Hmmmm…. I don’t know if I should admit this… but my family doesn’t watch any mystery shows together from the three major networks here in the States. (Three of us, however, do have a show or two that we follow individually…) Instead, we "import" them… mostly from Great Britain. We do watch crime shows that are made right here in the States like…. Forensic Files, Masterminds, L.A. Confidential, North Mission Road, and we used to love City Confidential so much that we have seen all of them. (Please write me via the "comment button" below if City Confidential is still being made. I thought that both Paul Winfield and Keith David did great jobs as narrators, and I also thought that the writers showed a very good grasp of both the crimes and the cities in which the crimes occurred.)
Getting back to my initial thought…
We started watching The Last Detective (starring Peter Davison) a little while ago, and we are finding it quite enjoyable. (I’ll write about it in another blog…) After finishing our last episode, we started talking (I have to admit that I did most of the talking!) and we started kicking around the question: Why do we watch these British exports instead of our "home-grown" mystery shows? There are so many right here in the States that are available with just one click of our remote, yet we don’t watch them…. Why is that?…..
Hmmmm…. again!
Is it that the Brits have shorter seasons? Well, if that were true, then you would think that the longer seasons would give a series a longer time to develop characters and plot.
Is it that the Brits have fewer episodes per season? Again, if that were true, then you would think that the more the episodes, the better the chance to develop characters and plot.
Is it that the Brits have younger, more beautiful "stars" in their shows? Well, if that were true then wouldn’t we all be watching them on our major networks each and every week…. since our major networks seem fixated on youthful beauty.
Or is it that since we do have more episodes per season, we "dilute" the writers… They simply can’t spend the time needed on each of the (+/-) 26 episodes on which they feel compelled to present a mystery and wrap up the solution in the allotted 44 minutes… instead of taking a leisurely hour and a half, only five or six times per season to develop characters and plot…. thus not having the necessity of "cranking out" shows each and every week.
Well, then what is it? Why is it that more and more people are buying the DVDs or joining online rentals like Netflix and Blockbusters?
I remember a time when we could count on A & E to air the high quality British mystery shows… Jeremy Brett in Sherlock Holmes, Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect, David Suchet in Poirot, David Jason in Frost, John Thaw and Kevin Whately in Morse, Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan in Dalziel and Pascoe… (and I’m sure there are more…)
So, why is it that we keep (at least my two college-age children, my husband, and I) seeking out the exported mystery shows…. You only need to look above…. and see the highlighted words to know why we do…. How about you?
Jan says
Danna, I agree! I think the British shows are more plot and character-driven – and dare I say – more intelligent – while often (not always, but often) American series tend to go for the shock value. Why bother with plot when you can simply add more gore, violence, and sex?
I, for one, have added several series to my Netflix queue after reading this blog. And I promise not to send a scathing e-mail if I don’t like them and you do. Sheesh…some people!
We signed up for Netflix when we began coming home empty handed after a trip to the video store. Too much of what was “popular” held no interest for us.
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Jan,
We love our Netflix! We are also members of Blockbusters which has the free in-store rentals, but I have stopped going to the local store to try to pick out a replacement for the DVDs we are returning. I found myself spending too much time, wandering up and down the aisles trying desperately to find something of interest to rent… And, when I finally settled on something to take home, it would end up being something that we would start and decide not to finish.
(I don’t know why, but I am finding that Blockbusters has expanded their online catalog. We are now able to get a lot more BBC shows from them than we could a little while back.)
Jan says
hmmm…will have to check out Blockbusters but like you, there would be no point in attempting an in-store return. The selection is abysmal.
Walter says
I love BBC mysteries and I am trying to find shows with a Christmas Theme. I already watched Hercule Poirot’s Christmas and loved it. I am looking for more, any BBC mystery with a Christmas theme would be welcome this season. Any suggestions would be great. Thank you Walter
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Let me think about this a little longer, Walter. Right off the top of my head…. Sherlock Holmes had the Blue Carbuncle…
Also, I have a vague recollection of one of the Frost shows as being Christmas-themed…. I just can’t remember which one. I know that the first novel in the series takes place during Christmas (R. D. Wingfield‘s Frost at Christmas)
I will keep thinking about it… and will probably write a blog asking for other people to help.
eutopia says
I agree with everyone on this page. I’ve been checking out British Mysteries for a couple of years now and they are so much better than watching TV shows here in the US. I think I’m also fascinated with the different locations too (especially when watching Midsomer Murders or Poirot). Right now, I’m watching Hetty Wainthropp and it’s absolutely delicious. I’m also a member of Blockbuster Online and it’s been great to rent most of the BBC & AE Mysteries. I was just told that there is a NEW Miss Marple which is being called just MARPLE and also there’s another show called Wire In The Blood that is quite interesting. Thanks so much for this page. Take care!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Eutopia,
I also love the Midsomer locations. Not at all like our generic USA police procedurals… most of them, anyway!
linda says
Danna, I found this old posting and I thought I would respond. I watched a “Miss Marple” movie today on Turner Classic Movie channel called “Murder Most Foul” with Margaret Rutherford. What a great old movie.! I loved Margaret Rutherford playing Miss Marple. I love her facial expressions. Is, or was, this actress really British, do you know?
After that movie I watched a “Hercule Poiro” movie with Tony Randall as Poirot. What a good old movie. I love old Tony Randall movies!
I wanted to ask a question though. Was Poirot a comedy character, was he supposed to be funny or was he just this way in this movie? I am right now trying to read “Hallowe’en” and he does not seem to be funny in this book. I haven’t read any other Poirot novels, just Miss Marple.
“I don’t know if I will finish this book because of the story line being about a murdered teenager. I haven’t decided yet. I have a hard time reading books with murdered kids . I have teenage grandchildren!
Danna - cozy mystery list says
Boy, Linda, your aren’t kidding! This is a very old post!!!
I have seen the Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple movies, but I have missed Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot.
For me, Poirot had a lot of “funny-ness” to him. He was so absolutely, incredibly taken by his skills as a detective, and his meticulous “grooming”>>> both things that were accentuated when Captain Hastings was with him. In at least one situation, when Captain Hastings omitted to introduce Poirot as the “great detective” and boast about how wonderful Poirot was, Poirot had to tell the people these facts, and then directed Hastings to do this in the future, since he didn’t enjoy having to boast about himself. I found that particularly funny.