BBC shows (1 Viewer)

[jonessed]

Over the past several years I have found that I gravitate towards cable TV series (Cinemax, HBO, AMC, etc.) and BBC series. I was going to start a thread about a new BBC show, Ripper Street, but I often look here first for reviews on BBC shows in general. I don't know how large the audience is, but I do know there are some others here that watch a lot of BBC shows. Often times series can be short, but they are almost always complete and can actually stand alone. You don't often get left hanging. Given the sometimes short runs, they often share a core set of good actors.

Some of these will be older, but should be available through rental or other means *ahem*. I'm going to start with a list and go back and add descriptions, links, etc. Please feel free to comment or add missing shows and I will try to update regularly. Some of these shows have their own threads. I am not looking to supplant the discussions in those threads. This is more of a place to go when you have room for a show in your schedule and you enjoy the BBC writing. It's now always easy to track down the BBC shows unless you regularly visit the site.

I find the Brits really do sci-fi and drama well. The violence is less gratuitous, the plots are deeper and darker, the science-fiction is more compelling, etc.

Crime/Drama

Ripper Street (2012 - ) - Eight-part series set in and around Whitechapel in London’s East End in 1889, during the aftermath of the infamous Jack the Ripper murders.

I wasn't planning on watching this, but once I started I had a hard time stopping. The acting is top-notch and the crime writing is diverse. It really has very little to do with Jack the Ripper and more to do with life and crime of the period.

Sherlock (2010 - ) IMDb 9.2 - Crime drama that presents a contemporary update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman ("The Hobbit") as Doctor John Watson. Six episodes, broadcast since 2010, have been produced, with three more episodes scheduled to begin production in March 2013. The series has been sold to over 180 territories.

My current favorite of all BBC shows Sherlock was recently voted one of the BBC's top ten dramas of all time. It is quicker paced than most Conan Doyle adaptations while still maintaining the well-liked, intellectual crime-solving edge.

Luther (2010 - ) IMDb 8.5 - A gripping, psychological thriller driven by a brilliant and emotionally impulsive detective tormented by the darker side of humanity. Starring Idris Elba ("The Wire")

Copper

Whitechapel (2009 - ) IMDb 7.7 - From the producers of the Emmy Award-winning “Downton Abbey” and starring Rupert Penry-Jones (“MI-5,” “Cambridge Spies”), Phil Davis (“Sherlock,” “Bleak House“) and Steve Pemberton (“The League of Gentlemen,” “Viva Blackpool”), comes three distinctive, dark and chilling crime stories.

Wire in the Blood (2002 - ) IMDb 8.2 - A psychologist gets inside of the minds of both killers and victims to aid the police in solving gruesome serial killings in Northern England.

Sci-fi/Drama

Life on Mars (2006 - 2007) 8.4 IMDb - The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural, featuring an officer from the Greater Manchester Police (played by John Simm) who travels back in time after being involved in a road accident.

Some may remember the American version which was chock-full of great actors and was good in its own right. It stemmed from this BBC show which is a bit edgier and goes deeper into the sci-fi piece. I watched both and for anyone that was a fan of the American version I would recommend the British version as well. They do differ quite a bit.

The Fades (2010 - 2011) - A teenage boy named Paul is haunted by apocalyptic dreams that nobody can explain. As if that weren't terrifying enough, he begins to see spirits of the dead, known as The Fades, all around him. The Fades can't be seen, smelt, heard or touched by other humans. When an embittered and vengeful Fade, Polus, finds a way to be human again, it's up to Paul to stop him - and all of the dead - from breaking back into the world and destroying the human race.

The Kuhn - Hard to describe... best attempt would be an apocalyptic version of 'The Sixth Sense' (it's hard to say too much about it without spoiling some of the better parts of the story). Genuinely creepy at times and a strong attempt at a thriller/horror miniseries. A second season or follow-up is still unknown, although possible.

Misfits (2009 - ) IMDb 8.5 - Science fiction comedy-drama television show about a group of young offenders sentenced to work in a community service program, where they obtain supernatural powers after a strange electrical storm.

