One of my new year resolutions is to spend a bit less on streaming services, which means I’m having to be a bit more judicious about when I watch certain things… and that I’m inevitably watching more on the free services like BBC and Channel 4. It does mean an increase in ad viewing as well, which is a downside, but at the moment, it’s worth the trade off. Here’s a roundup of recent viewing, which has covered quite a wide variety of shows!

A Man on the Inside

Ted Danson teams up with Michael Schur again for a comedy on Netflix about a retired guy who falls into private investigation and ends up at a retirement home to figure out a mystery. It’s a lot of fun, plenty of twists and turns and moving moments, family revelations and uncovering of the bigger plot. Danson charms his way off the screen, but I also really enjoyed Stephanie Beatriz’s performance as an over-worked manager just wanting to do the best she can.

Nobody Wants This

I started watching this ages ago and then sort of forgot about it, finally coming back to finish the last few episodes. It’s so good, the chemistry between the two leads and lots of great banter-y style dialogue. And it raises lots of interesting questions about faith and love and how the two interact with each other.

Seal Team, Season 7

I’ve watched Seal Team from the beginning so this is a band of brothers I’m very invested in, but I have to admit the last few series haven’t really sparkled the way the earlier ones did. Too much under the bridge, too much loss, and it feels like the stakes have all been faced already, so we were just going through the motions to get to the end. But at least everyone had a satisfying ending and I like to think these characters have gone on to live their best lives after some VERY difficult times!

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew

The first episode of this was interesting, the kids were fun and the mystery they were unravelling felt very like old school kid adventures of the past - ET and the like. But the next couple of episodes left me a bit flat so I had to power through to get to the end. It did have high spots, and I quite liked the complexity of Jude Law’s character, but I’m not sure that overall this was a winner for me.

The Acolyte

I realised whilst watching Skeleton Crew that I had never got around to watching this one, although the reviews weren’t great and it hasn’t been renewed. Nevertheless, I gave it a watch, and actually thought it was okay. Some very early Jedi stuff going on, and revelations about the Sith along the way. I didn’t mind it!

Dream Productions

Brilliant four part animated spin off from Inside Out, which follows the crew that make the dreams for Riley, and how they deal with her growing up and not needing the same thing from her dreams. As always with the Inside Out franchise, it hits so close to home and is so well done, it’s impossible not to love it. Plus, Richard Ayoade is great!

Lockerbie: A Search for Truth

Shamefully, I didn’t know a lot about the Lockerbie bombing, other than knowing it as the name of a tragedy in the not-too-distant past. This was an eye-opening series featuring a stellar performance from Colin Firth. I know it has been a bit controversial with others who lived through this tragedy, and you have to take it all with a pinch of salt as it’s from one person’s perspective, but it was a really well-made piece and a good education for me.

Highs and lows throughout the past few weeks then, and plenty more to come as I delve into the world of free-to-stream television!