wooozie

By far the best comedy series of all time. I don't know how the rest of you passed the time during the first spring coronavirus wave, but what I did during those otherwise boring weeks and months was binge-watch all 9 seasons of The Office. I'd compare the experience to finding an oil field in a desert, but instead of oil, pure comedy gold was pouring out of the rig. I love humor based on awkward situations which is why I loved the British original, but it wasn't until the American remake that the sitcom, in the form of a mockumentary set in an office environment, really lived up to its full potential. A perfect cast, where Steve Carell stands out in particular. He is, hands down, an absolute genius. Most importantly, the legacy of this series lives on even after all these years. If any piece of pop culture can be considered a truly bottomless source of memes, it is the American version of The Office. S01: 10/10. S02: 10/10. S03: 10/10. S04: 10/10. S05: 10/10. S06: 10/10. S07: 10/10. S08: 10/10. S09: 10/10.

Stranger Things is an absolutely delightful experience, even for someone like me who doesn't exactly live and breathe mysterious stories. Perfect retro chilling atmosphere underscored by an excellent soundtrack, endless number of cultural references and a group of kids who are simply amazing. Especially the beginning of the season is as if from another world, owing to the absolutely awesome Millie Bobby Brown who can convey the almost impossible without even saying a word. A gem of a series that will get you completely hooked. S01: 10/10. In the second season, the authors follow the established trend from the second half of the first season. The story drops some of its mystery and logically builds up on the previous plot. And it does so incredibly well. In other words, everything I raved about in my review of the first season also applies to the second one. A great story with a brilliant atmosphere, an awesome soundtrack and the best bunch of central characters you will find in any current series. I would only like to highlight Gaten Matarazzo in the role of Dustin, who was actually the coolest kid of the whole group in the first season. Here he stands out even more strikingly, pulling off the role of a guy with the most one-liners I remember from any series I’ve seen. Things might not be as emotional in this season as in the first emotionally-charged one, but then again, it is much more action-packed, gripping and epic. The whole seemingly ordinary conclusion about the transition from childhood to early adolescence does have an emotional pull. I think we can all agree that Stranger Things has already become a cult classic. S02: 10/10. Even for the third time, it works to perfection. Mysticism, adolescence, Russian agents. Right up my alley again with an awesome soundtrack and visuals. I absolutely love this show. We can be heroes ... just for one day. S03: 10/10.

Breaking Bad is a series that is beyond reproach. A perfect story with brilliant acting, completely unpredictable and, most importantly, perfectionist in every detail. Emotions were stirring in me after almost every episode. I didn't even know who to (shall we say) root for, because there are no good guys in the story, or there are, but the rate at which Walter White drags them down to darkness is unbelievable. There’s a very thin line between good and evil here, and it just blows your mind to see Walter White turn from an ordinary, humble guy into a complete monster, realizing that life can be too damn short, so he’d better enjoy his last months without taking any shit from anybody, and finally be the one in charge. The final episodes of each season are absolutely perfect, but I could watch the episode about the train heist every day. I don't know what else to add. No other show on TV comes even close to Breaking Bad in terms of story sophistication. S01: 9/10. S02: 9/10. S03: 10/10. S04: 10/10. S05: 10/10.

Rick and Morty go way beyond insanity and fun combined. Great humor, some crazy genius stuff, no punches pulled, breaking down the fourth wall, existential questions and some absolutely mind-blowing moments that almost make you reflect on the meaning of life. Nothing as complex has been here before, and no matter how crazy or ridiculously bizarre thing happens, it won't be forgotten in the following episodes. In fact, it often serves as the next starting point. S01: 10/10. S02: 10/10. S03: 9/10. S04: 8/10.

Countless teen series of varying quality have been filmed. And then there's Freaks and Geeks. An excellent series with a perfect atmosphere and an unrivaled soundtrack. A series that isn't afraid of any topic, does not offer only happy endings and has discovered a ridiculous number of future movie stars for Hollywood. I can see why it literally has a cult status in the US today.

