BINGE OR BOMB

One Day in October- This 7 part Israeli series chronicles 7 different true stories of how a varied group of people experienced the tragedy of October 7th in Israel. One episode depicts 2 teen girls hiding for hours in a PortoSan at the music festival. Another concerns the heroic actions of an Orthodox volunteer ambulance driver who risks his life to rescue wounded survivors. The stories are unexpected and moving.   Down Cemetery Road- From Mick Heron, author of the “Slow Horses” series, this thriller pairs Emma Thompson as a clever, snarky private investigator and Ruth Wilson as an academic struggling to find meaning in her life. Both unite to find a missing young girl and unravel the mystery of a war crime committed years ago.   Code of Silence-An unusual thriller that has as its lead a young underappreciated deaf woman who is pulled from her job as a food services worker to help police. She is an expert lip reader and they need her to thwart a gang of dangerous thieves hoping to pull off a daring jewelry heist. Things get more complicated when she winds up emotionally involved with a young tech expert who is part of the gang.

Envious-( Netflix, Argentina) Attractive, successful 40-year-old Vicky is a force to be reckoned with. But she’s her own worst enemy as she tries to find happiness with a man who ticks off all the boxes. What Vicky learns is no one ticks off all the boxes and her quest is more about what she needs to do to understand herself.   The Ladies Companion- (Netflix-Spain) A feisty young woman becomes the live-in chaperone to 3 sisters in colorful 19th century Madrid. The cheeky series involves her adventures in securing happiness and future mates for the wealthy sisters while she tries to navigate her own future. Department Q- ( Netflix, England)  A sullen but talented detective is recovering from a traumatic shooting and given charge of a one- man division dedicated to cold cases. He assembles a rag-tag team who try to unravel the case of a controversial kidnapped prosecutor who has never been found.

Adolescence- a powerful, groundbreaking drama which centers around a 13 year-old-boy and his family when it is revealed that the boy has stabbed a fellow girl classmate to death. Layers of the boys personality are stripped away in order to understand his motivation. Also paramount are the effects on the family and those around him in their effort to understand what led up to this heinous act  The Leopard-  A remake of a book and movie which, in the 19th century,  takes a look at an area of Sicily which, like all of Italy, was ruled by aristocracy. The man in charge is a charismatic nobleman nicknamed The Leopard. The series examines the changes for both nobility, the rising middle class and the working class as political unrest infiltrates the country, the aim being to unite Italy into one democratic country.  When No One Sees Us- Two murders  take place In the Andalusian region of Spain in a small town located near a US military base where a week long religious festival is taking place, attracting tourists and locals. Two female investigators, one an American military officer and the other a Spanish Civil Guard  officer and the  single mother of a troublesome teen daughter need to solve two different cases. One involves the death of a US military officer and the other case centers on the drug related deaths of several young men in the town and the disappearance of  another local youth who also be involved in the drug culture.

Get Millie Black is a detective thriller set in Kingston, Jamaica. Mille is a brilliant Jamaican born Scotland yard detective who asks too many questions and doesn’t take no for an answer. When she returns to Jamaica she must solve two cases one involving a missing teenage girl and the other a potentially trafficked young boy. Complicating matters is Millie’s need to reconcile with her transgender sister as well as her conflicted detective partner who faces his own demons.   Inspired by real events In FALSE FLAG, an Iranian defense minister is kidnapped. 5 seemingly ordinary and unrelated Israeli citizens are caught on  tape near the abduction. and to their surprise these 5 find themselves under suspicion . Although appearing to be everyday people it will turn out that all of them are keeping secrets which may or may link to the kidnapping.   Based on the hit French series Le Bureau, The Agency deals with an undercover American CIA agent who has just been called back to CIAs London office forcing him to abandon his false identity and the woman with whom he’s fallen in love. But he’s still an agent and his new role forces him to make difficult choices which may compromise himself and the Agency.

