TV series worth watching/downloading

[Dannie Boy]

Biased towards UK viewers, but Peaky Blinders the post WW1 drama set in Birmingham (but with pretentious of moving into London) is back, first episode shown on BBC 2 last week.

[barrys]

I really like this series and have just watched episode 1 of series 2. Enjoyed it, but it could do with subtitles in places for those not familiar with the Birmingham dialect.

Much easier to understand Cilian Murphy back in Cork

[Homer]

Not often I agree with sateeb, but I also think it's really good. The combination of bawdy and sweet works. I was wrong about the man visiting his former lovers. Instead, the story of their coupling happens in flashback, bookended by the present day.

[Homer]

The Affair

It's 2 affairs. One is an extramarital relationship. The other is a police investigation of the surrounding events their affair is embedded in.

Each episode is 2 viewpoints of 1 story. First is Noah's version, told both while answering police questions and in flashback. The second half of the episode is Alison's turn to do the same. Their stories contain the same major events, but differ beyond that. Noah and Alison have dramatically different views of their own actions and reactions, so much so they're different characters. All of the actors with speaking roles play their characters differently in each half to a lesser degree.It's an old story telling technique. All the actors in this ensemble cast with substantial roles are up to the challenge. It's the best I've seen it done.

After 2 episodes I give it 4 stars on a 1-5 scale. Critic consensus is just as high.

Two episodes of season 1 have aired on Showtime in the US. Get yer torrents here http://thepiratebay.se/search/%22the%20 ... 2/0/99/200

[Homer]

A comment about a show's audience, not a recommendation. 'The Leftovers' started with good viewership and reviews. After a few weeks ratings dropped then leveled out. Some reviewers who's job is to write something about each episode announced they were done with the show.

The show's premise is one day 3% of the earth's population vanished in an instant. The show starts 2 years later. The story makes clear that no one has found any clues why the people vanished. No clues why those 3% vanished - it was random.

By the end of the season those critics still watching figured out what happened. It says right there in the title the show is about those who remained. The reviewers and audience who quickly gave the show thumbs down were those who viewed it trying to figure out why the people vanished and where they went.

[Pleng]

Sounds quite similar to the "Left Behind" film trilogy.

[Homer]

Sounds quite similar to the "Left Behind" film trilogy.

Imitation is the sincerest form of television.

I thought the Left Behind movies were explicitly about The Rapture. Those who remained on earth know why the others vanished and they remained. I'd call that an important thematic difference.

Another TV series in the 'some left - most stayed' genre is "Les Revenants" (The Returned), from France in 2012. Damn good, otherwise I wouldn't have put up with reading subtitles. People who died about 10 years ago wake up one day on the outskirts of town. They haven't aged. They don't know they died. They walk back into town, looking for their friends and family. First there is one returned, then another, then another ...

It's not a horror film. Not at first. It's realistic reactions and coping of people dealing with the supernatural - both by the returned and those dealing with the returned. How would you react if you answered the front door and it's your long dead daughter? How would you react if you're the one who knocks, and your father opens the door, having aged 10 years in a day, staring at you in uncomprehending shock?

One season, 8 episodes Good luck finding it online. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2521668/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2 . A second season is in production.

[Rider]

Some of the new ones are worth watching:

Vikings



Spartacus

[PeteC]

Secrets of the Manor House

http://video.pbs.org/program/secrets-manor-house/

I've been watching this on EXP 2 True and find it very interesting. Perhaps not so much for some if you were raised learning and reading about the places and the era.

I think you can watch at the link...but they may block here unless you use a VPN. Or, perhaps you can find other sources from your individual movie/show download systems. Pete

[jumusman]

Top 3 shows on TV right now... that have not been cancelled yet...

In no particular order

Sons Of Anarchy
The Walking Dead
Homeland

[dtaai-maai]

ENDEAVOUR

Fans of Inspector Morse should know the significance of the word. Those who have never seen the series Inspector Morse really should (not to mention reading Colin Dexter's books!)

For the uninitiated, Morse was a grumpy, eccentric lover of classical music, real ale and crossword puzzles. A bachelor with an eye for (usually the wrong) women. He drove a classic Jag and had dropped out of Oxford, which was now his hunting ground.

These are very "British" police series - not a lot of high-tempo action, more a set of interesting puzzles. The series ran from 1987-2000.

There was (and still is) a sequel series, with Morse's 'bagman' Sgt Lewis promoted to inspector. Continuing the theme, it is called, rather uninspiringly, LEWIS.

You could watch and enjoy either Lewis or Endeavour without having seen Inspector Morse, but I'd recommend catching the original series first.

And now there's a prequel, ENDEAVOUR, which follows the early days of Morse's police career in the mid-60s. It looks and sounds quite authentic ("Something for the weekend, Sir?), and in my view is at least as good as the original, and possibly even better. We see Morse developing his 'thirst' and his attitude, and we also see his attraction to the wrong sort of women. His boss, Fred Thursday (the magnificent Roger Allam), becomes his mentor, and Morse meets PC Strange, later to leapfrog him and become his boss in the Morse series.

[sateeb]

There is a new season of Endeavour in the works but not due to air until 2016!!

I'm working my way through all the "Morse" before I try "Lewis" and also trawling my way through the excellent David Jason in "A Touch of Frost" series. Love the old High Street scenes and cars of the 80's and 90's..forgot how crap those cars were!!!

[richard]

Sons of Anarchy

Just seem the last episode. Compelling throughout and must admit there were times when I 'binge watched'. OK, lots of blood and thunder in fact they must have been running out of the cast so had to finish with a fitting climax. Intriguing plot and a must for all wanna be HD bikers.

Interesting too to read up on the origin of the story and their part in the cast.

Good soundtrack too

[dtaai-maai]

Marco Polo

I've only watched the first couple of episodes, but it looks very promising. I'm not sure how historically accurate it is, but there's enough intrigue, swashbuckling and naked Asian beauties to satisfy all tastes.

[Dannie Boy]

Marco Polo

I've only watched the first couple of episodes, but it looks very promising. I'm not sure how historically accurate it is, but there's enough intrigue, swashbuckling and naked Asian beauties to satisfy all tastes.

Is this on a tv channel or downloaded from the Internet?