What Are You Watching

[Rumpelteazer]

I can remember the first time MSM was shown on Dutch TV. It must have been in September 1997 (school had just started, and it was still warm). It was aired on Saturday night. I didn't like it. It really took a while for it to grow on me.

Back then you either had Serious Police Drama (Morse, A Touch of Frost, Dalziel and Pascoe, etc) or police comedy series such as The Thin Blue Line (with Rowan Atkinson). Cozies that weren't cutesy or gimmicky weren't a thing back then, at least not on Dutch TV.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by timebug

I too found Caroline Graham's novels about Tom Barnaby to be...not very good!
In fact, downright poor mostly! If I had read the books first, I doubt I would have ever watched the Tv 'Midsommer Murders'. As it was, I watched every episode with John Nettles as Tom Barnaby and loved them. Once Neil Dudgeon was slotted in in his place, I abandoned the show. He may have been told to make his characterisation 'different' to John Nettles version; he managed to make his John Barnaby the most dull, morose and boring character going!

I agree that the Neil Dudgeon version has NOT been as good as the Nettles version. Don't know why, really. I mean...I know that the original developer and showrunner left the show and I think that's a huge part of it.

Of course, OTOH, other folks may feel very differently--the original showrunner came under a lot of fire for the show. (For lack of diversity, etc.). One small example of a difference--used to be, on MSM, that you always, always saw horses. Going through a village, being hacked, etc. Now, you never do. Not a big thing--it was always a passing incident--but it does change the feel of the show.

Hitch

[cc_in_oh]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I agree that the Neil Dudgeon version has NOT been as good as the Nettles version. Don't know why, really. I mean...I know that the original developer and showrunner left the show and I think that's a huge part of it.

Of course, OTOH, other folks may feel very differently--the original showrunner came under a lot of fire for the show. (For lack of diversity, etc.). One small example of a difference--used to be, on MSM, that you always, always saw horses. Going through a village, being hacked, etc. Now, you never do. Not a big thing--it was always a passing incident--but it does change the feel of the show.

Hitch

Wasn't it Anthony Horowitz (Foyle's War) who helped launch the show?

In any case, the real star of the Dudgeon seasons was Sykes.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

Wasn't it Anthony Horowitz (Foyle's War) who helped launch the show?

In any case, the real star of the Dudgeon seasons was Sykes.

The producer to whom I was referring was Brian True-May. He was interviewed in...2010? or thereabouts and he responded to a question about the lack of diversity glibly. Naturally, he managed to offend a whole bunch of people and it had the predictable results. His successor, (natch a WOMAN!) of course, immediately made large scale changes to the show--and this was right at the time that Dudgeon moved it. You can easily see the difference.

Sykes, sadly, went to that big Doggie Kennel in the sky.

Hitch

[cc_in_oh]

Probably repeating myself, but Brokenwood is very similar to Midsomer but IMO has a far more engaging cast of main characters.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

Probably repeating myself, but Brokenwood is very similar to Midsomer but IMO has a far more engaging cast of main characters.

No, no, I don't think you're repeating yourself: I like Brokenwood, in fact (mostly--I wish that one New Zealander young man, Maori, I think(????), had not left the show, the one that was helping in the winery?), and for those in the USA, Season 8 or what have you has just started.

Hitch

[DiapDealer]

Having a bit of a Father Brown binge right now.

[Rumpelteazer]

I do also love Brokenwood.

Sherwood wasn't my thing. It just didn't hold my interest and switched off after one and a half episode. Tonight I watched the first episode of Yellowstone and I'm not certain if I'm going to continue. I might give it one more episode to see if I start to like it.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Having a bit of a Father Brown binge right now.

I recently did a FB binge. The original or the new(er) one?

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

I do also love Brokenwood.

Sherwood wasn't my thing. It just didn't hold my interest and switched off after one and a half episode. Tonight I watched the first episode of Yellowstone and I'm not certain if I'm going to continue. I might give it one more episode to see if I start to like it.

Well, Yellowstone has a definite appeal to a given population. I can see how it mightn't be your thing.

Hitch

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I recently did a FB binge. The original or the new(er) one?

