Medium Cool is a weekly series related to popular culture, mostly film, TV, and books, with some music and games thrown in. We hope it’s a welcome break from the anger, hate, and idiocy we see almost daily from the other side in the political sphere.
Arguments welcomed, opinions respected, fools un-suffered. We’re here every Sunday at 7 pm.
I watched both seasons of the British Life on Mars and I am halfway through the third and final season of the follow-up series, Ashes to Ashes. Both series are so great that I don’t want this final season to end. There was talk recently of a third season for Life on Mars, after all these years, but that apparently fell through. So I am bereft!
I will admit that for the first 3 or 4 episodes of Ashes to Ashes, I really missed Sam Tyler, but then my brain finally let it be a completely different show, and now I’m attached to all the characters and it feels like when you’re reading a really great book and you don’t want it to end.
Have enough people watched one or both of those series that we could have that as a topic on Medium Cool one of these days?
Also, I would love to have some feedback from folks who participate in the Medium Cool threads. I have been trying to shake things up a little bit. Would you like to see more book reviews from Dorothy Winsor? Did you enjoy having an author introduce the cozy mysteries discussion? Any other feedback you’d like to share? If so, please send me an email message.
In the meantime, we’ve talked about books quite a bit in the past few weeks, so maybe it’s time for a good old what are you watching thread? On the book review thread, I loved that folks were sharing the why and what they liked about the books they were talking about. It would be great if we could do that tonight if you’re talking about what you’re watching.
For instance, I am watching Ashes to Ashes because of what kalakal wrote about it in a Medium Cool thread. I haven’t heard a thing about the new season of True Detective – is anybody watching? Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me there’s a new season of Luther!
Sad News About J.R. in WV
Alison Rose
As a booknerd, I’m always up for book reviews from anyone, so I’d be happy to see Dorothy back. I also liked having Vicky intro the cozy mystery post, especially because it got me to check out the first book in her Sherlock series and I really liked it! I think shaking things up is good.
As for what are you watching….uhhh, nothing. I don’t have cable or streaming and generally haven’t paid attention to new shows in a long time. However, if they ever do a third season of Russian Doll, I will reactivate my Netflix subscription just for that.
rikyrah
This is a warning.
If you see this on the shelf at the store….
Leave it there 😔😔
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8sYHj2J/
bjacques
It’s been years since I saw Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes. I (heart) Keely Hawes.
p.a.
I saw a local production of Puffs last night. Pretty funny and touching. More than a few parents didn’t do their homework and thought it would be PG-ish like the Potter movies, but there are lots of f-bombs and some crotch jokes. There was some uncomfortable stirrings in the audience for those with young kids. But no one left. The ads do say, “An adult comedy. Parental discretion…”
rikyrah
What am I watching?
I like Harry Wild on Prime. Just finished the second season.
About to watch the latest Percy Jackson
Watched Rustin on Netflix yesterday.
Suzanne
I watched the first episode of the new True Detective last week. I’m gonna keep watching. It’s got all the creepiness you expect, plus some new themes. Plus Jodie Foster, who is always fantastic.
gwangung
I know a few of the actors in Brothers Sun. May have to re-join Netflix due to peer pressure.
(Also, has Michelle Yeoh).
rekoob
Finished up the 4th season of For All Mankind on Apple TV+. Excellent production values, and as an alternative timeline to the Space Race, it prompts some interesting “what ifs”. Apparently, the writers have planned a total of seven seasons, which means more to go.
I’ve also enjoyed All Creatures Great and Small on PBS Passport. A nice adaptation of the James Herriot stories. Treacly in places, but very pleasant. Keeping an eye out for the current season of Call The Midwife, also on PBS Passport.
All the episodes of the above shows run about 55 minutes or so, meaning you can cover a lot of ground on a treadmill.
BellaPea
We watched the first episode of the new True Detective last Sunday–pretty awesome, but quite scary and gruesome. Mr. BP was in heaven, right up his alley. We are also binge-watching Succession–since it won so many awards at the Golden Globes & Emmys, decided to give it another try.
Marc
We’re watching Criminal Record on Apple+. Rookie London police detective (Cush Jumbo), who also happens to be a young black woman, while investigating a mysterious 911 call finds links to a possible wrongful conviction of a father for killing his wife a decade before. Which puts her in conflict with a high police official (Peter Capaldi) who was the detective on that case. Great acting, lots of plot twists, Apple is still dropping new episodes. We loved Life on Mars when we first saw it perhaps 10 years ago, this has a similar feel set in modern day London.
WaterGirl
@Suzanne: Jodie Foster, wow.
