• The animated film “Predator: Killer of Killers” shares similarities with the 1980s magazine and film “Heavy Metal,” featuring graphic violence and interconnected stories.
• The Netflix series “Dept. Q” follows a detective with PTSD as he solves cold cases, building a team of misfits along the way.
• “The Four Seasons” tops Netflix’s original series list with 1.157 billion minutes watched.

In the early 1980s, there was a magazine that combined science fiction, graphic violence and erotica in a graphic novel format that was popular with the pubescent boys of the time (yes, you could buy it in almost any corner drugstore with a magazine rack).

That magazine, “Heavy Metal,” went on to launch a cult animated film of the same name that featured an epic heavy metal soundtrack featuring the likes of Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult and Sammy Hagar.

The film franchise “Predator,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, first came into being in 1987 and has taken on many forms. The latest, however, sans that heavy metal soundtrack and the erotica, shares much “Heavy Metal” DNA with “Predator: Killer of Killers.”

Currently streaming on Hulu, the animated film separates itself from the rest of the “Predator” franchise much in the way that “Prey” did in 2022. That was an intelligent exercise in man over beast. Or, really, the predator species can’t really be referred to with that descriptor. They are an intelligent species whose first instinct is to hunt and that’s the premise of this latest entry from director Dan Trachtenberg, who directed “Prey” and has the upcoming “Predator: Badlands,” which is slated to be released in November.

“Killer of Killers” features three stories. There is that of a Viking warrior attempting to save her son and a Japanese warrior who has to show he possesses the mettle to survive against an unexpected adversary. Lastly, Trachtenberg and partner Micho Robert Rutare, who wrote and co-directed this film, tell the story of a World War II airplane mechanic who finds himself more than knee deep in the weeds fighting the alien. They have nothing in common, but actually they do.

Much like “Heavy Metal,” the seemingly disparate stories are connected in a thrilling final segment that proves entertaining and sets up the possibility of more installments. It’s also connected by the mandatory fight sequences and copious amounts of blood spilled in the name of narrative. Most fans should not be disagreeable to this by now. For them, “Predator: Killer of Killers” proves to be an entertaining ride with more than a few surprises. Those who’ve beamed into and out of the franchise over its nearly three decades might find something new to enjoy.

‘Dept Q’ on Netflix follows a familiar path in a unique way

It’s possible I’ve developed a thing for quirky, series about British law enforcement in my old age. “Slow Horses” is a classic on Apple TV+ that features a crusty, musty Gary Oldman as the leader of a disgraced unit of British intelligence agents.

In Netflix’s “Dept Q,” an imminently bingeable series, Matthew Goode portrays detective Carl Morck, an officer suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after being ambushed along with his partner at a crime scene. He also suffers from a measure of guilt as while he endures mental pain, he remains physically able to do his job, unlike his partner.

When he’s finally called back to work, however, he’s given the unenviable role of working seemingly unsolvable cold cases, the first one involving the disappearance of a prominent prosecutor. Through all of that, his trauma from his personal case haunts him, and while he attempts to stay clear of the case due to a conflict of interest, he can’t help but chime in pointing out the incompetence of the officers working it.

The prosecutor’s case is beyond interesting and makes for an intriguing mystery, but there is much more allure to watching Morck build his team of misfits — Akram (Alexej Salim), his partner (Jamie Sives) and Det. Rose Dickson (Leah Byrne) — to create an impressive team.

It’s a series that can be knocked out in a weekend and thoroughly enjoyed. It’s well-written with compelling nuanced, occasionally acidic performances with Goode leading the way. Salim proves to be a standout as well as a supposed clerk who brings far more to the table than anyone might expect.

Like “Slow Horses,” it’s very easy to get sucked into the world of “Dept. Q.”

In case you missed it: ‘Untold: The Fall of Favre’

It’s been streaming on Netflix for several weeks, but I finally got the chance to take a look at one of the latest entries into its “Untold” documentary series. Some might remember the unfiltered look it took into the life of Johnny Manziel the show took in “Untold: Johnny Football.”

NFL great Brett Favre is given the similar treatment in “Untold: The Fall of Favre.” It examines not just the controversy surrounding his actions in his home state of Mississippi, where he has been worshipped since his high school days, but also the potential sex scandal that followed, leaving chaos in his wake — none of which he has been held accountable for so far. While it examines each controversy individually, the overarching theme is that of how people with entitlement generally tend to be the worst kind of humans. It’s definitely worth a watch.

This week’s top original series in streaming

Top 10 original series

• “The Four Seasons” (Netflix) – 1.157 billion minutes
• “You” (Netflix) – 1.012 billion
• “Andor” (Disney+) – 830 million
• “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu) – 512 million
• “Poker Face” (Peacock) – 497 million
• “Forever” (Netflix) – 456 million
• “The Eternaut” (Netflix) – 360 million
• “Black Mirror” (Netflix) – 346 million
• “Ransom Canyon” (Netflix) – 336 million
• “MobLand” (Paramount+) – 321 million

George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.