Sense8ory withdrawal
January 28, 2018 11:18 PM Subscribe
Having binged my way through the first 2 seasons of Sense8, I am now sad. I will probably rewatch before the finale comes out later this year, but in the meantime, what do I do? Details within.
Sense8 was pretty much my ideal show. It had a solid emotional core and though sometimes the dialogue was massively cheesy, overall it was completely awesome. There was some conspiracy/convoluted plot type stuff. There was some fringey sciencey stuff which really isn't terribly scientific but that's ok. There were laugh-out-loud funny bits, and bits where I got a bit misty-eyed. There were strong female characters, both lead and supporting. There were characters from non USian places (!!!) even though they all spoke English, and it was also shot in places that weren't the US and were not pretending to be. There were strong PoC characters, both lead and supporting. And it has got to be one of the queerest shows I have ever seen. Lesbians, gay men, a trans lead, telepathic pansexual orgies, I mean what's not to love? Best of all, this was not full of coming out drama (for the most part) or angst-ridden explorations of sexuality.
I realise probably nothing will ever scratch this exact itch except a re-watch. But I hunger for more things like this.
Things I have seen so please don't recommend them:
- Orphan Black (SO MUCH LOVE)
- Fringe (ditto except for the last season, though really it was pretty relentlessly hetero)
- Stranger Things (SO MUCH LOVE in a different way)
- Humans
- Lost
- Cloud Atlas
- Dark (German TV series)
- Les Revenants/Returned (French TV series, no interest in the US remake)
Seen and did not like/gave up on:
- 12 Monkeys
- Travelers
- American Gods
- Being Human (UK series)
- Heroes (1st season was awesome, then... not so much)
I'm not generally into teen drama, bleak dystopian views of the future or military plotlines. Action is fine, but lots of super gory violence not so much. Subtitles are completely ok. Also I live in Australia so telling me about the perfect show which is only available in the US/Ecuador/Liechtenstein/somewhere not Australia will just make me very very sad.
I have seen things online recommending The OA and I know there is a FanFare watch of it but I don't want too many spoilers. Is it enough like Sense8 to be worth it?
Sense8 was pretty much my ideal show. It had a solid emotional core and though sometimes the dialogue was massively cheesy, overall it was completely awesome. There was some conspiracy/convoluted plot type stuff. There was some fringey sciencey stuff which really isn't terribly scientific but that's ok. There were laugh-out-loud funny bits, and bits where I got a bit misty-eyed. There were strong female characters, both lead and supporting. There were characters from non USian places (!!!) even though they all spoke English, and it was also shot in places that weren't the US and were not pretending to be. There were strong PoC characters, both lead and supporting. And it has got to be one of the queerest shows I have ever seen. Lesbians, gay men, a trans lead, telepathic pansexual orgies, I mean what's not to love? Best of all, this was not full of coming out drama (for the most part) or angst-ridden explorations of sexuality.
I realise probably nothing will ever scratch this exact itch except a re-watch. But I hunger for more things like this.
Things I have seen so please don't recommend them:
- Orphan Black (SO MUCH LOVE)
- Fringe (ditto except for the last season, though really it was pretty relentlessly hetero)
- Stranger Things (SO MUCH LOVE in a different way)
- Humans
- Lost
- Cloud Atlas
- Dark (German TV series)
- Les Revenants/Returned (French TV series, no interest in the US remake)
Seen and did not like/gave up on:
- 12 Monkeys
- Travelers
- American Gods
- Being Human (UK series)
- Heroes (1st season was awesome, then... not so much)
I'm not generally into teen drama, bleak dystopian views of the future or military plotlines. Action is fine, but lots of super gory violence not so much. Subtitles are completely ok. Also I live in Australia so telling me about the perfect show which is only available in the US/Ecuador/Liechtenstein/somewhere not Australia will just make me very very sad.
I have seen things online recommending The OA and I know there is a FanFare watch of it but I don't want too many spoilers. Is it enough like Sense8 to be worth it?
