The Cozy Mystery List Blog

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

Favorite Television Shows…

I have a few favorite shows on television which I missed when they first aired. I don’t know how I missed them, other than for the mere fact that they weren’t on any of the three major networks and, because I record everything I watch>>> so that I can skip through the advertisements.

I accidentally taped The Closer one night… and after the first fifteen minutes, I was hooked! Unfortunately, I caught it during a time when the network (TNT) was playing the shows as sort of filler, since they were all repeats, so I was unable to get the shows in their correct order. Which, of course meant that I either had to rent the shows (from the beginning of the series) or buy them.

I like this show so much, that I have given our DVDs to our daughter (22 years old) and she likes them as much as I do. I wonder if it’s because the lead detective is a strong-willed, opinionated woman who has the courage to appear without makeup (anyways that’s what it looks like to us) when the shows call for it, OR if it’s because all of the characters are well-developed, three-dimensional “people,” OR if it’s because the writing is phenomenal, OR because, it’s simply one of the best shows on television!

Anyway, if you have a favorite show that you would like to share with some of us cozy mystery readers>>> please feel free to write about it in a comment, or write me a letter via the website. If you all are anything like I am: tired of the writers’ strike, tired of tired shows, tired of the umpteenth season of the same shows, tired of the different shows that are actually the same show set in different cities>>> Then let’s share some ideas of really good shows!

John Adams Miniseries : Happy Fourth of July!

John Adams (DVD) I feel particularly patriotic this Fourth of July! We just finished the last episode of the HBO miniseries entitled John Adams…. and ¡¡¡WOW!!!

Let me first mention that we don’t subscribe to HBO… And, that we have tried some other HBO miniseries/episodic shows, and that some of them are just a tad out of my particular comfort zone. Yes… It’s true… I get a little uncomfortable with gratuitous sex and violence. Call me a “square” or “old-fashioned” but those are just the facts, ma’am.

A very good friend of mine told me about the miniseries… and since Cora is a cozy-mystery reader… I knew that she would not be recommending something that was going to be … let’s just say… adult-situation-graphic! (Don’t I sound like a prude!?!)

My husband had already read “John Adams,” David McCullough’s bestselling novel, and had really enjoyed it. And, since this miniseries is based on McCullough’s novel… which is presumably accurate, we knew that the miniseries would not take some of the “liberties” that a lot of other miniseries take… tweaking more “juicy tidbits” into the plots so that they are more readily appreciated by the masses. Of course, my husband did notice some changes that were made in the miniseries for dramatic purposes, although they didn’t detract from the overall spirit of accuracy.

The cast does a wonderful job portraying the characters who we all (in the USA) grew up learning and hearing about… Cast: Paul Giamatti (as John Adams) and Laura Linney (as his wife, Abigail) are superb in their parts. Tom Wilkinson (as Benjamin Franklin), Stephen Dillane (as Thomas Jefferson), David Morse (as George Wahington), Sarah Polley (as the Adams’ daughter), well… the list goes on! We found the acting, the sets, the director’s view ALL exceptionally good. (Of course, if you are looking for a sanitized version… where you don’t see and almost feel what it must have been like… where you don’t see how excruciating it was to be sick back in those times… when blood-letting seemed to be a very common practice… where there is a lack of buzzing flies, then this very realistic (and, again, to use an adjective I use to show the superlative), phenomenal miniseries is not for you…

HBO’s John Adams miniseries did not disappoint! It truly is worth watching… And, it gives a true meaning of why we, in the USA celebrate the Fourth of July… We have these very heroic men, such as John Adams, to thank for the liberty we now know and enjoy!

♦If you would like to see more TV & Movie  suggestions, click here.♦

Murder by the Book…

I just received the following e-mail (as a comment) from Patricia at Turner.com telling me about a show on Court TV which is returning.  When I read the e-mail, I wondered how I had missed watching season one (last season)… since it featured some of my favorite authors. Rather than posting the e-mail/comment as a comment, I am going to just go ahead and post most of it as a blog:

"Sandra Brown, David Baldacci and Joseph Wambaugh 
Among Acclaimed Authors Set for Court TV’s MURDER BY THE BOOK Hit, Real-Life Series Returns for Second Season Monday, Nov. 5 at 10 pm, (ET/PT)
Series Also Features Best-Selling Crime Authors Kathy Reichs, Lee Child, Harlan Coben , Linda Fairstein and Lisa Gardner

