As I’ve mentioned before “Silent Witness” is in its 29th season. There’s one called “Mudtown” which is promising.
This last NCIS episode was…strange.
I have now officially given up on Will Trent. I enjoyed the first season, but the current season has crossed the line. Having Will channeling Ulster is more than I can handle. I’m also tired of all the subplots with the personal lives of everyone else. I want to see mysteries solved, not know the details of the investigators’ private turmoils.
Since December we have watched… (rankings are on a 5-star basis)
Sharp Objects. I think I mentioned this here before, but this was a 4.5 star show which dropped a full star because of a stupid reveal in the final 10 seconds. 3.5 of 5. (Netflix)
The Breakthrough - Swedish show about forensic genealogy. This one was weird in how it handled time - you’d hear a character say something like “THIS INVESTIGATION IS BEING SHUT DOWN MONDAY” and then weeks pass. 2 of 5 (it was probably better than that, but this is the only show on this list where I had to research what it was… which likely isn’t a good sign, overall.) (Netflix)
House of the Dragon - A slow starter which got better as time passed. 4 of 5. (HBO)
Big Little Lies - A fun soap-operaish romp about moms and their issues. I’m one of the few who enjoyed S2 a bit more than S1. 4 of 5. (HBO)
Gunpowder - I think I mentioned this already. Was kind of flat, little suspense, we merely watched it because Jon Snow was the lead. 2 of 5. (HBO)
Under the Banner of Heaven - OK, this one was fun. Mormons go crazy, the main character (also a Mormon) tries to Make Sense Of It All. I read that the LDS church did not like this show at all, and it’s obvious why. But I strongly recommend it. 5 of 5. (Netflix (I think. Could be HBO.))
His and Hers - Kind of like Sharp Objects, this one was reduced by a big reveal at the end of the show. 2.5 of 5. (Netflix)
Nine Perfect Strangers - S1. A group of people go to Nicole Kidman’s weird resorts and Things Happen While Our Characters Learn About Themselves. A lot of structural issues with this one - there are 9 strangers (plus one enigmatic resort owner, and 2 assistants), they spend 10 days in the resort, but there are only 8 hour-long episodes in the season.
You do the math.
Anyway, some of the characters were kind of background because the show creators didn’t give the writers enough time to flesh all but a few people out. 4 of 5. (HBO)
Nine Perfect Strangers - S2. Even more than the first season, this was a disjointed mess which probably should’ve been left on the option block. 2.5 of 5. (HBO)
Suddenly Amish - Now I don’t watch reality shows, the last time I watched a full season of one was 2001’s Murder in Small Town X (which wasn’t really a reality show, come to think about it). Other than a few episodes of Survivor to see what the fuss has been about, I’ve generally avoided the genre for 25, 30 years. (Didn’t help that the guy who won … Small Town X died in the WTC attacks a week after the show ended.)
Anyway, Inna and I wanted to see something involving another minor offshoot of Christianity and we stumbled across this show. Let’s just say that my avoidance of the reality show genre was not shaken by this one. Since we caught it while it was still in its original run, we started calling it “Dipshits” and we would ask ourselves “do we want to watch Dipshits or Diplomats tonight” because we were also watching (2 of 5)… (HBO)
The Diplomat. This was a fantastic show which probably blew past the believability barrier somewhere around episode 3, but fuck it. If it’s written (and acted) well, I’ll buy it. 5 of 5, can’t wait for season four sometime this November. Netflix.
Beef. I loved this show, about two people with anger issues getting angry at each other. 4.5 of 5. Netflix.
Yeah, I quit some time ago, due to just that reason.
I liked the "quirky genius detective’ thing, altho it has been done, and better. Still, not bad- until it became 90% personal life and 10% police work.
A great book by Jon Krakauer.
In the beginning I liked the “quirky detective” thing because it centered on his dyslexia and how he found ways to work around it, as well as showing an almost borderline Holmesian gift for reading crime scenes.
Yeah, that was pretty cool. Then his creepy romance with his sorta kinda “sister” from Foster care, who was a drug addict.
I don’t know which of these are on Britbox, but Sister Boniface Mysteries, Beyond Paradise, Return To Paradise, Miss Scarlet and the Duke, and Shakespeare and Hathaway are all pretty good.
My favourite non-animated comedy of the 21st century. Each to their own I guess.
