Ask A Wench — What We've Been Watching

Anne here, with our regular "Ask a Wench" feature. And today we're responding to this question: Have you watched any good TV shows or movies lately?

Christina said: I haven’t been watching much TV at all as I’ve become obsessed with reading every night during lockdown, but there have been a few shows that I've enjoyed. For some reason I hardly ever read crime novels, but I love watching it on TV and so called “Scandi Noir” really does it for me. It’s dark and gritty and well worth watching. One of my favourites is the Swedish series Beck about an aging Stockholm detective and his team. The crimes may be gruesome on occasion, but there is always humour in these stories as well since the main character Martin has a crazy neighbour called Valdemar who is hilarious. Martin himself is a very sympathetic character and the whole series has a realistic feel to it that I like immensely. 

Another one I’ve really enjoyed is the Icelandic programme Trapped. The first series was set in a small town in northern Iceland during a very cold winter when everyone was snowed in and couldn’t get out because all the roads were closed. That made for a very claustrophobic atmosphere with a killer on the loose and it was incredibly exciting and gripping. The second series was almost as good and I’m hoping there will be more soon. 

I’ve only been to the cinema once in the last two years but I am eagerly awaiting the new sci-fi movie Dune, based on the novels by Frank Herbert. The trailer looks very promising! I first read these books back in high school when I took a course called Futuristic Lit (so much more fun than the classics!) and I was hooked. I really hope this new version does them justice as the first time this was adapted for the cinema the result was very disappointing. Here's a trailer.

Pat said: The Guy and I watch a show every other night when we can. We’ll try new shows that sound interesting or pick up ones others have recommended, but the ones we settle in to watch long term are limited and usually humorous. Right now I’m utterly incensed that Amazon Prime has discontinued New Tricks, my very favorite sit-back-and-enjoy series. It’s about a group of former British police detectives who are brought back to work unsolved cases. The characterization is hilarious as they play off each other—one by-the-book curmudgeon, a neurodivergent genius on meds, a playboy who’s been married more times than I  can count, and the younger female officer who has to keep them reined in. It’s on Britbox now but I haven’t resigned myself to buying a new service for just one show.

We’re also enjoying the French show Call My Agent, about movie agents. It features genuine French movie stars, and again, the characterization of these competitive agents, some empathic, some not, is fascinating enough to be worth reading the English captioning. Or practice your French! Here's a trailer.

From Mary Jo: I'm not much of a TV watcher--I'd rather read.  But The Mayhem Consultant and I do enjoy kicking back and watching something fun a couple of nights a week--which for me means a constant hunt for something we'll both like. Frankly, what's being made now seems to be mostly dark, dark, dark!  I don't need dark, not when I have newspapers to read!

The only current series we enjoy tend to be witty with veins of humor, like New Zealand's Brokenwood Mysteries or the sometimes goofy but fun Caribbean-set Death In Paradise.  So lately we've been re-watching old favorites for which I have DVDs--a technology I find more reliable than streaming.  Plus I hate the kudzu-like growth of evermore streaming services and the way they jerk series around and make it hard to watch favorite shows consistently. Here's a trailer of Death In Paradise.

So we've been re-watching our way through JAG, a series about Navy lawyers doing all kinds of improbable things all over the world. The plots are varied and clever and the characters are likable and honorable. And luckily it's a very long series!

Another fun re-watch is Castle, a comedy/mystery series featuring a spacey but clever bestselling mystery writer and a no-nonsense female detective in New York City.  Again, clever plots, good characters, a lot of humor, and best of all, it's at heart a romance.  So a good time for us!

We're also enjoying re-watching the Cadfael medieval mystery series.  It's based on the books of Ellis Peters, which I've read and loved. Brother Cadfael is a great character, a former Crusader turned herbalist Benedictine monk. There are always a pair of star-crossed young lovers and I love the medieval background music.  <G>

We've done some movie re-watching, too. A couple of weeks ago, we saw the ever- charming Notting Hill, in which Julia Roberts plays an American superstar actor and Hugh Grant is the slightly klutzy but adorable bookstore owner who falls in love with her.  It's a romance with a HEA, of course!