HumboldtBlue
I started The Musketeers on Hulu. Lots of hairy men wearing leather being dashing and handsome, while winsome wenches and diabolical guttersnipes spice up the stew. I’ll be going back to it in a day or two.
Then I got sidetracked and discovered the new Uhtred son of Uhtred in the Sons of Anarchy knockoff, Mayans. Mayans is OK, the plot lines have gotten a bit silly, but it’s got some charm. And violence, lots of violence.
WaterGirl
@Marc: That sounds really interesting.
Starfish
I watched Life on Mars, and I remember really enjoying it, but it was so long ago that I don’t remember the details.
Currently, I am watching Newsroom from the early 2010s. It is about a news show that decides to prioritize news over info-tainment, and they lose their viewers. They weave events that were recent into their story line, and it is a little bit infuriating because they are discussing all the problems that affect the present, but they only got bigger. The cast is a lot of fun because they have set up a love triangle in the newsroom. There is a woman economist who is both beautiful and extremely socially inept who oscillates between wanting to tell people about the debt ceiling battles and just being clueless about the feelings going on around her.
<sarcasm>
I absolutely do not want more book threads from Dorothy Windsor because my “To Read” list will become so long that it will take me several life times to get through it.
</sarcasm>
Ladyraxterinok
OT—-Horrific story coming out of Germany—members of the far right party AfD met with several to discuss kicking 3 groups out of Germany: immigrants, people whose parents were immigrants, and citizens “not assimilated” to true Germany
There have been massive demonstrations throughout Germany protesting the Right Extremism of the AfD
The one in Hamburg had many thousands more show up than organizers anticipated
Sloegin
Life on Mars was fairly mindblowing for me since i was a resident of both time periods. Pretty wild how much has changed.
Suzanne
@WaterGirl: And one underrated aspect of watching Jodie Foster is that she is spectacularly beautiful (of course), but she has not fucked with her face. You can tell that she takes care of herself and then left it the hell alone and I appreciate it.
stinger
Not TV, but I saw Richard Thomas, Jacqueline Williams, and Yaegel T. Welch on stage in To Kill a Mockingbird last night. Their performances, as Atticus Finch, Calpurnia, and Tom Robinson, respectively, were awesome. Fun fact: The crochety old neighbor lady who repeatedly calls Scout “ugly” to her face was portrayed by Mary Badham, who played Scout in the Gregory Peck film!
The play, by Aaron Sorkin, was much funnier than either the book or the film. It also hammered some themes harder.
AM in NC
Mr. AM and I watched the first episode of True Detective and were disappointed because it just seemed like such a retread of things we’ve seen before, despite the good acting by the lead actors. Far north setting where it’s dark all the time? Check. Mysterious deaths with supernatural overtones? Check. Emotionally distant detective in conflict/partnership with a younger colleague? Check. We will probably give it another chance to see if it improves, but I was a little bummed.
We are currently watching two French TV shows we are enjoying a lot on MhZ (someone here recommended this channel, and there looks to be a lot of quality stuff here – so thank you to whomever recommended this!).
Spiral: a detective show set in the not pretty side of Paris. Interesting to see how another system of justice works. Has been compared to the Wire for how nobody is uncompromised, but you don’t really follow the criminal side like you do in the Wire.
A French Village: About a French village occupied by the Nazis during the war. Hits a little close to home when you see who actively collaborates, who resists, and who just goes along because it’s easier. Like today in America in our fight against rising fascism. It’s funny because two actors play main characters in both shows (which we didn’t;t know when we started A French Village).
Baud
Sorry to go OT, but I didn’t want to post this in the JR thread (although he would have enjoyed it)
Also too, “appearing to mix up”?
Reporters are such cowards.
Starfish
@Ladyraxterinok:
Thank you for explaining this. I believe a lot of people on Mastodon were discussing this, but most of the discussions were in German, and I didn’t translate what they were saying because the translation tools only work sometimes.
One English-speaking naturalized-German was discussing it.
What you are saying puts the whole thing in proper context.
billcinsd
I’ve been rewatching Danger Man lately and Expedition Unknown. and lots of sports especially Kabbadi, which is basically like Tag. Jaipal Pihk Panthers have been kicking a
piratedan
getting my social calendar cleared for Sex Education (season 3) since the spouse and I have finished Reacher (season 2) and also looking for the next Britbox series after I finished Hidden Assets. Also recently enjoyed the Korean series of Will you marry my husband? and hoping for more episodes or another season.
billcinsd
@Ladyraxterinok: Hamburg is home to St. Pauli who are a very left wing soccer club so there is quite a bit of left wing rebel punk feelings there
Steeplejack
@Marc:
I’m going to check out Criminal Record. I’ve liked Cush Jumbo since she had a short but excellent run on Vera.
