A year ago I was finishing Longmire and wanted recommendations for what to watch next that might be along the same lines – something engaging, where there’s always something going on that makes me want to find out what happens next. Action, drama or mystery.
You guys suggested Crossing Lines, which I really liked, and Bosch, which I raced through because I loved it so much. Now I’m sad because Bosch is over.
I want good stories. I want to care about characters, who can be classic like they are in Longmire or quirky like they were in Stumptown. I loved everything about Bosch, if that tells you anything.
Netflix or Amazon Prime only preferred.
Action, drama, or mystery.
No comedies.
No subtitles.
Compelling.
Characters I can care about.
Anyone willing to help me out with suggestions?
Update: If your suggestions are streaming somewhere besides Netflix or Amazon Prime, please note where they are streaming. thanks!
SFBayAreaGal
I love Vera. Oops just read Amazon or Netflix only
Catherine D.
Tin Star on Amazon. Tim Roth is in it, so guaranteed to be off center.
ETA Vera too, but it’s on Britbox.
SFBayAreaGal
Deleted
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
The Expanse on Amazon Prime
R. Jamie Langa
Ozark on Netflix. It’s kind of like Breaking Bad set in the Ozarks, about a money launderer who’s doing some desperate juggling to keep himself and his family alive.
SFBayAreaGal
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Expanse is scifi
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@SFBayAreaGal:
It could count as action/drama, couldn’t it?
piratedan
Only 5 episodes in but thus far Travelers is holding up
Brit in Chicago
“Unforgotten” is just about the best thing I’ve ever seen. I was able to get it because I give a little money to the local PBS station, so it’s not strictly within your rules (but giving a little money to PBS is not a bad thing to do anyway). Other good things available from the same source, e.g. “Endeavour”, another great mystery series.
WaterGirl
Well, I can see where this is going, people are going to be including all streaming! Which is just fine. I would just ask that you note where it’s streaming. :-)
currawong
Not sure what you have available in the US but I’d recommend Bordertown on Netflix here. Set in Lappeenranta in Finland (near the Russian border) in Finnish with subtitles. Made me think about a part of the world I’d never considered.
If you haven’t seen the UK dramas Broadchurch and Happy Vally, I’d recommend those too if you can find them.
New Deal democrat
Season 1 of “David Makes Man” on Amazon Prime.
A coming of age drama set in a housing project in Miami. Incredibly complex characters, part surrealistic, part a little like watching the evolution of Michael Corleone in The Godfather.
Season 2 just wrapped up. Not sure I can recommend it, because it involves a big leap forward in time, but season 1 stands alone, and ymmv.
senyordave
Endeavour, seasons 1-7 are available on Amazon Prime. IMO the best police show I have seen. I also second The Expanse. If you want comedy, Father Ted. (I think that is on IMDB which is available through Amazon Prime).
piratedan
DC Banks and River are other good british police procedurals
WaterGirl
@piratedan: ooh. I think someone I like stars in Travelers, though I have never seen it. Who are the big actors in that, do you happen to know?
WaterGirl
@Brit in Chicago: I have been able to catch Unforgotten on PBS. I am so bummed that the actor I love isn’t going to be on the show next season!
You are a Brit in Chicago? What brought you to the Windy City?
WaterGirl
@currawong: I love Broadchurch, that was on some TV channel I get. What is Happy Valley about? Is it a mystery?
Catherine D.
@Brit in Chicago: Unforgotten is wonderful, but then I had Spooks flashbacks ? Ruth, no, Cassie, no, Ruth.
WaterGirl
@piratedan: Are those on Britbox or one of the other British streaming channels?
Sometimes I think I should subscribe to one of those but I never know which one to choose, so it never happens.
billcinsd
The new Leverage? While it is on iMDB TV, it also airs on Amazon Prime
Catherine D.
@WaterGirl: Happy Valley has Sarah Lancashire. That is all ?
WaterGirl
@Catherine D.: I had to google for a photo. I have never seen her in anything.
WaterGirl
@billcinsd: That was fun. Not as good as the original Leverage, I thought, but still fun. My favorite character wasn’t on much, though.
guachi
Brokenwood Mysteries from New Zealand is fun. Recurring characters. New Zealand accents.
WaterGirl
@Catherine D.: Spooks? What is that?
WaterGirl
@guachi: I can’t figure out where Brokenwood Mysteries is streaming. Seasons 1 and 2 were on Ovation, and then it stopped, so no seasons after that on Ovation.
Catherine D.
@WaterGirl: I have Acorn and Britbox, pay annually, and get my money’s worth.
ETA Brokenwood is on Acorn.
EmanG
I personally think they’re setting up a reboot with Bosch as a private detective. Don’t know for sure but they sure opened the door at the end. I can also recommend Expanse.
trollhattan
I enjoyed “Hinterland” a detective series set in Wales that I watched on Netflix. Netflix being Netflix, I won’t guess whether they currently offer it–there are three seasons with mere rumors of a fourth.
Is “Killing Eve” drama enough, despite the scattering of extremely sardonic humor? I think yes, especially because Jodie Comer MUST BE WATCHED. Have seen few roles made so utterly riveting.
WaterGirl
@currawong: Is Bordertown a mystery? A drama?
joel hanes
@Brit in Chicago: a
Seconding “Endeavor”, especially if you have any familiarity with the canons of English lit and western music. Definitely Anglophile, definitely characters one cares about.
Not a wasted shot in the four seasons I’ve watched so far.
Catherine D.
@WaterGirl: It was called MI-6 in the US.
VeniceRiley
“I Really Care a Lot”
completely exposes the cynical nature of our court appointed by executors
WaterGirl
@EmanG: Expanse was on network TV for multiple years, and I watched for awhile, but there was so much time between seasons that remembering which planet was which, etc got to be too much work. I’m not a big sci fi person.
OCD
netflix: bloodline, lupin, dead to me, mind hunter, ozarks
amazon: justified, goliath, hunters, counterpart, jack ryan, tin star, the patriot
trollhattan
For really awful rich people behaving really awfully, “Succession” (HBO). New season begins this month, I believe there are two previous, in total. Gorgeous production, great acting.
piratedan
@WaterGirl: pretty sure they are just part of the deep dive you can make once you like a few things…. the lead in Travelors is Eric McCormick… (I think)
WaterGirl
@EmanG: There is definitely going to be a new Bosch as ac PI series, but I was bummed to find out that it’s only going to be on some free with commercials streaming service. Ugh.
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: Killing Eve is too creepy for me.
trollhattan
@Catherine D.:
Oh yes, one of the best spy series ever. Seriously good. Imagine “24” made by and for grownups. With accents.
WaterGirl
@joel hanes: I have been watching Endeavor on network TV as each season comes out.
I really liked last season a lot. Is the coming season the last?
WaterGirl
@Catherine D.: huh. Was MI-6 good? I wonder if I can find it somewhere.
WaterGirl
@piratedan:
That’s it. i LOVE him. I should watch Travelers.
Catherine D.
@trollhattan: I was always impressed by how often main characters were killed off. Doesn’t happen often in the US.
brendancalling
Lupin is great
WaterGirl
@Catherine D.: They don’t mind killing off characters o, The Crossing, either!
trollhattan
@WaterGirl:
I didn’t quite “get it” until I watched “Fleabag” and then saw the Phoebe Waller-Bridge handprints all over the joint in “Killing Eve.” And I loved (sofa cushion dive-cringed) “Fleabag” so that’s how I roll. (Also loved “Ab Fab.”)
WaterGirl
@brendancalling: Lupin. What is Lupin and where is it streaming?
Ksmiami
Lol driving back from Taos , we just stopped in Las Vegas where they have a dedicated tourist site to longmire- the sheriffs office
Brit in Chicago
@WaterGirl: Thanks for asking! I really am a Brit. (Though long-time US resident. I became a US citizen just in time to vote for that nice Mr. Obama, but still have a UK passport too—apparently that’s legal. I’m angry that the UK passport is no longer an EU passport, but that’s another matter.) But I’m no longer in Chicago (alas—I really miss it, and think about going back). I went to Chicago 29 years ago mostly for a job but partly for the weather. I had been living in California (like Humphry Bogard in Casablanca, I was misinformed.)
Hawes
I’m finally working my way through Broadchurch. A few things that make me scream at the writers, but as a meditation on grief, it’s amazing.
WaterGirl
@Ksmiami: I would visit that!
trollhattan
@Catherine D.: Isn’t that the truth? Do not become attached to any character, even one featured in the title sequence, if you know what’s good for you.
Fun fact: when they audience-tested the pilot for “Hill Street Blues,” which ended with Renko and Bobby Hill being shot and killed, the test audiences were mortified so they unkilled them and had them recover from their injuries to become regular cast members in the series.
JPEG
Bosch is going to have a spinoff/sequel so fret not.
