Rise of the Binge Monster (Part 2)!

  Continuing on with my descent into Binge Madness!  Here are some more of the shows I especially enjoyed!

The Thin Blue Line – My bet is that, like most Americans, when I think of Rowan Atkinson, I think of Mr. Bean.  I’ve never watched any of the “Blackadder” series, though I know it’s highly rated.  So this was an “Eh, I’ll take a look” choice.  What a great little show!  In the village of Gasforth, Inspector Raymond Fowler (Atkinson) does his best to uphold the police traditions he holds dear while surrounded by a well-meaning but too often inept constabulary.  His sergeant is also his wife, the CID is run by an incompetent, and his PCs offer a variety of challenges.  Through it all Atkinson walks a wonderful line between broad comedy and real humanity.  This was a pleasant surprise.  Sadly, there are only 14 episodes.

George Gently – (Also listed as “Inspector George Gently”) Set in the 1960s, Inspector Gently (played by Martin Shaw) works his way through the details of the crimes, but also the changing face of police work in the UK.  His self-confident sidekick has a tendency toward corruption that Gently tries to steer him into other directions.  There is something about the character that kept bringing Le Carre’s George Smiley to mind.  It may just be the similar names, but both George’s are world weary men caught in the gears of that time period.  25 episodes.

Blue Murder
– A single mom of four who is also a Detective Chief Inspector works to
solve crimes while trying to balance her personal life (which includes a
less than helpful at time ex-husband).  Police mystery with a touch of
soap opera is how I classed it at the time. 19 episodes.

Kingdom – Another short run series that I enjoyed.  Stephen Fry’s name as the star is what hooked me.  Here he plays a small town lawyer dealing with the eccentricities of the locals and their legal needs.  Add in the mysterious disappearance of his half-brother, and there’s 18 episodes of pretty good TV.

Kavanaugh, Q.C. – The wigs and robes of the English barrister in court is fascinating (and rather amusing) to most Americans, I think.  I was drawn in by the the intrigue of the chambers of such a tradition bound society.  While lead actor John Thaw is well known for his work in “Inspector Morse”, I’ve never seen it.  I have seen co-stars Nicholas Jones in a bunch of things (including Mudsomer Murders and Foyle’s War, among others), and Oliver Ford Davies, also in a range of things, including “Star Wars”!  27 episodes.

 Wycliffe – Another detective/murder mystery series.  Jack Shepherd plays Detective Superintendent Charles Wycliffe, the intense, detailed minded hunting down murderers in Cornwall.  I will admit that, while I liked the series, it was a little uneven for me.  Wycliffe generally meets every challenge with leashed intensity.  But periodically during the series, he’d suddenly have the great explosion at all around.  It never felt organic to me.  But they were bumps in an otherwise enjoyable road.  37 episodes.

Dalgliesh – Here’s a twist on the detective/murder mystery standard.  Our lead character is a thoughtful, somewhat tortured career officer (pretty standard stuff) who is also an accomplished poet of some renown, who drives a Jaguar.  Now you’ve got my attention.  This is the newest version of the character series, from 2021, and stars Bertie Carvel as DCI Adam Dalgliesh.  Having never seen any of the other versions, I like this one just fine and would certainly watch any additional episodes. 13 episodes.

I dabbled a little in some mini-series I found.  None of them were standouts, but were worth watching.  That includes “Loch Ness”, “Hidden”, “Acceptable Risk”, “Black Work”, and “Murderland”.  I’ll only comment on the last one.  It stars Robbie Coltrane, whom I generally enjoy.  Most of the three parts were really good, only to have the ending be a serious disappointment.

We wrap up this binge binging with the next post.  It covers all the non-UK offerings, including the one series that worked its way deepest into my heart.  There’s even a U.S. show on the list!