BLACK DOVES has us believe there is an elite organization that enlists spies and assassins  to steal state secrets from any country and sell them to anyone else…busineses, other governments, whoever. Working for this group are a spy who is the lovely wife of an English politician and her friend, an assassin with a conscience. How both balance their secret and public lives and the toll it takes is the core of the series. LA MAQUINA chronicles the friendship and conflict between two men involved in the upper echelons of Mexican boxing.Esteban is a successful fighter now battling physical and emotional demons as he faces his last fight. His manager Andy is a driven businessman balancing his friendship with Esteban and the monetary and societal dues he must pay to the shady boxing syndicate that seems to control Mexican boxing, Mexican society and even circles outside the country. RIVALS- Set in the 80s this series is a look at upscale English Cotswald society as seen through the world of a local TV station. When an irascible TV host is brought on to spice up the programming it triggers conflicts between the station’s talent roster and the business running the organization. Several families and couples are featured and all seem to be involved with each other either romantically or as rivals for screen time or power. 

Turkish series, THANK YOU NEXT, a hybrid rom com is about a successful headstrong thirty something lawyer Leyla, who is recovering from her first love’s betrayal. Eventually she will have to make a choice between her ex, a handsome chef and a charismatic businessman. Along the way Leyla’s surrounded by a group of friends who while deciphering their own complicated relationships are planning Leyla’s strategy to identify which of the three men is really the one for her. SAY NOTHING- This 9 part series encompasses 30 odd years of the time in Ireland called the Troubles. It depicts the people who caused or were caught in the rebellion by using a series of real interviews as its structure. It focuses on Brendan Hughes, once a top IRA leader but now disillusioned by the group and Dolours Price, an IRA stalwart in her youth but who, as an adult, also becomes a bitter critic of the organization.   EMILIA PEREZis a both a romance, suspense and musical movie. It centers around three characters. One is a vicious, rich narco gangster who will use any means to become his true self…as a woman. He enlists the help of a female lawyer to manage both the business and procedural details of that transition especially when it comes to his wife who he wants to keep supporting although she must never know his new identity.          

In VIGIL, an intrepid Scottish police investigator is helicoptered onto a nuclear sub upon which a murder has taken place. Complicating this issue is that it appears Russian subs are trailing this English vessel. Meanwhile more people turn up dead.There are eco terrorists, espionage, forbidden romances and all manner of complications for the investigator to tackle… all while she is also struggling with  PTSD from a tragic accident and a complicated new romance with a fellow officer.   TRYING is about one couple’s attempt to become a family with kids. When regular methods fail, the couple decides to adopt. It’s not easy. But Tthey are supported by quirky friends and family who all have helpful but often useless tips.  When the adoption comes through the couple finds themselves with not one but two youn gchildren who are both trying to overcome years of foster care. Becoming an instant family is both a humorous and exasperating process.  The couple is engaging and funny as are the extended family around them. It’s a feel good with an edge.   COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS is a delightful comedy about  a slightly mismatched but very appealing couple…30 something Ashley, a med student and 40 something Gordon, owner of a struggling micro- brewery. They meet not cute but “ disturbing” when Gordon accidentally hits a scruffy small dog because Ashley has cheekily flashed him as he was stopped at a crosswalk in his car. The dog is ok. Sort of…He now requires a set of back wheels to navigate. These two strangers begrudgingly agree to share care of the engaging canine. Thus starts a relationship and eventual romance. The banter is delightfully clever and the secondary characters each have their own set of wonderful off-center personality quirks. It’ ll make you smile. Even laugh. Watch if you think naming a dog “ Bark Ruffalo” is incredibly funny.