WaterGirl
@Suzanne: It’s definitely strange when someone doesn’t look like themselves.
zhena gogolia
@Baud: He “appeared to mix them up” by talking about one of them, at length, as if she were the other one. Got it.
raven
We watched the first episode of the new True Detective and can’t really say much except it’s weird to see Jodie Foster as a mature woman when you clearly remember her in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Taxi Driver. Also, Fargo is killer and Juno Temple is great.
Marc
Do you mean Danger Man aka Secret Agent the classic early 60s show starring Patrick McGoohan, or is this something new?
stinger
@AM in NC: I watched a few episodes of A French Village and thought it was excellent. Started to feel that I was ODing on WWII books and films, so decided to get back to it later after spending some time on lighter fare.
I’ll look for Spiral. My current obsession is with Astrid, also a French cop show. The title character is on the autism spectrum and she must deal with “neurotypicals” who likewise learn to adapt to Astrid’s special needs. It’s just fabulous.
Alison Rose
@Baud: Trump could say that the sun is made of ice and some reporters would be like: “He espoused an uncommon belief, known as “Frozen Sun Theory”, that has not yet achieved a scientific consensus.”
WaterGirl
@stinger: Love that book and movie so much. I might struggle with Richard Thomas as Atticus Finch because he’s not Gregory Peck. Sounds wonderful, though.
billcinsd
@Marc: I mean the ’60s Patrick MacGoohan show
zhena gogolia
I’m watching Northern Exposure. It’s fantastic and has me laughing all the way through. Maurice playing show tunes on the radio, so that becomes the soundtrack, and you get great juxtapositions, like Joel’s shower failing as “Another Opening, Another Show” is playing. Also in one scene, I got to hear my absolute favorite singer Alfred Drake.
I wish Friday Night Dinner were still on Prime. We’ve also been watching McDonald and Dodds, and Jason Watkins reminds me of “The Two Tonys,” the greatest episode of FND.
WaterGirl
@AM in NC: Who are the lead characters in True Detective this time around?
Phylllis
@stinger: My husband and I saw it in Charlotte back in August. I heartily recommend it. Yes, it is funnier than the movie; Atticus is also a much angrier character. I believe Richard Thomas is booked for the touring company through at least this summer.
SiubhanDuinne
Several weeks ago I binged the first three seasons + the first few episodes from the fourth season of Manifest, on Netflix. Then, I just revolted. NO MORE OF THIS.
Has that happened to other people? You’re totally engrossed in the character arcs and the plot twists, and then suddenly you simply Do. Not. Have. One. Single. Fuck. To. Give.??
zhena gogolia
@raven: I remember being in the same row with her at a movie at Yale when she was an undergraduate in a yellow slicker. It was Mean Streets, but they couldn’t get the projector to work so we all left.
ETA: I also remember her as a little kid on The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.
raven
@WaterGirl: Jodie and Kali Reis.
MagdaInBlack
@zhena gogolia: I am happy to see I can watch that on Prime. My husband and I loved the show. Did you know the DJ you and I both think is hot ( and whose name escapes me) is married to Bo Derek?
raven
@zhena gogolia: Was it after she was in Taxi Drive?
zhena gogolia
@MagdaInBlack: Really? He’s Chris on the show. I think he’s John something.
ETA: John Corbett. I guess he’s in the Sex and the City sequel, but I haven’t watched that.
dm
I don’t subscribe to any streaming services, so I’m getting my “what am I watching” on DVDs checked out from the library.
…. and I’m catching up on not having paid much attention to Star Trek for fifty years, easing myself back in with Strange New Worlds and Discovery, both of which I like tons, though I take it that’s a minority view (at least for Discovery). It’s really nice to see Gene Roddenberry’s progressive view of science fiction lives on a half-century later, and I’m liking the view of young Spock, fresh out of the Academy (plus his increasingly complicated family and relationships). Plus gay and trans crew members.
Christopher Pike is fast becoming my favorite captain of the Enterprise, though I think Discovery’s crew, with their “we’ve got to science the shit out of this problem” may be my favorite Star Trek crew. And the pilots of both Discovery and Pike’s Enterprise could give Sulu a run for the money (or was Chekov the helmsman in the original series?).
But gosh, golly, the technobabble is strong, and both series (but Discovery especially) treat a quadrant of the galaxy like a neighborhood, and not a stretch of unimaginable distance.
Also, oddly for someone who’s never seen an episode of The Next Generation, I’ve also gone through all of the Picard available on DVD.
