james186

LOL don't worry about spoilers, I've not seen Scott & Bailey and I'll keep DCI Banks under my hat! Just wondered if they were remakes.

james186

Anyone see either the Danish or U.S The Killing? Just started the U.S one on Netflix.

Neverlookback

Hi, it's amazing how much more interest we take in things like tv when we finally wake up to ourselves isn't it?

I love horror movies so I generally pick a boxed set of them on a weekend and work through them with a 6 pack of diet coke😃

MidnightBlue

I've seen the Danish, all three seasons. IMHO - just great.

Seanfox

I'm watching It's always sunny in Philadelphia which I think is hilarious. I'm in the final season of Luther which is a brilliant show although there's not many episodes and I've jut finished season 3 of The Wire.

Verte

Hey James! I heart 'The Killing'!! Another season was cancelled and then picked up again by I am not sure which network...I seriously watched those one after another with one eye open, then with one eye taped open until I finished.

I'm super 'posty' this morning...do not mean to hijack. But could not resist.

Cannot wat for the next season of 'The Killing'! Thanks for the reminder. Going on the fridge as well.

BTW James - you Brits have got the whole 'Detective' series thing down! Perfected. Love it.

'Wallander' with Kenneth Branaugh was fabulous as well. Based on novels by Henning Mankell. Definitely intense and have to be in the mood for those as well - keep it on the list for one of those cold, fireplace, couch days.

MidnightBlue

LeTheVerte - there will next season of Killing?! Danish or American?

Put Wallander on the list) Thanks)

Oldselfagain

Yeah Idris is brilliant in both!

Verte

Heeyyyyy Midnight! I just looked it up online - American version of 'the Killing' final season will be aired August 1st on Netflix!

We are going to have to arrange a dissussion/chat for that

Oldself - Thanks for this thread. I'm inspired to try 'The Wire'.

NeverlookBack - cannot do Horror movies. Sorry. If I do then I have to sleep with my light on at night...for 2 weeks.

Timmah

Deadwood, Breaking Bad, Luther, so many others. I am currently watching Cheers.

Oldselfagain

LeTheVerte the Wire is REALLY good. It's edgy and the characters are very realistic...not completely groomed and good looking like you come to expect with movies and TV. Probably the most realistic show I've watched.

EndGameNYC

Such a great thread for me. I can go on...and I will.

I never watched TV while I was drinking, and very little before I relapsed. When I got sober, I had intense, daily cravings for almost a year. Coming up on three years sober again, I'm still both somewhat shocked and extremely grateful that I was able to keep them at bay. This was an extremely painful period of time for me.

I was in daily outpatient treatment and went to AA meetings every day. There was no better solution for me than to work on my sobriety and keep busy with sober activities. Night time was the worst. So I binged on TV shows I'd only heard about and, having had a decent dose of European crime drama series in my past, and a lifelong interest in European language, culture and literature, I researched some of the recent offerings and found a gold mine. Americans don't look for European/foreign TV because we hate reading subtitles, and that's a shame.

In my experience, European crime dramas are so superior to their American counterparts that it's like watching a whole different genre...like watching a very good film instead of a TV show, in part because, instead of saying "Oh heck! My partner was killed!" the censors in Europe are much more liberal. The dialogue feels much more real. The violence is palpable, and the writing is in a class of its own. Plus, you feel like you're on vacation while watching them. Both cast and characters are much more compelling, and people don't tend to trip over obvious clues and solve murders in less than forty minutes in the European shows. After watching some of them, there's nothing that even comes close on this side of the Atlantic, with the possible exception of Dexter, a series that also includes the kind of language that people use in real life. For me, it's like watching a children's show when watching pretty much any American crime series; watching any of the Law and Order franchises is now like sitting through an hour of Barney.

Sadly, MidnightBlue, the Danish version of The Killing/Forbrydelsen ended in 2012. The American version follows the Danish version, almost verbatim, at least for the first couple of seasons. Even the characters are pretty much the same in each version as well. I found the Danish version to be more compelling, as is true for me of all the European originals. For those who haven't seen either, I'd recommend the Danish version first.

