Binge-r #264: 10 Shows the Algorithm Ignores
Mother and Son: Sissy Spacek (Sally) and Ben Mendelsohn (Danny) in Netflix’s Bloodline
A note from your fellow binger: Hello, I was reminded this week that it’s well over six years since Netflix and Stan launched in Australia. That is not just a long time, it’s an absolute deluge of shows. I can’t fully explain how the recommendations on streaming services work (or perhaps should work), but I’m fairly certain that some excellent series don’t make it to your home page. The 10 titles below are all worthy and are all – based on people’s surprise when I suggest them – ignored to some degree by the algorithm. If you’re stuck for a new binge, consider them this weekend. As ever, thanks for reading, CM.
AMERICAN VANDAL
A school true crime satire that is sharply funny and warmly generous (Netflix, two seasons)
“Played with a sublimely straight face, this high school mockumentary is both a celebration of dick jokes and a canny satire of the true crime documentary… This is Beavis and Butt-Head meets Serial, and somehow that makes for a genuinely surprising comic success.” [full review in BINGE-R #105]
BLOODLINE
Ben Mendelsohn is remarkable amidst a familial crime thriller (Netflix, three seasons)
“A drama that is compelling because it captures the accumulated anguish of a fractured family and distils it into television’s most potent forms: the glance that signifies hope’s bitter dispersal, the despairing conversation that can’t bridge a divide, and the lie that both people know is being uttered.” [full review in BINGE-R #8]
DERRY GIRLS
Uproarious comedy about teens in a 1990s Northern Ireland backwater (Netflix, two seasons)
“There are British army checkpoints on the streets and bomb scares on the news, but the real crises are boys, looming exams, and being banned from the beloved local chippy by the dictatorial owner. Life goes on in this near period piece, but with insults, wild boasts, and over-excited mishaps instead of resilience and dignity.” [full review in BINGE-R #121]
ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA
A detailed and empathetic prison break drama (Stan, one season)
“A real life drama as much about the weight of incarceration as the lure of breaking free, Escape at Dannemora begins not with the escaped prisoners – Richard Matt (Benicio del Toro) and David Sweat (Paul Dano) – who worked their way out of maximum security, but the woman they left behind, jail employee Joyce ‘Tilly’ Mitchell (Patricia Arquette).” [full review in BINGE-R #114]
FLOWERS
Wrenching, wonderful and wildly original British comedy (Netflix, two seasons)
“Everything it puts in place ties together in a bittersweet finale that invokes family history and the very real feeling of trying to get back what you don’t remember losing. In turn it’s hilarious, grotesque, moving, and outlandish – Flowers really is a singular viewing experience.” [full review in BINGE-R #147]
Let’s Stick Together: Fred Armisen (Oscar) and Maya Rudolph (June) in Amazon’s Forever
FOREVER
A couple’s relationship gets tested in fantastical ways (Amazon Prime, one season)
“It has a barbed sense of humour that turns minor circumstances into spiky eruptions, and the show is a terrific showcase for [Maya] Rudolph, so often the hilarious supporting player or note perfect guest star.” [full review in BINGE-R #106]
THE LITTLE DRUMMER GIRL
Korean master Park Chan-wook directs Florence Pugh and Michael Shannon (Stan, one season)
“Adapted from John le Carre’s 1983 novel about an Israeli operation to infiltrate a Palestinian terror cell undertaking bombings across Europe, The Little Drummer Girl is a taut reworking not just of the novel, but the espionage genre itself.” [full review in BINGE-R #176]
LODGE 49
Bittersweet and philosophical drama about belonging (Amazon Prime, one season)
“Set in Long Beach, California, where the future appears to be shutting down … the show is cosmically unhinged and ambitious, but it never flaunts its eccentricities and is often funny. Have patience, it’s an original.” [full review in BINGE-R #121]
SHRILL
The optimism of change and a smart eye make this comedy telling (SBS on Demand, three seasons)
“Adapted from Lindy West’s 2016 non-fiction book Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, the series has an optimistic feel for change that suits [Aidy] Bryant’s performance. The writing room allows for assertion and discovery to take root, not only with Annie but also the initially disappointing Ryan. It’s a deceptively lovely show: warm and funny, astute and defiant. [full review in BINGE-R #155]
THIS COUNTRY
The lives of two eccentric British cousins becomes a comedy masterclass (Stan, three seasons)
“A sometimes hilarious mockumentary about the lack of options for two young people in a rural village, it’s founded on granular detail and wilful eccentricities. The model at work is The Office, but it’s more wayward and carried by mood.” [full review in BINGE-R #197]
>> Missed the last BINGE-R? Click here to check out Netflix picking up the compelling missing child thriller The Cry and Paramount+’s raunchy Australian comedy Spreadsheet.
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>> Check the complete BINGE-R archive: 348 series reviewed here, 162 movies reviewed here, and 41 lists compiled here.