Sandra Brown (Play Dirty), David Baldacci (Stone Cold) and Joseph Wambaugh (Hollywood Station) are among the slate of acclaimed authors set to appear on MURDER BY THE BOOK, Court TV’s popular original series featuring best-selling authors who provide insight into true crime stories that have long captivated or had a personal impact on them. The series returns for a second season with 13 episodes beginning Monday, Nov. 5, at 10 pm (ET/PT).
Brown is set to be featured on MURDER BY THE BOOK Nov. 5 and will be followed by Baldacci on Nov. 12. Subsequent weeks will feature Wambaugh, Harlan Coben (The Woods), Lee Child (Bad Luck and Trouble), Lisa Gardner (Gone), Linda Fairstein (Bad Blood), Kathy Reichs (Break No Bones), Elizabeth George (What Came Before He Shot Her), and Nick Santora (Slip & Fall). Returning from last season are authors Lisa Scottoline (Daddy’s Girl), Faye Kellerman (Capital Crimes) and Jonathan Kellerman (Obsession)."

ETC, ETC, ETC

This is definitely a show that I will give a try!

The Last Detective Television Show…

THE LAST DETECTIVE: COMPLETE COLLECTION Is the Last Detective just that… the Last Detective?

If you are looking for a mystery series to watch that has heart— then try The Last Detective. We found this series quite by chance, and we are absolutely delighted that we did. It is based on the novels written by Leslie Thomas.

The series stars Peter Davison (from All Creatures Great and Small and the Campion series) as the “Last Detective.” I am not going to ruin it by telling you why he is called this, but there actually is a reason for the title of the series.

Davison’s portrayal of “Dangerous” Davies is brilliant. He actually looks the part of a middle-aged policeman in a dead-end job. (He’s quite unlike the beautiful, buff 28 year old actor they would cast over here in the U.S.A.!) Dangerous is someone we would actually trust if we were in a predicament which required us to interact with the police.

[On a huge aside— why is British television so much more believable than the fare we get over here?]

Dangerous has a… how would I describe him… crazy, kooky, out-there… side kick named Mod (after Tchaikovsky’s brother) who is delightfully played by Sean Hughes. Their (almost) philosophical conversations are… again, for the lack of another word…. believable.

In Season One (2003) we are introduced to the major players in the series. Dangerous, Mod, Dangerous’s boss, coworkers, and ex(?) wife… who has custody of their St. Bernard, which Dangerous is “allowed” to take on lengthy walks with Mod. Even Dangerous’s landlady is deliciously three-dimensional, although she does not have a lot of screen time.

The Last Detective’s Season Two (2004) continues with four more wonderful episodes. I am always very happy to find a series that is able to continuously deliver a great product. I just cannot say enough about Peter Davison’s excellent portrayal of Dangerous. Not only is Dangerous believable, but so are the plots.

As for Season Three, although we already own it, we are taking our time to watch the four episodes. We really don’t want to get to the point of not having anymore Dangerous Davies shows to watch!

The good news is that Season Four has already aired in Great Britain and the discs have just been released!  (As for a Season Five… When I initially filed this review I had found something that said they were working on the fifth season. Of course, now I can’t find that information… so it could have just been a bit of speculation that I saw… Let’s keep hoping that they are working on the fifth season!)

This series focuses on character and plot. If you’re looking for a series that you can add to a list that would include Inspector Morse, Foyle’s War and Brother Cadfael—then this is a series you should definitely check out.

Although in the past, I have been dismayed as to why British television only makes a small number of episodes per season, I now understand why they prefer that system over ours. Our television shows put out an hour episode each week for the entire season (except of course, when they tirelessly repeat the shows), and the characters are interchangeable, two-dimensional. Why not put out four or six two-part shows that are truly worth watching!?!

Knock on wood >>>> If I am ever in a position in which I have to be questioned by the police>>>>> I hope I get a policeman just like Dangerous. I hope that Dangerous Davies is truly not The Last Detective.

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

*****I wrote this review way back in 2007, but we still think it’s a terrific series. If you are a member of Netflix, they have the DVDs. Also, your library might just carry the DVDs. It truly is an exceptional British television mystery series. June 2014

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