Amazon: Undone was excellent. Goliath and Sneaky Pete are pretty good, though they’re no Bosch. Too bad no comedies, because Amazon has a lot of great ones.
Netflix: Peaky Blinders is excellent, but you may need subtitles to understand the accents. Ozark is pretty good. Mindhunter is ok. Not specifically Netflix, but on Netflix, Better Call Saul is great.
HBO: The Flight Attendant and Mare of Easttown are both wonderful.
Chacal Charles Calthrop
All my cdramas have subtitles. Oh well,I’d still like to recommend Word of Honor
namekarB
No Subtitles???? Whagh. You are def missing out on some excellent movies and series. Netflix has some great Korean series. I started with Danish original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (3 parts) then meandered through some Western European then over to Eastern Europe, down to Latin America, across to Africa and from there to South Asia before currently viewing East Asian stuff. Definitely gives you a taste of the culture.
For starters, try the series “Heaven’s Garden” on Netflix. Onion Farmers! Village life. Excellent intro into Korean rural culture
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
I’ve thought about watching Bosch, WG. Without spoiling too much, what did you most like about it? I’ve also thought about reading the book series it’s based on too
NotMax
No subtitles does tend to constrict choices. While there’s often dubbed versions on Netflix, but most of the time the dubbing is horrid, so will also exclude those.
Prime:
Goliath
Patriot
Wild Boys
Counterpart
.
IMDb on Prime (included free with Prime, however has limited ads):
The City and the City
Hustle
The Booth at the End
.
Netflix:
Fallet (about 85% in English)
.
WaterGirl
@Brit in Chicago: You left CA for better weather in Chicago?
hahahahaha
I grew up in Chicago.
Thanks for voting for that nice Mr. Obama! :-)
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: Do you guys know if MI-6 is streaming anywhere?
WaterGirl
@JPEG: I lived Mare of Easttown – that was on network TV when I saw it.
What is Undone?
WaterGirl
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): The characters, the acting, the stories.
Catherine D.
@WaterGirl: It was so long ago, I watched it on DVD. If you have a player, you might be able to get the discs from the library.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
I’d also recommend the animated Invincible, also on Amazon Prime, which is based on the Image Comics’ series of the same name. I’ve only watched clips on YT, but of what I’ve watched, it’s pretty good. Lots of action and drama. Good character and story too, of what I’ve watched and read.
Here’s a synopsis:
The comic was written by Robert Kirkman, writer and creator of both the Walking Dead show and, of course, the comic that show was based on
ETA: It’s a bit graphic tho, so YMMV
Benw
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): yeah Expanse is sci-fi but it was compelling and I loved the characters. I was legit wrecked by the end of season 1
eta: ah I see WG’s already tried it!
NotMax
@WaterGirl
Pretty good singer, also too.
Woodrow/asim
My Favorite show, PERSON OF INTEREST, is only on HBO MAX, sadly. I will still recommend, as it’s a deliciously bingeable blend of standard crime/vigilante procedural with found family elements (esp. Season 3 onwards), thoughtful cyberpunk elements, an interesting critique of police, lots of character-based humor, and one of the cutest dogs in TV history :)
It’s dark in spots — I’ve cried over events on this show multiple times — but it has a deeply rich heart at it’s core that makes it compelling.
Viva BrisVegas
I have no idea what services they are on over there, but for something outside of NATO, how about:
My Life is Murder, Harrow, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Mystery Road, Mr Inbetween, Jack Irish, Underbelly.
MomSense
O/T for those who have been on the morning COVID threads, my former student’s son Griffin is on the mend. He was able to go outside today and ride on his dad’s tractor. Mama still looks exhausted and worried. He didn’t walk outside. Mama carried him and handed him to dad, but still he was outside and looked better than before.
Griffin is 2 and has COVID and some co existing conditions including asthma. All eligible members of his family and extended family are vaccinated.
Please keep sending good wishes his way.
Catherine D.
@Viva BrisVegas:
1, 3, 4, and 6 are on Acorn in the US.
Woodrow/asim
@WaterGirl: MI-6, under the name SPOOKS, should be on BritBox: https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/mi-5
(I use Just Watch website to figure this stuff out; it’s been right so far, for me, with one obscure exception.)
JPEG
@WaterGirl: Undone is animated, but using that rotoscope style where they film the actors but then trace animate every frame. It gives film a very surreal look. I love the style. Without giving too much away. It’s about a woman who gets into a car accident and weird mind things start happening to her.
I’m just half way through Mare of Easttown, but it’s that good that I can already recommend it to everyone.
WaterGirl
@Woodrow/asim:
Oh, I have HBO Max, too! I have that because I get HBO on cable. Somehow I never think of that as streaming. Duh!
Cluttered Mind
Try Person of Interest. It’s a pretty amazing show. Should be able to get all 5 seasons on Netflix.
Chetan Murthy
@WaterGirl: MI-5
trollhattan
Ever watch “Justified”? Utterly compelling series on FX network for five seasons. Based on an Elmore Leonard book. Timothy Oliphant, Margo Martindale, Walter Goggins, compelling. Also, they’re Cole’s neighbors.
And, if you have not seen “The Americans” then find and watch it. Among the best teevee dramas made. Ever.
WaterGirl
@Woodrow/asim: I loved Person of Interest, but wasn’t as crazy about the last season. What did you think of the final season?
Ksmiami
@WaterGirl: there’s a star on the door and it says Sheriff’s Department, Durant Wyoming lol
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Woodrow/asim:
Second this series. It had a really bittersweet ending from what I remember
Doug R
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Yup on The Expanse. It does get a little bogged down in the soap opera of everyone’s life, but it is Space Opera in 4K.
Craig
Mr. Inbetween on Hulu. Aussie show about a gunman who is divorced, splits raising his 10 year old daughter and deals with what life throws at him. Fascinating character. Great writing, acting and lots of unexpected ripples.
Also. First season of Goliath is great-on Prime
Woodrow/asim
Yeah, seconding this one — really enjoyed it overall, and there’s even a movie to wrap things up. The mod-era spinoff is also fun, if not as tight.
I’ll also recommend MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE — moreso for the former, and the overall “Victorian-era Woman as Private Investigator” ethos, than the frankly frustrating actor who plays the latter. It appears, however, it’s only streaming via PBS :(
Catherine D.
@Chetan Murthy: Oh, duh, yes. And it’s on Britbox now.
WaterGirl
@MomSense: Encouraging news! What a nightmare. I can’t remember the details of who he got it from, but I do remember feeling angry about it.
MomSense
@WaterGirl:
They don’t know, but mama had a righteous rant about the anti-vaxxers.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@MomSense:
Yay!
piratedan
@Chetan Murthy: ty… was about to post that correction and MI-5 can be pretty compelling stuff… no easy answers and the villians come in shades of gray and are rarely portrayed as idiots.
SFBayAreaGal
@Brit in Chicago: I love The Unforgotten. Have you seen the recent season?
WaterGirl
@Woodrow/asim: Is that Nicola Walker in the photo on the Spooks page? She is in Unforgotten. I LOVE her!
10 seasons!
Old Man Shadow
Sweet Tooth on Netflix was very good.
Woodrow/asim
@WaterGirl: I think, given a lot of the constraints, it ended about as well as it could. The actual final episode was an astonishing piece of work, given how That Recording sets up the start of the season, and then pulls the rug out from under you. There was only one character arc that I felt ended poorly/unearned, but that’s mostly because of my personal biases. :)
Also, too, [slight spoilers for others!] they landed a certain character death far better than the contemporary situation on THE 100 did.
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: Loved Justified! I can’t believe we haven’t seen Timothy Oliphant in anything else since then. Or maybe he’s on some streaming show I haven’t seen or heard of?
I also watched The Americans when it was on network TV. Really good! Sometimes hard to watch because I would be so nervous for them.
Wyatt Salamanca
As a corollary to WaterGirl’s request does anyone have a favorite blog or website for getting the latest news and developments regarding streaming services or know of a comprehensive directory of streaming services?
These are the only streaming news sources that I’m aware of
Cord Cutters News
https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/
The Streamable
https://thestreamable.com/
WaterGirl
@trollhattan:
???
edit: oh, it was set in WV?
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: RICHARD ARMITAGE IS IN IT
Catherine D.
@WaterGirl: Yes, it’s Nicola Walker, Spooks and Unforgotten. She’s in a new series on the BBC called Annika, which I hope will find its way to a streaming service in the US.
WaterGirl
@MomSense: Maybe someone who was vaccinated wasn’t able to make antibodies? I was surprised to read this week that about 1/3 of the people who get covid don’t develop strong antibodies.