Gonna try Deep Space Nine next.
mrmoshpotato
@rikyrah: I actually bought a can of that the other day. Chicken noodle soup is usually super watery, so I’ll add a bunch of rice. It might be a snack for days.
Craig
I loved Life on Mars and Ashes. You should check out the mini series State of Play with John Simm as a journalist in a political thriller.stellar cast: Bill Nighy, Kelly McDonald, Phillip Glenister, Polly Walker, and a very young James McAvoy. Really solid show. Avoid the US movie with Russell Crowe like the plague.
zhena gogolia
@raven: Yes.
AM in NC
@raven: I thought Juno Temple was fantastic in Fargo and it was a really strong season.
Also agree with Suzanne about Jodie Foster and not looking plastic. Mr. AM and I commented on that very fact when we watched the first episode – it was SO NICE to see a woman who looked her age and looked great looking her age.
MagdaInBlack
@zhena gogolia: Hadda look it up: John Corbett.
SiubhanDuinne
@Suzanne:
I get why a lot of entertainers and others in the public eye indulge in a snippet of nip and a smidge of tuck — and I don’t in any way condemn their choice — but I really admire the ones who are okay with taking reasonable care of themselves but otherwise letting nature take its course as they age naturally. Good for Jodie Foster.
trollhattan
Loved both series–been long enough since I watched they probably warrant a revisit. Boy oh boy, did they get the era correct, maybe the best ever or at least adjacent to The Americans.
mrmoshpotato
@BellaPea: Did Mr. BP watch Bones on FOX?
TBone
This series The Power of Film has been good, they’re up to Ep. 3 (it’s on demand and available other places).
https://www.thepoweroffilm.com/watch
CaseyL
@SiubhanDuinne:
Yes, and Manifest is one of the shows that hit me that way. I liked the mystery, was hoping for something along the lines of early X Files or Fringe, and (IIRC) it turned out to be just another Big Gummint Conspiracy. I went through a period of being incredibly tired of shows that started off intriguing and then turned into Big Gummint Conspiracy shows. It seemed there were a lot of them over a 10-year period: anytime the writers wrote themselves into a corner with paranormal stuff, they got out of it with the Government Conspiracy trope. Gah.
(Yes, even X FIles and Fringe went there – but Fringe, in particular, did it in a really amazing, fresh, and fascinating way.)
Marc
One of my all-time favorites, which directly links to that other all-time favorite, The Prisoner. My family was a bit odd, but both series were must-see when they first showed up on US TV.
raven
@AM in NC: Did you watch Nyad.
mrmoshpotato
@Alison Rose: LOL! Cowardly bastards.
Steeplejack
@AM in NC:
I have to give my usual strong recommendation for Inspector Montalbano on MHz (not the spinoff Young Montalbano, which is dreadful). Strong writing, great ensemble acting in a series about a police detective in modern Sicily. Based on Andrea Camilleri’s novels. Gorgeous scenery, too.
The first episode is a bit shaky, but after that they’re solid.
(Might be listed as Detective Montalbano or just Montalbano.)
mrmoshpotato
@zhena gogolia: I need to rewatch Northern Exposure.
stinger
@WaterGirl: He was very good in the role!
@Phylllis: The play as a whole was funnier, angrier, and more hard-edged than the book and film. Some things didn’t work terribly well, for me (the song at the end??), but other things did and I’m so glad to have seen it, and with RT as Atticus.
AM in NC
@WaterGirl: Characters are an older officer played by Jodie Foster, and a younger Alaskan Native officer (Kali Reis) she has a difficult professional history with because of a past case that went unsolved.
Alison Rose
@zhena gogolia: The original? Or did they (gasp) do a remake of NE?
My parents loved that show so I probably saw every episode when it was first on, and I had such a little preteen crush on…well, I’m not sure if it was on the actor who played Ed, or on the character. Maybe both!
Chris
@HumboldtBlue:
The Musketeers has one of my favorite character introduction moments of all time.
D’Artagnan: “My name is D’Artagnan of Lupiac in Gascony! Prepare to fight! One of us dies today!”
Aramis: “Now that’s the way to make an entrance.”
Capaldi made a great cardinal, too.
AM in NC
@raven: Not yet, but it’s on the list for sure. Saw a good interview with Annette Benning on Newshour this week that confirmed me in my decision to watch.
Jackie
I’m watching a great football game between two evenly matched teams 😁
Roberto el oso
My wife and I are getting ready for the 2nd episode of this season’s True Detective. We both watched season 1, she bailed halfway through season 2, and didn’t watch season 3 at all. I’ve actually enjoyed all of them, even #2. Jodie Foster is great (as is Kali Reis, who is something of a newcomer, I gather). I’ve kept up with everything Jodie Foster has been in so I was used to her face and the refreshing and still beautiful middle-agedness of her entire performance.
