{"id":247,"date":"2024-12-13T10:03:03","date_gmt":"2024-12-13T10:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/?p=247"},"modified":"2024-12-13T10:03:03","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T10:03:03","slug":"a-guide-to-good-winter-streaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/a-guide-to-good-winter-streaming\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s On? A Guide to Good Winter Streaming"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winter weather keeps many of us at home for long stretches of time. It\u2019s remarkable, isn\u2019t it, how quickly a person can run out of things to do? Sure, you can read, and do a nice puzzle. Maybe mop. Eventually, though, you\u2019ll want a little variety in your routine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Online poker<\/span><\/a> and other gaming services can hold your attention for a while, but it\u2019s important to seek balance and variety.<\/span><\/p>\n

This begs the question: Is there anything good on TV?<\/span><\/p>\n

With streaming services, there is never a shortage of things to watch, but the extensive catalog of options can make it hard to find the perfect show. You can identify the right stream for you by figuring out what you want from the experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Escapism<\/span><\/h2>\n

Arguably, this is the most common reason anyone logs onto Netflix. You just want to step out of your head for an hour or two and get some distance from your problems and gripes. <\/span><\/p>\n

While any show can technically satisfy this requirement, it might help to choose programming that is vastly different from your current circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are tired of the cold weather, a trip to the icy world of Westeros might not be the experience you are looking for.<\/span><\/p>\n

White Lotus<\/span><\/i>, on the other hand, could provide a compelling escape. Haven\u2019t you seen it? <\/span>White Lotus<\/span><\/i> is an HBO original that features an ensemble cast. Two seasons deep at the time of writing, with a third on the way, it tells the story of guests at a luxury resort.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first season follows several families as they vacation in Hawaii. While each family\u2019s story arch is self-contained, there are frequent overlaps. The spoiled girls on vacation with their family, one of whom is played by Sydney Sweeney, cross paths with the unhappy newlyweds, one of whom is played by Alexandra Daddario.<\/span><\/p>\n

While there are too many active storylines to identify a single \u201cplot,\u201d both seasons have elements of a crime or mystery story. In both cases, the first episode begins with one or more of the main characters at the end of their vacation, reflecting on a death that took place during their stay.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who died? And how? You\u2019ll have to watch to find out. Those with an aversion to violence needn\u2019t worry. The show is not graphic, and there is a big focus on humor, with Jennifer Coolidge\u2014featured in both seasons\u2014stealing just about every scene she stumbles her way into.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brushing Up on the Classics<\/span><\/h2>\n

Some shows slip right into the cultural canon. Even years after they\u2019ve gone off air, people reference them constantly, to the point where you can feel left out for not having seen a show like <\/span>Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, <\/span><\/i>or <\/span>The Sopranos.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Pick your poison. <\/span>Breaking Bad, <\/span><\/i>which you can find on Netflix, tells the story of Walter White, the teacher turned meth kingpin. While the show is ultimately an anti-hero crime story, it\u2019s deeply psychological. Is Walt bad from the beginning or molded by circumstance?<\/span><\/p>\n

Game of Thrones, <\/span><\/i>which you can find on Max, is continuing to get the spin-off treatment. If you are interested in <\/span>House of Dragon <\/span><\/i>or any of the other new shows that are set to come out over the next few years, the original program is a great place to start. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about succession, but with a big emphasis on family life\u2014including some family members who are\u2026too close for comfort. You\u2019ll know what we mean when you watch the show.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Sopranos, <\/span><\/i>also found on Max, has been off-air for a long time, but that doesn\u2019t stop people from consistently calling it the greatest show of all time. It\u2019s a mob story but with a surprising emphasis on slice-of-life moments. <\/span><\/p>\n

Most episodes focus on the daily doings of Tony Soprano, a morally conflicted mob boss who tries\u2014and usually fails miserably\u2014to do right by his family and his community. Though most people are already familiar with the controversial ending, the journey getting there is still well worth your time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ongoing Programs<\/span><\/h2>\n

The winter could also be a good time to catch up on current popular shows so you can be ready when the next season drops. Some big ones are coming out soon. <\/span><\/p>\n

Squid Game<\/span><\/i> season 2 will release at the end of 2024. <\/span>Squid Game <\/span><\/i>is the exceptionally violent story of poor people given the chance to play a game that could win them millions of dollars or cost them their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

The superhero <\/span>Daredevil<\/span><\/i> is also set to make his long-awaited return to the small screen next Spring. <\/span>Daredevil<\/span><\/i> ran for three seasons on Netflix, back before Disney even had its streaming service. <\/span><\/p>\n

The show was ultimately a casualty of Disney Plus, with the house that Mickey built understandably not wanting to compete with another platform for eyeballs when it comes to their popular MCU content.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can catch up on <\/span>Daredevil<\/span><\/i> on Disney Plus.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s tons to see. What will you be watching this winter?<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter weather keeps many of us at home for long stretches of time. It\u2019s remarkable, isn\u2019t it, how quickly a person can run out of things to do? Sure, you can read, and do a nice puzzle. Maybe mop. Eventually, though, you\u2019ll want a little variety in your routine. Online poker and other gaming services…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":6,"label":"Blog"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/gettyimages-streaming-tv.jpeg.webp",700,467,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Shogun","author_link":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/author\/webtraggmail-com\/"},"comment_info":20,"category_info":[{"term_id":6,"name":"Blog","slug":"blog","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":6,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":55,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":6,"category_count":55,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Blog","category_nicename":"blog","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":252,"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247\/revisions\/252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/domranko.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}