Hey, a discussion post about a TV show! These turn into an actual discussion 20% of the time.
Anywho, I've been watching The Terror, AMC's new historical fiction / horror miniseries adapted from the novel of the same name. It's a fictionalization, albeit a meticulously researched one, of the lost Arctic expedition of Sir John Franklin -- in which two ships, the Erebus and the eponymous Terror, were mysteriously lost along with their mutual crew of 129 men. For centuries, only scattered evidence and reports from Inuit eyewitnesses remained of the voyage; the remains of the respective ships were only discovered in 2014 and 2016. I guess 2016 was a big year for terror of all kinds, hey-o. The causes seem to be numerous and aptly described as a complete chaotic clusterfuck, but the novel and thus the series attribute at least some of the disaster to a supernatural cause.
And let me tell you, the series is only three episodes in (for people watching it on TV as it airs; AMC actually released all of the episodes already, but I'm choosing not to binge), but it's currently the most impressed I've been with AMC since I finally got around to watching Breaking Bad. None of the crippling pacing issues or notoriously stingy budget balancing that's plagued shows like Walking Dead and Preacher are present here. The whole look of the show, whether it's on the ships or out on blinding ice, is phenomenal; no corners were cut bringing the Arctic wastes to life, and you're immersed in the isolated atmosphere from minute one. The tension is wound so tight even in scenes of safety that it makes the few scenes where shit pops off a grim delight. Ciarin Hinds and Jared Harris are perfectly cast as the captains of the two ships, and while some of the other sailors are a little indistinct at present, the ones who get focus (including a timid doctor and a gay man trying to suppress himself) are just as great. My only major complaint right now is that it's pretty damn hard to decipher what's being said sometimes, due to a combination of thick accents, fast speech, and occasional audio balancing issues, but I usually get the gist.
Givin' this one a high recommendation, whether you're looking for a compelling and well-researched historical drama or a chilling (sorry) supernatural and psychological horror show. And I'm stunned that it's come out of AMC, rather than, say, HBO.