Perhaps the re-watch I liked best was this past weekend's view of Hidden Figures, the movie is the story of brilliant Black female mathematicians who worked for NASA in the early 1960s as part of the effort to put an American in space.  We saw it when it came out, and liked it just as much now.  The three female leads, Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae, are terrific.  The basic story of talent, prejudice, and ultimate triumph is true, though there is some fictionalization for dramatic effect.  It's very powerful and moving.

Now I'm wondering how long we'll need to wait before we can start re-watching Madame Secretary, the excellent series about a female Secretary of State who has to balance demanding diplomatic issues with family life.  We loved the characters and the stories.

But sadly, there are never enough great series to watch!

Susan said:  Lately in our house, we've been watching Ted Lasso - we signed up for Apple TV just to see it, try it out, and were immediately, completely hooked.

Jason Sudeikis, formerly of Saturday Night Live (and of We're the Millers, a very funny movie) plays Ted, an American football coach who moves to England to coach an English football team (soccer on our side of the pond!). Funny, deeply clever, Ted Lasso is much more than a comedy filled with homegrown wisdom, quirky characters, crazy situations - the characters are unique, real, and endearing and the situations are always fresh. There's everything you could want - humor, sexy guys, friendship, conflict, strong, smart women - and a shortbread recipe that's gone viral.

Characters have gone viral too, with good reason - Roy Kent is a gruff, understated, crunchy on the outside/tender on the inside hero who just wants to be an anti-hero. It's authentic, it's affectionate, and even when it goes deep, as it does sometimes, it's funny, charming, and uplifting. I absolutely love this series. This is the show so many of us need right now. Ted Lasso is not just feel-good, it's a remedy for what ails ya. 

Other than that, it's football season (American style!), so there's a whole lot of that on our TV lately. I watch some of it, but zone out quickly, which means I'll get more reading done for a while. And if new seasons would finally be available for our favorite mysteries - Shetland, Vera, and Brokenwood - we would be in TV heaven in our house.

Nicola said: At the moment we are gripped by Vigil, a very tense BBC thriller. When a submariner is found dead on a Royal Navy submarine, a civilian police officer is drafted in to investigate and uncovers a complex conspiracy. As the writer says, it’s basically a locked room mystery where the detective is forced to work and sleep alongside the criminal they are pursuing. Unfortunately DCI Amy Silva also has a host of personal issues to deal with that are only exacerbated by the claustrophobia and isolation. Meanwhile on land her colleagues are tackling the mystery from their side but with very limited communications between the two and sabotage threatened, it’s a race against time. I love a good thriller and this is very good indeed. Here's a trailer. 

Meanwhile the autumn schedules are bringing us a host of new or returning dramas which is fun. A new series of Endeavour started last night – it’s 1971 and the young Morse isn’t so young anymore! And later in the week we have series 2 of the new version of All Creatures Great and Small, which was such a hit last year, combining as it does romance, heart, goodness and cute furry animals. It really lifts the spirits!

From Andrea: I’ve been on a British police procedural binge lately. I’m a huge fan of the show Unforgotten, which features a team of inspectors who solve cold case murders. Headed by Cassie, the team leader (played by the brilliant Nicola Walker) and her close colleague, Sunny (played by the equally wonderful Sanjeev Bhaskar) they delve into the past with a passion to bring justice to those who’ve been “forgotten” even though each case can bring painful ramifications for those who’ve survived the original crime. The team itself has wonderfully complex characters—Cassie being first and foremost—and the each episode is beautifully acted, with moral question that make the viewer think. For me, it’s really great drama, even though it’s tough at times.

I’ve also enjoyed DCI Banks, a procedural based on the mystery novels of Peter Robinson. Again, the characters and relationships are really interesting and well-drawn.

And now it's Anne again, and coming last, I find most of the shows I enjoy have already been mentioned by the other wenches.

