I did look around on Netflix at various shows to find something to replace my winter favorite Midsomer Murder. Emily accused me of only watching shows where they called in an inspector :) My current inspector is Gently. This show is fun because it is a 60s retro inspector show. In the British department I enjoyed White Chapel, Wallender and London Hospital, all rather dark. I tend to like dark British drama. I am not proud of that but it is true.
I also decided not to watch shows just because they were recorded if I didn't absolutely love them. My general viewing pattern is to sit down and watch several episodes of a show at once and Monday nights are usually family TV nights. If I finish a book I give myself a couple of nights of watching Netflix before digging deeper into the next book. In my defense my husband spent the entire fall working 12 hour nights.
The quality of most of the shows I liked last year went down. Justified could not repeat its incredible Mags Bennett season. Last Man Standing changed actresses playing the role of the eldest daughter and with that change seemed to change gears. Castle still has a great cast but has lost much of its cleverness. I still watch it but hope it recovers some of its Cary Grant dialog. The most consistent show I watched this year turned out to be Bones. The quality of the show continued to grow and there were a couple of episodes that genuinely moved me. I watch Bones alone and close my eyes during the first quarter.
Of course, I still love Psych!!
I thought I would quit watching Person of Interest but found myself sitting down to enjoy it with my husband more often than not.The plot thickens.
We all thought we would love Revolution but quit watching after 3 episodes. The British girl died and that main girl is annoying.
I still think every family should give Blue Bloods a try. I greatly appreciate both the quality and the themes of this show and the family dinners and prayers are priceless in TV land.
We have continued to enjoy Once Upon a Time as a family.
The only new show I love is Guys with Kids. I am hoping others like it too since it is so cute.
I take that back. Emily put on Duck Dynasty one day and I loved it. I probably would not go out of my way to watch it but when I do see it I love it. It had me from the Grandpa's prayer that his grandson's relationship with a girl would remain "pure."
I sent Season 1 to my son in Japan and he and his boys love it too.
Of course, the jury is still out on Downton Abbey. I am sure I will enjoy it but I am expecting to be disappointed. My favorite British show of the year turned out to be Doc Martin. Hilariously funny and not dark at all unless you count the Doc who is always a bit gloomy.
So once again I succeeded in watching too much but I did make better decisions and I did watch less. If you know of any great Chief Inspectors, let me know; eventually I will have exhausted that entire genre.
What did you watch?
Our son-in-law introduced us to Psych and White Collar this year and we're enjoying both.
ReplyDeleteI've also started watching Doctor Who (hadn't seen any of them since back in college when Tom Baker was the Doctor) but my husband claims to not like the show. He usually stands up when it comes on, proclaims he's going elsewhere to accomplish something, stands there for 5 minutes watching, and then sits back down because he's caught up in the plot. :-)
Beth,
ReplyDeleteThe USA Network was the home of MONK also which I loved and thought reflected a Christian worldview at times. They really do love characters on that network and I am happy some of their shows are successful.
if you haven't ever watched Foyle's War, it's the BEST inspector show. and it's british. i describe it as the jane austen of detective stories because it's more about dialog and human interactions than it is about action. must watch!!!
ReplyDeleteMy hubby and I are so sad. We've been using Netflix to get our Misdomer Murder fix- started watching it on A&E years and years ago and now he's done. We knew the end would come someday, but oh it's painful. As our memory has faded, we may start over. We watched a few Gently eps - his young detective had too many issues for us. We watched more Doc Martin eps but it finally became too much for us as the wedding came/went whatever... We've watched a few eps of almost every newer British detective cop/show that pop up on Netflix but most are too fast paced and we have too much trouble understanding the dialects and they are not as intellectual as we like. Keep us posted if you do come across a new DCI. My husband and I are currently watching Glades. It's got acting and several older, familiar actors/actresses have made appearances. We've made it to the 2nd season and so far so good.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Willis
I was so sad that Barnaby retired also. I did watch a free episode with the new Barnaby on Acorn during a free trial. I got the trial just to watch it and I liked it but I miss Joyce and Callie too. I am so happy he retired and didn't get killed off.
ReplyDeleteI also watched a few Glades episodes because I am familiar with that area because my son lives there and one of his superiors is a consultant to the show.
