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What do you want to watch tonight?

Each title says who it's good for, and who it isn't. Tap what you want tonight, or say no to one and why.

Closest to Task first

  1. Breaking Bad 2008

    Series

    A high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with lung cancer starts making meth with a former student to pay for his family's future.

    The sides of Breaking Bad

    • An ordinary man's slow corruption
    • Crime as a business
    • One bad choice that spirals
    • Desert, tension, long silences

    Good for you if

    • you like rooting for someone you know you shouldn't.
    • you like tension that builds for a whole episode before it breaks.
    • you watch for how people change more than for what happens.

    Bad for you if

    • graphic violence ruins a show for you. Some scenes are hard to unsee.
    • TV is how you unwind. This one keeps you tense.
    • five seasons is more than you want to start.

    About: pride · family · power · consequences

    Explore its sides
  2. Prisoners 2013

    Film

    When his young daughter and her friend disappear on Thanksgiving, a father takes the law into his own hands while a detective works the case.

    The sides of Prisoners

    • A detective who won't let go
    • How far a father will go
    • A case built like a maze
    • Rain, cold, and grey light

    Good for you if

    • you like being tense for two and a half hours straight.
    • you like collecting clues and trying to get ahead of the detective.
    • you like watching an actor go somewhere raw. Hugh Jackman does.

    Bad for you if

    • a child in danger is too much for you.
    • two and a half hours is too long for your evening.

    About: faith · revenge · guilt · fatherhood

    Explore its sides
  3. The Wire 2002

    Series

    Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.

    The sides of The Wire

    • Baltimore cops wiretapping a drug crew
    • The docks, the schools, City Hall and the newspaper
    • Dealers and detectives seen from both sides

    Good for you if

    • you like seeing how police, politics and schools keep a city stuck.
    • you like a case built patiently over a whole season.
    • you want people like Omar, Stringer Bell and McNulty to stay with you.

    Bad for you if

    • you lose track with dozens of characters on both sides.
    • you need some hope. Baltimore rarely changes here.

    About: institutions · the drug war · loyalty

    Explore its sides
  4. Mystic River 2003

    Film

    The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy.

    The sides of Mystic River

    • Three childhood friends in Boston
    • A murdered daughter
    • A past that never healed

    Good for you if

    • you like raw, powerful acting.
    • you like a tragedy with no clean ending.
    • you like a murder investigation in a tight neighbourhood.

    Bad for you if

    • child abuse and a parent's grief are too heavy for you.
    • you need momentum. Eastwood lets the grief and the silences run long.

    About: trauma · guilt · loyalty

    Explore its sides
  5. A motorcycle stunt rider considers committing a crime in order to provide for his wife and child, an act that puts him on a collision course with a cop-turned-politician.

    The sides of The Place Beyond the Pines

    • A motorcycle stunt rider robbing banks
    • A rookie cop haunted by one shooting
    • Two sons meeting fifteen years later

    Good for you if

    • you like a story about what fathers pass on to their sons.
    • you like a film that takes its time across three chapters.
    • you can take a story where mistakes echo for a generation.

    Bad for you if

    • two hours and twenty minutes is too much for you.
    • you lose track when a story moves between several leads across fifteen years.

    About: fatherhood · guilt · legacy

    Explore its sides
  6. When 4 year old Amanda McCready disappears from her home and the police make little headway in solving the case, the girl's aunt, Beatrice McCready hires two private detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro. The detectives freely admit that they have little experience with this type of case, but the family wants them for two reasons—they're not cops and they know the tough neighborhood in which they all live.

    The sides of Gone Baby Gone

    • A four-year-old missing in Boston
    • Two private detectives from the neighborhood
    • A choice between the law and what is right

    Good for you if

    • you like a missing-child case that keeps changing shape.
    • you like a tense thriller in the bars and streets of Boston.
    • you like an ending that leaves you asking what you would have done.

    Bad for you if

    • a missing child, drugs and abuse are too much for you.
    • you need an ending that leaves you some hope.

    About: justice · parenthood · corruption

    Explore its sides
  7. Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure, however after his son is witness to a killing, Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run in attempt to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who wronged him.

    The sides of Road to Perdition

    • A hitman on the run with his son
    • Irish mobsters in the Great Depression
    • Tom Hanks and Paul Newman as father figures

    Good for you if

    • you like a father and son getting to know each other on the road.
    • you like rain, shadows and every frame composed like a painting.
    • you like a killer on their trail who never seems far behind.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't stand men gunned down with tommy guns in the rain.
    • you need a gangster film that moves fast.

