In my home, we are long time "Mystery" and "Masterpiece Theater" fans.
#Robert lindsay beyond highbrow series#
I am waiting rather impatiently for the US versions of "To Murder and Create" and "The Hollow Men" to become available, and hope there will be even more installments of this excellent mystery series available in the near future. Overall, these two episodes have been wonderful to watch, and I wish more television series and movies were as well-constructed and well-acted. I do agree that the music can distract attention and cover over the dialog.
The acting, as expected given the actors involved, has been outstanding, and the mysteries themselves - both of which touch upon key social issues - have been intriguing. Both episodes were well-crafted and very atmospheric. I'm adding the Jericho series to the list, based on the two installments that I've thus far been able to view, "A Pair of Jagged Claws" and "The Killing of Johnny Swan". There have been only a few television shows (and movies) that have compelled me to recommend them highly to others - "Foyle's War", "The Sandbaggers," and "Horatio Hornblower" come quickly to mind. Because if I had to live with only American TV, I'd give the medium up completely. And thanks Gawd also for DVD so's I can have something to watch (and re-watch) when the mood moves me and PBS is into something else less enjoyable to me. Thanks Gawd for Mystery! and all the rest of the great Brit shows. I only hope they keep this series going for quite a long time. Beyond that, it's simply a matter of taste. But 10 to me means it's a standout with little or nothing to criticize. I've given this series a 10, which is not to say it's an equal to Morse. I'm sure he's good (and I have seen some of it) but I don't want to lose that Jericho edge that I'm currently working on with him.
#Robert lindsay beyond highbrow tv#
Lindsay is currently also on my TV in his "My Family" series, but I refuse to watch him in that. He's a hoot - and he's not even around all that long. One of my favs in the first episode is Shorty. Even the "bit parts" get solid treatment from fine British actors. It seems they have an endless supply of fine "character actors" over there in the UK, and I'm thankful I get to see them when I can. Like Morse, Jericho has a solid side-kick who compliments his character perfectly. It's all a bit "X-Files-esq," but I find both quite enjoyable and fitting, and, in my humble opinion, they help make the series stand out. The musical score and overall style of this series do indeed make it unique. So even after you know who done it, you're nevertheless caught up in the drama. I was hooked from the start and like Morse, Jericho holds up well on repeated re-watchings. I'm currently in the midst of re-watching the first episode on DVD (thanks for that) after having caught at least 2 of the original airings last Fall (Ragged Claws and Johnny Swan). I haven't read any of the books so I don't know how the character comes across there, but Lindsay's interpretation is "spot on" from a television perspective. In the same way that the late great John Thaw made Morse his own character, Lindsay has grabbed Jericho by the throat and taken his identity from him. But Robert Lindsay has made DI Michael Jericho his own. So I'm not an easy audience, given my perspective. Anyone familiar with that series knows the high quality product that long-running series consistently put out. I'm a long-time fan of the Mystery! series and a particular fan of Inspector Morse. And that helps to make this one another hit. Mystery! has done it again with this series, which is quite different than most of what's gone before.