Detective and Mystery Shows

[LisaM]

I've been watching Season 2 of Astrid on Prime Video. It is just as awesome as Season One. The protagonist is an autistic savant who works in the Criminal Records division. She uses her unique talents to assist the police in solving crimes. Unusual and very well done. 

ETA: Season 12 of Vera premieres on January 29 on Britbox. Not sure if it is a complete drop or one episode per week. 

Edited January 23 by LisaM

[SunnyBeBe]

I’ll definitely check out Astrid.  

[sempervivum]

It's old (2016) and only has one season, but I enjoyed 'New Blood' on Britbox. Not too violent or deep, but some clever plot twists and engaging leads. The only thing I didn't like was the way the show is shot, with the 'change of location or time' being signalled by loud, flash-frame shots that give it a rather dated feel.

[TaraS1]

On 1/22/2023 at 8:16 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

I’ve been watching a British detective series on Netflix called Paranoid.  It’s sort of old.  Well, I would not recommend it.  The premise has potential, but the writing and characters are terrible.  It’s difficult to determine which character is the most unlikable.  It’s almost laughable how the detectives behave and how they conduct the investigation.  It’s definitely the worst British drama I’ve ever seen.  Lol They do have some good actors in the cast like Lesley Sharp and Kevin Doyle.  

I love Lesley Sharp, but man has she been in some stinkers lol.  Last year, I watched a show with her called Before We Die and it was terrible, and I also tried to get through a sitcom she was in (with amazing folks like Leslie Jordan and Kim Fields) that was also bad.  We just need a resurrection of Scott & Bailey.

[SunnyBeBe]

4 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

I love Lesley Sharp, but man has she been in some stinkers lol.  Last year, I watched a show with her called Before We Die and it was terrible, and I also tried to get through a sitcom she was in (with amazing folks like Leslie Jordan and Kim Fields) that was also bad.  We just need a resurrection of Scott & Bailey.

Sharp was the only bright spot in Paranoid.  Her character was rather odd, but likable.  Of course, she fell for a very unlikable character.  I didn’t get it. 

[LisaM]

Candice Renoir S5 February 27 on Acorn.

Strike S4 February 6 on HBOMax.

Edited January 29 by LisaM

[abbyzenn]

There is a separate forum for Strike in Other Dramas.

I've seen the new Strike and really liked it.  I thought Tom Burke was especially good in this one.

[abbyzenn]

I too really enjoyed New Blood - too bad they didn't get a second season.  Not sure why it didn't get a second season.  It has a rating of 7.3 on IDMB and most of reviews give it a 9 or 10 and the creator was Anthony Horowitz who created Foyle's War and Magpie Murders.  The leads were quite engaging and there was a bit of humor.

[mledawn]

Since I subbed Paramount+ for Mayor of Kingstown, I checked out the first 3 episodes of The Chemistry of Death. It is based on a book by Simon Beckett and has the usual cluster if H!ITG! British actors. Just Watch says there are 6 episodes but both IMDB and Wikipedia only showed the 3 that have aired. It’s very similar to Hinterland imo but worth a watch if that is your thing.

If you’re looking for it on Paramount+ and having troubles, I had to search “Die Chemie Des Todes” as the English wouldn’t bring it up. Seems odd as this is a UK production and completely in English.

Edited February 4 by mledawn

[Irlandesa]

On 2/4/2023 at 11:48 AM, mledawn said:

If you’re looking for it on Paramount+ and having troubles, I had to search “Die Chemie Des Todes” as the English wouldn’t bring it up. Seems odd as this is a UK production and completely in English.

Interesting. I saw an advertisement for that but couldn't find it on the service. I figured it was being released in the UK and it would eventually come to the US.

 

[Jenniferbug]

On 1/24/2023 at 11:36 AM, sempervivum said:

It's old (2016) and only has one season, but I enjoyed 'New Blood' on Britbox. Not too violent or deep, but some clever plot twists and engaging leads. The only thing I didn't like was the way the show is shot, with the 'change of location or time' being signalled by loud, flash-frame shots that give it a rather dated feel.

I really liked New Blood and am bummed it didn't last longer! 

[LisaM]

Looking forward to DI Ray on Amazon Prime (PBS Masterpiece) starting next week. It stars Parminder Nagra, who I have liked since Bend it Like Beckham. 

DI Ray

[Irlandesa]

On 2/17/2023 at 4:32 PM, LisaM said:

Looking forward to DI Ray on Amazon Prime (PBS Masterpiece) starting next week. It stars Parminder Nagra, who I have liked since Bend it Like Beckham. 

DI Ray

The whole season will also debut on PBS Passport.

Speaking of Jed Mercurio, the second season of Bloodlands is on Acorn right now and I think it's better than the first season.

[LisaM]

I am 2/3 of the way done with DI Ray on Amazon Prime (PBS Masterpiece). It's not bad (and a quick binge) although I guessed the big twist which just occurred. Filled with familiar faces: Gemma Whelan, Jamie Bamber and, of course, Parminder Nagra. It was just renewed for Season 2. 

Edited February 25 by LisaM

[mledawn]

Series 4 of The Bay is premiering March 8th on ITV. I'm not sure when it's airing over the pond but Britbox has the first 3 series, so I'm guessing they'll have the 4th.

[LisaM]

Candice Renoir Season 5 premieres tomorrow (Feb. 27) on Acorn. 

The Bay Season 4 premiers on Britbox on March 21. 

Edited February 28 by LisaM

[abbyzenn]

Didn't realize that Unforgotten filmed a fifth season which ITV started showing yesterday.  Nicola Walker's replacement will take some getting used to for me and for her co-workers.