The Kuhn - What Heroes should have been, if network restrictions hadn't been placed on it. Superheroes can misbehave or misuse their powers too. The story focuses on a group of teens forced into community service who gain powers during a mysterious storm. Definitely not for kids though. This either has been- or is being- developed as a remake.

Sci-fi

Doctor Who (2005 - ) IMDb 8.7 - The continuing adventures of The Doctor, an alien time traveler - a Time Lord - from Gallifrey. Together with his companions they travel through time and space in the TARDIS, battling evil where they find it.

The new doctors have been fantastic. I was disappointed to see Christopher Eccleston go, then I was disappointed to see David Tennant go, and now I'm realy liking Matt Smith.

Torchwood

Primeval (2007 - 2011) IMDb 7.1 - When rips in time called anomalies started opening across the UK, dangerous creatures from the past and future began appearing in the most unexpected places, endangering lives and placing the whole of humanity at risk.

Kool-Aid Larry - Centers on a small group who get thrown together by circumstance and spend their eps investigating these rifts in time that randomly appear in London, as well as the creatures which wander through them. I think there's some cool prehistoric creature cgi, a little funny banter, and I liked the people they cast in it -- at least in the original. After a couple seasons they turn over some of the characters and it kind of lost it's appeal.

Drama

Spooks(MI-5) (2002 - 2011) IMDb 8.2 - The series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a highly secure suite of offices known as The Grid. In the United States and France, the show is broadcast under the title MI-5. In Canada, the programme originally aired as MI5 but now airs on BBC Canada as Spooks.

The Kuhn - It's the tension/suspense of 24 without the superhero antics of Jack Bauer, god among men. Imagine every US cop drama you've ever watched but with the idea that any character could die on any mission at any time. Some seasons have season-long arcs that will make it hard to watch only one episode at a time. I think it's on season 10 or 11 at this point, but it's a well-written show with many plotlines eerily reflecting news stories and conflicts that have happened or could happen. Episodes of MI-5 are shown on PBS in many areas.

House of Cards (1990 - ) IMDb 8.9 - The antihero of House of Cards is Francis Urquhart, a fictional Chief Whip of the Conservative Party, played by Ian Richardson. The plot follows his amoral and manipulative scheme to become leader of the governing party and, thus, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Comedy

The Office

Little Britain

The Mighty Boosh

Note: I will continue to update as I get time.

 

[identikit]

I enjoyed Whitechapel (not the same as Ripper Street).

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

awesome thread.

can I put primeval in here, or will I get laughed at?

I mean the original -- not current.

oops, accidental link

edit: I'm gonna edit in a review later but I gotta get some chinese food and starbux.

more edits:

primeval is a sci-fi which centers on a small group who get thrown together by circumstance and spend their eps investigating these rifts in time that randomly appear in london, as well as the creatures which wander through them.

I think there's some cool prehistoric creature cgi, a little funny banter, and I liked the people they cast in it -- at least in the original.

after a couple seasons they turn over some of the characters and it kind of lost it's appeal.

*spoiler alert*

one of the original cast was this supercute chick who was apparently some kind of megapopstar in the uk, unbeknownst to me at the time.

stay tuned for another late edited clip link when I find it

 

[jonessed]

New idea: If you want to recommend a show not listed go ahead and write a few sentences on why you like it and I will add that under the description in the main post with your name.

 

[Fennis]

good idea for a thread. Many good British shows make their way to America in a ####tier version at some point. British series are much shorter than US shows so they can keep the quality upI haven't watched the Netflix version yet, but House of Cards was a great show.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

should the office be in there, or is that pedantic?

 

[The Kuhn]