    About: fathers and sons · revenge · guilt

    Explore its sides
  8. Mare of Easttown 2021

    Series

    A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.

    The sides of Mare of Easttown

    • A detective in a small Pennsylvania town
    • A teenage mother found dead
    • A grandmother raising her late son's child

    Good for you if

    • you like a small-town murder where every neighbour could be hiding something.
    • you like Kate Winslet as a tired, stubborn local cop.
    • you like a crime story that cares as much about Mare's family as the case.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't take grief, addiction and a son's suicide on screen.
    • you need chases and shootouts more than slow detective work.

    About: grief · small towns · motherhood · guilt

    Explore its sides
  9. The Americans 2013

    Series

    Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and their neighbor, Stan Beeman, an FBI Counterintelligence agent.

    The sides of The Americans

    • Two KGB spies posing as a suburban couple
    • An FBI agent living next door
    • Wigs, disguises and secret meetings in 1980s Washington

    Good for you if

    • you like spies who could be exposed by the neighbor at any moment.
    • you like a marriage tested by lies and missions.
    • you like the Cold War seen from a Washington suburb.

    Bad for you if

    • six seasons is too much for you.
    • you need fast action, and the spy work here is patient and quiet.

    About: identity · marriage · loyalty · family

    Explore its sides
  10. Heat 1995

    Film

    Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.

    The sides of Heat

    • A thief who can walk away in thirty seconds
    • A cop who can't
    • A shootout in downtown Los Angeles

    Good for you if

    • you like two men who respect each other and must collide.
    • you like a cop and a thief who are the same man.
    • you like a downtown bank robbery that turns into a street shootout.

    Bad for you if

    • nearly three hours is too much for one evening.
    • films from 1995 feel dated to you.

    About: obsession · professionalism · loneliness

    Explore its sides
  11. Prodigal Son 2019

    Series

    The son of a notorious serial killer becomes an acclaimed criminal psychologist who uses his unique insight into how killers think to help the NYPD.

    The sides of Prodigal Son

    • A profiler whose father is a serial killer
    • A father known as The Surgeon
    • Murder cases for the NYPD

    Good for you if

    • you like a killer of the week solved by someone who thinks like one.
    • you like Michael Sheen as a charming, terrifying father.
    • you like family dinners with a murderer played for laughs.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't stand gruesome crime scenes.
    • you can't watch a son haunted by night terrors and buried memories of his father's crimes.

    About: inherited guilt · fathers and sons · trauma

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  12. Happy Valley 2014

    Series

    Happy Valley is a dark, funny, multi-layered thriller revolving around the personal and professional life of Catherine, a dedicated, experienced, hard-working copper. She is also a bereaved mother who looks after her orphaned grandchild.

    The sides of Happy Valley

    • A Yorkshire police sergeant raising her grandson
    • The man who raped her daughter, out of prison
    • A kidnapping gone wrong in the Calder Valley

    Good for you if

    • you can't look away from Sarah Lancashire as Catherine Cawood.
    • you like a long cat and mouse between Catherine and Tommy Lee Royce.
    • you can take a crime story where grief never really leaves.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't stand sudden, brutal violence.
    • you can't watch a story built on rape and a daughter's suicide.

    About: grief · motherhood · revenge

    Explore its sides
  13. A divorced dad and his ex-con brother resort to a desperate scheme in order to save their family's farm in West Texas.

    The sides of Hell or High Water

    • Two brothers robbing small Texas banks
    • A family ranch about to be lost
    • An old Texas Ranger on their trail

    Good for you if

    • you like a bank robbery story set in dusty West Texas towns.
    • you like two very different brothers bound by a plan to save the ranch.
    • you like the dry banter between Jeff Bridges and his Ranger partner on long stakeouts.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't stand a bloody shootout near the end.
    • you need a crime story that moves faster than a long drive across Texas.

    About: brotherhood · poverty · justice

    Explore its sides
  14. Animal Kingdom 2016

    Series

    17-year-old Joshua "J" Cody moves in with his freewheeling relatives in their Southern California beach town after his mother dies of a heroin overdose. Headed by boot-tough matriarch Janine "Smurf" Cody and her right-hand Baz, who runs the business and calls the shots, the clan also consists of Pope, the oldest and most dangerous of the Cody boys; Craig, the tough and fearless middle son; and Deran, the troubled, suspicious "baby" of the family.

    The sides of Animal Kingdom

    • A teen moving in with his criminal family
    • Smurf, the mother running the heists
    • Brothers surfing between robberies

    Good for you if

    • you like a family of thieves planning jobs on the California coast.
    • you like rooting for Smurf even when you shouldn't.
    • you like a family that could turn on itself at any moment.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't stand brutal violence.
    • you can't take addiction, abuse and a mother's overdose on screen.

