For Hulu subscribers

[sarge43]

Check out Containment. A dramatic series about a plague breaking out in Atlanta GA and the hard choices everyone affected has to make. Two episodes so far and very realistic.

[Rebkeh]

1. We started watching it but

I got really turned off midway through episode one and didnt bother after. Maybe I'll give it another go.

[sarge43]

2. What turned you off?

The victims? That was pretty graphic.

[Rebkeh]

3. Well, for one I was watching with a nurse

Which ... Lol. It's never easy with anything medical on the tv - he catches inconsistencies all the time and points them out. Containmenthad a lot of mistakes within a medical context.

Then I got pissed when they played on xenophobic fears. Of course, it just had to be a Syrian guy. I cannot stand that crap. Instant turn off.

Then the cast skewed too young for me and I'm tired of the eye candy aspect of every thing on every screen, all the time. When can we just have normal looking people playing normal people on television? And they weren't even particularly good actors.

The story has great potential to be amazing and the writing seemed okay so far, which is why I may have decided too soon.

The Syrian thing though, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[sarge43]

5. The fear factor thing made my lip curl, too.

However, there was a hint in the second episode that was a plot distraction.

[Rebkeh]

6. Just watched it

It's improving for sure.

The diversity is spot on though, and a woman in a wheelchair. That makes me happy. The twist at the end... Dammit! Lol

Okay, I'm in.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. The whole "actors must be youthful eye candy" thing is what sends me to foreign TV

I can't imagine mainstream American TV building a series around actors who are neither conventionally attractive nor young, but the Brits and Europeans do it all the time.

Can you imagine pitching Vera to a Hollywood producer? "The main police detective is an overweight, middle-aged single woman with a bit of a drinking problem."

Or how about George Gently? "The main character is an older police detective who is mourning the death of his wife and moves to northern England, where he is paired with a socially unenlightened younger detective."

You can also find non-eye candy actors in series such as the original French Maigret, the Swedish Wallander and Beck, and the various German Tatort series.

These series are available (with subtitles) in obscure corners of Netflix and Hulu, on Acorn TV (for series from English-speaking countries outside the U.S.), and MHz Choice (for foreign-language dramas).

After watching British and European series, most American TV feels as subtle and intelligent as a comic book aimed at middle schoolers.

[Rebkeh]

4. Yeah, that too nt

[valerief]

7. You can purchase each episode for $1.99 on Amazon Prime, too.

Just an fyi. I haven't watched any of it. I'll wait until it's free on ammy or netflix.