Spooks (MI-5 over here)- it's the tension/suspense of 24 without the superhero antics of Jack Bauer, god among men. Imagine every US cop drama you've ever watched but with the idea that any character could die on any mission at any time. Some seasons have season-long arcs that will make it hard to watch only one episode at a time. I think it's on season 10 or 11 at this point, but it's a well-written show with many plotlines eerily reflecting news stories and conflicts that have happened or could happen. Episodes of MI-5 are shown on PBS in many areas.The Fades- hard to describe...best attempt would be an apocalyptic version of 'The Sixth Sense' (it's hard to say too much about it without spoiling some of the better parts of the story). Genuinely creepy at times and a strong attempt at a thriller/horror miniseries. A second season or follow-up is still unknown, although possible.Misfits- what Heroes should have been, if network restrictions hadn't been placed on it. Superheroes can misbehave or misuse their powers too. The story focuses on a group of teens forced into community service who gain powers during a mysterious storm. Definitely not for kids though. This either has been- or is being- developed as a remake.Utopia- running on Channel 4 right now (5/6 episodes done, available if you look hard enough...). The story focuses on a small group of people that learn of a secret 2nd issue of a graphic novel that exposes a conspiracy that other groups want to expose/protect under any means necessary. Has a few moments that are genuinely upsetting and shocking, and you'll know by the end of the first hour whether you are ready for the long haul or not. Pretty certain this won't make an appearance over here unless it is heavily edited. It's worth watching for anyone who feels scripted TV has lost its bite.On a side note, Luther is gearing up for a "3rd season" (2-3 extended episodes), and a book prequel has recently been released from the series creator/writer. Highly recommend Luther.

 

[36th Chamber]

Little Britain - Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas. The show's title is an amalgamation of the terms 'Little England' and 'Great Britain', and is also the name of a Victorian neighbourhood and modern street in London.

The show comprises sketches involving exaggerated parodies of British people from all walks of life in various situations familiar to the British. These sketches are presented to the viewer together with narration in a manner which suggests that the programme is a guide—aimed at non-British people—to the ways of life of various classes of British society. Despite the narrator's description of great British institutions, the comedy is derived from the British audience's self-deprecating understanding of either themselves or people known to them.

 

[Jutz]

One of my favorte comedy shows that is BBC, but is old, is called The Mighty Boosh. It was on the BBC from 2004 - 2007. I don't know how to describe it, but it is a hilarous show (to me). The most well known episode is "The Legend of Old Gregg". You can find nearly every episode from every season on youtube. Full episodes are out there. Their wiki page says they showed season 1 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim in 2009.

Another show that was on BBC, and is more recent, includes members from The Mighty Boosh. It is called Snuff Box and it looks like there was only 1 season on the BBC in 2006. One of the main characters in this show is Matt Berry. He has been in a lot of shows (some on Adult Swim and Comedy Central). I recently saw him on an episode of Portlandia where he played the front man for a kids group. It's difficult to find Snuff Box on youtube. In fact, I think you can only find clips. He playes a character who's job is a hangman. It's pretty off the wall. The theme song and music in the show are excellent.

Both shows have an element of somewhat bizzare British Humor. The Mighty Boosh has elements of Monty Python and The Young Ones. They are both relatively short run shows, and neither are currently being made, but both have made me laugh a lot of the vids I found.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

did the mighty boosh have an ep where the father of the guy's gf takes him pheasant hunting and he has to break a pheasant's neck, or something like that?

 

[Sarnoff]

I really enjoyed the first few seasons of the crime drama "Wire in the Blood". IIRC, though, quality tapered off near the end.

8.2 on IMDB. A tight thriller, following a profiler on the hunt of serial killers.

 

[Jutz]

did the mighty boosh have an ep where the father of the guy's gf takes him pheasant hunting and he has to break a pheasant's neck, or something like that?

I haven't seen all of them, but I don't remember that story line. I don't really remember any show where either of them have girlfriends.

 

[The Kuhn]

Forgot another one- Chris Ryan's Strike Back.This is a series now on Cinemax, but it originally started as this 6-episode miniseries (although it's really a set of 3 stories split into 2 episodes each). The main character is a soldier that gets discharged from the military due to an operational mistake that results in the deaths of others in his squad. He gets a second chance by being tasked with off-the-book assignments for a counter terrorism division led by Andrew Lincoln (Rick from the Walking Dead, in actual Brit mode). Decent action, with the stunts and combat sequences not being too over-the-top (although supposedly not the case with the Cinemax follow-up), and Armitage is a believable action hero.

