Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

May 29, 2023: Recommend me a binge-worthy series with fewer than 50 episodes that was produced in the last 5 years and is in the same league as The Sopranos, The Shield, and Breaking Bad!

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I really wanted to keep it within a specific budget range, and that seems unlikely so, at this point, I can either scrap it or consider a different shooting location – maybe Bulgaria or Serbia? Ā What are the tax credits in Yemen like?

Received feedback on the second issue of my horror comic. Ā So far, so good. Ā Will stand by for further notes before revising and moving on to issue #3. Ā Meanwhile, I await word on some other comic book projects.

Two-thirds of the way through my new pilot. Ā In this one, I take a stab at the mystery genre. Ā It’s a salute to shows like Murder She Wrote and the joyously wide-ranging sub-genres from cozy mysteries to furry sleuths.

When I finish this pilot, I’d like to take a break to binge watch a fantastic series. Ā Recommend me something fantastic along the lines of other shows I’ve enjoyed – The Sopranos, The Wire, Rome, Breaking Bad. Ā Preferably something that has completed its run, has less than 50 episodes, and aired within the last five years or so.

I’ve been unusually popular on twitter of late:

Today’s Yes/No…

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8 responses

  1. DP Avatar
    DP

    The Extraordinary Attorney Woo. It’s way less than 50 episodes but not as intense as your examples.

    Reply
  2. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    If you contacted that person, you’d be engaged in a few short days. Nevermind Akemi. Of course you would have to fly to Nigeria to met and marry. Have you told her yet you are of British nobility or a filthy rich tycoon (hence the name Baron)?

    Reply
  3. Rebecca Avatar
    Rebecca

    Not sure you have (or want) PEACOCK streaming services in Canada but, kind of in line with Murder She Wrote and Columbo, I have enjoyed the first season of ā€œPoker Face.ā€ I like the style but was a bit confused the first two episodes. It usually starts with the murder and surrounding circumstances. Then it backs up to introduce the main character, Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) and how she fits into the murder. Anyway, I love thrillers and murder mysteries. You might like it, too.

    Reply
  4. Marc D Avatar
    Marc D

    Halt and Catch Fire (2014-17) is one of the strongest dramas from the last 10 years or so. First season is fine but fairly unremarkable (Mad Men in the 80s with a cipher of a main character that we probably don’t care about as much as the show wants us to), but they pivot in season two and it becomes something really special. All of the performances are very strong (especially Mackenzie Davis) and the show absolutely sticks the landing. 40 episodes total. Can’t recommend this show enough (even if it’s a touch outside of the “within the last five years” requirement!).

    Otherwise, Ozark (2017-22) is probably the most similar to the shows you mentioned and comes in at 44 episodes. Some really strong individual performances, although the overall package is nothing that probably hasn’t been executed a bit better elsewhere.

    Mr. Robot (2015-19, 45 episodes) and Barry (2018-23, 32 episodes) are also strong considerations; Barry in particular is a really strong refinement of what Breaking Bad did, with a more interesting balance of humor/drama and almost all of the fat trimmed out.

    Reply
  5. Line Noise Avatar
    Line Noise

    I assume you saw “The Last Of Us”. That show was tight!

    Unfortunately your list of shows are all of a genre I don’t usually watch so I can’t recommend anything along those lines. But this is the Internet so I’ll just throw out a recommendation for my favourite show, “Chuck”. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_(TV_series) ) At 91 episodes and over 10 years old it doesn’t meet any of your criteria other than it is complete and the ending is controversial enough that fans still discuss it today.

    Reply
  6. Darlene Avatar
    Darlene

    Under the Banner of Heaven. Currently on Starz/Disney+. Seven episodes based on the true crime book by Jon Krakauer. Itā€™s been slightly fictionalized because the police Captain didnā€™t want to live through the trauma of the case again so the main character has been divided in two: the card carrying Mormon detective and an atheist Ute detective, which allows the Mormon detective to have a crisis of faith while he tries to solve the murders. I canā€™t recommend this enough. I wish there could be a season 2 based on the two detectives but that would trivialize the real life deaths. Itā€™s been compared to the first season of True Detectives with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harelson which is also excellent.

    Reply
  7. Winst Avatar
    Winst

    A really GREAT series.

    Mr. Inbetween: Australia’s Hidden Masterpiece

    Reply
  8. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    That email exchange reminds me of a friend that passed recently (brain tumor). When we worked together Martha kept getting these wrong numbers. “Is Joe there?” “There’s no Joe here, you have the wrong number”.
    Martha kept getting these calls every day! She had a wicked sense of humor, so she started answering with “Joe’s dead”. Or “Joe moved to Alaska to race dog sleds”. “Joe’s in jail for murder”. You get the gist? Anyway, the caller kept egging her on. We had no idea who the caller was but they kept this going for months. Good times.

    I’ve been racking my brain for shows but we’ve been watching older shows: Bones, Grim, Everybody Loves Raymond, Malcom In the Middle (If you haven’t seen that show, you must!) Eureka and Big Bang Theory. Those are way out of your parameters.
    Bosch was a great mystery show but it was around 70 episodes (I haven’t seen the final season yet).
    Wheel of Time on Amazon is good but it’s not a compete series.
    If you find any good ones, let US know!

    Reply

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