I gather reviews have been mixed but some of it has been exaggerated and heavily driven by the fragile/whiny/bro cohort, so I’m staying away from commentary. I did notice the same 2 things others have, namely that there is a tattoo which resembles the one in season 1 (the flat circle Carcosa thingee), and that it takes place in Alaska, where Rust Cole was raised by his survivalist father.
WaterGirl
@Baud: No problem!
I did just put up an open thread though, because between the sad news about JR, Medium Cool, and the Ukraine post Adam is editing, there’s nowhere to just talk about whatever.
mrmoshpotato
@zhena gogolia:
@MagdaInBlack: John Corbett is also a country music artist.
That album is really good.
trollhattan
Latest Fargo season just wrapped and wow, did this one ever catch the whole vibe that made the film so great. Wonderful cast, performances, story, donchano.
Steeplejack
@stinger:
Seconding the fabulousness of Astrid (on PBS Passport for me). The autism angle is handled with great sensitivity and humor and actually adds to the plots instead of just being a cheap hook. I’m about the dive into the recently dropped Season 3.
WaterGirl
@billcinsd: Wasn’t that Secret Agent Man?
mrmoshpotato
@Jackie: Go Chiefs! :)
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne:
Now that would be a great topic for Medium Cool, unless it gets all talked out in the thread tonight.
zhena gogolia
@Alison Rose: It’s the original. It’s on Prime now. I had only watched it in reruns, when it was on at about 6:00 PM, and I never saw it from the beginning. So it’s cool for me to see it from the start and encounter the characters from the first episode on. Ed is fantastic. They all are, really. John Cullum (Holling) is a master, and so is Barry Corbin (Maurice). I can’t wait until Adam Arkin shows up — he was a big favorite of mine.
raven
@AM in NC: It’s good, not great. I didn’t realize the crediting organization denied Nyad the record even though it didn’t exist when she swam it.
mrmoshpotato
@WaterGirl: My mom thought the theme song was Secret Asian Man when it was on.
WaterGirl
@raven: Two women? I did not realize Jodie Foster was one of the detectives, and after googling the other name, I really did see that coming.
mrmoshpotato
What services are these two shows on?
raven
@Roberto el oso: 3 is pretty good, much better than 2
WaterGirl
@MagdaInBlack:
Which of those shows are you referring to?
Phylllis
@stinger: Same, for example, we found Tom Ewell a bit over the top, but thought the play worked really well overall.
Brachiator
I have not been watching much traditional TV or streaming services. I watched the second season of The Gilded Age on HBO MAX, mainly because I love the social history of great cities like New York and London, all levels of society. The ridiculous social machinations of rich people with too much time on their hands reminds me of many of today’s super-rich. Some things never change.
But I also love the exploration of the lives of middle class and upper class black people of the era, which has almost never been dealt with in film or TV. And an episode which had a subplot related to the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge included a delightful historically accurate surprise.
Otherwise I have been watching a number of YouTube channel programs on UK politics. The best may be A Different Bias and Labour Social. Both programs are superior to a lot of regular media, and deftly dissect Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s desperate attempts to appease hard-right MPs and avoid the inevitable call of a general election.
Chris
@Steeplejack:
I watched an episode of La Piovra a couple years ago and need to actually watch all of it some day. (You made me think of it because of “cop show” + “Sicily”).
Phylllis
@mrmoshpotato: Hah, another misheard lyric. I can remember thinking ‘how can you be secretly Asian?’
WaterGirl
@rikyrah: Did you try it?
MagdaInBlack
@zhena gogolia: Adam and his wife. What a couple lunatics! I had forgotten about them
Eta: my husband had a crush on Maggie.
WaterGirl
@Craig:
Is that streaming somewhere? That sounds great, and I have kind of a crush on John Simm.
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: I felt more connected to the era in Life on Mars – kalakul agrees with you on the music in Ashes to Ashes.
I don’t know what I was doing on 1982 but I didn’t really connect with the Ashes to Ashes music until season 3.
raven
@WaterGirl: Kali is of Cape Verdean ancestry. I never knew about their migration to the US until I visited the Whaling Museum in New Bedford.
Craig
@raven: 3 is really overlooked. I need to go watch it again. High hopes for this S4.
Alison Rose
@zhena gogolia: It really was a terrific cast.
raven
@Brachiator: I was so glad when that ended. Jesus what a bore.
