were not kind.  It was sort of like Another Earth (RT: 68%).   The lead actress for both was Brit Marling, who also co-wrote the former.   Both were ingenuous, illogical and mostly harmless nonsense, except Sound of My Voice was the only one of all those alien films that presented a case for the existence of an actual alien!  Some reviewers totally missed this twist.  Brit deserves these large posters.

    • Sorry, all the above only to justify why I chose to watch The OA, where Marling is again creator and main actress.
    • There are two seasons, but S#1 only got 76/78 Rotten Tomatoes ratings.  However, S#2 scored 92/89.
    • There are 8 episodes in each, averaging about an hour each in length.  If I get through the first season, the second will get much better.
    • So I'm now on episode 7 of S1, and okay, typically Brit Marling.  To borrow from the past:  ingenuous, illogical and mostly harmless nonsense.
    • Looking forward to the next 10 episodes.
    • One giveaway, OA stands for Original Angel.

One more entry.  We've been watching Suits, a legal drama the past few weeks by recording a certain channel.  Turns out that it's simpler just going to Netflix, for they have all the seasons well organized.

Mike Ross, a university expellee with a photographic memory, makes money by taking the LSAT and the bar examination for others. He does this to pay for his grandmother's living expenses, as she was his primary caregiver after both his parents died in a car accident when he was 11. In the pilot, Mike agrees to deliver a briefcase of cannabis for his best friend Trevor, a drug dealer, for a large payout. Mike astutely avoids being arrested in a sting, only to stumble into a job interview with Harvey Specter, a supremely self-assured senior partner at the prestigious Pearson Hardman, a law firm specializing in corporate law and one that only hires Harvard graduates. Harvey is impressed by Mike's tenacity and knowledge of the law and hires him as an associate, despite Mike's not having a license to practice law.[12] Together they try cases while maintaining Mike's secret from the rest of the firm, though Harvey's insightful legal secretary, Donna Paulsen, finds out almost immediately. Mike meets Rachel Zane, an ambitious paralegal he is immediately attracted to, while trying to impress managing partner Jessica Pearson and avoid the suspicions of junior partner Louis Litt.
  • First season appeared in 2011 with 12 episodes.
  • Then seasons 2 to 8, with each having 16 episodes.
  • Season 9, only 10 episodes, released in 2019.

From the New York Times this morning:

📺 “Suits LA” (Tomorrow): In 2023, “Suits” — a show that had been off the air for four years — was the most watched show on Netflix. It’s easy to see why. The show was sleek and light, sexy and fun. What’s more, it introduced the world to Meghan Markle. Now, we go again in “Suits LA,” a spinoff series. Like the original, it follows the lives of improbably good-looking lawyers. Unlike the original, it’s set in the world of Hollywood entertainment law. I’m sure it’ll be just as fun, but whether it produces a star who helps convulse a centuries-old British institution remains to be seen.

I think, but I don't know, since I'm still into Season One, the two might have gotten married in Season Seven.  That's Mike Ross and Megan (now the Duchess of Sussex) above in that photo.  They both left the series after S7.  But if a series lives through 9 seasons, it surely must be amazingly good, and Rotten Tomatoes gives it 91/87 ratings, with S4-7 getting 100% from reviewers.


Further, Suits LA will begin on NBC tomorrow night.  New actors, but the lead for for the first Suits, Gabriel Macht, reappears in 3 episodes.  That's him above.

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