Craig
Since you have HBO max you should watch Perry Mason. Excellent all around, especially Juliet Rylance, she’s brilliant. I feel like maybe I remember you’ve seen that though.
way2blue
WaterGirl,
If you also get Netflix discs, watch ‘The Rider’ directed by Chloe Zhao before Nomadland. (Watched recently on a flight—couldn’t believe they’d found an actor who was so good with horses… ) Other Netflix favorites that are streamable:
The Sinner (with Bill Pullman, just started); Bodyguard; Wanted [detective series]
The Take [detective film with Idris Elba]
The Last Kingdom; The King; Outlaw King [quasi historical dramas]
The OA; Sense 8; The Innøcents; The Old Guard [somewhat sci fi]
NotMax
One more still available on Netflix which might fit your bill: Hap and Leonard.
Seems to be only on HBO Max now: with compelling characters but also doesn’t skimp on graphic violence, is Banshee.
Not on any of the streamers you mention but if you do come across it, Perpetual Grace, LTD was quite bingeable.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
It’s MI-5. You can at least buy it or rent it on Prime.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@WaterGirl:
Thanks for the answer : )
WaterGirl
@Brit in Chicago:
:: waving my hands in the air ::
Rules? On Balloon Juice, you’re lucky if the rules stick through the first 10 comments. :-)
YasukeSama
Yellowstone , Dark Matter, Luther (British show with Idris Elba and Ruth Wilson).
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: I think I had to get Britbox to get it. It’s MI-5. lots of good actors but looks a little violent for me.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
Yeah, Nicola Walker is in MI-5.
She also appeared in a great episode of Jonathan Creek, one of my faves.
She’s also in Last Tango in Halifax, she’s fabulous in it. She’s always fabulous.
She was appearing on stage in NYC a lot before the pandemic. Guess I’ll never see her.
Craig
@NotMax: Hap and Leonard is really good.
MomSense
@zhena gogolia:
It really isn’t that violent. RA is really good in it, but the script jumps the shark in his story line.
WaterGirl
@Catherine D.: It’s supposed to air on PBS at some point.
Catherine D.
@MomSense: Well, the deep fat fryer skeeved me a bit.
ljt
@WaterGirl: It’s MI-5, and it’s available on Britbox via Prime. Some great actors over the seasons, including Richard Armitage, David Oyelowo, Nicola Walker and Hermione Norris.
I really enjoyed Last Tango in Halifax, with Nicola Walker, Sarah Lancashire and Derek Jacobi, now on Netflix.
WaterGirl
@Craig: Watched Perry Mason every week while it was on! I wonder when season two will air?
zhena gogolia
@MomSense: I started watching (the RA season), and some young guy was bragging in the pub about his new baby daughter, so I knew he was about to get it. I gave up when the terrorists broke out the scimitar.
I am exceedingly squeamish.
MomSense
@zhena gogolia:
Hermione Norris is badass in that series.
Shebis also brilliant in the series Kingdom with Stephen Frye.
I love the series The Detectorists. It used to be available on regular Prime, but I think it is now only on Prime/Acorns. Such a good series. The characters name the show.
Danielx
@Brit in Chicago:
Wait wait wait – you moved to Chicago partly for the weather? Misinformed doesn’t begin to cover that shit….
WaterGirl
@way2blue: I wanted to watch The Sinner, but it was too creepy for me. (I have kind of a low creep tolerance.)
I’ll watch anything with Idris Elba, but I no longer have a DVD player, so if it’s not streaming, I won’t see it.
NotMax
@Wyatt Salamanca
For news about streaming programming? There’s also The Europlace.
Along the same line, have found Decider’s “Stream It or Skip It?” features useful as a guide more often than not.
ljt
Another good one is Scott & Bailey on Prime. Created by Sally Wainwright, who also created Last Tango in Halifax.
zhena gogolia
@MomSense: I don’t really know her, although she looks vaguely familiar. It looks as if she was in that Robson Green show, Wire in the Blood.
zhena gogolia
@Danielx: Yeah, that’s hilarious.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
I think you mentioned you have HBO Max? I also highly recommend Boardwalk Empire. Used to be on Prime, where I watched it. Lots of intrigue, drama, and action. Basically, it’s about gangsters in the 1920s. It’s REALLY good, especially in the 3rd season when Gyp Rosetti shows up. He’s like a cartoon character come to life, which you’d think would be a bad thing in a historical drama/crime series, but it’s easily one of the best parts of the show
currawong
@WaterGirl: It’s a police drama set in a grimy grimy Northern (Britain) industrial town. Good strong characters and plot.
zhena gogolia
@ljt: As long as we’re talking Sally Wainwright, we really enjoyed this over-the-top Wuthering Heights mashup she did, Sparkhouse, which is on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnErTxnHPwM&t=12s
It may incidentally feature an actor with the initials RA, but everyone in it is fantastic, especially Alun Armstrong (loathsome) and Nicholas Farrell (loathsome in a different way). Sarah Smart is brilliant.
WaterGirl
Bummer, it looks like I can’t get Britbox for Apple TV because my Apple TV is older and can’t do apps. It looks like Britbox would require an app in order to see it on my TV. Now I’m bummed. It would cost a fortune to buy/rent on Amazon. :-(
craigie
Endeavour – Amazon Prime.
Really compelling British crime drama that is the imagined prequel to an 80s hit.
WaterGirl
@ljt: Is it like Cagney and Lacey?
Danielx
@Ksmiami:
There is a town in Wyoming upon which Durant WY is modeled. Kind of hard to tell chicken from egg, since town is now a haven for all things Longmire. Including the Busy Bee Cafe, in which I have eaten. Bison burgers are awesome.
Miki
@namekarB: I loved Heaven’s Garden! I lived in South Korea for 2 years in the 70s (Army). The rural/farming culture in the series really reminded me of where I lived back then. Totally worth the subtitles.
James E Powell
Shetland on Britbox – Makes me want to visit for Up Helly Aa.
Justified – Hulu – for all the reasons you liked Longmire & Bosch
Scott & Bailey – Amazon Prime – I could be friends with these two
Patriot – Amazon Prime – A very strange show. It’s all about The Structural Dynamics of Flow. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, though there are some similarities with the first season of Twin Peaks in its oddity presented as normality.
craigie
@currawong: I just watched “Bordertown” for the first time last night – really liking it.
Also, if you have Starz (you can add it to Prime for cheap) watch The Gloaming. Really good, from a part of the world I’ve never really thought about – Tasmania.
zhena gogolia
@craigie:
You refer to the magnificent Inspector Morse as “an 80s hit”?
We’re about to watch “The Remorseful Day” tonight, the final episode. We just might start all over again at the beginning and watch it again. The greatest series ever made.
karen marie
On Hulu, “What We Do In The Shadows” is hilarious and absolutely brilliant. I’d let my subscription lapse when I finished season 2, because I don’t watch a lot of “TV” and there was nothing compelling to keep me paying, but I’m going back because season 3 has started, if not all episodes up. There’s also another series on Hulu, the name of which escapes me, but is created by the same NZ guy who did WWDITS.
WaterGirl
@currawong: wow, I was way off base. IIRC, I think Raven used to talk about Happy Valley and I thought it was a comedy.
MomSense
@ljt:
Scott and Bailey was fantastic. Surranne Jones is also amazing in Gentleman Jack.
VOR
“Hinterland” Netflix
”Unforgotten” Amazon Prime
“Bordertown” Netflix
”Occupied” Netflix. Norwegian show but lots of dialogue in English. Near future occupation of Norway by Russia.
WaterGirl
@craigie: I watch that on PBS each season when it airs. I really enjoy it. I never watched the original series with older Endeavour, so I imagine I miss some nuance. But that’s okay.
MomSense
@zhena gogolia:
I beg to differ. Foyle’s War is the best series.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: Haha, no.
James Norton as a serial killer.
zhena gogolia
@MomSense: Okay, I’ll admit you might have an argument.
Catherine D.
@WaterGirl: Do you have an iPad? Britbox app runs there.
Bonnie McDaniel
If you like true crime stuff, Netflix’s “Unbelievable” is the story of the Marie Adler rape case. Riveting from start to finish. Toni Colette plays one of the detectives.
WaterGirl
@James E Powell:
Okay, so it must not be like Cagney and Lacey
craigie
@zhena gogolia:
I’m not very cultured :-)
Craig
@WaterGirl: Happy Valley is NOT a comedy. Great show.
Chetan Murthy
I just watched “The Hunt for a Killer” last night. About the Helen Nilsson rape/murder case (in rural Sweden) from 1989, a number of rape/murders that followed, thru to catching the perp in 2004. It’s a true crime dramatization, so where they don’t have actual details, they skip over it. So (thankfully) there’s no actual violence — at the point where the crimes actually transpire the camera jumps forward to the next day.
Pretty gripping, and also pretty horrifying. Since it’s all true-to-life, the fact that there were 29 suspects in this small rural town is …. pretty disturbing.
ljt
@WaterGirl: I never got into Cagney & Lacey, so I can’t say, but it’s got a lot of strong women and great dialogue.
NotMax
@WaterGirl
Happy Valley gets tip-top recommendation., albeit unrelentingly grim.