WaterGirl
@AM in NC: Sounds like two good roles. Thought I can’t imagine Jodie Foster taking a bad role, so why am I surprised?
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
It was Danger Man in Britain, relabeled Secret Agent for the U.S. market.
I seem to vaguely remember that there was a hiatus between two of the seasons, and that’s when it was sort of retooled for the U.S. (E.g., they added the kick-ass Johnny Rivers theme song.)
Craig
@WaterGirl: don’t know, I’ll look around. I have it from a 20 year old download. Wow, old person.
ETA: looks like it’s on Max. Paul Abbott the writer also wrote Shameless.
Formerly disgruntled in Oregon
@dm: Don’t forget to give Voyager a try. Despite the haters and a somewhat lackluster first season, the show goes on to feature many of my favorite Star Trek characters and episodes.
Captain Janeway really grew on me, and the writers allow her to be a full-fledged character who (gasp) makes mistakes and bad decisions sometimes. I also love the Emergency Medical Hologram, Seven of Nine, Tuvok, and even Neelix (after a few seasons, anyway).
In my opinion, of the three 90s Star Trek series, Voyager has the best writing and characters – and is the most “fun”.
WaterGirl
@mrmoshpotato: hahaha
He was so secretly Asian that you couldn’t even tell he was Asian! :-)
Marc
Heh! For those who don’t know, the original British series was titled Danger Man, when it migrated to US TV it was titled Secret Agent, the theme song for US series was the catchy tune Secret Agent Man by Johnny Rivers: They’ve given you a number And taken away your name…
mrmoshpotato
@WaterGirl: I guess! Never seen an episode myself.
Where can we stream those shows in the post?
MagdaInBlack
@WaterGirl: Northern Exposure. I thought I should have been specific……..after the edit time closed 😐
WaterGirl
@mrmoshpotato: Those two shows being Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes?
I think Britbox. If not Britbox, it’s Acorn. Because those are the two british streaming services I have, but I view them through Prime so I’m not entirely sure. 99% sure it’s Britbox. SO GOOD>
NotMax
Odd duck of a mini-series, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Freevee, Roku, Tubi). Great music throughout; only time can recall seeing “Devised by” in opening credits.
Greatly enjoyed the multi-season Homicide Hills on MHz Choice. Liked the Italian Nero Wolfe short run series there more than anticipated I might.
A Field Guide to the Planets on Prime also a comfortable diversion. Found entertaining too on Prime and/or Freevee were Fish (legal doings), Micawber (lighthearted series expanding on the supposed life of the scalawag) and Monroe (irascible surgeon).
@AM in NC
Spiral is both harrowing and wonderful. Also on MHz Choice, Captain Marleau is a quirky French delight.
Suzanne
@SiubhanDuinne:
Agreed. I completely understand why people do it, but I do really appreciate seeing a mode for aging in the public eye that involves taking care of oneself and then not worrying about it.
Steeplejack
@mrmoshpotato:
Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes are both on BritBox.
JustWatch.com is your friend. I have no idea what the site is about, but the search function is excellent.
WaterGirl
@Steeplejack: So was there an US version and UK version of the show? (Like there was for Life on Mars?) Or only one version?
mrmoshpotato
@WaterGirl:
Yes.
Thanks.
WaterGirl
@Marc: So the same show, shown in the UK and the US? They just changed the music for the US version?
zhena gogolia
@MagdaInBlack: Unfortunately, Janine Turner (Maggie) became a wingnut. She was charming.
mrmoshpotato
@Steeplejack: Thanks.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: It’s BritBox.
WaterGirl
@MagdaInBlack: Thanks! I think 3 different shows were referenced in the original comment, so I was momentarily lost.
Marc
@WaterGirl: Yes, same show. If I remember correctly, first couple of seasons used the original theme song from British TV, last few seasons used Secret Agent Man.
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
That State of Play not streaming anywhere, according to JustWatch.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@zhena gogolia: I’m also rewatching Northern Exposure. I’d forgotten what a good show it is.
billcinsd
@WaterGirl: Not as originally broadcast in the UK
mrmoshpotato
I need to rewatch Foyle’s War.
The library didn’t have all seasons, but I Iiked the first seasons that I just bought the boxset.
stinger
@Steeplejack: With enormous self-restraint, I managed to spread out my watching of Season 3 across 4 days. Hope you enjoy it–I plan to rewatch it soon!
Sister Golden Bear
Deleted, confused Potsdam with Wannsee.
ETA: I was blown away by the Brit version of Life on Mars, the American remake not so much. Will have to check out Ashes to Ashes.
