Jamesmadz Reviews

Spartacus (2010–2013)

All four seasons are worth your time

[10/10 · 27 January 2023]

Spartacus Blood and sand.

Spartacus Gods of the arena.

Spartacus Vengeance.

Spartacus War of the damned.

Spartacus, either played by Andy (may he rest in peace) or Liam, the rest of the truly outstanding cast, the writing, the music,...

The cgi in episode 1 takes some getting used to so whatever you do DON'T write the show off.

The fact that we got Gods of the arena due to Andy battling his non Hodgkin lymphoma, a battle he sadly lost, is truly bittersweet...

It is like nothing you have ever seen.

There is a lot of nudity.

There is a lot of sex.

There is a lot of violence.

There is a lot of blood.

It is gnarly. It is gore.

It's ... heartbreaking.

Six Feet Under (2001–2005)

Idk how I feel about this one

[6/10 · 16 January 2023]

This has been on my list for so long (especially as a fan of Michael C Hall's Dexter and I enjoyed Peter Krause in Parenthood). Intriguing story to start.

The pilot sucked me right in and I thoroughly enjoyed the first two seasons. You learn early on that every character is flawed. It's quite dark with a lot of cringy scenes that will make you cry or hysterically laugh.

Season 3 is a bad season imo, something felt so off the entire time that I just kept waiting for Nate to wake up from his coma or dream. It felt unreal and not in a good way.

The next two season have some ups and some downs. Nothing comes close to the first two seasons imo - except s4e1 the scene where Nate puts Lisa to rest, that was heartbreaking, gore, dark.

It came to a point where I was literally annoyed with everyone, except for the Chenowith family - which is pretty ironic.

Ruth's treatment of George (and everyone else). Nate's treatment of Brenda. Claire's treatment of Billy. David as a hole. Keith was all over the place. They did Rico dirty - and he was always treated so poorly. The whole abduction storyline was weak as f. Bringing back the red hooded person was pointless. Why have the whole New York storyline? Why did she have to leave?!

I think the ending is just so... unsatisfying. And absolutely not worth the praise.

I am glad I finally watched it. But I don't see myself rewatching.

Note: I never liked the acting style of the actress playing Ruth, she is in some scenes - most scenes - too cringy and hysterical. The actress playing Claire is gorgeous with beautiful hair.

The show overall is rated too highly, the first two seasons deserve this high rating but the rest absolutely not.

The finale is ridiculously highly rated, don't expect anything and you will feel ... okay... but mostly because the rest of those later seasons sucked.

The White Lotus (2021–2025)

Big yikes

[3/10 · 16 December 2022]

What did I just watch? I want my time back.

I went into it with some expectations, thanks to the relatively high rating and the non stop talk about it on social media. But this deserves no more than a 6, a show for when you have absolutely nothing to do and you don't expect anything going in.

The overall story line - hotel chain and a dead body is entertaining enough. But I was left confused and waiting for THE drop that never came. Didn't happen in S1. Didn't happen in S2.

Is this meant to be a parody?

Is this meant to be a (dark) comedy?

Not funny AT ALL and no point. They tried to be artsy but failed. There is NO likeable character. Every single one is mean/disrespectful/dumb and/or CRINGE. I guess the hooker that could sing was the best one of them all?

The first season is just one loooooong cringe fest. The second season is a bit less cringe. But overall boring and slow, so slow.

So many better things out there that would actually deserve this hype. This one ain't it.

If you want cringe - but GOOD cringe, go watch Succession. This is the best new show I have watched in years! I can't recommend this one enough.

If you want comedy with some GOOD cringe, go watch Arrested Development.

If you want a who/why murder mystery with some actual beautiful scenery that does artsy well, big little lies season 1.

Basically anything else is better than this imo.

I will never rewatch this. I will never recommend this. I really can't believe the hype.

Severance (2022– )

Intriguing but...

[7/10 · 15 December 2022]

The story itself is actually very clever and intriguing. And this was clearly a production where money wasn't a problem.