Am convinced anyone on the set — whether in front of or behind the cameras — was levied a hefty fine if they ever smiled.
Oh, and for something police-y but with more than a touch of whimsy, might give a look at Hamish MacBeth on Prime.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: Really??? Wow, I have only seen him in Grantchester, that will be a big change.
Leslie
@MomSense: Thanks for the update! Everything still crossed for the little guy.
joel hanes
@WaterGirl:
Don’t know if the next season of Endeavor is the last;
I’m watching it during the intervals in which I stay with my mom in Iowa, and we’re only just started on season 5
Capri
On Netflix the American Crime Story series. Season 1 was OJ Simpson, 2 was Andrew Cunanen and 3 which will be coming out soon is Monica Lewinsky. The first 2 are very good. They are Ryan Murphy produced – so take that for what its worth – but very good.
Craig
Also on Hulu, The Terror. Season 1 is a bunch of famous British actors on an icebound ship searching for the Northwest Passage. They are being stalked by something that’s slowly killing them.
Season 2 takes place in/around a Japanese internment camp during WWII and something is killing people, maybe evil spirits.
Creepy mystery show.
WaterGirl
@Catherine D.: I do have an iPad, but I don’t like watching shows on it. Much more convenient for me to watch on the TV.
I may have to buy a new Apple TV.
WaterGirl
@NotMax: Unrelentingly grim isn’t my idea of a good show. Bummer.
James E Powell
@WaterGirl:
I’m not sure if that’s about them or me.
zhena gogolia
@craigie: Or old, maybe :)
WaterGirl
@joel hanes: Sometimes it pays to be behind!
OR Soder
Last Tango in Halifax on Netflix. Filled with wonderful actors in a complicated story line: Nicola Walker, Sarah Lancashire, Derek Jacobi, Anne Reid and more. Four seasons and a total treat!
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: Yes, apparently he’s very good, but I can’t stomach it.
Delk
FYI — free streaming service ‘Pluto’ now has a “Britbox Mystery” channel.
WaterGirl
@James E Powell: I thought the show might have looked a little fluffy when I clicked an earlier link, but then you said “I could be friends with these two” and I figured it probably had more substance than I initially thought.
raven
@WaterGirl: It’s a great show as is Last Tango in Halifax and anything else Sally Wainwright directs. Scott and Bailey is another detective drama and all her work is very woman centered.
WaterGirl
@OR Soder:
Oh, then I have seen her in something. She must have been the character who was the headmistress of the school.
Loved Last Tango!
raven
@MomSense: I can’t wait for season 2 of Gentleman Jack. Do you know the story of how her notes were found and decoded?
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: You said you are squeamish. I also have a low tolerance for violence. Or icky violence, at least. I don’t mind the violence in Bosch, for instance.
NotMax
@WaterGirl
Oughtn’t let that automatically put you off HV. It works to the show’s advantage. Perhaps unrelentingly stern would be a more accurate description.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: Yeah, she’s Anne Reid’s daughter with the horrible ex-husband.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: I haven’t seen that. I like Titus Welliver. He used to be really good on a cop show the name of which I can’t remember. He was a young man, so that’ll tell you how long ago it was.
Another Scott
J likes Vera and such on PBS – we only rarely stream things, so I can’t help there.
Meanwhile, …
I’m shocked, shocked.
(via TheRealHoarse)
Cheers,
Scott.
Leslie
Scott and Bailey is excellent, as is Unbelievable. I love Nicola Walker, so I will have to check out MI-5/Spooks and Last Tango in Halifax.
Britbox is absolutely worth the money. Acorn, too (but is it available through Prime?).
Sure Lurkalot
@WaterGirl:
This is such a crock. My Samsung TV can’t get AppleTV+ for the same reason so the only choice is to watch shows alone on my iPad. Or buy a new TV.
raven
Anne Lister’s Diaries: Decoding the Secrets of The ‘First Modern Lesbian’
Mike in NC
@James E Powell: I think I read that there is to be another season/series of Shetland. We visited the islands in August 2019. Weather was nice if a bit windy.
RevRick
The Man in the High Castle
Hanna
The Expanse
Vikings
NeenerNeener
@WaterGirl: I hate what Apple did with the remotes around version 4 or 5. Get a Roku or a Fire TV instead.
raven
@Leslie: The Split is awful, I’m sorry she took that on.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@RevRick:
Also second The Man in the High Castle
piratedan
Lots of really good shows mentioned thus far… i will second Hamish MacBeth…. excellent show… compelling human drama… the wife reminds me of her enjoyment of Burn Notice… might be a tad dated but it has a Leverage vibe to it.
Leslie
@raven: Oh, that’s too bad. I guess everyone has a miss now and then.
NotMax
Subtitled, so skip on by, WaterGirl.
So far mostly liking the free for September only first season of The Bastards of Pizzofalcone on Prime.
Also have the free with Prime for September only season 1 of the Danish series The Killing queued up for after Bastards.
raven
@WaterGirl: The show is great.
Heidi Mom
@James E Powell: After watching Shetland I decided that if I’m ever offered a free round trip to anywhere, that’s where I’ll go. But definitely not for Up Helly Aa!
iamswill
I haven’t seen Terriers mentioned. I’m sorry I don’t know where it’s currently streaming; I watched it on Prime ages ago and then purchased it. It’s only one season, so quick a quick and worthwhile watch.
In addition, One Mississippi, also on Prime. Tig Notaro is a treasure.
If you like The Expanse, I highly recommend reading the books.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: If you think of it, let me know. Or if someone else knows, jump in please.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: Brooklyn South
ETA: “Brooklyn South Season 1 is not streaming nor available to rent or purchase.”
It was only on one season. It was great.
Percysowner
Cold Case, the CBS show, not Cold Case Files is now on HBO Max. It is probably my favorite procedural show ever. Brilliant use of music to set the mood and took on social issues and did great examination of them. I can’t recommend it enough.
It is also available free on the Roku channel with commercials. If you watch, make sure you have Kleenex on hand. The music really does work your tear ducts.
raven
@Leslie: She’s not bad but there is little to work with.
raven
@WaterGirl: The goggle is your friend.
WaterGirl
@NeenerNeener: I love my tiny little silver remote for Apple TV. I seem to recall the remote discussion last time I considered buying an Apple TV. At the time I think I thought I should get a newer one so I can do Apps, but not the newest one because people were bitching online about the remote. Thanks for the reminder; I’ll have to be sure and look at that.
Otherwise, I love Apple TV and really would rather not go with something else.
WaterGirl
@iamswill: Terriers is in my top 10 TV shows EVER. Loved it and could not believe it didn’t get a second season, when so much crap TV does.
Terriers is the whole reason I watch the Batman show that was on, because Donal Logue was in it. Loved the other main character too, but I haven’t seen him in much else.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: I watched Brooklyn South but I didn’t remember Titus was in it.
Catherine D.
@WaterGirl: I think the upcoming Apple TV has a redesigned remote, so maybe that’s a possible upgrade for you.
WaterGirl
@Percysowner: I was just thinking about Cold Case the other day. The music took you right back to the timeframe, and I liked the way the victim would look on at the end of the show.
Good to know it’s on HBO Max, which I also can’t watch on Apple TV because it requires an App.
WaterGirl
@raven: I did google but it came up with a million cop shows that he has been on. Even White Collar. He must be a guest star a lot.
WaterGirl
@Catherine D.: Oh, you mean a re-redesigned remote? Ditching the redesigned one that everybody hated?
That’s good to know!
trollhattan
@WaterGirl:
Technically Kentucky (Harlan County) but I tend to lump them together as “coahl country.”
trollhattan
@karen marie:
Did you see “Shadows” returned last week with two episodes? FX.
WaterGirl
@Catherine D.: I just googled and it looks like they just came out with a new Apple TV in April of 2021. But you said upcoming – is there something else new coming that I haven’t seen?
raven
@Catherine D.: They are $189
Bonnie
@guachi:
I second Brokenwood Mysteries from New Zealand.
MomSense
I think Durrells in Corfu is on Amazon Prime. It’s excellent.
NotMax
For those who might never have checked it out, shall also mention that Mr. Robot is currently on Prime.
Enigmatically intriguing, although the fourth season was a letdown, IMHO.
Mousebumples
Of the ones you’re raving about, I only saw Longmire, but I enjoyed it.
Recs –
raven
Apple 4k review
raven
@NotMax: Rami was great in The Pacific
Central Planning
For All Mankind on AppleTV+ was pretty good if you like alternate history and the space race.
I just started Goliath on Prime and I like it so far. 4 seasons.
I’m also looking forward to Foundation later this month on AppleTV+
Poe Larity
Endeavour, Peaky Blinders upboat.