 

[NewlyRetired]

The OfficeExtrasRobin Hood

 

[cstu]

Older ones mostly, but these are all ones I'd recommend:The OfficeExtrasLife on MarsThe Thick of ItBlack BooksSpacedHyperdriveDanger 50,000 Volts CrackerThe Kumars at No. 42OutnumberedCouplingThe InbetweenersThe IT CrowdThe Mighty BooshDirk GentlyGarth Marenghi's Darkplace Peep ShowLife's Too ShortAn Idiot AbroadMisfitsPsychoville (bizarre and not for everybody)

 

[Jutz]

Older ones mostly, but these are all ones I'd recommend:The Mighty BooshGarth Marenghi's Darkplace The IT Crowd

I started off watching the Mighty Boosh. From watching Boosh, a friend found some episodes of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and I've watched several of those. After Boosh and Garth, same friend found the show Snuff Box and it was hilarous. I didn't see Snuff Box on your list, but if you haven't seen it, and you like the previously mentioned shows, you should like Snuff Box. All of the shows use the same, or overlapping actors and they do the same type of comedy.Matthew Berry was in Garth and Snuff Box. A friend of mine told me he is in The IT Crowd, but I've never seen that show.I know that Noel Fielding from Mighty Boosh had a spin off show, and I watched maybe one episode of it on youtube. It was even more over the top then the Boosh. Is that one of the other shows in your list. I was really happy to have found The Mighty Boosh. I know people have different tastes in shows... but when I found The Mighty Boosh I felt like it was a perfect for what I am looking for in a comedy show.

 

[kOOk]

Little Britain - Little Britain is a British character-based comedy sketch show which was first broadcast on BBC radio and then turned into a television show. It was written by comic duo David Walliams and Matt Lucas. The show's title is an amalgamation of the terms 'Little England' and 'Great Britain', and is also the name of a Victorian neighbourhood and modern street in London.

The show comprises sketches involving exaggerated parodies of British people from all walks of life in various situations familiar to the British. These sketches are presented to the viewer together with narration in a manner which suggests that the programme is a guide—aimed at non-British people—to the ways of life of various classes of British society. Despite the narrator's description of great British institutions, the comedy is derived from the British audience's self-deprecating understanding of either themselves or people known to them.

Good posting. Though i never heard the radio broadcasts. Funny show. Must see British TV.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Older ones mostly, but these are all ones I'd recommend:The OfficeExtrasLife on MarsThe Thick of ItBlack BooksSpacedHyperdriveDanger 50,000 Volts CrackerThe Kumars at No. 42OutnumberedCouplingThe InbetweenersThe IT CrowdThe Mighty BooshDirk GentlyGarth Marenghi's Darkplace Peep ShowLife's Too ShortAn Idiot AbroadMisfitsPsychoville (bizarre and not for everybody)

Cracker is in my All-time Top 10. Also, a little known Beeb show of which i have every ep on tape (like The Office & the tremendous Absolute Power, it was one of the four British sitcoms - Coupling was the other - PBS used to show late on Sunday nights that each only had about a dozen episodes) "People Like Us" destroys me & is one of my few instant video cures for the blues.

 

[The Gator]

The InbetweenersAn Idiot Abroad

yes

 

[cstu]

Older ones mostly, but these are all ones I'd recommend:

The Mighty Boosh

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

The IT Crowd

I started off watching the Mighty Boosh. From watching Boosh, a friend found some episodes of Garth Marenghi's Darkplace and I've watched several of those. After Boosh and Garth, same friend found the show Snuff Box and it was hilarous. I didn't see Snuff Box on your list, but if you haven't seen it, and you like the previously mentioned shows, you should like Snuff Box. All of the shows use the same, or overlapping actors and they do the same type of comedy.Matthew Berry was in Garth and Snuff Box. A friend of mine told me he is in The IT Crowd, but I've never seen that show.

I know that Noel Fielding from Mighty Boosh had a spin off show, and I watched maybe one episode of it on youtube. It was even more over the top then the Boosh. Is that one of the other shows in your list. I was really happy to have found The Mighty Boosh. I know people have different tastes in shows... but when I found The Mighty Boosh I felt like it was a perfect for what I am looking for in a comedy show.

