Good American Family

 

Based on a true story, a family adopts a 7yr old child with dwarfism from a shady agency and surprise, it turns out she isn't what she appears to be. There are two distinct parts to this series episodes 1-4 which play out like a psychological thriller where Imogen Reid does her best impression of a children of the corn extra and episodes 5-8 which flips episodes 1-4 on its ear. This show is certainly interesting if nothing else. Duplass is excellent as the moronic, duche bag dad and Reid is super creepy as Natalia Grace. The story takes enough unexpected turns to make it worth watching. Not great, but not bad either.

Havoc

Hardy plays a rough around the edges detective in this dark crime drama that features drugs, politicians, corrupt cops and gangs. If it sounds familiar that's because it is. This story has been told about a million times and you'll get nothing new here and even a top notch cast can't save mediocre material with poor direction. It should be noted that Hardy is ALWAYS better when he is doing work on the other side of the pond, The Americanized version of Hardy isn't half as compelling as the British version and it shows here. This is not Tom Hardy at his best. Only if you must, but a pass from me.

 

Pangolin Kulu's Journey

 

If you saw and enjoyed My Octopus's Teacher you are going to really enjoy this. The rare pangolin is often poached and harvested for their scales. One man rescues Kulu and rehabilitates him back to the wild. Heartwarming and extremely interesting. Recommended.

 

North of North

I loved this show. It's a glimpse into a culture that I'm sure not many of us know much about. North of North is a Inuit (Eskimo) comedy taking place in a small tight knit community in the Artic circle. Anna Lambe (true detective s4) is amazing and completely loveable as Siaja, who is married to the town Golden Boy, but is basically invisible until she decides to break out. North of North is funny, has a lot of heart and is thoroughly enjoyable. An IMDB ranking of 7.9 puts this firmly in the must watch zone and I hope we see more seasons of this one. You wont regret giving this a go.

Line of Duty

Top-Notch British police drama. I had heard this was one of the best police shows ever, so I had to find out for myself. I watched all six seasons ranging from 2012-2021 and it is worthy of that praise. It's not up to the standards of American shows like the Wire and The Shield, but it's still a triumph for the Brits. The action focuses around an Anti Corruption (Internal Affairs) unit in the British police force. Each season is a different case and features a different BBC megastar and then there is the series story loop of trying to unearth the infamous "H". The series features extremely complex plot lines that will force your full attention throughout, but it's worth it in the end. There will be a new series coming in 2026 so be on the lookout....It should be noted that I felt s4 to be the worst one and the show did take a short break after it, to retool and it did so with aplomb. Worth the time.....

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2303687/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_line%2520of%2520duty

 Long Bright River

Flying under the radar a little bit, Long Bright River is a dark crime drama set in Philadelphia that deals with homelessness, drug addict and police corruption all wrapped up in a pretty good mystery. This has the feel of The Killing or True Detective and has a good script with plenty of twists and turns. I am a fan of Amanda Seyfried and she is terrific in this despite being a little too beautiful to play a beat cop, they do a lot to try to make her look normal, but she pulls this off with gravitas despite the other-wordly beauty. Oddly, I thought the city this was filmed in looked a lot more like New York than Philly and sure enough after examination, this was indeed shot in NYC and why they didn't adapt the story to NY is certainly an oddity. Not sure how many folks would notice this so I can't hold it against the producers too much. Worth the time if dark cop shows are your thing. Solid viewing around a 7.5

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8332798/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_Long%2520Bright%2520

 Adolescence

Stunning and Powerful. Adolescence tells the story of a 13yr old accused of murder. Its 4 episodes and each episode focuses on a different aspect of the crime. E1 covers the arrest, processing and charges. E2 focuses on the effect the crime had on the school E3 is they psych evaluation E4 the effects of the crime on the family. Each episode unfolds in real time so its hard to catch your breath as the story and its impact are told. This series is an absolute master class in writing and acting. Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, Erin Doherty and Ashley Waiters are all incredible and I can't see a world where this doesn't get nominated for every award a limited series can be nominated for, it's that good. MUST SEE TV and a full on 10/10.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31806037/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_2_nm_6_in_0_q_adol

 Heretic

This debuted on HBO this past weekend. Outstanding Psychological thriller sees Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East as Mormon recruiters who go to grant's house to convert him and get a lesson in religiosity themselves. All three leads are great, but Thatcher and East show they are both going to be HUGE stars. This pairing in very reminiscent of Anya Taylor Joy and Olivia Cooke in Thoroughbreds and Thatcher has a decided Anya Taylor Joy vibe so the comparison really holds up and ATJ and Cooke are both A-Listers. Highly recommended and even if you aren't interested, East and Thatcher make this a worthwhile journey.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28015403/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_heret