Journalist Daniel Fienberg wrote the following in the The Hollywood Reporter: “The limited film series stole the spotlight in last month’s Emmys. It’s time to give pride of place to the limited film series.” 

A film series can be an extraordinarily entertaining experience:  it can cover complex subjects that require a great deal of exposition and it can explain the motivations of the characters more fully.  The film series is now booming because of streaming. Streaming gives  viewers the opportunity to watch the entire series in one sitting (binging) or watching one episode at a time.  Lastly, it’s so convenient: it can be watched at home or on most major devices.  

Selecting my favorite film series was a difficult process. Anyway, here they are, broken down by category:

History (Fictionalized):

Crime & Corruption:

Drama:

Political Scandal:

Espionage:

Religious Repression:

Criminal Behavior:

Cold War Spying:

DocuSeries:

Random Thoughts About This and That

New York restaurants are campaigning for permission to tack on a 10% surcharge  to cover pandemic losses. Will movie theaters do the same?…It’s inevitable. New streaming channels will pop up offering live performances of Broadway shows, opera, and ballet. If you like theater, a must right now is subscribing to Broadway HD and PBS Passport… The entire film industry is watching the results of Disney+ decision to stream Mulan. The cost is $29.99, which isn’t bad if you figure that many can watch the film at the same time…On the other hand, Sony chose to release Tenet in theaters. The results, so far,  are disappointing…IndieWire took a poll asking viewers how they would spend $40 a month on streaming services. Nine out of ten chose Netflix…Americans spent an average of $37 in March on streaming services, up from $30 in November. It’s probably closer to $40 a month today…I highly recommend the book The Nightmare Years: 1930-1940 by William Shirer. He was a journalist based in Berlin reporting the terrifying rise of Hitler during this cataclysmic decade.