While the show definitely had me hooked, it is slow. And I mean SLOW. I don't mind some build up - breaking bad is known for the slow burns and it is my favourite, still - however this felt more like that fly episode but instead of just one episode it was the whole series.

The character Cobel is also extremely unlikeable and annoying. And after a whole season we got nothing on her, so she stays unlikeable and annoying.

Since I just saw the list of actors joining season 2 (especially Christie and Shawkat) I am definitely tuning in, but for the high score on IMDb I was expecting... more.

It is a good show but it doesn't come close to likes of Succession.

Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

Not the best show of all time

[6/10 · 8 December 2022]

The show is quite inconsistent. It truly has some masterpieces where everything just fits, acting, storytelling, scenery, music. But not always, not at all. You can feel a shift in the overall vibe of the series around season 6. From then on it becomes (even) slower - a lot of lingering stares and camera zooming out.

The overall story - game of thrones - is intriguing. Same goes for "winter is coming", the Starks overall and the Lannisters overall. Everything including Bran was incredibly boring imo. Ever since he was crippled there really wasn't a point to him. Apparently the night king always wanted him, yet all those years behind the wall and he still lived? People like Hodor gave their life for what? Him being named king in the end was very underwhelming. Acting was straight up bad, but he is - still - a kid. Daenerys is another character I just couldn't care for - and this is very much a combination of her acting and the writing. I knew Emilia Clarke from Me before you which I loved and I loved her in it. In GoT though she has ONE emotion and it's boring. I truly don't get the hype about her. Trying to see through the acting and her character is just eck - without her dragons she would be nothing. I enjoyed her evolution right until the dragons were born. Seeing the dragons grow and the visual effects were beautiful though. Her crying over Jorah's death was extremely bad acting. Tyrion is my favourite because he has many layers and emotions, but even his scenes with Daenerys were boring. Her titles really got on my nerves, filling 2 minutes each time. From the main cast the actor playing Jon is another mediocre/bad one. But he did have a story, the night watch, king of the north all very exciting imo. I still cared for/about him.

With all the built up for the night king etc the long night episode was terribly disappointing - I also literally couldn't see 80% of the episode due to it being too dark and/or misty, a shame. 7 seasons of winter is coming and this is it? Why?! I have never read the books so maybe I am missing some important storylines, but we got the children, the white walkers, the 3 eyed raven, the night king and never really got an explanation, the point of it all. Just one episode for a 7 season built up. Also, is there still a point for the wall afterwards?! For how important the North has always been the ending really didn't do it justice. Yikes. The red woman's storyline was also boring and she reminds me of the red woman in Outlander, but the one in Outlander does it better...

Tyrion, Jaime, Ned, Arya, Catelyn, Sansa,... Brienne, The hound, Poldrick, Maergery, Theon,... And even Jon and Cersei (she gets rather predictable though, always trying to one up/take power and it comes back to bite her in the ass - so her taking revenge for something she actually caused becomes rather unsatisfying)... All made it at least worth the watch. But for me it doesn't even come close to shows like Breaking Bad and Black Sails.

S1E9 and S3E9 are masterpieces. Evil. Shocking. Heartbroken. 10/10 S6E10 felt very satisfying (especially Arya getting her revenge).

Succession (2018–2023)

Top notch

[9/10 · 24 November 2022]

Almost no sex scenes and no nudity.

Just an intriguing story and incredible cast. A lot of - meant to be - cringy scenes/dialogues. Pretty much a love-hate relationship with every single character. They all keep you on your toes.

Well, the mom (Caroline), I just hate.

It's entertaining, moving, funny.

Every box checked. What an outstanding show! Definitely worth the high rating.

Hope it doesn't go on longer than it should and it could become one of my favourites next to Breaking Bad and Black Sails. It is said to end with a max of 5 seasons (the latest update that season 4 will be the last).

The intro alone is top notch.

The music.

...

VERY excited for season 4.