Best answer: The OA was like Sense8 in the massively cheesy dialogue sense, and the tone of awe/mystery, and in some character ways, but it was never quite as good. I watched it all, and I liked the things I liked, but it kinda disappeared into its own bellybutton at some point, so I'm glad it was short. But that's just my two cents.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 11:57 PM on January 28, 2018
posted by Mister Moofoo at 11:57 PM on January 28, 2018
Response by poster: Oh yeah, I forgot: have seen Run, Lola, Run. Awesome. Bab 5: booooring. Also have seen Jupiter Ascending. Will try not to threadsit.
posted by Athanassiel at 12:12 AM on January 29, 2018
posted by Athanassiel at 12:12 AM on January 29, 2018
I admit I haven't seen Sense8, but I also have SO MUCH LOVE for Orphan Black and Stranger Things, so based on our shared tastes on that score, I wonder if Jessica Jones might be up your alley?
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 12:12 AM on January 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by the return of the thin white sock at 12:12 AM on January 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
Not sure how a US person would know what is or isn't available in Australia, but we have similar tastes so here are my suggestions:
Glitch - light science fiction, female lead, POC subplot (Australian, so presumably available)
Shameless - LGBT characters, female lead. I've only watched the US version.
Orange is the New Black - LGBT, POC, pretty much all female
The Fall - strong female lead, not much in common with your other choices but I liked it
posted by AFABulous at 8:53 AM on January 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Glitch - light science fiction, female lead, POC subplot (Australian, so presumably available)
Shameless - LGBT characters, female lead. I've only watched the US version.
Orange is the New Black - LGBT, POC, pretty much all female
The Fall - strong female lead, not much in common with your other choices but I liked it
posted by AFABulous at 8:53 AM on January 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
The San Junipero episode of Black Mirror is pretty much universally loved among the LGBT folks I know.
posted by AFABulous at 8:55 AM on January 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by AFABulous at 8:55 AM on January 29, 2018 [1 favorite]
Have you tried Dirk Gently? Very different to Sense8 (which we didn't get on with) and bears little relation to the book on which it's based, but genuinely excellent characters and solid emotional core. Some violence, some humour, whole lotta weird and wonderful.
posted by Heloise9 at 9:09 AM on January 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Heloise9 at 9:09 AM on January 29, 2018 [3 favorites]
Person of Interest, particularly the later seasons. All are now streaming on Netflix.
posted by tommyD at 9:14 AM on January 29, 2018
posted by tommyD at 9:14 AM on January 29, 2018
Best answer: Killjoys! Super sci fi space opera, found family, female POC lead, pretty cheesy, often funny, LGBT, POC, often violent (main characters are ... bounty hunters, more or less). Frequently - and from the first scene! - subverts tropes. I love this show along several of the same vectors as I love Sense8.
posted by Ilira at 11:41 AM on January 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Ilira at 11:41 AM on January 29, 2018 [4 favorites]
These suggestions are not SF/Fantasy (or particularly LGBT), but might satisfy in other ways:
The first season of Top of the Lake is worth seeing for Elizabeth Moss in the lead, and Holly Hunter's supporting role as guru to a troop of women. Jane Campion is one of the creators. (I haven't seen the 2nd season, released in 2017.)
Halt and Catch Fire, I'm gonna keep recommending till everyone realizes what a great show it was, dammit. Strong female leads and an enormous emotional core, I loved it.
(As far as straight-up SF, I just finished the first season of The Expanse, free on Prime, and thoroughly enjoyed it, but you don't get emotionally invested in the characters or anything.)
posted by Bron at 12:01 PM on January 29, 2018
The first season of Top of the Lake is worth seeing for Elizabeth Moss in the lead, and Holly Hunter's supporting role as guru to a troop of women. Jane Campion is one of the creators. (I haven't seen the 2nd season, released in 2017.)
Halt and Catch Fire, I'm gonna keep recommending till everyone realizes what a great show it was, dammit. Strong female leads and an enormous emotional core, I loved it.
