The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

Maria Bello in USA Prime Suspect…

It’s official! NBC is trying to get its failing ratings up, and will be adding several new shows to their fall line-up. One of these shows is an American version of Prime Suspect. Jane will be played by Maria Bello:

“Other notable new programs include “Prime Suspect,” an adaptation of the celebrated British series that starred Helen Mirren as a tough police detective, with Maria Bello taking on the role;”

(The above quote is from an article in MarketWatch.)

So there you have it. Let’s all hope that Bello can make Jane a messed-up, hard-as-nails person, who the audience actually roots for.

PS>>> Also on the NBC fall line-up is a Steven Spielberg show starring Anjelica Huston. Love her!!! When my children were a whole lot younger, The Witches (Roald Dahl) was a movie we watched over and over… And, of course, who can forget Lonesome Dove, The Addams Family, Prizzi’s Honor, … the Anjelica Huston hits just keep going and going, and going some more!

Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren

Prime Suspect is probably the best police procedural made-for-television series I have ever watched. It is a gritty, realistic view of the life of a woman making her way in the almost all male world of British police detectives. Prime Suspect follows as Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) moves up the police ranks while contending with the resentment of a lot of the on-job men who think a woman simply doesn’t belong in their professional world.

The Prime Suspect series began in 1991 and ran all the way until 2003. Unfortunately for its devoted fans, there are only seven years worth of seasons, which, since it is a British show, means very few episodes. I strongly suggest watching the series in the correct chronological order. It is not a Cozy British police procedural. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, it is “gritty.” It is not just the Prime Suspects who are not model citizens. Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is relentless about catching the flawed bad guys – but she is a very flawed person herself.

I have enjoyed Helen Mirren’s work since way before her well-deserved current popularity. A lot of you probably remember her excellent work from such movies as The Madness of King George, Calendar Girls, The Queen, and Gosford Park. Let me assure you that Mirren’s performance as Jane Tennison is (as usual) multi-faceted, and a delight to watch. (Prime Suspect’s creator Lynda LaPlante modeled the Jane Tennison character after a true life female DCI.)

I am not going to tell you obvious things like: the show has three-dimensional supporting characters, mysteries that ring true, there’s great attention to detail, the scenes are realistic, the scripts are great, there is  phenomenal direction, ETC. Those things go unsaid. (Remember my first sentence in this entry!) Both Mirren and the series have won several Emmy and BAFTA awards, proof of the obvious: I am not alone in liking this show!

I watched this series as it originally aired on PBS (way back when “Mystery!” was the name of the show) and have watched it two times since then. I finally decided to share it with my husband, and we then treated our children to this very superior police procedural. And, I plan to watch it again! I may know “who dunnit” but the Prime Suspect journey is definitely a treat within itself.

PS>>> If you’re offended by adult language and themes, this is not a series for you nor is it appropriate for young children.

If you would like to see more TV and Movies suggestions, click here.

Dalziel & Pascoe Television Series…

I love this British television police procedural/mystery series! The series follows Superintendent Andy Dalziel and Sergeant/Inspector Peter Pascoe (or as Andy might say, “Paul”!) as they solve crimes in Yorkshire.

Warren Clarke plays Andy to perfection. He is an overweight, brash, uncouth man, who occasionally scratches himself in public. (No, not on his elbow!) Dalziel is one super, duper copper. He always gets his man… but doesn’t always get his woman!

Dalziel’s underling, Pascoe, is completely different. Colin Buchanan, besides being “Hollywood good looking,” seems to be everything Dalziel is not. Pascoe is a college graduate (which Dalziel enjoys using as a sort of put-down), married to a very independent, smart woman, and he is deliberate in his actions. (Dalziel seems to do first, think later.)

They are a perfect crime-solving team, but you wouldn’t expect to see them chumming around. There is a “deepness” in the characters. Even though Dalziel and Pascoe are as different as possible, and Ellie Pascoe (played wonderfully by Susannah Corbett) cannot abide “the Fat Man” (as she calls Dalziel), you can see that all of the characters respect each other professionally >>> to the point of Dalziel being Pascoe’s best man at his wedding. The interplay of the characters is interesting, quite believable, and very complicated.

The fourth character is Sergeant Wield, played by David Royle. His portrayal of a very sensitive man with a lot of secrets is endearing to watch. I look forward to every one of his scenes in the series.

The set locations make me wish I lived in England. Weekend travel must be such fun, with so many beautiful areas to visit. Since this is a British series (and not an American one) only one of the two leads is handsome, and the secondary characters are “normal” looking. (Bravo to normal-looking people on television shows!)

If you’re in the mood for a really good police procedural, with fleshed-out characters, great acting and direction, plenty of red herrings, smart dialogue, and a lot of dry humor >>> then you can’t go wrong with the Dalziel & Pascoe television series.

(The series is not for children.)

P.S.  The Dalziel & Pascoe television series is based on Reginald Hill‘s wonderful mystery book series, of which I am a fan.

If you would like to see more TV and Movies suggestions, click here.

Doc Martin Television Series: Very Cozy (and Quirky!)…

My daughter, husband, and I are huge fans of Doc Martin, a fabulously quirky and funny British television series. The series (not a mystery series) is set in the present day on a quaint, and beyond beautiful little coastal village. The only problem that we had in watching Doc Martin is that we had to wait between season one (2004), season two (2005/2006), three (2007), and four’s (2009) release dates! (And, we are now waiting for season five!!!)

Doc Martin (played faultlessly by Martin Clunes) is simply put… a  curmudgeon. I don’t want to give away too much, so I will just say that he is a brilliant surgeon who has given up his London practice to move to the aforementioned beautiful coastal village. He has done this to become the village general practitioner.

Doc Martin is not only eccentric/neurotic and impersonal – but he even hates dogs! (For those of you dog-lovers who are fans of Martin Clunes, you’ll be happy to know that he loves dogs so much, he hosted a series called Martin Clunes: A Man and His Dogs and he has authored the bestselling A Dog’s Life).

Caroline Catz costars as the absolutely delightful teacher/principal of the village elementary/primary school. Also, Stephanie Cole (from Waiting for God) plays Martin’s (yes, Martin is his first name >>> the villagers refuse to call him Dr. Ellingham!) often-times exacerbated aunt, his source of unconditional love during his youth. Also wonderful in their roles are: his receptionists (Elaine Denham & Pauline Lamb), the local police (Stewart Wright & John Marquez), the father and son plumbers (Ian McNeice & Joe Absolom), and the local pharmacist (Selina Cadell).

I highly recommend the Doc Martin series. The locale is gorgeous, the characters are three-dimensional, the plots are clever and absolutely never dull or slow-paced, and the acting is superb.

If you would like to see more TV and Movies suggestions, click here.

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