UKC

We don't watch much in the way of TV/Videos but have been fixated with Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes for a couple of months.

Now they have all passed over (well except Gene obviously) we are bereft.

Suggestions to fill the void would be really appreciated,



Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

The Prisoner

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Luther might be worth a look as well.

In reply to Chris Craggs:
Spaced.

In reply to Chris Craggs:

The Wire- all five seasons. But the best series I've ever seen has to be Breaking Bad. Simply awesome!

In reply to Chris Craggs: if you're one of the few never to have seen it, Sopranos takes a great deal of beating

In reply to all:

Some good sounding stuff there.

Already order The Lakes, Mad Dogs, Exile, Midnight Man and Page Eight. Should keep us going for a month or more!

Cheers



Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs: and series one of Homecoming

In reply to Chris Craggs:

I think you would really like Deadwood. They only made 3 seasons and you can get the whole lot for about £15.

In reply to Chris Craggs:
"24" starring Kiefer Sutherland as a Counter Terrorist Unit agent
gripping even my wife enjoyed it
about £45 on ebay for for series 1-8 which is 50 dvd discs!

In reply to Chris Craggs: How many of these are Brit dramas? I avoid American stuff. (My choice, so sue me.)

In reply to stroppygob:

So what do you recommend?


Chris

PS I think at least 4 out of the 5 I have just ordered are Britdram.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

When I have worked my way through The Wire, I will get rid. But Deadwood, like Lonesome Dove, is for keeps.

In reply to Chris Craggs:


Living in Australia, as I do, I recommend avoiding Australian TV like the plague!

In reply to stroppygob:

Check out Rake. Awesome Australian TV

In reply to stroppygob: the only decent thing on tele when I lived there was Steve vizard's show and Jen,of course, pass the bottle opener.

In reply to stroppygob:

British drama/tv shows used to be superior to anything accross the pond. Times change and now we are being invaded by a glut of utstanding stuff.

Yes, we create great drama, but after 6 episodes its all over till next year. Compare that to a quality US drama or sit-com which cover either 12 or 24 episodes a season.

I too avoided American dramas, untill I realised they were exceptionally entertaining.

In reply to ripper:

I must live a sheltered life, I have not seen any of the programmes mentioned on this thread so far.

In reply to Chris Craggs:

sons of anarchy, whenever i think i know where it's going, it goes the other way, fantastic. though it may help if yer into bikes

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Evident by the fact you like those. Worst programs I have ever seen in my life. Truly dire.

Try watching The Sopranos, The Wire, The Shield, Breaking Bad, Sons of Anarchy and then watching that brit crap again.

In reply to Milesy:

The first time I saw the original very long trailer for Life on Mars, quite a while before the series actually aired, I just assumed the trailer was some weird spoof from the pen of Charlie Brooker

In reply to Milesy:


Each to their own I guess.

The beauty of not watching very much is that we enjoy it.



Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

I am in the same boat. I recommended Deadwood but I have not watched any other series in the last 10-15 years anyway! I will get around to The Wire. Been enjoying Community but that is comedic and pretty much "individual episodes" rather than a story arc. Oh! Watched 2 seasons of Breaking Bad, also very good. And a few episodes of Carnivale but I don't think I've got to the bit where it "really gets going" yet.

In reply to Blue Straggler:

Does that mean you haven't seen Ashes to Ashes? If not, want to do a trade?



Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:

I've seen bits of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, They are simply not for my tastes, despite my affection for music on the Ashes... soundtrack, and the charms of Ms Hawes! Thanks for the offer though. Of the others I've mentioned, all I own is Deadwood and Season 1 of Community, both of which I'm hanging on to (I haven't watched Season 3 of Deadwood yet and it's currently on loan to a mate, as is Community, otherwise I'd happily lend them to you!)

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Give a starving wean was took out the jungle and given an old tea bag to eat, they would tell you it was the best thing they have ever eaten.

In reply to Milesy:

I assume that as you thought they was so crap you didn't bother sitting through all 40 episodes?


Chris

I watched enough to give it a chance.

In reply to Chris Craggs: All three series of The Killing have been fantastic, well worth putting up with the subtitles.

In reply to The Lemming:



The problems is, for me, that i do not find that American shows have "quality". Maybe my views have been coloured by what Americans have done to good British shows.


And what is it with the parochial bastards having to do "American"versions of Brit stuff?

In reply to Chris Craggs:

If you liked John SImm and Philip Glennister , then you may also like Mad Dogs.

In reply to Beat me to it!:

Already ordered - cheers for the suggestion.


Chris

In reply to stroppygob:
It sounds like that might be the case. Speaking sincerely and without sarcasm, maybe you need to avoid watching American versions of British shows and try to watch some original American stuff, if you haven't done so already.


Obviously there is a lot of American junk (a lot of British junk too but that seems to be more readily forgiven/forgotten because short-lived in the UK means six episodes whereas everything in the States is given about 20 episodes to "find its feet)
Blah blah. My point is that I can't think of a British series that matches Twin Peaks or Deadwood. Maybe Bleasdale's "G.B.H" but I have not seen that since broadcast.

In reply to Milesy:

Sons of Anarchy? Really?
I though it was utter rubbish.

Can't say I was a massive fan of Life on Mars or Ashes to Ashes either - but to call them the worst programs you have ever seen, and then to praise SOA?

To the OP - the 1st Season of 24 is very much worth a watch - from there on it does get a bit repetitive.
If you haven't seen the new BBC "Sherlock" then you're in for a treat (IMHO).

Cheers,

Si


Cheers,

Si

In reply to Chris Craggs: Agree with the previous rec for series 1 of 24.

If you want something home-grown that's seriously good though, try Red Riding

In reply to SCC:

Good call and well remembered. It was edgy and bold stuff and so easily overlooked due to the diminishing returns of the following seasons (and the inherent diminishing return of there even having been ANY extra seasons...I sat through Season 2 for 24 weeks despairing at how dumbed down and "camped up" it had become)...but Season 1 was good stuff ... or was it just the novelty of it at the time? Hmm.

In reply to ripper:



I could never watch that thanks to the OTT marketing campaign or more particularly the fact that it was rightfully spoofed (before Red Riding aired) by Kevin Bishop

youtube.com/watch?v=-HXaj2IYYn8&

In reply to Blue Straggler: oh, you missed out - it was truly good.
how many of the previously mentioned could be satirised just as easily?
actually I thought that spoof was pretty lazy - they could have written actual dialogue that would have done the job much more effectively, the repetition just seemed a bit lazy to me...

In reply to stroppygob:

Yep, 24/7 of pure unadulterated crap, we haven't watched a single broadcast TV show here for over 3 years! If we're interested in watching we either get the DVD or download it. Anything to avoid the virtual lobotomy that is Australian commercial TV in particular.

PS A second vote for The Killing and I'll throw in a couple of other Scandinavian masterpieces of recent years, "The Eagle, A Crime Odyssey" and "The Bridge."

In reply to Chris Craggs:

aye i'll put in a vote for the original "24" excellent

also "misfits" british, dark humour, swearing, sex

and ... "true blood" oh my, sex, violence, comedy, tragedy, sometimes all at once

In reply to Blue Straggler:


I believe that's called "cutting off your nose to spite your face".

It would be a bit like not watching "No Country For Old Men" because...well, you know what.