    About: family loyalty · control · crime

    Explore its sides
  15. Falling Down 1993

    Film

    An ordinary man frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society begins to psychotically and violently lash out against them.

    The sides of Falling Down

    • A laid-off man walking across Los Angeles
    • A traffic jam that starts it all
    • A detective on his last day before retirement

    Good for you if

    • you like following a man you understand less and less as the day goes on.
    • you like waiting to see what sets him off next.
    • you laugh at a fight over a breakfast menu at a fast food counter.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't stand an ordinary man turning to guns.
    • you need an ending with some hope in it.

    About: anger · urban decay · losing your place

    Explore its sides
  16. Sons of Anarchy 2008

    Series

    The Sons of Anarchy (SOA) are an outlaw motorcycle club with many charters in the United States and overseas. The show focused on the original and founding charter, Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, Redwood Original, often referred to by the acronym SAMCRO, Sam Crow, or simply Redwood Charter. The charter operates both legal and illegal businesses in the small town of Charming, California. They combine gun-running and a garage, and involvement in porn film industry. Clay, the charter president, likes it old school and violent; while Jax, his stepson and the club's VP, has thoughts about changing the way things are done. Their conflict has effects on both the club and their personal relationship, especially when Jax goes on a personal quest to cleanse the SAMCRO name and image.

    The sides of Sons of Anarchy

    • An outlaw motorcycle club in a California town
    • A young vice president questioning his stepfather
    • Guns, a garage and a family business

    Good for you if

    • you like Jax Teller trying to clean up the club while doing worse to protect it.
    • you like Gemma holding the club together like a mother and a queen.
    • you like a club where loyalty can turn into betrayal at any moment.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't stand brutal beatings and executions.
    • seven seasons is too much for you.

    About: loyalty · fathers and sons · brotherhood

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  17. Ozark 2017

    Series

    A financial adviser drags his family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks, where he must launder $500 million in five years to appease a drug boss.

    The sides of Ozark

    • A financial adviser laundering cartel money
    • A family moved from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks
    • Marty and Wendy Byrde

    Good for you if

    • you like Marty Byrde talking his way out of a cartel bullet.
    • you like the nuts and bolts of laundering money through lakeside businesses.
    • you like a marriage and a family pulled deeper into crime together.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't stand cartel killings.
    • you need some hope, and the Byrdes rarely get any.

    About: money · marriage · survival · complicity

    Explore its sides
  18. Justified 2010

    Series

    A character drama based on the 2001 Elmore Leonard short story "Fire in the Hole." Leonard's tale centers around U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens of Kentucky, a quiet but strong-willed official of the law. The tale covers his high-stakes job, as well as his strained relationships with his ex-wife and father.

    The sides of Justified

    • A US Marshal sent back to Kentucky
    • A childhood friend turned outlaw
    • Feuding families in Harlan County

    Good for you if

    • you like Elmore Leonard's dry, funny talk before a shootout.
    • you like the long rivalry between Raylan Givens and Boyd Crowder.
    • you like small-time criminals, moonshine and old feuds.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't stand sudden gunfights.
    • six seasons is too much for you.

    About: justice · home · fathers and sons

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  19. Safe 2018

    Series

    After his daughter goes missing, a widower begins uncovering the dark secrets of the people closest to him.

    The sides of Safe

    • A widowed surgeon searching for his missing daughter
    • A gated community in England
    • Neighbours hiding secrets

    Good for you if

    • you like a missing-teen case where everyone nearby is a suspect.
    • you like a Harlan Coben story that turns at the end of every episode.
    • you like a father who can't stop digging, whatever he finds.

    Bad for you if

    • you lose track of a big cast of neighbours, each with a secret.
    • you'd rather not watch a grieving father fear the worst for his child.

    About: grief · secrets · parenthood

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  20. In Knockemstiff, Ohio and its neighboring backwoods, sinister characters converge around young Arvin Russell as he fights the evil forces that threaten him and his family.

    The sides of The Devil All the Time

    • A boy growing up in backwoods Ohio
    • A preacher who preys on young girls
    • A couple who kill hitchhikers

    Good for you if

    • you can take a dark Southern Gothic story with little hope in it.
    • you like many sinister lives crossing over two generations.
    • you want to see Robert Pattinson as a predatory preacher.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't stand murders and gunshots shown up close.
    • you can't watch suicide and abuse on screen.
    • two hours and a quarter of this is too much for you.

    About: faith · inherited violence · corruption

    Explore its sides