Just in case anybody is looking for a great series with no padding (and has actually been written by talented writers rather than just made up on the spot) - here are two recommendations that you won't regret:
Mr Inbetween (all three seasons - 25 minute short episodes that pack more depth and character than an entire season of Netflix) - Ray Shoesmith is not your average "hitman".
Fargo seasons 1 to 3 (series 3 is my favorite due to the villain though season 1's Billy Bob Thornton's villain was also amazing).
I am not a "film snob" but I totally gave up on Netflix around the time Hannibal came out (the series). I watched the first series and it was okay - mainly due to the actors. Story was a little muddled but appeared relatively well made. Then came series 2 - terrible. Yes some good set-pieces but on the whole weak. I later read about how the makers of Hannibal had been under such pressure and time constraints that they were literally (here it comes) making it up as they went along. So gone are the days of carefully drafted and approved scripts - story-boarding etc. - it's just a bunch of low talent demographically selected people making stuff up on the fly! And it's funny because I felt that while watching series 2. Netflix is poison to movie-making. Most of their series are literally 90% padding. Now hear this - I watched a great series on a different streaming service called "Mr In-between" - wow. Clearly well written and 25 minute episodes crammed that were so tight. Amazing! After watching that (I binged all three seasons) I can never watch generic "series" again. After experiencing Mr In-between's sharp, well written and extremely concise 25 minute episodes (with zero padding) and I now "see" all the pointless padding on Netflix et al. People are literally wasting their lives/time watching that garbage.
I love this too. Been trying to understand why Netflix movies are so forgettable. Unlike movies of yesteryear, I can't recall the plots of these algorithm films one month after watching them.
Just in case anybody is looking for a great series with no padding (and has actually been written by talented writers rather than just made up on the spot) - here are two recommendations that you won't regret:
Mr Inbetween (all three seasons - 25 minute short episodes that pack more depth and character than an entire season of Netflix) - Ray Shoesmith is not your average "hitman".
Fargo seasons 1 to 3 (series 3 is my favorite due to the villain though season 1's Billy Bob Thornton's villain was also amazing).
Please add if you have any more recommendations.
I am not a "film snob" but I totally gave up on Netflix around the time Hannibal came out (the series). I watched the first series and it was okay - mainly due to the actors. Story was a little muddled but appeared relatively well made. Then came series 2 - terrible. Yes some good set-pieces but on the whole weak. I later read about how the makers of Hannibal had been under such pressure and time constraints that they were literally (here it comes) making it up as they went along. So gone are the days of carefully drafted and approved scripts - story-boarding etc. - it's just a bunch of low talent demographically selected people making stuff up on the fly! And it's funny because I felt that while watching series 2. Netflix is poison to movie-making. Most of their series are literally 90% padding. Now hear this - I watched a great series on a different streaming service called "Mr In-between" - wow. Clearly well written and 25 minute episodes crammed that were so tight. Amazing! After watching that (I binged all three seasons) I can never watch generic "series" again. After experiencing Mr In-between's sharp, well written and extremely concise 25 minute episodes (with zero padding) and I now "see" all the pointless padding on Netflix et al. People are literally wasting their lives/time watching that garbage.
I love this too. Been trying to understand why Netflix movies are so forgettable. Unlike movies of yesteryear, I can't recall the plots of these algorithm films one month after watching them.
I love this post! It's like you read my mind with your analysis :D
Strong essay.
When I watch a lot of these movies on Netflix I can't help but wonder how much better they would have been if they just hired a writer.