bluetoast

I found out about it recently. Cool show with new 18 minute episodes each week focusing on different topics like Cricket, Cryptocurrency, Tattoos, etc.

Rex Fenestrarum

I watched the episode about cricket and was... underwhelmed. They spent about 45 seconds explaining the most basic parts of the game, then spent the next 16 minutes discussing the history of the sport and talking about how a new version of the game - T20 - had become hugely popular in India and Pakistan. They even spent a couple minutes talking about how great it was that "old white British men" didn't control the game any more now that T20 had moved the "heart" of cricket to Asia.

To give an analogy, imagine if the show was called Explained: American Football, and they spent 1-2 minutes explaining the most basic aspects of the game, then spent the next 16 minutes talking about college football, the rise of the NFL, and how the NFL managed to fight off the AFL, WFL, USFL and XFL. Someone from overseas - who didn't grow up with gridiron football - probably couldn't care less about Lamar Hunt and the AFL or how Donald Trump ruined the USFL. They want to know how the game works, not a history lesson.

I also thought it was amusing that they had Stephen Fry on there talking about the bizarre names for certain things that happen during game play - "whoopsie-daisies", "curlicues", "drunken fish nuts" - but they didn't explain what any of those things meant... in a show called Explained.

spainlinx0

I was also not too happy with the cryptocurrency episode, and didn't bother watching anything else. If this is the kind of in-depth analysis they're going to provide on a topic I'm somewhat familiar with, then I worry about the lack of research they seem to be doing.

ben12

I don't think it's meant to be an in-depth exploration of the topic. The episodes are pretty short. I see it as more of Netflix's version of reddit's OutoftheLoop subreddit. There's something you've heard mentioned but don't know anything about. The episode gives you enough to that you now have a passing familiarity with the topic, but it isn't trying to make you an expert.

spainlinx0

I remember while watching that some of the cryptocurrency facts presented were incorrect, which was more of my objection to it.

Rob V

I watched the Astrology episode and while there isn't much depth, I found the true history of Astrology to be quite interesting... it only recently morphed into the nonsense of horoscopes.

TomOpus

The new episode this week is "The Female Orgasm." Lots of stats. Have fun.