A short pour of bourbon, a sleepy terrier, a fleecy throw blanket and a few warm cookies are recommended amenities for for spending time with some of these recommended streaming series:
"Tulsa King"(Paramount+) -- I'm not sure how long I'll stick with this often cliche-ridden series created by Taylor Sheridan, but it's refreshing to see Sylvester Stallone (in his first TV series) play Dwight Manfredi, a character Stallone's age who, upon release from 25 years in prison for taking a fall for his gangster boss, is rewarded with an opportunity to take over organized crime in Tulsa. Along with an astounding ability to get up to date on Uber, apps, and other technology within a day or so of his release (most ex-cons need a bit longer than that), he cheerfully shows off his thuggish talents to dull-witted Oklahoma business folk who rapidly start handing over huge stacks of cash to their tormentor -- garbed in beautifully tailored suits and is more than able to charm the ladies he meets. There's something about those dangerous guys. With Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Jay Will.
"The Empress" (Netflix) Those who find "The Crown" tiresome now that it's moving toward the end of the 20th century may enjoy time-traveling to the very adult 19th-century court of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sissi, who rules from her marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph in 1884 when she's a spirited teenager (with poor judgment) until her assassination by an Italian anarchist in 1898. Sumptuous surroundings, gorgeous gowns, a cranky mother-in-law in Archduchess Sophie, and power-hungry brother-in-law Maximilian allow for contentious behavior all around. There are six episodes in Season 1; Season 2 is on the way. With Devrim Lingnau, Philip Froissant; in German with subtitles.
"Deadwind" (Netflix) This gritty Finnish crime thriller concerns the determined work of small but mighty Helsinki detective Sofia Karppi (Pihla Vitala), who, seldom smiling, stomps around with the authority of Marcella (another small/mighty criminal destroyer who's the center of a British noir detective series that bears her name) in search of the killer of a woman whose body is found on a construction site. "Deadwind" feels authentic, except for our star's messy long hair, which would seem to get in the way of a serious investigator. Now in its third season, with 45-minute episodes. Subtitled.
"Bad Sisters" (Apple TV+) A pitch-black comedy/mystery thriller about five feisty Irish sisters, tautly bonded since childhood, who don't let their children or jobs or romantic partners get in the way of their family ties. Those ties commence to get complicated when the pure-jerk behavior of sister Grace's domineering jackass of a husband John Paul cross the line into we-can't-take-this-anymore territory. Created by Sharon Horgan, who plays Eva, one of the sisters, as does Eve Hewson (Bono's daughter). It's just been picked up for a second season.
"The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem" (Netflix) This serious, engaging character-driven saga, jam-packed with tumultuous emotions as well as social and political issues, starts in 1919 Jerusalem, when house cleaner Rosa weds a shopkeeper who loves another woman, a choice that impacts the stormy dynamic between her and beautiful, rebellious eldest daughter Luna for decades. Then there's that mother-in-law, and Rosa's nothing-but-trouble brother. Subtitled.
"White Lotus" (HBO) Season 2 of this stinging, smartly written social satire from Mike White takes us via six episodes to an ultra-luxe Sicilian resort and, similar to the first season, follows the exploits of pampered guests and put-upon employees over the span of a week (Sabrina Impacciatore, who plays the resort manager, steals every scene she's in). Among those guests are Michael Imperioli ("Sopranos") as a wealthy and wretched sex addict, his elderly still-in-the-game dad (F. Murray Abraham), Aubrey Plaza (playing a practical fish-out-of-water lawyer who's there with her husband, his former college roommate, and the roommate's condescending wife), and Jennifer Coolidge (a wealthy pain in the backside from the first season)--a terrific cast that will make you glad you don't live the way the one percenters live.
"The Suspect" (Sundance Channel) A five-part series in which clinical psychologist Joe O'Loughlin (Aidan Turner), accused of murdering a former patient (as well as a sex worker, but that's just a distraction), doesn't do himself any favors as he lies and bungles his way into digging himself deeper and deeper into the role of prime suspect in the eyes of intrepid if inept police investigators Ruiz (Shaun Parkes) and Devi (Anjli Mohindra). The cops stubbornly refuse to accept the notion that there could possibly be another perp. It's absurdly complicated and contrived, but that doesn't detract from its being entertaining.
"The Patient" (Hulu) Comedian Steve Carell doesn't give us anything to laugh about in a tense, unnerving, and can't-look-away 10-episode series about psychotherapist Alan Strauss who, being chained to a floor and held prisoner by patient Sam Fortner (Domhnall Gleeson, eerily creepy), is to administer required special attention in helping the murderous younger man curb his serial-killing compulsion.
Karen Martin is senior editor of Perspective.
kmartin@arkansasonline.com