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Thread: British Detective Shows

  1. British Detective Shows

    I wasn't interested in stuff like Sherlock Holmes or Inspector Morse until I was well into my 30's, but I am a card-carrying fan of British detective shows now.

    I think it started when I read all the Sherlock Holmes stories in 2009; then I tracked down and watched the 1980's/90's BBC Granada Sherlock Holmes series and movies, and I came to truly marvel at Jeremy Brett & cast .

    Since then I've watched all of Inspector Morse (dvd rentals via Netflix - may be online now); its sequel Inspector Lewis (watched on Masterpiece Theater live as-aired pretty much); Watched 80% of the Poirots including the final season (this show lasted with same actor from 1980's until this year!).

    I also enjoy the newer Cumberbatch version of Sherlock. This summer I've been slowly watching all the Inspector George Gently and I like these too.

    But my two biggest 'recommendations' are the more recent Morse prequel entitled "Endeavour" - very good stories, cast, and production values.

    And finally, I really loved Foyle's War! It took me , and several friends, by surprise just how excellent it was.

    Many of these series only have a few episodes for each 'season/series' , so you can watch them all in no time at all. Many have run-lengths of 1.5 hours instead of the American usual 45 minutes per ep.

    ANy other comments on any of these shows? They give you something that American TV doesn't.

  2. While maybe not completely related, I tried watching the Jack Taylor series of TV movies because it sounded like a good fit for Iain Glen based on what I'd seen him do in Game of Thrones. They were ok in a low budget, cheesy sort of way.
    I've tried to watch the Cumberbatch Sherlocks, but I keep falling asleep midway through an episode. I'll give Endeavour a shot though.

  3. Endeavour is set in the 60's. I liked it even more because I got to see the Inspector Morse characters young. Well, some of them. I'm not entirely convinced going from older John Thaw Morse to the young Endeavour one , because the 2 actors seem quite diffferent. REgardless, both fit their eras very well. I really like Inspector Friday on the Endeavour series. You've seen the actor elsewhere likely. Morse fans will already know the limits of how far Endeavour Morse can go on the force ... he never becomes the Chief Superintendent or anything.

    Foyle's War is set during WW2 in England. Christopher Foyle isn't allowed to join the war efforts , but is commanded to stay back and take care of the area (around Hastings I think) and its crimes. As the series progress, WW2 does end and cold war / espionage era begins. The first couple seasons of FW is pretty awesome. You might now really like it until the final moments of episode 1 when you realize the true capabilities of Foyle's character. Oh, and young Honeysuckle Weeks. That's the actress' real name.

  4. Maybe not quite the same as those, but I've been watching Vexed. It's a cop/detective show but more humorous than serious. All the jokes are very british though. At first I thought I was going to hate it but by episode 2 I was hooked. I am disappointed they replaced the female lead but they her wrote off in a way that suggests she may come back later in the season so I'm looking forward to that. It's on netflix too!

  5. That last season of Sherlock is a fucking meandering headscratcher.

  6. #6
    Watch all the old POIROT shows!
    Pete DeBoer's Tie
    There are no rules, only consequences.

  7. #7
    Watch all the old POIROT shows!

    Or just go read all of Agatha Christie's Poirot novels.

    And I do mean the ones with David Suchet, not the movie with that other dude, murder on the orient express.
    Pete DeBoer's Tie
    There are no rules, only consequences.

  8. "The Little Grey Cells", are we using them? (Poirot quote)

    Did you see the final season eps from this year? I was actually MOVED when I saw Captain Hastings , Miss Lemon, and Inspector Japp at their current age assembling again. Suchet was the perfect Poirot.

    Concerning BBC Sherlock ... one of the things I truly enjoyed was their interpretation of the old novels and stories. For example, the first Holmes novel was A Study in Scarlet. As far as I know , that story has never been adapted on film or TV. BBC Sherlock's premier episode was entitled, "A Study in Pink". Really, if you know the novel well, you can see how the writers cleverly referred to various things yet remade them anew. But as popular as the show was, I'm sure those details flew overtop many viewers' heads and they just simply enjoyed the show.

    I was a bit disappointed in Season 3's final episode. It was based on the Charles Augustus Milverton story about the most talented blackmailer ever. Grisly end for him in the book; the show changed things and I wasn't sure I liked that, or the Moriarty reference (again??). This is not a big spoiler mind you. But that Conan Doyle character was based on a similarly named real-life blackmailer from the 1890's, and the story has been translated many times - 1940's The WOman in Green; Elementary had a version of it; Granada had a version of it w/Jeremy Brett.

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