I really enjoyed the French show, Lupin, which has been a hit on Netflix. It's billed as a heist show, but it's much more than that — it's really about finally claiming justice and writing a wrong.  The star, Omar Sy is one of my favorite French movie stars. Two of my favorite movies with him are The Intouchables and Two Is a Family, both of which have quite a bit of comedy in them, but an underlying serious theme. If you can see them, I highly recommend them. Here's a fabulous clip of Two is a Family.

As well I thoroughly enjoyed the French series that Pat mentioned Call my Agent. Oh wow, the lying, cover-ups, negotiating and frenetic and cutthroat competition that goes on in this agency. Very entertaining and in the end, some really wonderful acting, especially by Camille Cottin. An added bonus is that each episode stars a real French movie star playing him or herself. 

I'm also a fan of Brit Crime shows like Endeavour, Vera and Shetland but they sometimes get a bit dark for me. Lewis is a favourite, as is New Tricks, that Pat mentioned. I enjoyed the early episodes of Death in Paradise (esp. the ones with Ben Miller) which are more lighthearted and fun.  If you get a chance, also watch the show, Pie in the Sky, with Richard Griffiths as a cop who runs a restaurant — he wants to retire, but his boss hangs onto him because he's too good at catching villains. A charming, quite gentle crime show, and the interactions between the various characters is delightful. Another light-hearted and entertaining Brit crime show is Shakespeare and Hathaway — an ex-cop and a former hairdresser become private detectives.

I haven't recently watched the series of Cadfael that Mary Jo mentioned, but I have it on DVDs and have all of Ellis Peter's books. I watched most of the old series of All Creatures Great and Small years ago, and loved it, and I was prepared not to enjoy the new version as much — but it's just as wonderful. And having the two versions available is  fascinating, seeing where they differ and are the same. And, as Nicola said, it "romance, heart, goodness and cute furry animals."

And that's it from the wenches. So tell us, what have you been watching lately that you've enjoyed and would recommend?

Comments

[Janice]

I loved Unforgotten. Nicola Walker is amazing.

The last thing I saw that I really liked (although I had some reservations about it) was the HBO Perry Mason with Matthew Rhys as Perry. It's set in 1930s Los Angeles, and, as on Bosch, the city is as much a character as the humans. When I was a kid I'd be in downtown Los Angeles pretty often, as the Central Library was there and that's where I'd spend Saturdays, in those marble halls of books, sampling all kinds of things. Several of the important locations in Perry Mason are recreations of that area as it looked in the 1930s, and still looked when I was there - including Aimee Semple McPherson's church. They seemed spot on to me.

Erle Stanley Gardner would probably faint at what Robert Downey's company did to some of his characters, but I thought it was great fun.

I have mentioned Bosch, a great series based on the Michael Connelly novels, which just had its final series, so it can all be binged now.

I have also seen Sanditon and I pretty much hated that. I understand that if you modernize Jane Austen, you get more viewers, but you get less Jane Austen - and you leave viewers with the impression that the 19th century was no different than the 21st except they had bigger clothes.

[theo]

Well, I can tell you what Not to watch. Hubs came home to say that a lot of the people at work were raving about an older series called Bloodline. Sissy Spacek? Sam Shepard? I'm in because they're great actors! It was...terrible! We binged the entire three seasons and I kept waiting for one character to like, to root for. There wasn't one. I really tuned out after the first 10 episodes or so, only watching when he'd point something out, but if he hadn't continued to watch, I'd not have turned it back on after the first few.

I'm still hooked on Midsomer Murders, I still watch the old Marples, love Shetland (I could rewatch those forever, I think) and most of the others mentioned here. I just haven't really found much new to be interested in. I want to escape to a place that's interesting and mysterious. Exciting. Fun. I don't want social or political commentary in everything and it seems that's all the new series have these days. Maybe I should binge a little Fawlty Towers instead...