Euphoria (2019– )

Cringe but with some good ones

[5/10 · 24 November 2022]

A lot of nudity and sex scenes. Not a show entertaining enough for grown ups. Teenagers may not see that literal every character (except for maybe Lexi and Rue' sis and Ali) is an absolute train wreck and nothing to look up to.

Zendaya is mediocre as Rue. Nate and Cassie are very well played. The Cal and Derek scene is the most beautiful and moving one of the whole show. Seconded by Cassie's flashback. The format (flashbacks, talk throughs, current) gets a bit messy and makes it difficult to follow (S2). Laughing with Nate's sexuality on stage like that was NOT funny.

Don't be negatively influenced and under 30(?) and it's entertaining enough. But don't expect too much.

The Sandman (2022– )

Beautiful

[9/10 · 8 September 2022]

Imo it had a weaker start and only became better. I was scared I might not love it as it took me almost 4 episodes to get into it.

But now, I love it. And having seen all I think on a rewatch I might like the earlier episodes just as much as the rest due to some extra background info we got later on. (I haven't read the comics)

The episode with Hob is absolutely captivating and breathtaking. Morpheus has a way to him, he really does grab your attention the minute he is on screen. The same goes for Hob. Beautifully done, absolutely beautiful.

I really hope to see more of this show.

More of Morpheus. More of Hob.

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Kirsten Dunst is the star

[5/10 · 31 August 2022]

Maybe my own fault for saving this one through the years and having too high expectations. But just watched it and didn't love it... at all. Felt way too rushed; 200 years passed but the relationships didn't feel like it AT ALL. I guess maybe when you read the book first, some if not most of the holes will be filled. But I missed something.

Also, "the interview" itself seemed rather pointless.

I quite enjoyed the last 5 minutes; finally Brad Pitt with a different emotion on his face.

Kirsten Dunst was amazing.

And I would have liked more Slater and Banderas.

I watched it. I will not rewatch it.

If this is on your watch list, watch is sooner rather than later and lower your expectations. I am not mad I did, but I won't be recommending this to my friends (maybe just those who question Kirsten Dunst's talent).

Heartstopper (2022– )

Not good. Not bad.

[5/10 · 21 August 2022]

I watched this after reading RWARB and watching Young Royals. While I thought I might not be in the right age demographic (27F) for Young Royals, I loved it. It is about teenagers, but not only for teenagers and I was in awe with the young talented actors. Reading some reviews there was a mention about this show, that it was even better with better actors...

No.

It isn't bad, and I think it is a very cutesy show if you are a teenager. But I was definitely too old for this one, although it had some nice aspects. Nick is such a through and through good person (you honestly can't not like him). I guess the only one I really had trouble with was Charlie - more to do with how he was written, I got a very "me-me" vibe from him, dropping his friends in a heartbeat. Also, the "nerdy gay" 14 year old, doesn't get one, but two "popular, hot guys" from the year above him? I don't care if someone is nerdy, but Charlie's whole persona was his... gayness. At least if he had actually depth it would make sense?

Young Royals (2021–2024)

Really, really good

[8/10 · 20 August 2022]

Done extremely well. Cast full of extremely young people who do an absolute amazing job. The show had a kind of Skins feel to it as everything looked so realistic and natural. From the awkward sex scenes (good thing people!) to the skin texture and teenagers played by actual teenagers. I was hesitant to watch since I thought I might be too old, but I loved every single thing. (27F)

I see the two main actors getting BIG, I am in awe. Well done.

Mr. Robot (2015–2019)

Don't give up

[9/10 · 12 June 2022]

I almost did mid season 2, but I am glad I didn't. Definitely has some downs, but the ups make it worth it imo. Get ready for an emotional rollercoaster.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

An extra for the fans

[8/10 · 5 June 2022]

As a stand alone movie this is kinda a borefest. The true die hard fans will enjoy this, but even then it should be watched quite soon after the BB finale.

I didn't dislike it. But I could have done without it. Jesse ends up right where I (and I think every BB viewer) expected him to end up.