Weird one for characters you might care about. Korean genre jumping drama/west anderson comedy/mobster show called Vincenzo. Korean son of Italian mobster returns home and takes over commercial building another evil corporate multi-national mobster wants. Crazy cast of characters. Not everyone is who they seem to be. Get to at least episode 4 before deciding on it. I still don’t know what to think of it but it’s just so bizarre and I have no idea where it is headed.
On Netflix.
It’s subd, so you might not like it but other jackals might.
I do have to say the cast and acting of Billions sucked me in.
WaterGirl
@Catherine D.: Okay, so the Apple TV that came out in April 2021 does have a newly designed remote. Thank you!
WaterGirl
@Mousebumples: Loved the first 5 on your list, haven’t seen Schitt’s Creek. Or heard about it. I will have to google.
call_me_ishmael
@trollhattan: Justified was the best thing on TV for a couple of years there.
Dewey Crowe from Justified is one of the recurring guest stars on an Aussie crime dramedy called Mr Inbetween on FX. Just finished a 3 year run, and it is the best thing I’ve seen this year. A very sympathetic and interesting main character, even if he’s a hit man just trying to make a living.
karen marie
I also recently watched a one-season (so far) series called “Utopia.” I don’t know that it’s “science fiction” per se but it’s wild. Well written, well acted – riveting. The end of the last episode was a bit confusing but I guess it’s what the kids call “a cliff hanger.”
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: He made an impression on me.
Central Planning
@WaterGirl: Schitts Creek is fantastic. I would start watching that first.
karen marie
@trollhattan: I heard on the twitters that some part of the 3rd season had been released. I’m going to restart Hulu but probably not until I know for sure the entire season is released. If I have to wait, I tend to forget that I’m supposed to be paying attention.
Did you watch it? The person on twitter was very happy.
FelonyGovt
There’s an older cop show called Liverpool 1. Gritty in the manner of Bosch, with interesting, well developed characters. Can’t remember where I saw it (I have both BritBox and Acorn) but it’s supposedly on Amazon prime. Don’t know, though, if it’s “free if you have Prime” or “we’re going to charge you even if you have Prime”.
NotMax
@Poe Larity
Korean? Ever see the original season of Iris (not the movie, not the sequel)? Believe it is back on Netflix for the nonce.
On the one hand a tautly constructed, edge of your seat espionage/action show. However frustrating because it ping pongs back and forth between that plot and mushy hearts-and-violins romance (complete with sappy music). First episode is nearly all the latter, giving next to no clues about what is to follow.
Ihop
Long thread no time to parse
The wire
The wire
The wire
That is all
cope
@WaterGirl: Our gen 2 Apple TV with the little silver remote also doesn’t get apps that didn’t come already installed. My solution is to get the apps on my iPhone and then use the Apple Play feature to stream content through the old Apple TV.
John Cole
I absolutely want to chime in with another recommendation for Bosch. One of the best shows out there.
MomSense
@Mousebumples:
The beginning of Season seven episode 11 of psych is some of the funniest TV ever made. My youngest and I watch it when we need a good laugh. The episode is called Office Space. Poor Gus.
Jack the Cold Warrior
susanna
@OR Soder: Ann Reid, now 86, and if you want to see her range of acting, watch The Mother, with Daniel Craig.
Paranoid
Spiral, French police procedural, is worth the subtitles/dubs, on Amazon
Whitechapel (from UK), Hulu – get past #2
WaterGirl
@Ihop: I still have not watched The Wire! Maybe it’s time.
Craig
@WaterGirl: It’s always time for The Wire.
WaterGirl
@cope: hmm, interesting. I haven’t used Apple play in so long that I can’t recall how to even do that. Can you walk me through it?
Central Planning
If you like mockumentaries, Documentary Now! Is good too. It’s written by Seth Myers, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Rhys Davies. I think it helps to know the documentaries the episodes are based on. I think it’s on Netflix, Prime, and IFC.
Poe Larity
@NotMax: It’s on my list. There are so many good Korean dramas, and I love the mainstay actors. But there is clearly a culture difference in story lines.
Since the HK classic drama era is well over, I hope Korea will pick up more storylines.
rikyrah
Netflix
The Money Heist
Mousebumples
@WaterGirl: I’ll warn you that the first few eps/season-ish… The characters are Kardashian-like and I wanted to strangle them. But the character development is amazing.
If you’ve ever seen SCTV, Eugene Levy and Catharine O’Hara are teaming up again. Plus Dan Levy (and his sister is also in the supporting cast). It’s “done”… But I’m hoping for a movie in a few years to wrap up some loose ends. ?
Happy watching with whatever you end up pursuing!
MomSense
Bodyguard on Netflix.
RevRick
@WaterGirl: The Wire is on HBO on demand. Critics say it’s the best TV ever. My wife and I agree.
jeffreyw
@WaterGirl: Try the Chromecast with Goodle TV. I give it a thumbs up. It’s a dongle that fits in an HDMI port on your TV. Lots of apps
NotMax
@susanna
Spiral is great, although French police detective shows do have a tendency towards extended pans of dead bodies, especially if they’re nude. Awaiting seasons 7 and 8 to eventually swim across the pond.
Absolutely love the portrayal of the prosecutor office judge. Same actor was also excellent in a different series, The Art of Crime.
Starfish
@WaterGirl: Lupin is on Netflix.
Lupin is a criminal mastermind, and some people are after him. It is dubbed. Here is the trailer for the first season.
Craig
@Poe Larity: there are so many good Korean shows these days. An old friend of mine moved to Seoul 12 years ago on a whim after visiting. Had some freelance photo gigs, then got offered a gig on the other side of the camera as a model. Now he’s The White Guy in bit parts in lots of new Korean shows. I’d recommend Chicago Typewriter on Netflix.
Mousebumples
@MomSense: I cycle through rewatching Psych, The Good Place, and Schitt’s Creek when i need a pick me up. ?
Annnnd a few more shows I coulda shoulda mentioned the first time, though I’m not sure where they’re all streaming –
And probably more I’m still forgetting…
cope
@WaterGirl: When you’re watching a video on your phone from most sources, there is an icon consisting of a rectangle with a solid upward pointing arrow, typically in the lower left of your screen. This activates AirPlay and should stream the video to the tv connected to your Apple TV.
WaterGirl
@jeffreyw: So you’re suggesting that as opposed to Apple’s Airplay? I went to your link, and they are making it exceedingly difficult to find out how much that costs.
WaterGirl
@cope: I know where to find that on my laptop, and when I clicked on that a little while ago, it locked up my whole mac and i had to power it off and bring it back up again.
I don’t see where that is on my phone.
edit: I do find screen mirroring. Is that what I want? Will the video be a decent resolution if I’m streaming from my phone or iPad? Maybe we should talk offline tomorrow?
persistentillusion
@WaterGirl: I too lived in Chicago, which is why I call Colorado home.
NotMax
@WaterGirl
Roku.
Avoids the Apple and the Google mishegas.
Anya
I want to recommend shows that have already been recommended:
Endeavour (LOVE! LOVE this show) — Prime and PBS
Line of Duty (Netflix)
The Underground Railroad — Prime
American Gods — Prime
The Last Kingdom — Netflix (very compelling, great characters but not sure if historical fiction is on your list)
Peaky Blinders — Netflix
Land Girls — Netflix
MomSense
@Mousebumples:
Try Durrells in Corfu. I think you will like it.
zhena gogolia
@susanna: Anne Reid has the funniest scene in Hot Fuzz, and that is saying a great deal.
Quiltingfool
@James E Powell: My favorite line in Justified – “Outlaw life is hard.”
Mousebumples
@MomSense: my husband and i trade off picks, so I’ll add that to my list! ?
Quiltingfool
I liked Grim and Man in the High Castle (both on Prime).
prostratedragon
@Leslie: Acorn is available through Prime, that’s how I get it.
(For now at least; I notice that HBO is leaving Prime on Sept. 15.)
cope
@WaterGirl: AirPlay is available on Apple desktops, iPads and iPhones. My desktop reacts pretty much like yours did when AirPlay is activated but it works for me from my newish iPhone and my oldish iPad.
Quality is not diminished from either my phone or tablet.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
WaterGirl
@cope: Thanks.
I will have to try that tomorrow or later this week.
JoyceH
Netflix: Sweet Tooth, Imposters, Dead To Me, Call The Midwife, Downton Abbey.
I’m currently over on Prime, watching Dexter. Really engrossing, you just have to get past the ‘main character is a serial killer’ thing, the final season sucked.
Kent
I’m way late to this thread. But I don’t think anyone has yet mentioned the new Neflix Israeli mystery series called Hit and Run. I’m on episode 8 and it is keeping my attention. The plot is about an Israeli tour guide with a somewhat mysterious past with Israeli special forces of some sort who’s wife gets killed in a hit and run and he starts to unravel layer after layer of cover-up and deceptions about who she actually was and that she may have been murdered and then it gets deep into CIA and Mossad conspiracies and bounces back and forth between Tel Aviv and New York. https://www.netflix.com/title/8020562
Also, if you have never watched the network series from about 10 years ago called “The Closer” starring Kyra Sedgwick as the main character and then later Mary McDonnell. it is well worth watching. It is on HBO-Max for free or Prime if you pay by the season.
cope
@WaterGirl: And mirroring sends your entire screen image to a different display while AirPlay basically passes through the streaming signal coming in to one device to another.
