When Netflix announced they were making a documentary series about tennis, similar to their work focused on Formula One in Drive to Survive, I was intrigued. I didn’t watch the motorsport one, having spent too much of my time already watching that sport, but people seemed to think it did a good job telling the stories behind the races, and even non-F1 fans were raving about it. Imagine if they could do the same thing for tennis!

Recently, I’ve really struggled to find a TV show that grabs me and keeps me interested and also sits outside of the Apple TV+ catalogue. I’ve talked at length about how great their shows are and for whatever reason, despite there being so much (too much?) choice out there, I’ve barely been able to get past the first episode of anything. I was starting to wonder if the quality of Apple’s shows hadn’t ruined other TV for me!

As soon as it hit December, I restarted my Netflix subscription, because there’s no way I was going to miss out on all those cheesy Christmas movies. However, the bonus alongside festive treats is catching up on the big series’ that were released over the last six months that I have fallen behind on. Starting with the final ever series of Orange is the New Black, bringing to a close the show that was one of the OG Netflix Originals.

I’ve recently started catching up on podcasts again, and this time I’ve discovered Rene Ritchie’s Vector. It’s officially a YouTube show, covering the latest news and insights into the world of Apple and technology, but there’s also an audio-only podcast which is my preferred method. As I’m a little behind, I was listening to the shows released around WWDC, and this episode about the new tvOS caught my attention. Specifically this bit towards the very beginning:

I’m sure I’m not alone in picking this book up after enjoying the Netflix adaptation, and I’m also sure I’m not alone in being surprised how different the story was to the visual feast. It’s a completely different set up, not a family at all but a disparate set of people drawn together in curiosity about the supposed hauntings of said Hill House.

I recently finished watching Russian Doll on Netflix, the show created by Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler, featuring the former as Nadia who relives the same night over and over. It’s Groundhog Day-style drama and although it was a bit of a rollercoaster to get there, by the end, I really loved it. Here are a few thoughts: The good thing about reliving the same time period over and over is that makes it essentially time travel and we all know that’s my favourite genre.

I was aware of the hype surrounding Netflix’s recent horror offering, The Haunting of Hill House, but I wasn’t sure I was prepared for it. I quite like a good horror but haven’t watched anything in that genre for such a long time, I’ll be honest, I was a bit nervous about my nerves. However, a friend recommended it and thus I was convinced to at least give it a go.

Credit: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock.com I’m pretty in love with Tina Fey as it goes, but watching her episode of the David Letterman Netflix interview show only served to make me love her more. She talks sense, she’s eloquent, confident but modest and a bit of a comedy genius, what’s not to like? Two highlights from the show, but make sure you watch the whole thing if you can. On being a woman in comedy and how the culture is starting to change:

Earlier this year, I wrote up some thoughts on Netflix original content, and having just finished up yet another fabulous Netflix series, thought I would post an update. One Day at a Time (series 1) I don’t know the original show that this was based on, and by all accounts it’s different enough to not matter, but I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The Cuban family dynamic is one quite alien to me, but actually it draws you in pretty quickly, and you start to really feel for the characters.

Every time I finish watching a Netflix original show, I keep thinking I should write about it and then I never do. So gathered here are some thoughts on the things I have watched over the last few months, probably in reverse order. 13 Reasons Why Lots of fuss about this one and I can see why. It is surprisingly graphic in content, and tells a depressing story from start to finish.