I only watched the movie after my 3rd rewatch of BB. Always loved how BB ended and was scared for how it may not live up.

Wouldn't have mind a Saul appearance or Skyler for that matter. Literally almost everyone else got one lol.

Lucifer (2016–2021)

Eek... Lauren...Graham...

[7/10 · 10 September 2020]

I pretty much like everything about this show EXCEPT for Lauren Graham. She is the weakest actor of them all. And although I have seen my fair share of weak acting, this is the absolute worst. This show has the potential to be absolutely great - it hurts my eyes. Idk why she is so bad, it is not like her character is particularly well layered... it almost looks like she is constantly thinking about her angles and trying to look her best. Absolute no real emotions. And through the seasons heR plastic surgery didn't help her acting. Extremely wooden actress and I can't get over how few people have mentioned this. She was the only reason why I wanted to give up after episode 3. No charisma AT ALL.

Room (I) (2015)

Very mediocre at best.

[2/10 · 10 January 2020]

How did Brie Larson get an Oscar for this?! She didn't even do that much. The screen time manly went to the kid playing Jack. Idk, but Brie's parts didn't seem whole. It came across as the parts had been cut, a lot!

The story itself is something horrible and is still happening everyday in this world. However, I didn't shed a tear once!! And I can get very! Emotional ...

The kid playing Jack did a pretty fantastic job with the script he got. But overacting got quite annoying a couple of times- the director's fault though.

I wouldn't watch it. It is extremely mediocre. Well imo it is just bad.

How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014)

Ending ruined it for me.

[6/10 · 20 October 2018]

The ending ruined this show for me. While a show like Dexter had a bad ending as well, it didn't make all the previous seasons pointless.

How many more ways could Robin have told Ted that she just wasn't that into him?!?!

But let's forget every single conversation, Robin IS into him.

When I was watching the ending of HIMYM, I couldn't stop thinking, whyyy did I waste all this time?!

It was a fun, sweat show and I will probably watch it again sometimes while doing chores. But where it would have gotten an 8 at least, it become only a 6 for me. I hate when the duration of the show was so clearly for the money money money. I feel used.

iZombie (2015–2019)

Not a complete waist of time...

[5/10 · 20 October 2018]

Currently on season 3.

I was ready to give up after episode 1.02, but because of Rob Thomas and my love for Veronica Mars and Party Down, I stuck with it a while longer. And I feel meh about it. Not bad, not great, I watch it while doing some chores.

My main problem with the show is Liv Moore. Not a great actress and with the writing being what it is, I just ... don't like her. It pains me that Kristen Bell isn't playing her. But oh well. Also the inconsistenly of the character, from her zombielook to her personality changes because of the brain eating, not great.

Spoiler: The way they have been killing of her boyfriends (that english guy and the undercover cop) is just bad. It seems totally pointless and those are moments that the bad acting becomes really obvious...

I do love Peyton and the actress who plays her, but she doesn't get enough stream time and her character is severly lacking development. And Blaine, he is a great bad guy.

Maybe I will change my review when I am finished watching, but for now...

I had hoped for the same greatness as Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls instead it's more a no-brainer-ok-while-doing-something-else show like pretty little liars or young and hungry.

It isn't a complete waist of time, but don't expect too much.

The Good Wife (2009–2016)

It's just good!

[9/10 · 2 October 2018]

Although I am definitely not a fan of Alicia Florrick, this show is wonderful. You don't need to love the main character to love the show. And I loved the ending hehe.

The bad: Kalinda's storyline got quite bad and the kids characters didn't develop much.

Still would 100% recommend.

Black Sails (2014–2017)

Just watch it already.

[10/10 · 16 June 2018]

It's one of the greatest shows.

Toby Stephens as Captain Flint/James McGraw is just absolutely BRILLIANT.

Don't be put off by the first episode and all the sex. The show has much, much more to offer than just sex and nudity.

If you love a good story, clever dialogue, great acting, beautiful music whatch it already. You will not be dissapointed.

Oh, the music alone is just...