The algorithm optimises for engagement rather than quality. Here’s what’s actually excellent right now.
On Prime Video: Fallout (Series 1) — Just Watch It
One of the best video game adaptations I’ve ever seen — and that holds even if you’ve never played the games. Genuinely funny in a dark way, extraordinary production design. Eight episodes. A weekend. Easy recommendation.
On Netflix: Adolescence — Difficult but Extraordinary
British limited series about a 13-year-old boy arrested for murder. Shot in unbroken long takes — the camera never cuts. Creates an intimacy unlike normal television. Stayed with me more than almost anything else I’ve watched this year.
Older Stuff Worth Digging Out
Slow Horses (Apple TV+) — the best spy drama on television, criminally underrated. Succession (HBO) — the best drama series of the last decade. The Bear (FX) — intense, kinetic, genuinely excellent.
