So... Watched a lot of stuff on Netflix recently.
Watched all of Altered Carbon, despite its many problems, but doubt I'll bother with the second season given how derivative, cliched and dull they made the "resolution" of this seasons story; what makes it really disappointing is the flashes of brilliance (The Raven / Poe; Ortega's grandmother) in the adaptation that seem weirdly at odds with the other, dim-witted changes to tedious cliche elsewhere.
Similarly, Star Trek Discovery by turns bored, irritated and occasionally delighted me. The plot was mostly awful (rushed, stupid, frequently both), the characters frequently confused in conception and inconsistent in execution... but it looked gorgeous, it had a couple of strong episodes (the second Mudd one in particular) and many great moments and by the end both Saru and Tilly were great characters. Never managed to understand or read enough of what the Klingons were muttering / barking behind their several pounds of latex to care about them or take them seriously though...
The Dark on Netflix is... intriguing. The dubbing is occasionally irritating, but generally solid, and the intricate loops and recursions of the plot are fascinating, but it didn't feel like it really went anywhere in the end. But I'll look out for a second season.
Finally saw Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets - dear old Luc Besson, always bonkers, always wildly inventive and visually arresting, and occasionally can string together a compelling yarn. Much better than Lucy (which was pretty but mind-mumblingly predictable and stupid in concept), but still a little bit childish.
Guardians - the Russian superhero thing. Don't. Just don't.
The Dark Tower - perfectly workmanlike, bit generic. Solid if not spectacular performances from the leads (Elba, McConaughey, Taylor). And I've never read the books, but still felt a little flat and uninspiring.
Second season of the BBC America Dirk Gently's Holisitc Detective Agency - loved it from start to finish; gloriously weird, inventive and builds on what was done on the first season; captures the feel of the source material whilst strongly charting its own course. An unlike a LOT of Netflix shows (Marvel in particular) doesn't feel too long. Gutted its been cancelled and likely won't get the third season it deserved.
Sometime in the last year or so, I stopped watching ANY direct broadcast TV. I watch Amazon Prime, Netflix, stuff off iTunes or BBC iPlayer / the all4 App - but never ACTUAL broadcast TV. Even stuff like the F1 or Grand Designs, I watched last year on my digital platform of choice (my Apple TV).
Cheers,
Nick