[Enigma X]

The theme music for the Madame Blanc Mysteries is a tragedy.

[krankydoodle]

I subscribed to PBS just to watch DI Ray and was so disappointed. I remember loving Parminder Nagra in Bend it Like Beckham, but she seemed so stiff here. There were also too many things that didn't make sense.

On a more positive note, I finally checked out and enjoyed The Chelsea Detective which someone posted about here a while ago. It's just a shame that Sonita Henry apparently isn't returning as the co-lead for season 2. The relationship between her and Adrian Scarborough's character was so refreshing.

[LisaM]

22 hours ago, krankydoodle said:

I subscribed to PBS just to watch DI Ray and was so disappointed. I remember loving Parminder Nagra in Bend it Like Beckham, but she seemed so stiff here. There were also too many things that didn't make sense.

On a more positive note, I finally checked out and enjoyed The Chelsea Detective which someone posted about here a while ago. It's just a shame that Sonita Henry apparently isn't returning as the co-lead for season 2. The relationship between her and Adrian Scarborough's character was so refreshing.

Agree completely on both topics.

[LisaM]

I binged all 4 episodes of Holding last night on Acorn. It is set in a small Irish town near Cork. The protagonist is a local police sergeant who is confronted with the discovery of bones - likely the first murder in the town in a long time. Some of the acting was great and the story was interesting. 

Brokenwood Mysteries returns in early April as does Season 6 of Candice Renoir on Acorn. The next season of The Bay starts today or tomorrow on Britbox. I also saw that the next season of Sister Boniface is listed on Britbox as "Coming Soon". 

[Enigma X]

I absolutely loved Holding and was quite shocked it was based on a book written by Graham Norton.

[Irlandesa]

I've been thinking about watching Holding, especially since it's only four episodes. 

[sempervivum]

Holding is fairly entertaining, especially the first 2 eps. It falls into soap opera territory later. 

Although I appreciate these shows with 'mature' protagonists, I had trouble telling the 2 sisters apart- why would they cast 2 overweight actors with very short grey hair? I finally figured out who was who when I realized the lesbian had the longer hair 🙂

My favorite thing was PJ's imitation of Benny Hill. Hard to believe that 37 year old Evelyn would have no idea who he was, though.

[LisaM]

Watched Episode 1 of Season 4 of The Bay tonight. Thought it was pretty good. 

[abbyzenn]

Watched the latest Grace episode - I think it's Season 3 episode 1.  I thought it was much better than the previous episodes.  This is one show where I think the books are better than the tv show.

[mledawn]

Season 2 of Dalgleish airs on Acorn starting April 24th.

[LisaM]

Just watched the first 2 episodes of Season 1 of Dalgleish. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to more. The sidekick is definitely annoying. 

[mledawn]

Acorn says a new season of Brokenwood Mysteries starts April 10th.

[CharlizeCat]

Does anybody watch Bloodlands? I was disappointed with the ending of Season 2. Where does DCI Brannick go from there? Maybe S2 was supposed to be the conclusion of the series. I thought it was very good and I love James Nesbitt. Victoria Smurfit was also excellent as the villainess. I had never seen her in anything before and was impressed. She's also an heiress to one of the wealthiest families in Ireland.

[LisaM]

On 3/28/2023 at 3:15 PM, CharlizeCat said:

Does anybody watch Bloodlands? I was disappointed with the ending of Season 2. Where does DCI Brannick go from there? Maybe S2 was supposed to be the conclusion of the series. I thought it was very good and I love James Nesbitt. Victoria Smurfit was also excellent as the villainess. I had never seen her in anything before and was impressed. She's also an heiress to one of the wealthiest families in Ireland.

I watched Season 1 and really did not like the ending. I recall that it was one of the few British shows that I did not like. 

[Andyourlittledog2]

I'm watching season four of The Bay and I do really like this show. However, this and other detective shows from Britain which portray the job of family liaison does make me uncomfortable. Does anyone else think that, although well intentioned, these family liaisons as portrayed are just way too intrusive and patronizing to the victims/families who have been the subject of crimes?  I mean these people are grieving and trying to process a loss or a victimization and everytime they turn around there's a cop asking them how they feel, who might have done it, does your dad always lose his temper like that?, who is your boyfriend?, do you get along with your mother? etc etc. It's just way too much. I'd go insane if, on top of everything else, I had someone from law enforcement breathing down my neck.  In the current season they have armed guards surrounding the family and basically put them on house arrest in order to 'protect them' from some nebulous kinda maybe could be a threat who really knows? but we are locking you down anyway. I think a little compassion and help is nice. A cop sitting in your house staring at you and prying into every corner of your lives in the guise of 'helping' is just over the top. I'd refuse that kind of 'help' in a heartbeat.

ETA: Also, the cops vs firemen thing was really jarring. The policemen verbally abusing and taunting the firemen on the scene was so bizarre to my ears. Who hates firemen?  Seriously. One cop told a fireman on scene to go make a calendar or words to that effect. It was so uncalled for and I found it offensive. This is the first time I've seen any firemen on a British detective show and it was just so weird, the attitude towards them. 

This show features the family liaison position but I've seen them in at least a dozen detective shows and their role seems to be exactly the same.  I was raped by a stranger and was very grateful for the detectives assigned to my case, they were amazing. But if a detective showed up and settled down on the sofa for the day, day after day, I would be 'You can go now' pretty damn fast. I'm just sayin'.

Edited 10 hours ago by Andyourlittledog2