Godless

Do you think that they haven't produced a decent western since "Lonesome Dove"? Well, IMO, Netflix has succeeded with "Godless".

Jeff Daniels ("The newsroom") plays the leader of an outlaw band that has robbed a train of a mine payroll and then slaughtered the entire town. One of his men steals the loot and takes off with it with the gang in hard pursuit. He escapes but is wounded and ends up at the farm of a widow played by Michelle Dockery (Remember her from Downton Abbey"?) She lives on the outskirts of a town populated almost entirely by women. The town got that way because all of the men died in a mine accident. The sheriff of the town is played by Scoot McNairy ("Halt and Catch Fire") who at first arrests the gunslinger but then goes off in search of the gang led by Jeff Daniels. His sister is the defacto mayor and is played by Merritt Wever ("Nurse Jackie" and "Walking Dead"). She has to  organize the defense of the town when Jeff Daniels realizes that the guy that stole his money is in the town.

The writers do a great job of character development using flashbacks to explain the history of each character and how they became who they are. It may seem a little confusing at first, but just bear in mind that all will be explained in due time.

The show runs for 7 one hour episodes. It is one of the best westerns I have watched in recent years.

Ozark

It's not often that I recommend a show on TV but "Ozark" is one. A Netflix production in 10 episodes, it stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney. Bateman plays an accountant who was laundering money for a drug cartel. When his partner was caught skimming and he had to talk fast to avoid being killed. His deal was to move to Lake of the Ozarks where he told the cartel boss he could easily launder millions plus pay back the money his partner stole.

But Missouri has a group of colorful characters that can be as dangerous as the cartel and he has to negotiate these people and a rogue FBI agent all while dealing with an unfaithful wife and teenage problems. It is thoroughly entertaining.

The Night Manager

Jonathan Pine is an Afghanistan war veteran who is hiding from the world as the night manager of a swanky Cairo hotel. He gets into a relationship with the girlfriend of a local mobster. She then tells him about a pending arms deal her boyfriend is working on and Jonathan leaks that information to an old friend of his back in the UK. The leak costs the girl her life and Jonathan leaves town ending up as night manager in another hotel in the Swiss alps. Who should appear at this hotel but the British industrialist who brokered the arms deal in Cairo. Johnathan seeks revenge and so starts the plan for an obscure British intelligence agency to recruit Jonathan as an undercover agent.

This is a 6 part series presented by AMC and is based on a John Le Carre novel (He even has a bit part). The lead is played by Tom Hiddleston who some of you may recognize as Loki from the Thor movies. This part gives him an opportunity to show off his acting ability. Hugh Laurie (remember "House"?) plays the evil industrialist. It is suspenseful and will hold your attention for the entire run. Stream it at your own peril.

Marseille

If I say "Netflix and political intrigue", you would think "House of Cards. If I say "Netflix and  family thriller", you would think "Bloodline". You would think that with those credentials that Netflix would know how to pick a series that makes you want to stay up late and stream it all. Unfortunately, "Marseille" is not that series.

In "Marseille", Gerard Depardieu plays an aging mayor who wants to revitalize the city by refurbishing the harbor and adding a casino. He has been grooming his deputy mayor for 20 years and hopes to retire after turning the project over to him. As you could guess, the deputy mayor turns on his mentor and votes with the opposition. And it was at this point that I lost interest.

"Marseille" is a French production and Netflix has dubbed it in English and done a poor job of it. The voice overs lack any emotion. Perhaps its because the lines they are reading sound as if they should be in dialog balloons in a graphic novel. Besides, we all know that Depardieu can speak English and seeing his mouth move and hearing a strangers voice is disconcerting.

The good thing is that it didn't cost me any more than my monthly Netflix streaming subscription to watch it. My advice is, watch it if you want but don't get your expectations up.

Fortitude

Occasionally I stumble across a TV show that I think is deserving of acclaim but did not show up on the radar of the American media. Fortitude is such a show. One reason may be is that it was produced by the Brits, namely, Sky Atlantic. But I found it to be a well written and intriguing murder mystery, sci fi, horror series. It can now be streamed on Amazon Prime.

Fortitude is a town of less than 1000 people and the only habitation on the Norwegian island of Svarlbard. The inhabitants are a mix of Russian miners, international arctic researchers and a motley mix of people making up the support staff of police, hotel managers and teachers for the 4 or 5 children that live there. As you can expect, it is a bleak, cold and isolated environment. In reality, the town of Reydafjordur, Iceland on the east coast of the island substitutes for the Norwegian town. It is also a town where everyone, including children, carries a high powered rifle for protection against polar bears. The show includes stars such as Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon and Sophie Grabol who was in the original version of The Killing.

It starts when Michael Gambon, who plays an alcoholic photographer, sees a man being attacked by a polar bear and shoots, missing the bear but hitting the man. The scene cuts away and we see two of the towns children finding the remains of a woolly mammoth. At the same time, a new scientist is arriving and we learn that he is studying aberrant behavior in apex predators.

In a short time you become aware that something is not quite right in the town. One of the children who found the mammoth becomes ill. The chief scientist for the research station is murdered. You know that these plot lines will somehow intersect but the writers keep you guessing until the last episode.

I was pleased to see that they didn't use the story line to promote an agenda of Industry - bad, Nature - good. And while they could have done so several times, they didn't use any nudity.The show kept me hooked and I was happy that I could stream the episodes as fast as I wanted. The good news is that there will be a second season and I can't wait to see what they do.

Bosch

If you are a fan of Michael Connelly's writing then I have some news for you. Amazon Instant Video has undertaken the production of a crime series based on Harry Bosch and it's available only from Amazon's video streaming site. The first installment was released yesterday and it is getting rave reviews.....I mean 5 out of 5 stars! The first segment has Harry investigating the discovery of some human bones that turn out to be a childs skeleton. Titus Welliver plays Harry Bosch. While you may not recognize the name, you will recognize the face as he has played secondary characters for years. He is the personification of Harry and captures his dark, introspective moods and independent FTW attitude. I think Amazon has hit one out of the park with this series. Do not miss it.

The Bridge

Do you like current day crime dramas with quirky characters, unpredictable plot twists and gritty drama? If so, go take a look at The Bridge. The Bridge is an FX Network (the same folks who brought you Justified, Sons of Anarchy and The Americans) crime drama about two detectives, one from Mexico and the other from El Paso, Texas as they join forces to solve crimes that span the border. The pilot featured a dead body placed exactly on the border between the two countries. Soon they discover that it is really two bodies that have been cut in half and placed together.

You will probably recognize Diane Kruger as the El Paso detective. She is socially inept, only sees things in black and white and continually makes social gaffes. Her Ciudad Juarez counterpart is one of the few non-corrupt policemen but he has a philandering habit. Other characters are the gruff and grizzled lieutenant, the dope head newspaper reporter with a lesbian sidekick, a rich widow with a cross border tunnel and a desert living hermit who rescues abused women. The plot is unpredictable and several plot lines are woven together to keep you thinking.

The first season has ended but it is available for download on Amazon Instant Video. I predict that you will find it hard to stop watching.