Binge-watching opportunities
If you’re looking to bingewatch an involving series or two, step right up. “Dispatches From Elsewhere” and “The Good Doctor: Season Three,” both of which have local connections, are intriguing entertainments.
Originally broadcast on AMC and available for home viewing through Acorn, “Dispatches From Elsewhere” turns its attention to four strangers (series creator Jason Segel, Sally Field, Andre Benjamin, Eve Lindley) who come together to play a bizarre game that involves two competing and mysterious organizations: the Elsewhere Society and the Jejune Institute.
It’s a mind-bender of a show that might be a bit exhausting if not for the expert performances which keep drawing you into the characters’ plights.
As a bonus, the Philadelphiashot series lavishes plenty of attention on the city’s different neighborhoods. In fact, Philly gets the kind of exquisite closeup it hasn’t received since the last “Rocky” movie.
In an interview with Phila
delphia Magazine, Segel expressed his admiration for the City of Brotherly Love.
“My thought was Philly is known as the underdog city with this great grit. [Think of ] theR`ocky’ movies,” Segel said. “The secret is it has more murals than any other in the country.
“There is hidden art in the city — a perfect metaphor for the show. If you turn down the alley, you’ll unexpectedly discover art. All the exteriors are real exteriors. Philadelphia is a
character in the show.’
Lindley was just as enthusiastic when she discussed her time in the city. “In the context of the story, art is everywhere,” she told Philadelphia Magazine.
“It’s right under your nose. You just have to sort of look up from your everyday life to find it. And sometimes it’s a little tiny piece. And sometimes it’s a massive mural that says, `Welcome to Fishtown’ with cats.”
One of the best depictions of autism on TV, “The Good Doctor” follows a physician named
Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) as he navigates his responsibilities as chief of surgery at St. Bonaventure Hospital.
From trying to decide if residents should take the lead on surgeries to solving patients’ medical mysteries to figuring out the dating game, Shaun faces plenty of fresh challenges during the latest batch of episodes.
Former Easton and Bethlehem resident Daniel Dae-Kim, who played a supporting role during the show’s second season, continues to serve as producer for the series, which attracted a bit of controversy during its third season for the axing of two major characters.
Some hardcore fans considered the loss of these figures to be a deal breaker while others commended the series for taking risks. Check out the third season and judge for yourself.