Televisual Treat

I'm not a huge fan of television, as you know. I think the output on domestic channels has just become a turgid mix of rehashed crap from the 90s, the same old tired dregs they've churned out for the past two decades, and society-destroying reality bollocks. My only real TV time is spent with my children; mostly showing them quality old cartoons like The Flintstones, Dogtanian, and Road Runner.
So it's always a surprise to me when something is made for viewers that is actually worth watching, and I always want to celebrate it by acknowledging it here and recommending it.
So...
Two weeks ago - and this really won't sound like something I would do - I was having a bit of a rant at work about the way that nothing new or exciting has hit our screens in half my lifetime, and how people's expectations have dropped so low that anything even remotely original gets treated like it's the small screen equivalent of Citizen Kane. I also mentioned how sparse decent films on streaming services are now - particularly throwing a few verbal punches at Netflix, who seem to produce tonnes of content without having any quality control or any care about what the finished work might be like. They just get it done, and get it out there.
Some people reacted like I was a madman; some tried to convince me I was wrong by peddling the usual crap that other people have posted on social sites; but one guy - name of Rob (who I don't think has come up in my blog sharings before) - just said, "Have you tried 'Arcane - League of Legends'? Netflix made it a few years ago and I think you might find it interesting".
Now, the fact that he was so calm when he said it, and didn't try to tell me I was wrong, and didn't try to force his own viewing views on me, really intrigued me, so I looked it up. And it didn't grab my interest at all. An animated show based on a video game I wasn't even aware of? No thank you. But Rob's quiet enthusiasm had rubbed off on me a little, so I gave it a go on Sunday after putting the boys to bed, and oh my God, am I glad I did it.
From the very start - an opening minute of silent backstory that it utterly beautiful - it is an example of just what can happen when very talented people work together to make something the best that it can be. The look of the whole thing is absolutely stunning, the cinematography is breathtaking (sidenote - is it still called 'cinematography' when it's happening in a digital world?), every character is a well-crafted individual, the script is superb, the lighting is gorgeous, the voice acting is stellar. I mean, I could go on and on, but let me sum it up like this - there hasn't been one wasted second in the four episodes I've watched so far. Every single scene seems to have been perfectly put together. The choice of shots, the angles, the POVs, the pacing, the dialogue. All of it ceaselessly wonderful.
I know I can get carried away sometimes, but I genuinely think it might be the best thing anyone's made in the past ten years, and it is single-handedly restoring my faith in television.

RC 12-3-25