Somehow I missed this, thanks for the heads up. BTW, you must watch the IT Crowd

 

[trogg78]

Inbetweeners is great. Red Dwarf is one of my all time favorites. Been Watching Hyperdrive and Spaced also. I really like men behaving badly, but I haven't seen that on in what seems like a decade.

 

[cstu]

Spooks (MI-5 over here)- it's the tension/suspense of 24 without the superhero antics of Jack Bauer, god among men. Imagine every US cop drama you've ever watched but with the idea that any character could die on any mission at any time. Some seasons have season-long arcs that will make it hard to watch only one episode at a time. I think it's on season 10 or 11 at this point, but it's a well-written show with many plotlines eerily reflecting news stories and conflicts that have happened or could happen. Episodes of MI-5 are shown on PBS in many areas.The Fades- hard to describe...best attempt would be an apocalyptic version of 'The Sixth Sense' (it's hard to say too much about it without spoiling some of the better parts of the story). Genuinely creepy at times and a strong attempt at a thriller/horror miniseries. A second season or follow-up is still unknown, although possible.Misfits- what Heroes should have been, if network restrictions hadn't been placed on it. Superheroes can misbehave or misuse their powers too. The story focuses on a group of teens forced into community service who gain powers during a mysterious storm. Definitely not for kids though. This either has been- or is being- developed as a remake.Utopia- running on Channel 4 right now (5/6 episodes done, available if you look hard enough...). The story focuses on a small group of people that learn of a secret 2nd issue of a graphic novel that exposes a conspiracy that other groups want to expose/protect under any means necessary. Has a few moments that are genuinely upsetting and shocking, and you'll know by the end of the first hour whether you are ready for the long haul or not. Pretty certain this won't make an appearance over here unless it is heavily edited. It's worth watching for anyone who feels scripted TV has lost its bite.On a side note, Luther is gearing up for a "3rd season" (2-3 extended episodes), and a book prequel has recently been released from the series creator/writer. Highly recommend Luther.

I've never got around to watching Spooks, maybe just 24 burnout.The Fades was good but unfortunately it was canceled and the ending is meh.Really looking forward to watching Utopia in its entirely once the final episode airs next week.

 

[Tchula]

Little Britain is one of the funniest show ever. I wish BBCA would show Come Fly With Me as it is by the same guys

 

[Insein]

Mostly the regulars for me.Top GearDr WhoSherlockAn Idiot abroad is fun once in awhile. Watched the Fades for a bit then forgot to record it. Haven't gone back yet. Was interesting. I try almost anything on BBCA at least once.

 

[badmojo1006]

good idea for a thread. Many good British shows make their way to America in a ####tier version at some point. British series are much shorter than US shows so they can keep the quality upI haven't watched the Netflix version yet, but House of Cards was a great show.

Watching it right now. Excellent. Ian Richardson is masterful. Love his little looks to the camera. And when Mattie said "I want to call you Daddy"

 

[Christo]

The Graham Norton Show is currently the best BBC show.Luther is great. Are they making more any time soon?Cracker and Coupling were two of the best. But the very best was Absolutely Fabulous.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

so, there's 6 best shows -- got it.

 

[trogg78]

so, there's 6 best shows -- got it.

You bent?

 

[GoFishTN]

Often times series can be short, but they are almost always complete and can actually stand alone. You don't often get left hanging.

American television shows could learn a lot from this idea.More on topic, ITV has some good shows too. I particularly like the Agatha Christie adaptations, Poirot and Marple.

 

[The Gator]

so, there's 6 best shows -- got it.

You bent?

 

[Sarnoff]

I enjoy QI but it's never on BBC-America

 

[NewlyRetired]

This show goes way back and I don't believe it has ever been released in the states on DVD but you can get the entire series on torrent. Has anyone ever seen the sci fi series called Blake's 7? I am interested in giving it a chance as I heard it had a lot of influences on JMS's story of Babylon 5.

 

[Sarnoff]

Does anyone watch "New Tricks"? I think it's occasionally run on PBS, but I've never gotten around to watching it. IIRC, it's about a team of old/washed up police detectives that are all assigned to work together in one squad. Like if "Law & Order" was all Jerry Orbach with a bit of Helen Mirren.