I liked Wallander a lot too. The woman who played Linda Wallander, Johanna Sällström, a detective and daughter of the main character, committed suicide in 2007 after a long struggle with depression. I think it was after the second or third season. The show continued to be well received following her death, but the way she died and her absence from the cast had, I think, a large impact on the series.

Other European gems are, as was mentioned, The Bridge/Bron Broen (a Danish/Swedish collaboration) -- also, I think, superior to the American version -- and two French offerings: Spiral/Engrenages and Braquo. Spiral soon begins its fifth season soon, and a sixth has been ordered. Braquo is well into its third and last season, but so far seems unavailable with English subtitles. Both are absolutely must-see French TV. You won't see cops and robbers like the ones in these shows in the States. I also liked Wire In The Blood from the UK...a quirky forensic psychologist helping out with bizarre murder investigations.

I did very much enjoy The Wire, Breaking Bad and 24, but I started watching 24 because a friend of mine played a recurring character until his character was killed. And Hannibal. Mads Mikkelsen, who plays Hannibal Lecter, has had a long and successful acting career in his native Denmark, also playing the villain in Casino Royale. He's made a couple of very good films in Denmark as well.

I won't even get started on French films, or I'll be on here all day, except to say that the original Swedish version of the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was, I thought, terrific, though the second and third parts of the trilogy did not live up to the excellence of the first installment.

MidnightBlue

Endgame - Thanks a lot for your post! You've gave such a precise and refined description. Absolutely agree about characters being more compelling and everything more real and palpable.

I studied French at the University, so, maybe I should give Spiral/Engrenages and Braquo a go without subtitles)

And what a shame for the he Killing/Forbrydelsen ended. I thought that the end of the 3d season was quite a cliffhanger.

EndGameNYC

Moral ambiguity is one of the things I like most about these shows. The line between good guys and bad guys is generally blurred and often destroyed for the sake of both the plot and reality. It's the cornerstone of both Engrenages and Braquo.

james186

I need to do some catching up on both the Danish stuff and British. I've not seen Wallander yet or the original Killing.

Aellyce

Hey Folks, no current suggestions for TV as watch very little, since I've been sober I developed more a habit of spending my evenings with walking in the city, going to places, and reading books before bed (always been a big reader so that's not new, but I could not enjoy it the same way in my drunken days). You gave me some new ideas and inspiration now to try something new.

For the fans of European film and culture: try to take a vacation in one of the countries (or more, if more time available) and go to watch plays on stage in theaters. Obviously easier for English speakers in the UK (so many great venues!) but many countries in Northern Europe especially have small theaters with English language shows, just need to find these, but not hard on the internet.

MB, if you speak French, I would recommend visiting the country and going to shows there if you ever can.

I grew up on European crime stories, both film and books (I am from Europe and lived there until 2006). We had this habit with my dad that we would watch detective stories and try to predict the plot and guess the murderer. We had a jar on top of the TV, and would write down our guesses halfway into the show and place into the jar but not talk about it until the story was finished (if a series, then for days or weeks). Then empty the content, read our "posts" together, and discuss. I often wish I could find someone to play this game with me now. I recommend for those that have kids or live with others that are similarly interested, it's great fun.

jdooner

All five seasons of The Wire, AMC's Rubicon (1 season was too real), Damages, Dexter, Nure Jackie 1st season

Notimetoloose

Oz, I think there are 56 episodes. If you haven't seen it check it out it is just great.
Game of Thrones. I have completely caught up on all the episodes.
In the early days I watched a lot of 'Intervention'
These days I watch most of my tv on the computer, it is really easy to catch up.

Verte

Endgame: do you have any idea if the 4th season of the American version of "The Killing" produced by Veena Sud is an original/not based upon the 3rd season of the Danish Version?

"Moral ambiguity is one of the things I like most about these shows." - completely agree. I will not get started on that subject either I'm also a foreign flick junkie and have found that foreign directors do moral ambiguity very well.

For those who enjoy 'Dexter': I watched 4 episodes after having so many conversations with people who raved about the show. After the 4th episode I started looking at the world in a different light...scary, scary, freaky light. Had to let that one go.

Lilly88

Orange is the new black :-)