I was unaware there was more than one. I'm assuming the Mark Williams one I'm watching is newer?

RE Yellowstone: I've not watched it, but all of my family members who did (and liked it) said it took them about 3 episodes to buy in. Three episodes is a hard sell for me. Much like a book series with a dull first installment, I'm just not very forgiving when it comes to lengthy setup material that is not very interesting--no matter how well it might finish. There's too many other tv/book series out there that don't test my patience in that way.

[Rumpelteazer]

I've decided not to continue with Yellowstone. It's a good series, but it isn't for me. So tonight I'm going to give Gaslit a try. If that also doesn't work for me I'll go watch something I know I like (next season of Buffy or Wynonna Earp or something).

With all this talk about British detectives I'm now in the mood for a rewatch of Inspector Morse (and Lewis and maybe finally start Endeavor). So I dug out the DVD's again. Maybe one episode a night.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I was unaware there was more than one. I'm assuming the Mark Williams one I'm watching is newer?

Yes. There was a series quite a ways back (mid-70's): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069582/

RE Yellowstone: I've not watched it, but all of my family members who did (and liked it) said it took them about 3 episodes to buy in. Three episodes is a hard sell for me. Much like a book series with a dull first installment, I'm just not very forgiving when it comes to lengthy setup material that is not very interesting--no matter how well it might finish. There's too many other tv/book series out there that don't test my patience in that way.

Well, they may say that, but something made them watch all 3 episodes to get to the "buy in" mode, didn't it? I don't remember thinking I needed 3 episodes, but OTOH, I grew up in a family business, that we'd had for more than a generation, and we've had a place in that neck of the woods since the 90's, so...perhaps it was easier for me to "get."

Hitch

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Well, they may say that, but something made them watch all 3 episodes to get to the "buy in" mode, didn't it?

Sure. They have a much higher tolerance for "bear with us while we get this going" types of shows/episodes/books than I do? Whereas I prefer to be baptized by fire rather than eased into a story. There's also the "you've gotta watch this show!" pressure from friends that make some people stick around for longer than I usually will.

But I've not tried the show yet. I'm just reporting that many I've spoken to who have, seem to want to encourage the "give it several episodes" approach to me and others. Which has typically been a red-flag for me in the past. I'll give a fair shot someday, though. I just won't give it a free pass if it doesn't grab me pretty quickly in the first episode. *shrug*

[issybird]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Having a bit of a Father Brown binge right now.

Hah! I generally don’t watch television, because I don’t like watching television, not because I don’t think television is worthy, but lately I’ve found that when I’m too tired to read but it’s too early to go to bed, Father Brown hits the spot. I have to ration myself, though; I’ve got six borrows a month from Hoopla and I like/want/need at least a couple of them to be audiobooks.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Sure. They have a much higher tolerance for "bear with us while we get this going" types of shows/episodes/books than I do? Whereas I prefer to be baptized by fire rather than eased into a story. There's also the "you've gotta watch this show!" pressure from friends that make some people stick around for longer than I usually will.

But I've not tried the show yet. I'm just reporting that many I've spoken to who have, seem to want to encourage the "give it several episodes" approach to me and others. Which has typically been a red-flag for me in the past. I'll give a fair shot someday, though. I just won't give it a free pass if it doesn't grab me pretty quickly in the first episode. *shrug*

I completely get that. I'm very intolerant about some shows/movies that seem to take FOR-ever to get going. In fact, I'm a bit meh right now, about the new Amazon show with Chris Pratt, for that reason. I'll give it another, but so far, yawn. Too drawn out.

Originally Posted by issybird

Hah! I generally don’t watch television, because I don’t like watching television, not because I don’t think television is worthy, but lately I’ve found that when I’m too tired to read but it’s too early to go to bed, Father Brown hits the spot. I have to ration myself, though; I’ve got six borrows a month from Hoopla and I like/want/need at least a couple of them to be audiobooks.

I like Father Brown (the newer) myself and yes, it's that "you need a cozy and don't want to think enough to read" spot. :-) I'm very blergh about the Bunty character, I admit--I constantly want to smack her--and I miss Sid and Lady Felicia, but you can't have everything.

Hitch