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If you have a subscription to one of the streaming TV shows, you can look forward to an interesting autumn. Leave the football fans in the den and the online poker enthusiasts on their consoles while you curl up next to your bedroom TV set to enjoy some of this year’s most thoughtful, suspenseful and interesting series.
Unbelievable
Unbelievable is based on the true story of “Marie,” a young troubled girl who seemed to have succeeded even though she had been in the foster care system since age 7. At age 18, Marie was living in the home of her foster mother when she was raped. Her report contained inconsistencies and her behavior gave investigating detectives the impression that she was lying about what she had experienced. Finally, the detectives note that Marie is not “coping” with the trauma in the “accepted” way. They coerce her into admitting that she lied about the rape and charged her with making a false statement.
Marie would have lived with the stigma of being labeled a liar had the rapist not continued to attack women using the same M.O. A police detective in a nearby jurisdiction made the connection and cleared Marie’s name by putting the attacker behind bars.
Eat Pray Love
Eat Pray Love was a bit of a phenomenon when it was published almost 2 decades ago, chronicling the angst of writer Elizabeth Gilbert who had come to a crossroads in her life. Her marriage had ended and the direction that her life was to take was uncertain. Elizabeth starts to understand that she needs to find herself and she sets out on a journey, first to Italy, then to India and finally to Indonesia. The book, and now the movie, chronicle her adventures and her insights about her life’s journeys, both physical and spiritual.
Between Two Ferns: The Movie
Zach Galifianakis always dreamed of becoming a star. He created a public access TV show called “Between Two Ferns.” Will Ferrell discovered the show and uploaded it to Funny or Die, making Zach a viral hit and the object of some derision. In Between Two Ferns: the Movie, Zach and his crew set out on a road trip to complete a series of high-profile celebrity interviews with the goal of restoring his reputation. If you’re looking for a laugh-out-loud comedy that takes curmudgeonly to a new level, check out this film.
The Spy
Sacha Baron Cohen stars in this dramatization of the life of spy Eli Cohen, an Israeli spy who managed to penetrate the upper echelons of the Syrian government prior to the Six-Day War. The film captures the true-life tale of Cohen, who was unbelievably successful in establishing connections with Syrian politicians and officials in Damascus of the ‘60s. He gained access to the most sensitive state and military secrets and then shared them with Israelis – Israeli officials acknowledged that the information that they got from Cohen played a major role in the Israeli victory in the 1967 war.
The Politician – Season 1
The Politician is an original Netflix series that follows Payton Hobart as he embarks on a political career, starting with his ambitions to be president of his high school student body. Hobart relies on his privilege as the son of a billionaire but the election is much more complicated than that. Hobart must overcome double crosses, scandals, secrets, undecided voters and assassination attempts.
The plan is to focus on a different political contest in which Hobart is involved during each upcoming season.
In the Shadow of the Moon
This Netflix original that’s set in 1988 when Philadelphia police officer Thomas Lockhart begins tracking a serial killer who resurfaces every nine years. Lockhart is stymied when the killer’s crimes begin to defy all scientific explanation but he doggedly pursues the case. Locke’s focus on solving the mystery turns into an obsession that threatens to destroy his career, his family and possibly his sanity.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
The popularity of The Avengers film resulted in the development of the superhero-drama Marvel’s Agents of Shield for ABC in 2012. The series, based on the Marvel Comic’s organization S.H.I.E.L.D allows for the continuity of other Marvel titles set within the franchise.
The series was picked up by Netflix last season and this fall it is set to start its seventh season with a new list of unique cases and situations.
Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates
There are few individuals whose names are associated to the world of Internet and PCs as much as Bill Gates. The three-part Netflix documentary, inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates explores the mind and motivations of Bill Gates. The series delves into Gates’ work in making computer technology available to a large percentage of the world’s population as well as the charitable work of his and his wife’s through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The program aims to find out what the richest man in the world thinks about, worries about and plans. Some things that viewers will learn include how Gates “microprocesses” and “thrives on complexity” through a “framework in his mind.” Gates’ innovations come largely from how he is able to look at problems from unusual angles. He uses these skills to tackle some of the world’s most pressing problems – poverty and disease.
Jeff Dunham: Beside Himself
Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, creator of Walter, Peanut, José Jalapeño and Achmed characters, livestreams his Dallas special in the Jeff Dunham: Beside Himself special. The show follows Dunham’s rude and slightly demented puppet posse to Dallas and to Netflix for a delightful skewering of family and politics.