Best of luck to you.
Matt
Warrior on HBO Max is excellent.
Great fight scenes and based on an idea from Bruce Lee.
It was cancelled when Cinemax stopped making original programming but it did well enough on streaming that HBO renewed it for a third season.
Old Dan and Little Ann
No love for It’s Bruno on Netflix? Lol…A Brooklyn hipster has a pug mix he takes everywhere. Short, 13+ minute episodes. Completely stupid but kinda funny.
geg6
My tastes for good tv don’t match much with most of BJ jackals. So take my recommendations with that in mind. For instance, I wouldn’t watch Longmire if you paid me a million dollars and I’d much prefer to read the Bosch books, which I’ve enjoyed. Books I’ve enjoyed are almost never translated to the screen well. But I can’t recommended Mare of Easttown enough (HBOMax). And I am much looking forward to American Rust on Showtime (no idea if they have a streaming service; I’ll be catching it through the usual way). It’s about a police chief (Jeff Daniels) in a small former steel town in Southwestern PA (these are my people) and was mostly filmed locally in Ambridge, PA, a small former steel town in Southwestern PA.
cope
@WaterGirl: You can practice simply by going to YouTube and watching any video full screen and you should see the ApplePlay icon.
Woodrow/asim
@Ihop: OMAR COMIN’!
dopey-o
Screencast from your iPad to your AppleTV? Easy to find instructions on the google.
Kent
Has no one yet not mentioned Breaking Bad? Seriously? If you haven’t watched it yet, make an appointment.
Leslie
@Percysowner: Thanks for reminding me of that show. I loved it. (I assume you mean the one that first aired lo, these many years ago.)
Mary G
If you haven’t seen Six Feet Under on HBO, I think it would be a good one for you. Dramedy about a family who owns a mortuary. Probably a little dated about OMG a gay cop, but so good.
cope
@WaterGirl: One last thing before beddy bye, AirPlay does not send video from the Peacock app on my phone or desktop to my Apple TV but the audio works. Go figure.
Groucho48
Only had time to read the first 100 or so comments, so, not sure if these have been mentioned…
Foyle’s War is excellent. A British detective series set during WW2. Drags in later seasons but the first couple or three are great. Whoops, double checked. Season 1 isn’t available for free, anymore.
Justified, on Hulu, I’m afraid. Timothy Oliphant is a U.S. Marshall, sent back to his home country in the backwoods of Kentucky. First couple of episodes set things up and don’t really grab you, but, then you start getting to know the characters and it really takes off.
debbie
@Mary G:
Whose partner then became a serial killer on Dexter.
Ihop
Long thread no time to parse
The wire
The wire
The wire
That is all
@Woodrow/asim: omar coming yo
The wire is the best TV I have ever seen. That’s all.
MoeLarryAndJesus
Some of the Jack Taylor stuff (with Iain Glen) is available on Amazon. Based on the book series by Ken Bruen, set in Galway.
Craig
The Knick is on HBO MAX. I think I mentioned it in one of your earlier ask threads. Clive Own as a coke shooting surgical genius in a Victorian NYC hospital. Bonus Juliet Rylance.
The Looming Tower on HULU. Great limited series about the run up to 9/11 by Alex Gibney, starring Jeff Daniels.
You should probably rewatch The Queens Gambit. So good.
CaseyL
So many wonderful shows being recommended here! And streaming services, for which many thanks, as I no longer watch, or even have, a TV.
I may wind up paying as much for streaming services as I used to for cable… but at least they’ll all have something I’m interested in watching.
currawong
@WaterGirl: It’s a police procedural. A detective with an unusual memory technique moves with his family from Helsinki for a quieter life. Each story runs over 2 episodes but the characer development and background stories continue and build. Lots of involvement with shady Russian money. I’ve watched the first two series and am about to start the third.
ktron
trollhattan
I enjoyed “Hinterland
Hinterland is one of several great “regional” Brit “mysteries” – several of which have already been mentioned:
The Loch
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6734482/
Shetland
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2396135/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
The Fall, Vera, The Level, Jack Taylor, Life On Mars, Scott and Bailey, The Shadow Line, The Field of Blood
currawong
@craigie: Tasmania is beautiful. We had our last holiday there in December 2019 before the apocalypse arrived! Took the ferry over and drove along the North-West Coast, down to Strahan on the West Coast then across to Hobart. Returned up the East coast. Perhaps I’ll have to send some pictures in.
ThresherK
@Chetan Murthy: From yesterday’s ABBA thread:
You saw Chess on Broadway too? I have yet to run across someone else in the wild who has.
Leslie
The Wire is one of the best shows ever made. Two thumbs up.
Line of Duty is also very good. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is, in fact, marvelous.
One I haven’t seen mentioned: Flack, on Prime. Anna Paquin works for a PR firm in London. Some very humorous moments with a not-at-all humorous throughline. Very well done.
jeffreyw
@WaterGirl:
The chromecast dongle is $50, I don’t have an opinion on the airplay. The dongle hooks up to your wifi and operates with a remote.
UncleEbeneezer
Small Axe, Them and Underground Railroad, all on Amazon are two unique and interesting spins on historical, systemic racism. Small Axe is a drama series of 60-90 minute films about racism in England. Them is straight up horror set in 1950’s Compton CA and has some very disturbing scenes (though all based on real scenarios). Underground Railroad is a stunning adventure/drama of magical realism by Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk) so it’s incredibly lush, beautiful and haunting. You can learn a lot about racism in these three series, though they are definitely heavy!
If you like fashion and period dramas, Halston (Netflix) is fun and interesting.
But the best stuff we’ve watched recently were: For All Mankind (AppleTV) and White Lotus (drama/comedy, HBO)
geg6
@Kent:
I will never understand the love people have for that show. I thought it was awful. Same with Game of Thrones. Just horrible and, even worse, boooooooring. But then, I think I mentioned that my tastes for tv entertainment don’t align much with the rest of the BJ commentariat. For me, nothing has yet to beat the greatness that is Madmen.
UncleEbeneezer
@Leslie: If you loved The Wire, check out Snowfall. It’s the story of the crack epidemic in Los Angeles. Like The Wire, very gritty, great acting, music, plot twists etc., but also by John Singleton so also super-Black. One of the most underrated shows on tv. Similar to Narcos.
Chetan Murthy
@ThresherK: We had a passel of friends in the CS grad program at Cornell; we all drove down to NYC to see it on its first Broadway run. I’d been listening to the CDs since they first came out in the early 80s, so was a *big* fan. Gotta say: it was disappointing. The story was watered-down. But sure, the music and singing was great.
geg6
@UncleEbeneezer:
I read The Underground Railroad, so I won’t be watching it. But the book is just the most beautiful thing. Loved every word.
Urban Suburbanite
@Woodrow/asim:
I really liked this show – it incorporated a lot of anxieties about artificial intelligence and the massive surveillance systems we’re dimly aware of.
The podcast Qanon Anonymous devoted an episode to Jim Kaveziel (the guy whose career was made playing a tortured Jesus), and it is some bleak stuff. That guy was a dangerous moron.
thruppence
Surprised no one has mentioned “Better Things” with Pamela Adlon on FX on Hulu. Amazing female focused family drama and very very funny.
Leslie
@UncleEbeneezer: Oooh, thanks! Will do.
Kent
@geg6: I loved Madmen too. I’m especially a sucker for quality shows set in another time and place like Madmen and Mrs. Maisy.
As for Breaking Bad. I think the appeal is the exploration of how a seemingly ordinary guy can descend into such crime and evil and make it seem so mundane. And then the overall thematic question of whether he was really that “bad” all along, or whether circumstances led him to that point. Plus I’m a science teacher and I’ve taught HS chemistry for years, so there is that personal appeal.
Mostly I like Breaking Bad for the characters. There are so many absolutely great ones in that show.
gwangung
Warrior takes all the martial arts skills and actors that weren’t used well in Iron Fist and puts them to much better use In a period piece that is steeped in Chinese American history (those of us who were former Asian American studies teachers can point out each data point we used in lectures). Also, a lot of gorgeous folks, male and female…..
MoeLarryAndJesus
@thruppence: Well, yeah, but it has absolutely no connection to what was being requested.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Urban Suburbanite:
Oh man, not Reese. That’s a real bummer. I’ll never think of POI the same again. Had no idea he was such a lunatic. From wiki:
Lymie
My 1st gen English family who/which (?) has big ties to Australia loves “A Place to Call Home” on Prime.