I finally decided to catch up on another series I had missed and started watching Dexter. After only the first season, hats off, because it has already managed to become one of my favorites, maybe even the most favorite. Anyway, we’ll see if the following seasons will hold up to the standard. Although mentioned many times, the brilliant screenplay and awesome Michael C. Hall literally glued me to this series, and I can’t wait to watch the next season. S01: 10/10. The second season is also great, but it has a slightly weaker story than the first one and has some occasional illogicalities. Nevertheless, it’s still one of the best series ever. S02: 9.5/10. Miguel Fucking Prado. What to add, an awesome third season. S03: 10/10. If I should define a perfect series, then after the fourth season, it’s clearly Dexter. Trinity killer and the whole plot around him is really incredible. What an ending. S04: 10/10. What to add concerning the fifth season? The bar was clearly set high in the preceding seasons, but it is still beyond reproach. S05: 10/10. Dexter just can’t get enough, and the sixth season is as brilliant as the previous ones and the way it raises questions about life and religion, is mind-blowing. And the ending? “I am a father, a son, a serial killer."  S06: 10/10. After the seventh season, I have to say that I’m amazed by how Dexter can still maintain such high quality. Being chased by the Ukrainian mafia may not be such a strong premise as another serial killer, yet I absolutely devour this series and, despite it being illogical at times, it's still thrilling. And just like all of the season finales, this one is just as brilliant. S07: 10/10. I devoured all 7 seasons of Dexter, regardless of any predictabilities or illogicalities. Unfortunately, in the last season, they are way too striking. Admittedly, the eighth season is the weakest one. It's still great at the beginning, the dark atmosphere from the end of the seventh season was perfectly transferred to the next one. But then it gets worse, and I imagined a diametrically different ending. Overall, the tying up of some of the storylines is, let's say, a little peculiar. What's missing here is the perspective of a serial killer’s detachment from the world of other people and Dexter’s typical black humor has almost disappeared. “Another morning, another body. Miami makes more corpses than sunburns.” S08: 7/10 What to add? I'm happy for every minute I got to spend with Dexter, a series that approached the limit of perfection. Often overlooked, yet a great performance throughout the series was delivered by Jennifer Carpenter. And if I am to choose the best season, it's definitely the first one. A strong story, no feelings, emotions, commitments, just Dexter and “Tonight's the night”.

A sitcom that can be enjoyed by almost any generation. Above-standard entertainment, with especially the first three or four seasons being absolutely perfect. However, over time, starting around the sixth season, the series drops down to an average. It can’t avoid the common pitfalls facing any contemporary series, that is, attempts at character development, while excessively stretching out the plot. The negatives are, however, outweighed by the positive impression that these five best friends from Manhattan managed to leave on me. To borrow a catchphrase from Barney, I'd call those nine years during which not only the characters went through changes, but so did I, truly legendary.

Phenomenal! I had my doubts at first, but it turned out to be absolutely brilliant. Although it sounds quite unlikely (a cartoon series about an anthropomorphic world in which the main character is a horse, a former TV star who has turned into a complete wreck), it’s one of the truest analogies of practically every aspect of life. Life can be fun, but it can also be a real bitch. Some episodes are pure depression that will bring you down in unprecedented ways (the dinner party with Herb, the half-hour eulogy at the funeral, the big fight with Todd (fu*k man...), the episode in BoJack's head (stupid piece of sh*t), the way towards death). These are moments where the show reaches the absolute top of quality TV. Sarah Lynn's demise (and everything around it) is such an emotional blast that it goes even beyond the top of the genre. To put this into perspective, what Breaking Bad is to live-action series, BoJack Horseman is to animated ones... obviously. S01: 9/10. S02: 8/10. S03: 10/10. S04: 10/10. S05: 10/10. S06: 10/10.