What is Newz Group binge watching?

By: Newz Group Staff

Like most people, the Newz Group family has used the Stay-in-Place time to watch too much television. Check out what some of our staff has been watching. From UFC to foreign language shows and movies, we are quite the varied bunch.

Brad Buchanan: Newz Group President
“Catching up on old series: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Grace and Frankie, The Last Kingdom, Better Call Saul.”

New comedy: Dave Chapelle, Louis CK, late night shows.

Old movies, newly seen: Whatever Happened to Sweet Baby Jane? and Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte, in which Bettie Davis and Joan Crawford play opposite each other. Scary stuff. And the movie plot is pretty terrifying too. To Kill a Mockingbird with Gregory Peck, a movie that always makes me feel terrible because I could never be as great a Dad as Atticus Finch. Paint Your Wagon with Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood, which establishes why neither of them had a singing career outside of this movie..

New movies: Frozen 2, Moana, Tangled. Sigh. Granddaughters.

Sports: All UFC fights I have missed since 2004, which is most of them.”

Scott Buchanan: General Counsel 

“The Crown, Noir Alley on Turner Movie Classics on Saturday Nights  https://noiralley.tcm.com/, Veronica Mars, Baseball, the PBS Documentary by Ken Burns,  Life Below Zero.  Also, Man in the High Castle, Upload, Port Protection, Frasier.

I admit it, we watched Little Fires Everywhere. I watch Shakespeare plays (Amazon prime has a bunch) but usually only my dog. Molly will join me. Mostly for entertainment time I listen to audiobooks from the library”

Amy Fritz: Director of Operations

“Mine is obviously rewatching all the seasons Parks and Rec.  My reason is because is an amazingly funny show and watching Leslie Knope and the rest of the Pawnee Parks & Rec team work together and get things done while overcoming hilarious obstacles is what my brains needs right now.  Leslie is also the public servant we need right now.  She cares way too much about her community and her friends and co-workers. The quirky characters and ridiculous office dynamic fills the void of missing working in the office and interacting with my NG co-workers.”

Sarah Frieling: Director of Customer Service 

“Oh no, everyone will think I’m 90 years old, but I’ve been watching Murder, She Wrote – all 12 seasons. Angela Lansbury is a delight and a national treasure!! Also  Magnum P.I., which I got into after a  crossover episode of Murder, She Wrote haha. Magnum because Tom Selleck is amazingly charming in that series, and it’s really quite funny. Lastly, I made it through all of Cagney & Lacey. I was constantly surprised at how well that show handled many hot-button issues from the 80s.”

Jennifer Langdon: Business Development Director

“I feel like I have been watching a weird mix of stuff. But that is my normal, I suppose.  Season 40 of Survivor just wrapped up, and that was AMAZING! I recently watched the show ‘Prop Culture’ on Disney Plus, where they try to track to down relics from movies like ‘Mary Poppins’.  I have also been watching ‘Travel Man’, it is like a kinder, gentler version of ‘An Idiot Abroad’ starring Richard Ayoade. I am also watching the Marvel Movies and Agents of Shield in chronological order, it is kind of tricky getting the timing between the TV show and the movies just right but it is worth it. I have also taken the opportunity to watch all of Bong Joon-ho’s films. If you want to be deeply unstettled, I highly recommend ‘Parasite’.

Like Amy, I have been watching Parks and Rec…again. It is just such a good show! It tugs at the heart strings while still being hilarious and it has so many good cameos. The best cameo by far was Werner Herzog. Speaking of Mr. Herzog, I have been watching the Mandalorian for the thousandth time. That is such a well done addition to the Star Wars universe. If anyone wants to have a debate to the origins of the child I am open to it!”

Mike Nichols: Research and Production Analyst

“I have watched so many shows since I have been working at home, I can literally watch a whole season of a show in one day.  From crime documentary’s to cartoons, the only shows I haven’t really watched are the foreign language ones like Fauda on Netflix because I can’t do my job and read subtitles at the same time.

The show I enjoyed the most, and was ‘Happy’ Netflix released the fourth season of during the pandemic is The Last Kingdom’. The show is based off a series of books I have read by Bernard Cornwell.  It’s a work of historical fiction, but very much based in real history, real kings, real battles, real events.  If I were to compare it to another show it would be Vikings, as it takes place in the same time period, but mainly told from the Saxon point of view.  It’s one of those rare shows that are actually better then the books, it’s fast paced and gritty and sometimes pretty funny.  It follows the story of a northern Ealdorman (noble) named Uthred of Bebbanburg.  he is the only main character that is fiction, though he was a real person, but from a later time period in Saxon history.  And as mentioned before, if you watched and liked Vikings this show slides right in.  Familiar historical characters like Ubba and Guthrum are in the show, but don’t let the Vikings show influence you, The Last Kingdom is much more historical, while Vikings plays fast and loose with its history.  its a show where the priests can be cowardly sniveling politicians, to great advisers and warriors on the field of battle…where the kings and leaders are full of flaws waiting to be exploited…where the women can be pious whisperers into the ears of their men, to savage cutthroats and curse hurlers at their enemy’s.  Yhere’s a character to love and loath for everyone in this show, so give it a try, if the first episode does not hook you then watch no further.
There ya go, written like Siskel and Ebert :)”

Ian Buchanan: Newz Group Vice President

“We’ve binge watched all of Peaky Blinders, The Last Kingdom, The first 6 Seasons of the Office, Derby Girls, and American Crime Story – althought the last two were more Mel than me.”

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