Super Dave
My wife and I loved Longmire and Bosch so much that we’ve watched them both all the way through three times. I know that sounds ridiculous, but we did it. We found things we missed in almost every episode. I know, we’re sick.
If you haven’t seen it, there’s an Australian series called “Wanted” that is pretty darned good. I think it’s on Prime.
We also like Broadchurch, although when I just googled it, looks like it’s no longer available.
CaseyL
Oh, and if we’re recommending any shows we like, regardless of which streaming service they’re on, then one of my faves:
New Tricks (British).
About a bunch of old, retired, washed-up cops who are brought back in as a cold case team. Everyone on the team has some personality tics, but they don’t override the story (until the last season, which I’m frankly not that keen on). It ran for 12 seasons, and streams on Britbox.
billcinsd
I’m going to add The Frankie Drake Mysteries, although I assume you watched them. They are available of Prime and are sometimes free with a trial of PBS Masterpiece, and always free with a Masterpiece subscription
Craig
JETT is on HBOMAX. Heist thriller TV show with a pretty good cast, Carla Gugino, the always remarkable Giancarlo Esposito, and two of my favorite underused actors, Gaite Jansen and Mustafa Shakir. Good but flawed. A little too much Tarantino worship from the writer/director, but the ensemble rises above it and it’s pretty successful. Produced by Cinemax, so good not great.
billcinsd
@CaseyL: I liked New Tricks initially, but then my favorite characters left and I lost interest.
Another I would add is Queen’s of Mystery, which is an English mystery series about a young woman returning to her hometown as a detective and her meddling aunts that help her solve mysteries. It looks like it is on Acorn (and Prime)
James E Powell
@Craig:
I was disappointed to discover that it was not about Joan Jett.
Groucho48
Oh, and throwing ALL the requested criteria aside. There’s a streaming service, MHz Choice, which has a lot of foreign mystery movies and series. I think you need Amazon Prime to subscribe to it. I recommend the Italian series of Nero Wolfe. Takes an episode or two to adjust to an Italian Nero, and Archie, but, the series is a lot of fun and actually does capture the feel of the books. You could probably stream all of them in the free week trial. There’s also a bunch of other interesting shows, mostly from Europe..
Koan
Yellowstone Yellowstone Yellowstone Yellowstone.
BBC Inspector Lewis
BBC Being Human
BBC Forsyte Saga
BBC Poirot of course
A&E The Glades
Veronica Mars
Life – Damian Lewis + Sarah Shahi
Homeland also Damian Lewis
Backstrom
Urban Suburbanite
I recommend Lodge 49 – it’s on Hulu. It covers a lot of ground – mysticism, secret societies, the collapse of capitalism, alchemy, plumbing, and Paul Giamatti.
Woodrow/asim
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Yeah, I knew about the QAnon crap from this year, and the podcast since it came out — I’m on the PoI subreddit, which is pretty active, if mostly doing explainers for new viewers at this point. Caviezel’s righy-views have been in background since he did the Jesus stint for Mel Gibson’s flix, but — until recently — he seemed to know how to keep it on the down-low.
That said, on the podcast’s claims, I do take them with a grain of salt. Mostly, I doubt he was a known hardcore racist on-set. I can’t see someone like Taraji letting him do that unscripted kiss, much less coming back for a two-hander with him, if he was that big of an ass.
That, and — he was supposed to be the lead for the SEAL show on CBS, and then he suddenly got pulled. I suspect he said some stupid shit and they realized he was a liability, and that likely got him blackballed from anything legit, and also pushed him into flat-out conspiracy shit.
In general, though — love Reece, fuck Caviezel.
Bobby Thomson
Broadmotherfuckingchurch.
Craig
It’s only a few episodes, so not really a series, but The Night Manager was excellent. Prime with Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, and Elizabeth Debicki in a John Le Carre story about arms running. 5 Stars.
Oh yeah, bonus Olivia Colman!
SFAW
@John Cole:
It’s because of you that Mrs. SFAW and I started watching it. I’m really glad we did.
R.Porrofatto
Unlurking to recommend Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley’s People — the British versions from the early 80’s with Alec Guinness. Last I looked you can find them on YouTube (there might be different uploads — there’s at least one in the highest quality you can present of an old TV show.) If you like Le Carre you can’t beat them, 4-5 hours each, and still one of the best things ever shown on TV.
Also, if you watch The Wire put the subtitles on and don’t feel guilty about it. I saw a panel show of the actors in it and one of them (I think it was Jamie Hector who also plays Jerry Edgar in Bosch) who appeared in it as a drug kingpin later in the run said that when he first saw it he had to put the subtitles on — not everyone can speak “Bal’more”.
Ruckus
@geg6:
I never could get into Breaking Bad or Game of whatever.
However I also could not get into Madmen. Likely because in my job and then when it was my business I sometimes had to deal with people like that show depicted, that would lie, cheat and screw you without a second thought. I just wasn’t interested. It looked well done though. I have about 20 shows in my Netflix list and I haven’t watched most of them even for a moment. They sound good, some of them make the BJ lists for great, But I have a difficult time getting interested enough. Maybe now that I have a couple more hours a week for TV watching…
MaryRC
@SFBayAreaGal: Vera is also available for free on YouTube. Just a caveat — don’t binge watch all 11 seasons one after the other. Vera can get a little depressing if you don’t take a break now and then.
FredW
@Catherine D.: I think it is MI-5 (not MI-6)
I watched the first few seasons but they seemed to kill of/get rid of the characters I liked…
VeniceRiley
@raven: I am emailing you! Re GJ
mrmoshpotato
All 12 seasons of Bones are on Prime.
The murders they investigate (Bones and her team are forensic anthropologists) are usually gorey, but it was a damn fine series.
CaseyL
@billcinsd: Yes, I think the last two (?) seasons were kind of sad because of that. But the cases were still interesting.
Arclite
If you like Longmire, you’ll likely also like the similar Justified. So good, as others have mentioned. What I don’t think anyone has mentioned yet is that it also jump-started the career of a young Kaitlyn Dever, who stole every scene she was in with her tremendous talent to the point that they shoehorned her in to future seasons after her arc was finished, and who has gone on to anchor acclaimed movies like Booksmart and shows like Unbelievable
Just check out this scene when she was 14 or so, for example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rap0iklNWss
Craig
@WaterGirl: Going back thru the thread to take notes on TV shows I see this Apple TV remote subthread. I can testify that the new Apple TV remote sucks. It’s-so far- the pinnacle of Apple bad design, looks neat, totally functionally useless- if you touch 2/3 of the remote it’s going to do something to your tv experience. The Apple TV is great. My quick work around is to use an old iphone 5 as the remote. It’s a quick software update (12.?) and then the remote app is native in the Control Panel. Old iphones like this are almost free, so I like that you can repurpose this thing and also use your tv remote to take notes on the tv you’re watching.
Cathie from Canada
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): The Bosch books are terrific. The series is very good too – somewhat based on the books, though the plots are in a different order. I think there are now more than a dozen Bosch books — the best ones are, I think, the earlier ones – The Black Echo is the first one.
Connelly also has a spin-off series beginning with The Lincoln Lawyer, and I like these too.
Cathie from Canada
@Arclite: We loved Justified.
The second season with Margo Martindale as the main criminal is the best, but all of them are great. Walt Groggins is outstanding.
I have now seen Timothy Olyphant in other movies but haven’t liked him nearly as well as I did in Justified. All of the casting is absolutely terrific, as were most of the scripts.
FridayNext
@Viva BrisVegas:
You beat me to some good ones. Lately I have been getting my Aussie on with:
Jack Irish: Movies are good, but it isn’t until the television show that the supporting characters really shine and they are awesome. Best final season of a show ever, Jack Irish’s ongoing love relationship is actually a grown up one with a very adult resolution.
Mystery Road: Basically a Australian western, but modern and with what should have been a star-making role for Aaron Pederson as an native Australian homicide detective and it is steeped in the politics between white and black Australia.
Secret City, Dead Lucky,Black Water, Top of the Lake, The Code all top quality shows and while you may notice some familiar faces all with actors who aren’t American stars.
And of course Happy Valley
ETA: I am not 100% sure where some of these are streamed. I get my Acorn and Britbox through Amazon, so the lines are murky for me.
Jak
Line of Duty
ice Cold Murders
Jeffery
Marcella
Netflix
Series 1
Marcella Backland (Anna Friel), a former London Metropolitan Police Service detective, decides to return to work after her husband of 15 years, Jason (Nicholas Pinnock), abruptly announces he is leaving her. Marcella resumes her investigation into the three unsolved Grove Park murders from 2005, when it appears the serial killer responsible has returned.
Series 2
Marcella investigates a serial killer of children, encountering a paedophile, an arrogant millionaire, a 1970s rock star, and strange symbols relating to witchcraft. Her estranged husband Jason has become engaged to his rehab nurse even though their divorce is not yet finalised, putting their children in the middle of a custody battle that quickly becomes ugly. Marcella’s blackouts continue, and she seeks counselling to help her remember what happened during them.
