What's Streaming

Slow Horses (Based on the novel by Mick Herron, written by Will Smith (not the slappy one) and Morweena Banks.) Apple TV Plus. 
 
Tune in for the mystery thriller and espionage, stay for a noteworthy Gary Oldman multiple renditions of a wet fart. Top-nothing writing, acting, action with enough flatulence to keep a younger audience riveted. I rate this series from Apple TV Plus five silent but deadly farts.
 
CB Strike (Based on the novels by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling) HBO Max
 
Try as we might, we yanks will never be able to replicate a US version of Doctor Who or a decent Americanized television version of a British Mystery. Let’s face it, we have the attention spans of a mid-sized gnat and need to balance out all that thinking with a car chase that includes William Shatner hanging on for dear life to the hood of a careering car. We’ve come close with Columbo and two out of three Law and Orders but have since reverted to Chicago theme nights.  CB Strike is the perfect anecdote for all the CSI incarnations (frankly, you’d think they’d have run out of The Who songs by now). Created by none other than Harry Potter creator and trans hating JK Rowling, this excellent series of mysteries is well constructed, and well worth your time. Based on the series of best-selling books, the showrunners manage to perfectly balance what to keep and what to leave out.  Get your British mystery on! 
 
 
The Offer (Michael Tolkin) Paramount Plus. 
 
Critics hate this show so much that it makes me wonder if I happen to be in the early stages of dementia. I have seen three episodes so far and I LOVE IT. Are the performances a bit cartoony? To that question, I offer an enthusiastic, hell yes! This miniseries from Paramount Plus could have easily been made as an animated feature in the mid-seventies by Hanna Barbera and voiced by such notables as Daws Butler, Casey Casem and Alan Reed.  Luckily for us, we’re treated to the next best thing:  Miles Teller as Albert Ruddy, Matthew Goode as Robert Evans, Dan Fogler as Francis Ford Coppola, not to mention Patrick Gallo as Mario Puzo. But it is the The scenery chewing performance of Giovanni Ribisi as Joe Columbo that is the icing on the cake of this masterpiece. Fuck the critics, this is truly must see streaming TV.