I thought about this show for a long time after I finished it. Completely original.. I think it’s time for a rewatch.
Season 2 of Beef starts in 3 weeks.
finished derry girls last night. that was so good.
is midsomer murders on britbox?
I know it’s not fair to judge a show that has over 250 episodes by 1 episode but that’s what I’ll do. I watched one random episode a while ago. The main characters reacted to a high stress situation in ways that not only no trained police officer would react, no person with half a brain would react that way. It put me off watching any other episodes.
That was a Covid show that got a lot of buzz at the time. My wife liked it. I hated it. I can’t stand watching shows where I loath every character. I felt the same way about White Lotus. Loathsome in a not fun way.
Scrapyard Challenge - The American show Junkyard Wars was alright, but the original British version is superior. I am enjoying rewatching the best of the series again on YouTube with the next generation and having a blast. What sticks out most are the commercials that would air on TLC in the early 2000’s. They were calm, relaxed, no flashy colors or loud noises. Modern commercials in comparison seem like bad acid trips.
ScrapHEAP Challenge. And I’ve always thought the two shows said so much about the cultures and audiences they were aimed at.
In Junkyard Wars you get a Road Warrior cosplayer shouting “You need to build a car that will cross the SWAMP OF DOOM, survive the CHASM OF DESPAIR and climb the MOUNTAIN OF PAIN!!! LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!!”
In Scrapheap Challenge you get Robert Llewellyn dressing in worn tweeds and tattered knitwear saying “Make something to carry you through that muddy patch, over that ditch and to the top of that dirt mound. Off you pop.”
As in so many ways, the US really needs to dial down the drama.
Re: Silent Witness. Same with us but we watched a couple of episodes and had the same reaction. They were supposedly intelligent, trained people, and they all behaved stupidly and in completely cliche ways. I said “no more.” I usually can watch most UK cop shows and enjoy them at least a little. I was watching one set in Brighton and got to see Mrs. Hall from All Creatures Great and Small playing a drug-addicted prostitute. So, that was entertaining!
Yeah, I get that. It’s been a kind of fallback show when there’s nothing else we want to see, or are waiting for episodes to drop on other shows. We mock them mercilessly, which makes it easier.
Earlier in this thread I was a defender of the show ‘Elsbeth’ against several who said they couldn’t deal with how off-puttingly quirky the Elsbeth character is. I liked it because I’m a longtime Columbo fan, and it (usually) followed the Columbo ‘howcatchem’ formula-- killer revealed to the audience at the beginning; Columbo / Elsbeth is on to them almost immediately; cat and mouse game ensues-- killer is arrogant and initially underestimates Columbo / Elsbeth, who uses that arrogance to trip up the killer.
But good lord, have the writers really been leaning into the quirkiness this season, with the increasingly clownish outfits and multiple tote bags she carries around everywhere. But that’s not the worst of it-- the storylines and the ‘gotcha’ trip-ups have gotten ridiculous. One episode had a head nun kill off a pop singer who was going to buy the church and turn it into a recording studio. The ‘gotcha’ was that Elsbeth found a snippet of a lyric the pop star recorded just before her death that was similar to something the head nun liked to say. Proving the nun talked to the pop star when she claimed she didn’t, or something. It was a really lame, stupid ‘gotcha’ moment. And a recent episode had a rivalry between a motley collection of wig makers, with one killing another over a wig. I only watch the show when I’m exercising on my elliptical, because I want something brainless enough to not have to follow too closely, but just interesting enough to distract me for 45 minutes or so. But I think I’m done with even that.
I still like Elsbeth but it certainly is a turn your brain off show. The guest stars are fun and every episode is a game of Spot the Broadway Star.
ETA I like turn your brain off shows. Not every show but I need a good brain cleanse in between heavy shows.
We started watching something called DCI Banks on Britbox last night. The pilot episode was like an hour and a half movie - looks like it’s 45-ish minute episodes after that.
Same thing happened with this that happened when we started watching Wallander - the story in the first episode revolves around sexual abuse and trauma. My wife is very sensitive to the subject and shows like that are difficult for her to watch. With Wallander we just stopped about a half hour into the first episode and skipped to the second. She made it through DCI Banks and we’re hoping the rest is just more normal police procedural without so much (literal) torture porn.