ive slipped into british detective procedurals available on amazon prime mode. i seem to tolerate a greater measure of bland than i would with an american equivalent. thinks its just the accents and "exotic" locales. first time thats probably ever been said about leeds.

"Let us then take our hats off to Alan Banks, who has almost no character traits beyond being quite a nice bloke and having a bit of a crummy time. DCI Banks is even shot in the most unremarkable way. There’s nothing shiny or grimy about it, nothing hi-tech nor nothing gritty, just Tompkinson and his disappointed face like a depressed bag of flour shuffling about council estates in Leeds. Occasionally his heart is broken or, as on this occasion, a loved one dies, but Banks resorts to nothing more than shrugging and getting on with it. The show doesn’t even make a virtue of his stoicism. He isn’t even that stoic."

over the last 10 or so years ive watched:

marple

poirot

sherlock

luther

endeavour

foyles war

broadchurch

wallander

shetland

line of duty

prime suspect

marcella

river

grantchester

inspector george gently

inspector morse

collateral 

• have to dig around but theres probably another thread for spy-related shows. deep state, the night manager, jack ryan and little drummer girl come to mind. homeland, the americans, covert affairs, alias, condor, counterpart, nikita, treadstone, fleming, the game, rubicon, killing eve.

  seems like its harder to do these well. the americans is the obvious standout.

  
  - dave 3-23-2020 2:07 pm [add a comment]

I've watched most of these but Happy Valley would top the list for me, maybe second to Prime Suspect.
- steve 3-23-2020 12:22 pm [add a comment]

The Fall would also be near the top.
- steve 3-23-2020 12:24 pm [add a comment]

• started both of these at one point but you have to be in the mood and i wasnt. 

  
  - dave 3-23-2020 1:57 pm [add a comment]




• How is the mood needed for Happy Valley and The Fall different from the mood needed for these other British crime dramas?

  
  - steve 3-24-2020 6:44 pm [add a comment]




• just more about when i engaged with them than anything else. you watch the first few minutes and it doesnt click on a given day. maybe its something about the tone or the acting that gets me. a lot of the procedurals are so character driven or rote that despite being about some heinous crime the focus is really elsewhere. usually its just, do i want to be thinking about some likely grizzly murder right now?
  - dave 3-24-2020 7:06 pm [add a comment]




• in that case, I suggest you try them again!
  - steve 3-24-2020 8:48 pm [add a comment]




• sarah lancashire is one of my favorite actors.

  
  - steve 3-24-2020 8:51 pm [add a comment]




• anyone see black spot? french series with little bit twin peaks vibe.
  - linda 3-25-2020 9:01 pm [add a comment]




• i cant deal with subtitles much anymore so any quality foreign series i usually avoid.

  i never even saw twin peaks. think i tried to watch it not too long ago but it was a standard def copy and felt dated and slow paced so i bailed.

  
  - dave 3-25-2020 10:08 pm [add a comment]




• Linda loved The Tunnel
  - Skinny 3-24-2020 2:06 pm [add a comment]




• i had watched the american version (the bridge, not to be confused with the original swedish show) so when i tried to watch the british version the storyline was too familiar. i think thats why i didnt get very far with it. 

  
  - dave 3-24-2020 2:44 pm [add a comment]

I always get a kick out of the silent defense attorneys, I guess the budgets can't afford that many speaking parts.
- steve 3-23-2020 12:25 pm [add a comment]

• i like the revolving door tertiary characters. the last one had a different pathologist every season. also, not sure how they solved any crime before cctv.

  
  - dave 3-23-2020 2:11 pm [add a comment]