BABY REINDEER( Netflix)-England- is a black comedy thriller based on the real life of comedian Richard Gadd. In the series Gadd plays Donny, a struggling comedian working as a bartender. One night into the bar comes Martha, a lonely woman who claims to be a lawyer. He offers her a free cup of tea. Big mistake. Martha, a large person also has large needs and desires which she focuses on the hapless Donny. Almost instantly she is obsessed with Donny and infiltrates every aspect of his life. Curiously Donny seems to become the somewhat willing object of this clever abuser. Escaping his demons and ridding himself of the persistent Martha becomes the focus of the series.   MAESTRO IN BLUE-( Netflix )Greece-This romantic drama/mystery is set against the backdrop of Paxos, a picture-perfect Greek island where a delightful classical music festival is to be staged. Arranging this event is Fanis, the head of a rich powerful family who’s running for mayor. Helping him is beautiful but discontented wife Sofia, their 19 year daughter Kleila, a talented pianist and Antonis, their teenage musician son with a secret. Arriving on the island is 40-something conductor Orestis who’s charged with pulling together the music festival. Soon we realize behind the gorgeous backdrop is big trouble. Someone has been secretly murdered. Who’s the victim? Whodunnit? And why? Don’t be fooled. Most of the series concerns the many illicit love affairs that develop.  Each causes a cascade of repercussions which are first played out against the backdrop of the island’s music festival and then continue when several characters move to Athens. If romantic murder mysteries aren’t for you, stick around for the music and scenery. You won’t be disappointed.    UNDER THE BRIDGE-( Hulu)- Canada-This mystery is based on the 1997 murder of an East Indian teenage girl in a Vancouver suburb. Trying to uncover the murderer is Cam, a dedicated indigenous police officer who, having been adopted by the white police chief and his family, continually faces her own conflicts. Complicating the investigation is aspiring journalist, Rebecca, Cam’s former best friend, who returns to her hometown in order to unearth material for a book. Her search often finds her skirting the law and becoming too close to the troubled group of teen girls whose circle the murdered girl wanted to join. The frayed friendship between the policewoman and writer eventually finds a resolution as the murder investigation reveals the identity of the young girl’s killer.

I Hate Suzie-A black comedy centered around  TV actress Suzie Pickles whose life is upended when her phone is hacked and a scandalous video of her is released to the public compromising her marriage and career. Suzie goes to great lengths to get her life back on track while increasingly both she and her life fall apart. The only thing saving her may be her best friend and agent but it is Suzie who must save herself.  The Gentlemen- Action comedy from director Guy Ritchie. Two sons of an artistocratic family find themselves coping with the alliance their late father, a cash strapped duke, arranged allowing a crime family to use the estate to grow marijuana. The stalwart younger son inherits the estate and a business partnership with a whip smart gangster’s daughter. But how far is he willing to go with this new element? 3 Body Problem-Based on the popular Chinese novel this sci fi thriller creates a world where a female Chinese scientist makes contact with an alien culture whose message to earth is received only by her. But these aliens might not mean well. As a matter of fact they will be invading earth. In 400 years. Now the question is what can earth do to save themselves from these malevolent visitors. Five young scientists join the global challenge to outwit this advanced species. 

MONSIEUR SPADE- picks up legendary detective Sam Spade living a comfy life in the South of France. He’s called on to deliver a teenage girl to her scoundrel father who disappears. Soon nuns are murdered, conspiracies abound and scores of factions are after a young Algerian boy with unusual talents.   EXPATS- The lives of three women intersect in the insular community of expats living in Hong Kong during the 2014 political unrest. Two are super privileged with servants whose lives continually intersect with those of their employers. One is a young Columbia grad whose careless confusion leads to a tragedy which impacts the lives of all those around her.   TRUE DETECTIVE-NIGHT COUNTRY- The fourth in this series is set in Alaska in the time of eternal night.  When 6 scientists from a research station are found gruesomely frozen in the ice two female cops are called on to solve the mystery. Their work soon must explain the long ago murder of an indigenous woman investigating the harm the research station was doing to their environment. Jodie Foster stars as an embittered law officer now working with her adversary an indigenous policewoman.

CRIMINAL RECORD finds two detectives pitted against each other. They’re working on associated cases, one having to do with a 911 call of a woman fearful that her boyfriend will kill her. But in that call she also reveals that a man in prison for killing his girlfriend is innocent. The two detectives are very different kinds of cops. One is middle aged, old school and believes the end justifies the means. The other, a young African American woman, refuses to accept the  questionable tactics that have riddled the police force.     FISK- In this Australian workplace comedy Helen Tudor Fisk, a middle-aged recently divorced lawyer tries to jumpstart her life. She’s bright, and well-meaning but a bit of a hot mess whose entire work wardrobe consists of 3 identical mud brown pants suits. Not much of a people person Fisk was formerly a contract lawyer. But now she faces challenges when she joins a tiny law firm specializing in wills. Here she’s forced not only to interact with eccentric clients but also to navigate the 3 person law firm where her colleagues are as much of a challenge as her clients.   DETECTIVE FORST- Detective Forst, an unconventional Polish detective, is called to a small mountain community where a series of bizarre, bloody murders are taking place. It all points to a serial killer but these murders also dredge up nightmares which seem to lead to a secret cabal of town elders who might have been Nazi collaboraters. The gruesome crimes also might have links to dark parts of Forst’s own childhood that he has tried to forget.