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
Just one version, with Patrick McGoohan, but the plots changed thematically somewhat when they did the retooling. One of my third-tier cable channels (MeTV?) ran them all in chronological order a few years ago. Danger Man had McGoohan as basically a fixer/troubleshooter for some British spook agency, and Secret Agent changed things to be a bit more James Bond-ish.
dm
@Formerly disgruntled in Oregon: Thanks, will do.
Janeway also appears in the young adult/juvenile Star Trek Prodigy, and gets mentioned on occasion in Lower Decks.
The second season of Strange New Worlds was a hoot, with a crossover with Lower Decks followed by a musical. It’s a great to see the creators cut loose like this, especially given how Grim some of the current Star Trek series can get.
Steeplejack
@mrmoshpotato:
Foyle’s War is excellent! (Available on Acorn.)
NotMax
Looking eastward,He’s Expecting (Japan) and Marry My Dead Body (Taiwan), both on Netflix, were fun.
Marc
I didn’t know that. Did they actually change the plots, or just make edits to fit in commercials?
kalakal
Yep, I absolutely love both Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. Phillip Glenister was absolutely amazing as Gene Hunt and I’ll confess to a certain fondness for Keeley Hawes. The soundtrack of the first is my early teens, the second my early 20s and the attention to detail is amazing, they really are a trip back in time for me.
I’m currently watching Shetland which is very good so far but getting a bit grim in the season I’m on. I gave that a try based on several jackals recommendations.
For light relief Yes Minister/Prime Minister simply one of the greatest comedies ever
mrmoshpotato
@Steeplejack: I have the DVD boxset.
mrmoshpotato
Oh, finally watched Batman Begins last night. It was great.
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
@Dorothy A. Winsor: You have me to thank for that. I bought the Northrrn Exposure DVD set a few months back because I’ve wanted to rewatch it and was tired of waiting for it to pop up on a streaming service. Which it did, because of course it did shortly after I bought the DVDs. It’s like bringing an umbrella to ward off the rain.
NotMax
@kalakal
Agree on Minister.
Going even lighter, To the Manor Born, Keeping Up Appearances, Hamish Macbeth and even the rampant silliness of Are You Being Served?
Dorothy A. Winsor
@What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Thank you! :-)
billcinsd
@Marc: Well the series ran for 2 years, took a year off then came back for 3-4 years after syndication around the world and James Bond hitting it big. The first 2 years were 30 minute episodes. I believe the later years were 60 minutes
NotMax
@NotMax
Damnation, totally spaced out including Drop the Dead Donkey, Miranda and W1A.
Steeplejack
@Marc:
No! They just changed the focus of the series a bit for the U.S.-centric seasons. New plots for new episodes.
Maybe I shouldn’t have used the word retooled. They didn’t go in and change any existing stuff or redo anything. It’s like the plots went from “mole in the Foreign Office” (U.S. viewer: “Whut?”) to “international supervillain’s sinister plot.” More James Bond-y.
Steeplejack
@mrmoshpotato:
Great! It’s a keeper.
Viva BrisVegas
@kalakal: If you are looking for another Keeley Hawes police drama fix, try Line of Duty seasons 2 and 3 (a great show worth catching). Or maybe The Bodyguard.
For new shows have a look at Artful Dodger. The adult Dodger ends up in Australia where he comes across a convict Fagin. Shenanigans ensue. Not to be confused with a different recent production called Dodger.
Steeplejack
@billcinsd:
Thank you! They revived and adapted the series to capitalize on the James Bond phenomenon.
zhena gogolia
Just started watching Life on Mars. Very cool!
Now when do I do work?
trollhattan
@Steeplejack:
Stumbled across Astrid in the last week and already a big fan. Three seasons? Woot!
Obvious crossovers with Extraordinary Attorney Woo and that’s okay, clearly developed independently of one another.
Needed a new French detective show after binging Lupin.
trollhattan
@zhena gogolia:
What is this “work” of which you speak?
trollhattan
@Steeplejack: We could be arrested if, when discussing Danger Man/Secret Agent Man if failing to mention The Prisoner.
Just sayin’.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: It’s so good!
kalakal
@Viva BrisVegas: Thanks, I never got around to watching Line of duty My sister back in the UK was totally hooked and raved to me about it so don’t know why I didn’t. Next on the list I think!
@NotMax: Heh, saw Are you being served? when it was first broadcast back in the 70s
billcinsd
@trollhattan: not everyone thinks John Drake is #6
FelonyGovt
@SiubhanDuinne: Yes yes yes. Stopped watching Grey’s Anatomy (years ago), This Is Us, Hello Tomorrow on Apple TV although I love Billy Crudup, so many more.