[Kathy Lynn Emerson]

I haven’t been watching much tv lately either unless you count slowly working my way through Star Trek The Next Generation on Prime, But i recently took a chance on the adaptation of Deborah Harkness’s All Souls trilogy (two books down, one to go) and it was really well done, especially the second season, which is set in 1590–and believe me, I’m picky about 16th century settings! I ended up rereading the books after watching. Witch and vampire in modern day Oxford on the trail of a missing book that may explain why their two species (and daemons) are dying out. It’s forbidden, so naturally they fall in love.

[Mary T]

The last movie that I saw in a movie theater was "Chicago" - so that tells you how long ago that was. I do have TV on a lot, but I don't really "watch" it all that much. I do search out comedies because laughing makes me feel good. There are some comedy episodes I've seen a million times but still laugh as hard as the first time I saw them (Festevis - the holiday for the rest of us - from Seinfeld - is a good example)

I have seen some pretty good dramas on PBS. Most recently "Atlantic Crossing" which tells the story of the Norwegian royal family during WWII. It implies that there was a romance between FDR and Norwegian Crown Princess Martha. Don't know how true that was, but it was an interesting drama none the less. The hardest thing was reading the subtitles when the Norwegians were talking to each other. Not a fan of subtitles.

[Kareni]

I only rarely watch a DVD, and we don't have cable or any streaming services. That said, my husband enjoys watching a variety of things (such as Cadfael, The Prisoner, Firefly, Master and Commander). He recently enjoyed the 2005 movie The World's Fastest Indian. I thank you for suggestions that I might share with him.

[Quantum]

I tend to watch News programs and sport especially soccer .... match of the day on BBC at weekends is a must. I also have a lot of DVDs of favourites that I dig out occasionally. For example, yesterday I watched Hercule Poirot solve a tricky mystery at Bosham, near Chichester, a place that I know well! I enjoy Brian Cox explaining the mysteries of the universe for lay people .... he has a real talent for this and also nature and gardening programs ... Gardener's World with Monty Don is a weakly must. Though sadly my viewing is limited these days due to vision problems and I rely more and more on audio ... thank heavens for audio books!

[Justine Davis]

Pat--
New Tricks is on IMDB (I'm sure not coincidentally owned by AMZ) for free, with fairly minimal commercials. Found this out after finding myself in the same fix you are!

[Sue McCormick]

I don't watch TV; my deafness interferres. I lipread somewhat and the captions are so slow to change that I get cofused about the two messages I am seeing.

BUT my husband watches it all day long, and I walk by. Recently he's watching reruns: Bonanza, The Rifleman, M•A•S•H, All the Law and Orders. So I see them as I walk by. Sometimes I stop and watch a bit.

I really, really like the actor who plays the son on Rifleman. He's very good, and I didn't catch him when he was growing up.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Janice. I haven't yet seen any of those programs, but I do worry about this tendency to make shows that give — in your words — "the impression that the 19th century was no different than the 21st except they had bigger clothes." A lot of books are the same. Oh well, there are still plenty that show respect for the history.

[Anne Gracie]

What a disappointment, Theo. Though you're very patient to wait through three seasons... I give up far earlier than that.

I do like Midsomer Murders, but I've seen almost every episode several times over well before streaming came into its own, so it loses it's appeal after a while. But I do agree with you about not wanting grim, hard-edged programs. Perhaps it's the pandemic, but I too want more fun escapist (but not silly) programs.

[Anne Gracie]

That sounds interesting, Kathy — I haven't heard anything about the All Souls trilogy. And it sounds as though they really took the trouble with the historical setting, which is great. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Anne Gracie]

Mary, I too am a fan of comedies, and will happily rewatch favorite old TV comedies and episodes — and yes, Seinfeld never gets old.

Atlantic Crossing sounds interesting, too. I know very little about Norway in WW2.I love having access to programs from other countries — they often give you such insight into other cultures.