ANNIKA A quirky female detective must solve murders around Glasgow Scotland. Breaking the 4th wall, she shares her unvarnished views on subjects sparked by her investigations, including Moby Dick, Shakespeare and Greek tragedy. Complicating her life are a sullen teenage daughter and her eclectic but accomplished team.  LITTLE BIRD This quiet drama chronicles the odyssey undertaken by Esther, a soft spoken Montreal Jewish lawyer from an indigenous background who, as a child, had been adopted by a caring Holocaust survivor. When she learns she had been forcibly taken from poor but loving parents, Esther sets out to find her original family which includes an older brother, sister and even a twin brother. Incorporating all the contradictory pieces of herself will become an intense challenge.  SHETLAND Ruth Chandler, a tough funny detective, is called back to her former Shetland Island home to help solve a mysterious murder. Partnering with local policewoman, Alison McIntosh, the duo faces obstacles stemming from the murder’s ties to a powerful local family who don’t want their many secrets known. 

In LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY, set in the 50s,  a talented young female would-be chemist battles a male dominated science world while trying to make her way professionally and raise a daughter. Unexpectedly she gains  fame when she hosts a cooking show.  Interview with LESSONS IN CHEMISTY costume designer for, Mirren Gordon-Crozier, whose credits also includon WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, BURIAL and THE GLASS CASTLE. In 30 COINS, a thriller/ horror film/ romance, several unlikely allies join together to find the 30 coins that Judas was paid to betray Jesus. The coins  have magical powers which an evil cabal of corrupt Vatican officials and unscrupulous billionaires hope to use to destroy the world and recreate it to their liking. 

The Sixth Commandment based on a true crime is set in an idyllic English town. Peter, a lonely, closeted and devout gay professor, meets Ben, a charming, equally devout, young and handsome student who seems to fall in love with Peter, even moving into his home. And then Peter dies, leaving his estate to Ben who now ingratiates himself into the life of Peter's neighbor, Ann, another senior citizen and retired academic. She too dies, leaving Ben her estate. What’s wrong with this picture. In Nada, a jolly, but spoiled Argentinian restaurant critic finds his life out of control when his loyal housekeeper  dies. A young Paraguyan woman he hires turns his life upside down as she  helps him learn the real value of much he has taken for granted.

“LUPIN” brings back Assane, a master thief and disguises who has adopted the persona of the much beloved hero of  a series of crime novels. Previously it was thought Lupin had died but In this Third season he returns to Paris very much alive. He must use all his skills to combat a vengeful specter from his past who not only kidnaps Assane’s long-lost mother but also threatens his wife and beloved teenage son..  “DON'T LEAVE ME” is set in Venice, very much a character in this mystery thriller. After years away, Elena returns to Venice  intent on taking down an international network trafficking in human slaves. To unravel this mystery she enlists the help of her former lover, a local detective now happily married to Elena’s one-time best friend. In facing her past Elena must also confront a dark secret she has been harboring.  “Extraordinary”  takes us on a journey into a London in the not-so-distant future where everyone is born with a superpower which surfaces in their teens. The powers are not the usual kind. One boy can move through walls, another one can induce an orgasm just by touching someone and another can jump time. However Jen is frustrated because, even at 25, she has not found her superpower. Her best friend joins in a quest to jumpstart Jennifer’s superpower all while the two girls are navigating the ordinary struggles of dating, lack-luster jobs and annoying parents. 

In SLEEPING DOG, Mike Atlas, a once successful cop, is sleeping on the streets, estranged from his family and haunted by having been unable to prevent  a terrorist attack.   But something jumpstarts the traumatized Mike when the brother of a wrongfully accused convict tries to make sense of his brother's questionable prison suicide.   In RIVER, an emotionally withdrawn  detective  has recently witnessed his beloved partner’s murder. He’s determined to find her killer. And he’s helped by the fact that his beloved partner continues to speak to him, even though she’s deceased.  In DEAR CHILD, a woman and young girl escape from what appears to be captivity imposed by an unknown man. The woman matches the description of someone missing for years. But it turns out it’s not her. Yet the daughter does belong to the missing woman. As does a still undiscovered young boy. Unraveling this mystery is a dark journey.