We are watching Criminal Record but have to agree with the poster who was underwhelmed- same tropes you’ve seen multiple times.
You have all inspired me to go back and re-watch Northern Exposure. I loved that show.
Craig
30 Coins on HBO is great creepy stuff. Spanish show, lots of Catholic mysticism.
Steeplejack
Gosh darn it, I missed Episode 2 of Monsieur Spade on AMC tonight. I think it will be available to stream on my cable system tomorrow. 🤞
dm
@kalakal: He’s, Minister/Yes, Prime Minister are great fun, and well worth seeking out.
Marc
So, I looked it up. There was an original season of 30 minute episodes broadcast in the UK 1960 to 1962, where Drake played an American (really) agent working for NATO in Washington DC. I remember this series as it showed up as Secret Agent on CBS as a summer replacement using the original harpsichord theme music, probably 62 or 63. Some of these episodes were combined as 60 minute episodes on CBS.
The show was then revived, due to the success of the James Bond movies and The Avengers (which was shown in the US on ABC), for global syndication with input from CBS. These were three more seasons of 60 minute episodes broadcast in the UK from 1964 to 1968, where Drake was a more Bond-like British agent working for the secretive M9 agency in London. These were shown on CBS, also as Secret Agent using Secret Agent Man as the theme song. Apparently CBS did not show all of the episodes during the various runs, and they sometimes ran them in a different order than the UK. As far as I can determine, however, all of the episodes CBS showed were essentially identical to the UK versions, excepting cuts for commercials.
There was an abortive fifth season, but McGoohan had had enough and quit to make The Prisoner. One other odd little factoid, McGoohan was originally offered the James Bond role in the movies, but turned it down as he did not want to play the role of a womanizer who carried a gun.
UncleEbeneezer
We just flew through the first two seasons of the Nordic Noir mystery/suspense series, Wisting. REALLY good and addictive. Almost as good as The Bridge, for that sort of thing.
Just finished season two of Reservation Dogs. Simply amazing. Truly one of the best comedy series of the last few years.
Also just finished Feud: Betty & Joan and it was great fun and even very moving at times.
Loved the first episode of new season of True Detective. Especially the focus on the native/indigenous Alaskans. Looks like it’s gonna be another compelling season, like the first one.
kalakal
@Marc: The Avengers was the coolest show ever made.
I liked the way McGoohan used the opening credits to The Prisoner. Showing Drake resigning.
billcinsd
@Marc:but turned it down as he did not want to play the role of a womanizer who carried a gun.
and while Danger Man was quite violent, John Drake did not really womanize or use guns
UncleEbeneezer
@rekoob: Talk about polar opposites!
All Creatures Great And Small (don’t worry, nothing really bad will ever happen)
For All Mankind (sooooo, about that…) lol
Anyway
@zhena gogolia:
I am curious too :-) Northern Exposure was a favorite back in the day. Have been meaning to watch it ever since you mentioned it was on Prime. But work … and I got Yellowface from the library and got sucked in.
Roberto el oso
Okay, finished watching ep 2 of the new True Detective. Really liking it. I mentioned in an earlier comment some possible links to season 1 (the tattoo which resembles the Carcosa symbol) and the Alaska connection (Rust Cole’s upbringing) … so there’s now a 3rd hint/tribute/whatever: the dead guy who visits Rose (Fiona Shaw) is named Travis …. Cole. And he died of leukemia, which is what Rust tells the 2 interrogating detectives during the interview. Hmmmm …..
Roberto el oso
It was a jolt to see the actor who plays Siegfried in All Creatures Great and Small pop up as the rightwing politician on Slow Horses!
kalakal
@Roberto el oso:
The real life brothers that Seigfrd and Tristan were based on* were interviewd when the original series became a smash hit. ‘Seigfried’ wasn’t happy at all and ‘Tristan’ loved it
*Thirsk were Herroit worked is a small place, he disguised the characters but everyone knew who they were
Brachiator
Northern Exposure was a fun show. It was kind of a precursor to another quirky show, Doc Martin.
NutmegAgain
Really, really loved Life on Mars. Loved it! I wonder if the fact that I lived through those years as a sentient person makes a difference? I’ll need to check out Ashes to Ashes. I’m fonder than I should be of Berlin Station. (English & American actors, mostly in English.) The first season is the best (I hate when that happens.) And I’ll chime in again that Babylon Berlin is so good–but Netflix won’t make the final season available in the US, which sucks. And if the 18th century is your thing, Harlots is fantastic. Just the best counter to Bridgerton, which I can’t stand. (Zippers? Give me an effin break.)