We get a lot of non-english language movies and TV series here. and I have become so used to subtitles that I almost don't notice them. I would always prefer subtitles to overdubbing. I like to hear the real actors talking, even if I don't speak the language.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Kareni — I have the DVDs of Cadfael and Firefly — I just don't have a DVD player at the moment. I suspect I'm like you — would far prefer a book to a movie anyday.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks Quantum — I dip into Poirot from time to time. And I was able to watch a few Monty Don programs, but not nearly enough. I loved the one about the French gardens and also some of the grand gardens of England.

I think we're very lucky to be alive in these times — despite the current difficulties. We can watch programs from all kinds of countries and have the subtitles to make them accessible, and audio books are booming and so much easier to get hold of than they used to be, even 5 or 10 years ago. And books — I can't go to a bookshop, but I can buy them online — in fact I can buy almost everything I need online. It makes Lockdown quite bearable.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Justine. I'll let Pat know — she's gadding about Italy at the moment — catch her travels on FaceBook.

Britbox has it, but not all the series. I think it stops at Series #6, which is very frustrating, as up to Series #10 it's still pretty good. After that, it drops off IMO — once Amanda Redman goes that's it, I think.

[Anne Gracie]

Oh, Rifleman and Bonanza — they bring back memories. I can't watch MASH these days as they were repeated so many times in the past. I'm trying to think of who played the son of Rifleman — must head off a google it.

Sue I think since the widespread wearing of masks with CoVid, we've all realised how much we subconsciously lipread, whether we are hearing impaired or not. I know I've had to ask people to repeat and speak louder because we're all wearing masks — here it's compulsory for all adults outside the house.

Maybe you could try watching some of the foreign language programs and movies the wenches have suggested — you can't lipread the language so the contrast with the subtitles wouldn't be confusing.

[Kathy Lynn Emerson]

It’s on AMC under the title of the first book, A Discovery of Witches.

[Minna Puustinen]

I've actually been watching the original All Creatures Great and Small (1978 to 1990 TV series). And yesterday I watched Breathe (2017 biographical drama). If you intend to watch it, don't forget Kleenex!

[Minna Puustinen]

And I forgot to mention Murder in Paradise and Professor T. series.

[Annette N]

Y'all mention so many shows I really enjoy. I cannot do dark and tense, so some of the shows you mention would not be for me, but many of the shows are some of my favs.

I am a fan of Acorn. They provide me with lots of shows that are absolutely terrific. that is where I found Brokenwood...and I love that show.

Thanks for this post. You have reminded me of some things I have been missing.

Hope everyone is well, safe and happy.

[Jeanne Behnke]

I'm a Masterpiece / PBS fanatic so I watch almost all they run. I love New Tricks but my station is terrible about playing them in order & I've only seen the original cast. I love Dennis Waterman's theme song. Ear worm. Right now Hubby & I are watching Heartland which is a horse opera set in Alberta Canada. There are 14 seasons so we've got a lot to watch. It's kind of addictive. As with Mary Jo - it's a little harder to pick a show when you have to please two people. I myself watch The Musketeers on Hulu which is only 3 seasons - sadly. Also love Castle, Blue Bloods & Star Trek Voyager. I finally got Hubby to watch Blue Bloods & of course he loves it. We waiting to get Season 10 for free. That said, many times I would rather read than watch TV. LOL.

[LindaB]

The actor who played the Rifleman's son is Johnny Crawford.

[Constance]

As many have said, I find most new TV too dark, especially if I’ve just watched the news. That said, we just rewatched all the Shetland episodes ever shown in the US - they’re dark, but it’s Scotland! I’ve also been bingeing on West Wing; I have the entire series on dvd, and see/hear/learn something new every time I watch an episode. Must admit to watching original Great British Baking Show reruns multiple times (Seasons 6 and 7 are favorites.) My only current new show fave is Schmigadoon, in which a modern couple, trying to decide if their relationship will make it, wander into total fantasy, total fun, great Broadway stars, headed by Alan Cumming as the mayor. It’s on Apple TV and if you love musicals and clever lyrics, you’ll love it!

