One of the complains about the new streaming entertainment world is that it removes the collective experience of everyone watching the same programme on telly the night before then discussing it. At least in the international world I tend to live in that was never much of an option and instead it is a common topic of conversation now when I meet with people around the world to discuss the best series from the world of media. So allow me to recommend a couple which seem to have missed many people’s conciousness.
On the original streaming media site BBC iPlayer radio there’s a whole new 6th series of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. 40 years in the making and still full of whimsical understated comedy about life. And best of all they’re repeating the 1st, 2nd and just started 3rd series of the show.
Back in telly land I was reluctant to pay money for the privilage of spending my life watching telly but a student discount made Amazon Prime a tempting offer for my girlfriend. I discovered Black Sails which is the best telly I’ve ever seen. A prequal to Scottish classic Treasure Island with Captain Flint (who you’ll remember only appears in the original book as a parrot) and John Silver, it impressively mixes in real life pirates from 18th century Carribean. The production qualities are superb, filming on water is always expensive (see Water World or Titanic or even Lost) and here they had to recreate several near full-size sailing boats. The plotting is ideal with allegiances changing every episode or two in a mostly plausable way. And it successfully ends before running out of energy. I’m a fan.
Meanwhile on Netflix I wasn’t especially interested in the new Star Trek but it turns out to include space tardegrades and therefor became much more exciting.