 

[Christo]

This show goes way back and I don't believe it has ever been released in the states on DVD but you can get the entire series on torrent. Has anyone ever seen the sci fi series called Blake's 7? I am interested in giving it a chance as I heard it had a lot of influences on JMS's story of Babylon 5.

Loved Blake's 7 when I was a kid. That is old. It was on when I lived there.

 

[The Kuhn]

The Graham Norton Show is currently the best BBC show.Luther is great. Are they making more any time soon?Cracker and Coupling were two of the best. But the very best was Absolutely Fabulous.

There's a book prequel out now (Luther: The Calling), and season 3 is coming sometime this year to BBC1 as 4 new episodes.

 

[The Kuhn]

Spooks (MI-5 over here)- it's the tension/suspense of 24 without the superhero antics of Jack Bauer, god among men. Imagine every US cop drama you've ever watched but with the idea that any character could die on any mission at any time. Some seasons have season-long arcs that will make it hard to watch only one episode at a time. I think it's on season 10 or 11 at this point, but it's a well-written show with many plotlines eerily reflecting news stories and conflicts that have happened or could happen. Episodes of MI-5 are shown on PBS in many areas.

I think Spooks went 10 seasons before it ended. The first two seasons, IMHO, are must watch TV. ( The first season is 6 episodes, I think the 2nd is 10) The episode structure runs 56-58 minutes, so there's a lot of interesting subtext/character building material that would normally get cut out of US type episodes that get to stay and flesh out the story. Season 3 is pretty good, if not a bit tragic. This is where the show I think lost a good number of fans, they couldn't take the attrition anymore. Seasons 4-6, I think are fairly rough and falls off the rails, it tries much harder to be like 24 and the lead, Penry-Jones, is pretty horrible at it. When the series shifts to Richard Armitage as the lead, it picks up again, much more in the vein of the original two series. The quality is always very good production wise, the writing is always pretty good, but really nothing compares to the first two seasons. I think most people should watch the first three seasons and find a closure point there. Word of caution, there are some genuinely upsetting deaths over the course of the series.

I think I'm still making my way through S6, but S4 was still pretty tight (without going into spoilers of why), and the season-long arc of S5 was pretty intense. The ultimate judgment on S6 depends on if/how they resolve Zaf's story. I can see where people could say 'it went off the rails' in 4-6 since the baton was officially passed at that point, but the stories and the characters still didn't reach 24-level absurdity to me (again, at least through where I'm at in S6).I didn't mind Adam's character- my problem was with Ros and how she's all over the place.

 

[The Kuhn]

Episode 5 of Utopia is some intense TV. I highly recommend finding this show any way you can.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Does anyone watch "New Tricks"? I think it's occasionally run on PBS, but I've never gotten around to watching it. IIRC, it's about a team of old/washed up police detectives that are all assigned to work together in one squad. Like if "Law & Order" was all Jerry Orbach with a bit of Helen Mirren.

saw 3 or 4 seasons of this a few yrs ago and loved it in an "it is what it is" kinda way. Alun Armstrong brings extra stuff to everything he does and the widower det did a lot of things that resonated with me as one myself.

 

[cstu]

Episode 5 of Utopia is some intense TV. I highly recommend finding this show any way you can.

Season finale airs tomorrow in the UK. Great show.

 

[Anarky]

Midsomer MurdersRosemary & ThymePoirotMarpleBlue MurderTaggartInspector LewisThe Last DetectiveMurder in SurburbiaInspector Allen Mysteries

 

[Christo]

Midsomer Murders

Rosemary & Thyme

Poirot

Marple

Blue Murder

Taggart

Inspector Lewis

The Last Detective

Murder in Surburbia

Inspector Allen Mysteries

Love those two chicks.

 

[Brony]

Anyone catch this Benny Hill fellow? He's quite a trip.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

thx for this thread and the misfits plug -- I'm enjoying ep2 right now.

 

[The Kuhn]

Utopia finished strong...I can't recommend it enough. I'm hearing a lot of callbacks to The Shadow Line as well, which is another series I have a few episodes of, but haven't watched more than the pilot. It starred the guy who was the assassin in the Firefly movie (Chiwetel Ejiofer) and Christopher Eccleston, from recent series of Doctor Who (and Stephen Rea, who was in Utopia).