Queen of the South- La Reyna del Sur- In this Mexican action drama, a poor but gorgeous young woman falls in love with the wrong guy and winds up running from a drug cartel. Then using her wits, she becomes the head of her own drug cartel. Lots of over-the-top violence, treachery, romance and some gorgeous costuming. It’s a tele-novella with great production values. Hijack-In a word. Idris Elba. He plays a tough successful business ‘fixer’ type who’s on a plane hijacked by a determined gang of lackeys for 2 imprisoned gang lords. At stake? Freeing the gang lords while tumbling Britain’s financial market.   Norsemen- Think a witty mocumentary look at a grubby 8th century Viking village. However, these tough warrior types tackle the day-to-day struggles of clan politics, romantic rivalries, and slave management with very 21st century style. There are malcontent slaves who go on strike and a chieftain’s pretentious brother who insists on creating an art installation using up the armaments of the entire village. It’s a Monty python-esque take on a culture whose idea of entertainment is pillaging their neighbors. 

THE HOUR, a two season drama set in the 1950s, looks at the lives and loves of three journalists working for the BBC as  they create The Hour, a new kind of show for that time…a 60 Minutes with real investigative reporting. Both seasons interweave world-shaping events such as the Suez Canal and the establishment of nuclear bases in England. As The Hour is created there is romance, murder and of course sharp humor. BLACK MIRROR is  an anthology series combining  reality, fantasy and solid drama, all based just enough in real life to make them deeply disturbing.  Sometimes they’re funny, sometimes, whimsical but most often they offer a  dystopian view of society  whether set in the past, present or future.  HAPPY VALLEY, the last in a three part series,  chronicles the final days on the job of a feisty, but weary policewoman who refuses to compromise in her efforts to protect her teenage grandson against the efforts of his charming, devious and psychopathic father who has probably caused the teen's mother's death. The father,  now in prison, wants to bond with the son, an effort which is entangled with the father's scheme to escape his time in prison. 

GHOSTS OF BEIRUT-  a spy thriller about the US and Israel joint operation to eliminate a brilliant terrorist who was responsible for the murders of hundreds, if not thousands, of people, both citizens, diplomats and military alike, who he saw as combatants in the battle for control of, not only Israel and Palestine, but of the Middle East. THE RESTAURANT- the saga of the owners and staff of an upscale  family-owned Swedish restaurant as both restaurant and personnel adjust to the changes starting  after World War 11, through the 50s and ending in the late 60s. it's a "Downton Abbey" format with characters who all must evolve as the world experiences  political and social upheavals. A SMALL LIGHT- This heart-felt drama tells the real-life story of Miep Gies, the determined young woman who, for 2 years, successfully hid Anne Frank and her family and friends in the attic of Anne's father, Otto Frank's business. At its heart, it's the coming- of-age story of the resourceful Miep who takes on the dangerous task of  caring for the hidden group while she also finds love, helps run Otto's business and deals with the trauma of living in a Nazi-occupied Amsterdam

Sherwood is a murder mystery based on real events in Nottinghamshire England but the roots to the drama lie in the miners’ strike of 1983 which  created a bitter rift in the community. When the leader of one of the previously warring factions is killed, decades-old rivalries and resentment leads to a final reckoning for the entire town. Drops of God pits a young man and woman against each other as they battle to win three contests created to test their wine expertise. The prize? A wine collection worth a fortune. The French woman is the estranged daughter of the contest creater, a now deceased wine expert. Her opponent is a wealthy young man who was the wine expert’s protegee. Set in Tokyo and the French and Italian wine country, the scenery is gorgeous and it’s a crash course in understanding what makes the business of wine, for many, so compelling.   Liasons-Two Syrian hackers uncover a plot to control the Western world through hacking into everyone’s security systems. It’s up to Gabriel, a French mercenary and his former lover Allison, now a political heavy-weight, to reunite and rescue the hackers who can help prevent the dreaded hack. But the ex-lovers also must uncover the powerful cabal who seek to control the politics throughout Europe.