Series 3
Marcella has assumed a new identity as Keira Devlin and is working undercover in Northern Ireland where she becomes involved with a wealthy crime family. More is learned of Marcella’s mental health issues.[19]
matt the somewhat reasonable
@Brit in Chicago:
“Unforgotten” is available on Amazon Prime. I also recommend ‘Hinterlands”.
ray
I’ve watched Anne with an E on Netflix about 10 times. It’s like a comforter now.
scoutny
Hidden Gem: 2007 “Intelligence”, was on Netflix, now on Amazon Prime (Season 1 $9.99). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0845746/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3. Good writing and acting (Chris Haddock and Klea Scott); good character development
Hazmat
If you like Morse and Endeavour, you will probably like Inspector Lewis, which is also great, and part of that series.
Re/Britbox, you can subscribe to it through Prime, so you don’t have to have a standalone app.
Nicola Walker is also in River.
Warren Senders
We love Schitt’s Creek in our house.
My wife & I are almost finished with the currently available 5 seasons of Outlander, which is enormous fun.
WaterGirl
@Koan: Your comment did not show up last night because you had used an obviously fake email address that was caught by the spam filter. e.g. [email protected] or [email protected]
I suggest that for future comments you use an email address that is not so obviously fake.
Someone else here did the same thing in the past few days, and that person has been commenting here for a long time. their nym is … now I try to be amused.
But a spammer recently used the same fake address they had been using for a long time, so that person ended up banned just as you were.
WaterGirl
@Hazmat: Oh, so if I subscribe to Brtibox through Amazon Prime, the Britbox shows will just show up as part of Amazon Prime?
I think that’s what you mean, can you confirm?
Ella in New Mexico
I did a summer of clinical rotation for my NP degree at a healthcare clinic in Las Vegas after we’d watched Longmire and man, it was so damn cool. Lots of stories from my patients there as well about bit parts or temp jobs they had working with the crew who filmed there. All good, too.
We also camp up in the Jemez mountains every summer and it’s always a mandatory visit to the Valles Caledera National Preserve where Walt’s beautiful cabin is actually located. There was a lot of filming done in the Santa Fe National Forest area and you can almost pick out the scenes from different episodes when you go for a hike.
Also, we’re currently enjoying The Affair with Ruth Wilson and I stream it on Amazon but I think it’s a Showtime original series–TBH I can’t remember if we have a Showtime subscription through Amazon so maybe that’s why we watch it there?
And of course I can watch Schitts’ Creek like a million times. The Expanse is also awesome.
laura
For Pete’s sake people! These are all great (gestures broadly at all these recommendations) but if you’re not watching SHTISSEL on Netflix start watching Shtissel!
jhwbiz
@WaterGirl: Unforgotten s1-3 now on Prime
WaterGirl
Hard to believe that Life with Damien Lewis hasn’t been mentioned.
It’s in my top 10 along with Terriers.
WaterGirl
@jhwbiz: thank you!
jhwbiz
@Wyatt Salamanca: JustWatch – New and recently added movies and TV shows
jhwbiz
Trying to not duplicate –
Netflix – Wanted https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/wanted-2016
Unbelievable
the Serpent
Rake
Damnation
Prime – Treme
Indian Summers (masterpiece channel)
Hulu – Harrow
McLeods Daughters only first 3-4 seasons
Prisoners of War
Peacock – Apple?
Mr Mercedes
JustWatch good for searching the availability of streaming channels
dimmsdale
@WaterGirl:
Apologies, WaterGirl, you don’t have a DVD player and I don’t stream (chalk & cheese) but I’ll just put these out in case they’re streaming someplace:
19-2 (Canadian cop show, as good as any cop show I’ve ever seen)
Life on Mars (the British version, 2 seasons)
The Good Fight (how has no one mentioned this yet? Christine Baranski, everybody!!)
Of course, The Wire.
Halt and Catch Fire (remarkably gripping story of the dawn of the personal computer era. superb acting thruout.)
Absolutely endorse The Detectorists (remarkably warm & funny, plus Diana Rigg in s. 2)
MHZ Streaming: subtitles, unfortunately, but if you can stand them, I loved The Bridge (Danish woman detective on the spectrum); A French Village (the Nazi occupation comes to a French town); Spiral (French “Law & Order“); Borgen (Danish female prime minister, political intrigue); Those Who Kill (forensic murder mysteries); Wallander (the original Danish versions); too many others to list.
Shows I liked enough to BUY the damn dvd sets: Foyle’s War, Justified, Life on Mars, Narcos, Halt & Catch Fire, the British LeCarre series (Smiley’s People and Tinker Tailor), Leverage I, Fawlty Towers; and The Good Fight.
Hopefully you find SOMETHING out of this 300-something thread! Thanks for raising the question, I love threads like these.
Nelson
@WaterGirl: Kentucky; GREAT show
Dean
@WaterGirl: Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore are on a Netflix original series called “The Santa Clarita Diet”. It’s a zom-com so probably not on your radar. It is very funny if a bit gory at times. Sadly it got cancelled after Season 3 leaving us on a cliffhanger.
JAM
@WaterGirl: I also recommend Happy Valley. It’s about a British police sergeant raising her daughter’s young son, who is the child from the rape that led to her daughter’s suicide, and now the rapist is involved in a crime she is investigating. At least that is the general jist of season 1.
way2blue
‘The Take’ is available via Netflix streaming (has a bit of sly humor embedded in the plot) @WaterGirl:
way2blue
p.s. I accidentally started watching Season 3 of The Sinner first. And yes, that season is a bit creepy so I stopped. But thought I’d try watching Season 1… I think you can stream ‘The Rider’ via Hulu.
way2blue
@RevRick: Hanna. Yes! I keep hoping there’ll be another season…
way2blue
@WaterGirl: We have a Sony flatscreen TV which is about 20 years old, paired with a ca. 2015 Apple TV so we can stream online shows. And get HBO Max. Is your Apple TV device is even older?
WaterGirl
@way2blue: My Apple TV is the generation right before the one that can do apps. It’s pretty old, but i don’t know when I got it.
WaterGirl
@dimmsdale: Lots of great suggestions in here. I just added a link to this thread in the sidebar for easy access. It’s under Culture: books, Film, TV, Music.
NotMax
@WaterGirl
Again will mention that for a total of under thirty clams you can get a basic Roku, plug it in to an HDMI port on the TV and you’re off to the races, including Apple apps.
Percysowner
@NotMax: Seconding the Roku. I love mine and it gets a ton of channels, including free ones. It’s worth every penny and they are pretty darned cheap.
NotMax
Late, late, late comment but would also like to put in a plug for the free-but-has-ads streaming service Tubi TV.
They’ve come a long way over the past few years so far as expanded quality of offerings, including plenty of British (including Aussie) fare.
The ad breaks are neither all that frequent nor particularly lengthy, and (at least on my TV) play at a volume lower than the programming. While it is not required to sign up for the service to watch anything, it’s a lot handier to do so as that way it will remember where one left off in his or her viewing.
charon
Really late to the party but have not seen these on Netflix mentioned:
Babylon Berlin, set in the last years of the Weimar Republic, detectives, murders etc.
Compelling, very good.
Also “Dark” a weird German show.
Quoting Vulture:
https://www.vulture.com/article/best-tv-shows-on-netflix.html
Actually, 3rd Dark season is already up.
Pinkpuppy
@iamswill: Terriers is one of my favorites. I was extremely sad to have it cancelled. This is why we can’t have nice things.
But JustWatch says it is currently streaming on Hulu, which also has a free first month offer…
Pinkpuppy
@zhena gogolia: Titus was also in Deadwood. I remembered the character, but his appearance was so different than Bosch that I didn’t connect the two.
Pinkpuppy
@FelonyGovt: JustWatch thinks Liverpool 1it is only on Acorn
Argiope
VERY late but had to add one. I just watched the entire (too short) first season of Reservation Dogs on Hulu. This is a show created, written, produced and directed by indigenous Americans, and it follows 4 teens as they try their best to get off the Rez and to CA. They’ve lost a friend, and the loss echoes through their days and their “gang” spree of larceny, grand and petty. It’s really funny and poignant and heartbreaking and just terrific, and I can’t wait for season 2. Plus there are great cameos by Gary Farmer & Wes Studi.
Ruckus
Going to add this here and in a current post.
Just watched a Netflix film called Rising Phoenix and it is very, very good.
It is about the Paralympic Games and some of the athletes and it is amazing. Well done and one of the producers is one of the athletes, Tatyana McFadden. Adopted by an American couple at 6 yrs old, she was born in Russia and her mother was poor so she lived in an orphanage for those 6 yrs. She’s very, very good but she’s not even the best story of the athletes shown. Amazing show, very highly recommended.