Wednesday 6 April 2022

MARCH 2022 - FILMS + TV (HOME-VIEWING)

 All TV shows last month not a film in sight....

one series finished, one started and finished, two ongoing and one we had a look at but I'm not especially bothered if I get back to it or not.


Taggart (1983-2010) - ITV Crime Drama - 27 series

A bit of a challenge, but one me and my better half are up to. I think we have progressed to the sixth series so far and I'm really enjoying them. There's been one major change in the policing team and we've recently been introduced to a uniformed PC who I'm pretty sure has a more senior role in the series a lot later on. 

I'm wincing a bit at some of the 80s fashions and hairstyles. It's a good job the fashion police wasn't an actual thing otherwise whole swathes of the population, myuself included would have been locked up.

From Wikipedia...

Taggart is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries "Killer" from 6 until 20 September 1983, before a full series was commissioned that ran from 2 July 1985 until 7 November 2010. The series revolved around a group of detectives initially in the Maryhill CID of Strathclyde Police, though various storylines were set in other parts of Greater Glasgow and in other areas of Scotland. The team operated out of the fictional John Street police station. Mark McManus, who played the title character Jim Taggart, died in 1994. However, the series continued under the same name.


The Last Detective (2003-2007) - ITV Comedy-Drama Series


I do like the dynamics between Peter Davison and the late Sean Hughes. Ditto Davison and his on-screen wife, though I do wish he wasn't quite so needy. Maybe he should have been referred to as Desperate Davies as opposed to Dangerous.

It's interesting seeing the other recognisable actors that have popped up in the series. Lots to like here and I don't think I've too many more to go, so should complete in April. Still undecided as to whether or not to take a punt on the books by Leslie Thomas. They're cheap on Kindle, so probably a yay.



From Google...

`Dangerous' Davies is one offbeat flatfoot who takes the stuff at the bottom of the pile - the cases nobody wants. In his usual comical way, Davies and good friend Mod help unfold events that usually end up in disaster, but somehow they still manage to nab their man. Maybe if Davies wasn't such a nice guy, his coworkers would take him a tad more seriously. The comedy-drama is adapted from the novel by Leslie Thomas.


The Sinner Season 4 (2021) - Netflix TV Drama Series


Another US series that I was a bit meh about. Loved the first series with Jessica Alba and Bill Pullman. Didn't enjoy the second and third quite as much, but got my arm twisted to give this one a go and I'm glad I did.

Tense, exciting and Pullman's character seems more in control of himself here. You fear for him at times. I liked the isolation of the island setting which added a sense of claustrophobia to the proceedings. Last series apparently which will do me. Four is enough thanks.

From Wikipedia.....

The Sinner is an American police procedural anthology television series developed by Derek Simonds for USA Network. It is named after Petra Hammesfahr's 1999 novel, which served as the basis for the first season. Bill Pullman starred as a police detective who investigates crimes committed by unlikely culprits and attempts to uncover their motivations. Only Pullman appeared in every season, the rest of the cast changing for each season's story, with the exception of Jessica Hecht who played a main role in both the third and fourth seasons.

Originally intended as an eight-part miniseries, The Sinner aired from August 2, 2017, to December 1 2021. The show's success led to USA Network turning it into an anthology series.

The first season of The Sinner received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for Jessica Biel. Biel was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. During the course of the series 32 episodes of The Sinner aired over four seasons.


The Responder (2022) - BBC Drama series


Previously started and now finished and I was happy with how it all resolved itself. Tense doesn't cut it. Half the time I was wincing and watching from behind the sofa. I really liked Martin Freeman. Not an easy watch by any stretch of the imagination. The domestic abuse scenes are harrowing.

It does give you pause for thought when thinking of the personal trauma and stresses that the emergency service first responders have to cope with. 


From Google...

Urgent response officer Chris Carson has been tasked with working a series of night shifts on his beat in Liverpool. It's a high pressure, relentless night-time world where his survival now depends on the rookie partner he's been forced to take on. Chris has more than the job to worry about, as his personal life has been hit by crisis, and he is morally compromised in his work. As he struggles to keep a grip on his mental health, a path to redemption appears in the form of a young heroin addict.

Worst Roommate Ever (2022) - Netflix TV Mini Series


Two episodes of the five in the series were watched and I'm undecided as to whether to continue or not. Both cases were sad. Both featured victims who did nothing to deserve their fate. Both left people behind that mourned their passing and both were killed by calculating predators - one for profit and one for an unrequited infatuation. Both went to extreme lengths to cover up their misddeds and both got caught.

From Wikipedia...

Worst Roommate Ever is a 2022 Netflix docuseries which features four stories about Roommates with malevolent and sometimes violent intentions who turn the lives of their unsuspecting victims into real-life nightmares.


2 comments:

  1. I like Taggart very much, Col. And one of the things that works for me is that we learn about his personal life without it overwhelming the story (I have to admit, I like the character of his wife, too). I also like the overall atmosphere; it's gritty, but not bleak. It's nicely written, too, in my opinion. I like The Last Detective, too, although I have to admit I've not seen all the episodes. You had some good viewing this month, even if it was all TV.

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    1. I do like the dynamics between Taggart and his wife, Margot. An episode we are currently watching is interesting in that it's the first time he's bounced off ideas and discussed a case with her. In the first few series they seem to be in competition which each other to see who could be the grouchiest.

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