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

I'm digging the fades.I guess you could loosely compare it to buffy with a light sprinkle of carnivale over the top.

Spoiler

ok, if they can only touch us by eating people, how do they eat the people in the first place in order to be able to eat them?also, when the fades jumped neil and cut him up why didn't they kill and eat him?

also, I was happy to find out sophie wu is much older than the character she plays.

 

[Aerial Assault]

We watch all of the Brit mysteries that end up on Mystery! on PBS.

Lewis is one of my favorite shows ever: it's a sequel to and continuation of Inspector Morse, which has itself been (sort of) rebooted as Endeavour after a successful pilot last year. Very intricate plotting and enjoyable characters, plus the Oxford scenery is beautiful. Final season of Lewis is coming up for American viewers this summer, but the six previous series are well worth it for mystery fans.

I haven't seen Foyle's War mentioned. If anyone likes mysteries, World War II, and/or period pieces, run, don't walk and get these DVDs, which follow a police superintendent in Hastings (coastal town in SE England) during WWII. The attention to historical detail is on the level of Mad Men, and the writing and acting are unreal. ITV (I think it's ITV) persuaded the creator and Michael Kitchen, who plays the lead, to return for an eighth series, set in the early Cold War, that just finished filming and should be out in the U.S. this summer/fall.

Wallander (Kenneth Branagh as tortured Swedish detective) and Case Histories (Jason Isaacs as highly humanized PI in Edinburgh) are also top-notch. I enjoy Sherlock quite a bit but am not fanatic about it.

I love Spooks. We're in the middle of the fifth season now, watching 1-2 a week. It did run ten seasons, concluding about a year and a half ago. No one should be daunted by 24 burnout; the shows actually have very few similarities.

 

[The Kuhn]

I'm digging the fades.I guess you could loosely compare it to buffy with a light sprinkle of carnivale over the top.

Spoiler

ok, if they can only touch us by eating people, how do they eat the people in the first place in order to be able to eat them?also, when the fades jumped neil and cut him up why didn't they kill and eat him?

also, I was happy to find out sophie wu is much older than the character she plays.

Spoiler

I think the 'how' is explained around the midpoint- ep3 or 4 maybe.As for Neil, I don't remember why he was spared...wasn't his attack interrupted? It's been about a year since I saw these, so I don't recall...

And I guess it was official some time last year that a 2nd season wasn't ordered. They greenlit Being Human for another season instead. Given that all the original characters had been placed, I think I would have rather seen another season of The Fades.

 

[wikkidpissah]

I love Spooks. We're in the middle of the fifth season now, watching 1-2 a week. It did run ten seasons, concluding about a year and a half ago. No one should be daunted by 24 burnout; the shows actually have very few similarities.

Youre at about the point where it gave out for me. It was good for awhile after losing McAlphabet and two of my favorite Britbabes (Hawes & Agutter), but eventually took on a Law & Order, how-many-times-can-they-rework-the-same-story feel & fell off my watch list.

 

[Aerial Assault]

Oof, I'm sorry - - I just realized that the thread said BBC. Many of the shows that I mentioned above, like Lewis and Foyle, are actually from ITV. Not sure if that makes a difference to the thread.

 

[Aerial Assault]

I love Spooks. We're in the middle of the fifth season now, watching 1-2 a week. It did run ten seasons, concluding about a year and a half ago. No one should be daunted by 24 burnout; the shows actually have very few similarities.

Youre at about the point where it gave out for me. It was good for awhile after losing McAlphabet and two of my favorite Britbabes (Hawes & Agutter), but eventually took on a Law & Order, how-many-times-can-they-rework-the-same-story feel & fell off my watch list.

I can see that; I've noticed some repetition, but I think they've compensated with some good character-driven stuff. One thing that did annoy me was the inclusion of Fiona (the Penry-Jones character's wife), only for the actress to get annoyed with the shooting sked because she was pregnant or planning to be pregnant or something, resulting in a killoff of a character we hardly knew. That was silly. However, with the additions of Jo and Ros, I think the cast has stabilized now and I've been enjoying the increasing action and better plots.