After a three year hiatus, I've decided to give this blog another go. Having discussed what to blog about specifically with many people, it has come down to two things: television and movies that went under the radar that shouldn't be missed. So, since I just completed a marathon run of Homeland season 3 (thanks to Junior), I'm going to go with television.
Let's talk about crime/police/detective shows. I will do my best not to disclose any cliffhangers and ask anyone who leaves comments to do the same. There are a lot that I really like, but I'm going to narrow it down to eight that have aired within the last ten years.
1) Endeavour. Two Birds with one stone. A great detective story and a period piece. This series (third season to come out 2016) is a prequel to the popular BBC series Inspector Morse.
2) Fall. Only one season so far. Gillian Anderson is back on the small screen (as the best ice queen since Patty Hewes) as a detective brought in to help catch a serial killer.
3) Foyle's War. Considered too old to fight in WWII, Foyle has to stay behind and catch the criminals still in England. Seasons 1-7 take place during the war, and season 8 right after. Season 9 (TBA) will delve into the Cold War and I can't wait!!!!
4) Killing. This one stuck with me and probably will for quite a while. The first two seasons are based off a Danish show, and deal with one case: Who killed Rosie Larsen? Seasons 3 and 4 are separate cases with the same detectives. Brutally awesome.
5) Sherlock. Like nos. 1 and 3, this is a Masterpiece Mystery Series. I cannot think of better way to redo these stories, and they way they've brought it into the 21st century is nothing short of genius.
6) Spiral. It's similar to the Wire, but French and way more graphic. By graphic I mean nudity and instead of showing the violent act, they show the results of the violence. Each season follows one case from all sides. The cast in this is absolutely fantastic. Four seasons so far.
7) Top of the Lake. This is the result of an amazing film director getting into television. It's only one season that is completely submerged in absolute beauty midst the darkest secrets in a small town.
8) Wire.. This is everything that television has the potential to be. With stories brought to life by excellent writing and unflinching acting, this show has given us a social commentary that cannot be ignored and perhaps the greatest characters of all time. You can ignore and dismiss everything else, but you cannot do so to the Wire.
If you have seen all of these and want more recommendations, I have 10 more I can throw at you. I haven't decided whether or not to do a rating system. Any relevant thoughts or comments are welcome. Thanks for reading.
k.
I've only seen a couple of these, so I'll have to refer back to this list when we finish working through the Twin Peaks box set. As for the ones I've seen, I totally agree on The Wire (aka the greatest tv show ever). It deserves every accolade it has received, and then some. There has been no shortage of great television in the past 15 years or so, but The Wire stands alone (and I say this as a huge fan of The Sopranos, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Louie, Arrested Development, Homeland, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek: DS9, etc.)
ReplyDeleteI am less than enthusiastic about Sherlock. It's been a real case of diminishing returns as the the tone has grown ever more winking and self-satisfied. Series 1 was pretty good, 2 was ok (although the less said about the shockingly stupid "baskerville" episode, the better), and 3 was not very good at all. Freeman and Cumberbatch continue to turn in excellent work, but they are undermined at every other turn by the writing and visual style, in which Stephen Moffat tries to assert that he's the cleverest lad on the telly, but it comes off like the television equivalent of Victor Wooten or Yngwie Malmsteen: bombastic and flashy, perhaps technically impressive, but ultimately it's just empty wankery with no emotional truth. Also, the gay-panic "running gag" feels especially regressive in this day and age, almost as if the show's sexual politics were informed by that Adam Sandler/Kevin James firefighter movie. (I'm guessing here; I thankfully have not seen I Pronounce You Chuck and Larry or whatever it's called.)
A couple more recommendations for those who would entertain a slightly liberal definition of "crime show":
Pushing Daisies: Bryan Fuller's followup to the magnificent Wonderfalls lasted a bit longer, but was still unfortunately canceled after two darkly charming seasons. It has a top-notch cast, loads of style, and a romantic streak a mile wide. The story of the pie maker who reanimates corpses to solve crimes is like nothing else I've ever seen. I just wish the network would have given them time to wrap it up properly.
Orange Is The New Black: this show has been getting a lot of recognition, and justly so. It's on my shortlist for the best television of the decade thus far, with compelling, richly drawn characters and an unflinching look at the cruelty and hopelessness of the American prison system. Easily the best original series Netflix has produced thus far.
And if you're including miniseries, I would also recommend The Corner. David Simon's first project for HBO is about the twin epidemics of crack and heroin in his native Baltimore and the brutal toll inflicted on all concerned. The cast includes several actors who went on to appear in The Wire and Treme, notably Clarke Peters and Khandi Alexander.
Although I loved the first two, I wouldn't place them in this category necessarily. They'll definitely appear in other categories. I was going after police/detective driven shows with exception being Sherlock. I mostly agree with your Sherlock and Wire assessments. I didn't include any miniseries cause the list would be too long. I haven't seen The Corner, but I've loved everything else he's done. Thanks for leaving a comment! What do you think about a rating system?
ReplyDeleteTrue Detective should be on this list..
ReplyDeleteYes Jon, I agree! I had not seen that yet when I initially made this list.
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