[Janice]

Matthew Goode! Those big blue eyes :)

I have bluray dvds but there was a format glitch in my allegedly plays-any-dvd player when I tried to play them so I set them aside. Time to give them another go.

[Teresa Broderick]

Match of the Day Quantum is essential viewing in our house. It IS Saturday night to us :)

[Teresa Broderick]

I've watched most of the programmes mentioned here. I love New Tricks. I've watched it so many times. It's very funny as well as being serious.
I know I'm a bit late to the party but I've only recently discovered Netflix. I'm not a huge watcher of tv but love my period dramas and things that grab me. Hubby and I are lately watching a new drama called Safe. It's very good. Lots of intrigue and everyone is hiding something.
For comfort though there's nothing like binge watching Marple's adaptations or Cadfael.
Also can't wait to see the new All Creatures Great and Small.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Kathy — I'll pass it on to Pat. Can't get it here, sadly. but maybe one day . . . And in the meantime there are the books.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Linda — I looked him up too, and saw that sadly he died of CoVid.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Minna — All Creatures is lovely, isn't it? And the new version is also very good. I haven't watched Breathe — the kleenex worries me a bit though. *g*

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks Minna, As I said, I preferred the earlier series pf Murder in Paradise with Ben Miller, though I did quite enjoy the later series. I got a bit tired of them repeating the same info over and over, as if we (and they) had the memory of a gnat. *g*
I've watched a couple of episodes of Ben Miller's Professor T series so far and am quite enjoying it. I'm not a binge watcher.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Annette. I'm interested to see so many people recommending Brokenwood. NZ has produced some good programs.

[Anne Gracie]

Oh, Jeanne, I hate it when TV stations show programs out of order. So disrespectful of both the program and the audience. I watched and enjoyed Castle when it first came on TV, and now I've been reminded, I'll watch it again. I do like that combination of a bit of inter-character comedy and a mystery to solve.
I haven't seen Heartland, Musketeers or Blue Bloods— I'm getting quite a list of things to watch. Thank you..

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Constance. I've been meaning to watch the Great British Baking show — several friends have talked about it. It's probably extra popular during CoVid, as so many people have taken to cooking and baking more while stuck at home.

I think Wench Susan also recommended Schmigadoon, although that might have been in a wench email, rather than the blog. Thanks for the recommendations.

[Anne Gracie]

Teresa, I also came late to Streaming TV, mainly because friends kept talking about programs only available that way. I do get annoyed at having to sign up to a different company each time I go looking for a new program, though. I'm currently with three companies, and there are two more I have on my list. I'll have a look at SAFE — thanks for the recommendation.

[Lindalee]

New Tricks is also on Hulu.

[Minna Puustinen]

Well, Breathe IS a biographical drama, so it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Actually, the film exists thanks to Robin and Diana Cavendish's (main characters in the movie) son, Jonathan Cavendish, who runs The Imaginarium production company with director Andy Serkis, commissioned writer William Nicholson to write the film's screenplay and is one of the producers of the film.

[Quantum]

Christian Pulisic the Chelsea winger / attacking midfielder is American with nickname "Captain America". Good to see that soccer is alive and well in the U.S. 😊

[Justine Davis]

I'm only on #4, and already I can't picture it without her!

[Anne Gracie]

Yes, she's terrific, isn't she? Strong but not in a grating way, and not afraid to call b/s on the men. The woman that replaced her doesn't have nearly the personality to carry off the role.
I also liked Amanda Redman in The Good Karma Hospital, set in India, where she's a doctor running a small local hospital. .

[Christina Courtenay]

I love Shetland, Midsomer Murders and Miss Marple as well! And don't forget Hercule Poirot :-). The latest series of Midsomer Murders (with the new Inspector) started off really well with a wonderful dog, Sykes, who stole the show. Sadly he's no longer in it - I miss him!

[Christina Courtenay]

I adore Brother Cadfael and have all episodes! Can watch those forever ... Just sad they never made all the books into TV programmes - I think they missed out about 7 of them.

[Christina Courtenay]

Oh, the Musketeers were great!