(As far as straight-up SF, I just finished the first season of The Expanse, free on Prime, and thoroughly enjoyed it, but you don't get emotionally invested in the characters or anything.)
posted by Bron at 12:01 PM on January 29, 2018
Response by poster: PSA from your friendly librarian: to find out if things are available in Australia (or another country), google for [name of show] Australian release (or [other country] release). This works even if not in Australia. Fellow Aussies: this site is your friend for working out which streaming video service carries which show.
Thank you for suggestions so far, I have seen many of them (but had not mentioned because they didn't seem much like Sense8 to me) but there are some that are new to me. Keep them coming!
posted by Athanassiel at 2:35 PM on January 29, 2018
Thank you for suggestions so far, I have seen many of them (but had not mentioned because they didn't seem much like Sense8 to me) but there are some that are new to me. Keep them coming!
posted by Athanassiel at 2:35 PM on January 29, 2018
Just an fyi I see someone suggested Dirk Gently (netflix version) and original poster wanted to avoid extreme violence / gore. at least in the first season of Dirk Gently there is lots of close up gorey violence.
posted by Faintdreams at 2:51 PM on January 29, 2018
posted by Faintdreams at 2:51 PM on January 29, 2018
Best answer: I have seen things online recommending The OA and I know there is a FanFare watch of it but I don't want too many spoilers. Is it enough like Sense8 to be worth it?
I posted the The OA episode threads - I think we were pretty good about not spoiling future episodes in the current episode's thread, so, you should give the premiere a try and see if it grabs you. If you're on the fence after that, post your impression in the thread and people can chime in on whether the show will get more or less what liked/disliked about the premiere.
I also posted Fanfare threads for the Netflix original Brazilian production "3%" - it's a dystopian show, but, it's got a really unique look, kind of low-budget 70's sci-fi, but not bland US 1970's, and with a range of ethnicities. I can't tell if it's available in Australia (the title is brutal for internet searching) but it was made for Netflix so if you can get Sense8, Stranger Things, and Dark, in Australia you should get that one too.
posted by oh yeah! at 6:02 PM on January 29, 2018
I posted the The OA episode threads - I think we were pretty good about not spoiling future episodes in the current episode's thread, so, you should give the premiere a try and see if it grabs you. If you're on the fence after that, post your impression in the thread and people can chime in on whether the show will get more or less what liked/disliked about the premiere.
I also posted Fanfare threads for the Netflix original Brazilian production "3%" - it's a dystopian show, but, it's got a really unique look, kind of low-budget 70's sci-fi, but not bland US 1970's, and with a range of ethnicities. I can't tell if it's available in Australia (the title is brutal for internet searching) but it was made for Netflix so if you can get Sense8, Stranger Things, and Dark, in Australia you should get that one too.
posted by oh yeah! at 6:02 PM on January 29, 2018
As mentioned, go back through the filmography of Straczynsky, Twyker, & Wachowskis.
Babylon 5 might be worth another look even though you didn't like it? They were working with a limited budget, so it looks dated compared to the smooth & glossy contemporary SF. But the plots and characters start to get more interesting & complex around the end of season 2 & the beginning of season 3, so you might want to start there. If you care about slick art direction & editing, then you probably won't like it; but the script writing is good.
posted by ovvl at 5:36 PM on January 30, 2018
Babylon 5 might be worth another look even though you didn't like it? They were working with a limited budget, so it looks dated compared to the smooth & glossy contemporary SF. But the plots and characters start to get more interesting & complex around the end of season 2 & the beginning of season 3, so you might want to start there. If you care about slick art direction & editing, then you probably won't like it; but the script writing is good.
posted by ovvl at 5:36 PM on January 30, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
No. Wait.
Watch RUN, LOLA, RUN - then watch CLOUD ATLAS.
WAIT. Watch the entire series of BABYLON5, then watch RUN, LOLA, RUN, then watch CLOUD ATLAS....
Then, report back and tell me if you miss SENSE8.
UPON PREVIEW: I see you've seen CLOUD ATLAS. That's fine. Watch BABYLON5 and RUN, LOLA, RUN - then see CLOUD ATLAS again.
Enjoy!
posted by jbenben at 11:37 PM on January 28, 2018