I know what you mean about the fast pace and language barrier. I do better with subtitles on any Inspector Lewis shows. We record those from Masterpiece.
My daughter introduced me to Bones since she has been home for Christmas. I am hopelessly hooked but do have to cover my eyes for the first bits, even though I have worked in a hospital much of my adult life. Could not get into Doc Martin. He was just not sympathetic enough of a character and the humor was, shall I say, too too British. The best thing I watched lately was the Christmas special of Call the Midwife which aired on PBS last Sunday night. I watched all the episodes when they were available on PBS. The recent Christmas special was the sweetest of treats. I love all the characters, especially Chummy, who speaks like Wodehouse. The setting and time period of post war East End London are incredible authentic. Next season starts in March. I also watched all of the available episodes of the new Upstairs Downstairs, after I had watched all of Downton. It had its charming moments but the ick factor and the pc agenda plus the fact of watching nearly all the characters fall morally and sensationally outweighed the enjoyable bits. I do not recommend it unless you are desperate. Thankfully it has been cancelled in the UK due to the juggernaut of Downton.
ReplyDeleteHave you watched the BBC's Sherlock? It is my favorite show of all time! I have just recently discovered British television, and after watching all the seasons thus far of Sherlock, I'm sold.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching Downton Abbey right now waiting for the next season of Sherlock and I enjoy it.
I have been slowly working through the Doctor Who series. It is all of my children's fault as they made me watch the first one and I was hooked (watched the old ones when I was growing up and I like these even better). I rarely watch TV unless the boys make me. I've watched a few of the Big Bang Theory with the older boys. They are funny but often "rude". We have a Sheldon-like person in our home which makes it even funnier. We also enjoy Psych. DS #2 figured out how to stream netflix videos on our TV through our Wii so they watch more than we used to watch.
ReplyDeleteThe only shows I am committed to watching this year (other than Doctor Who Season 5 and 6) are Downton Abbey and Sherlock. I love Sherlock! It's brilliant. DA got a little too soap opery last season but I love the costumes and time period so I'll watch it anyway.
Thanks for reminding me of Midsomer Murder. I saw one at my father's house last year and enjoyed it. When I am done with Doctor Who, I'll have to watch those from the beginning. Oh, and I hadn't heard there were more Foyle's War coming. I love those, too. Sigh. Too much to watch when I'd rather be reading. ;)
Joy
My watching is sort of non-existent. I'm usually happy to pass the remote to DH who likes sitcom reruns. That's when I catch up on blogs or grade papers. I'd like to find a series we can enjoy together. Last night we watched, now promise not to laugh, episode one of Foyle's War. It was good! I think it has possibilities!
ReplyDeleteI think Foyle's War is fabulous! Foyle reminds me of my grandfather; a man of few words and deep thoughts.
DeleteCindy, we have very similar tastes in viewing. I haven't heard of Blue Bloods; I appreciate the tip.
ReplyDeleteNetflix kept prompting me to try Doc Martin and I resisted for months until one day I gave it a shot and laughed hysterically. The combination of big city, small village lifestyles butting up against each other with a slightly antisocial doctor makes for great comedy. The farther one gets into the series, the more one understands the complexity of the doctor, but not in a sad way, just an "Ah, that's why he's the way he is." kind of way. I like that about a series; where the characters are well-developed and there's some insight into them.
I recommend Little Dorrit on Amazon Prime. A Dickens tale that, I believe was an unfinished work of his. Also, the Wallander series is available in Swedish (I believe) with subtitles. The main character is a different actor, but a good one. I am fascinated by this series partly because it gives me insight into another culture. I love the water everywhere and even the drizzly rain in most episodes. Their body language ~ I'm still figuring out. :-)
Before I discovered Midsomer Murder I found A Touch of Frost and grew to love that old guy.
Also, The Last Detective is good. Not enough episodes, though, for my liking. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this (both Cindy and commenters!). We always seem to watch crime drama, and we've loved Monk, Foyle's War, George Gently. Our last favorite was White Collar, but while we wait for the next season we're enjoying season one of Justified. You've given me some more to consider. Maybe I will encourage my husband to try Doc Martin with me; I watched the first three or so episodes and howled. We need to catch up on Downton Abbey.
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