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broodings from the burrow

September 4, 2018


top ten tuesday: bingeworthy tv shows/amazing movies
posted by soe 1:29 am

This week That Artsy Reader’s Top Ten Tuesday topic focuses on the tv shows and movies we’re watching when we aren’t reading.

Since many of the shows I watch seem to have been canceled in the last year, much of this list draws from Netflix or dvds:

  1. Leverage: I am a sucker for a found family kind of story and a huge fan of heist capers, so this series falls squarely in my wheelhouse.
  2. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: This Australian historical fiction deals with a self-described lady detective in 1920s Melbourne who always finds her bad guy to collar, her downtrodden victim to uplift, her hot guy to bed, and her chief inspector to infuriate and intrigue.
  3. Sherlock and Elementary: The casting in these two modern-day Sherlock Holmes series is top notch. In the former, we have Benedict Cumberbatch as our enigmatic consulting detective, with a retired army doctor portrayed by Martin Freeman as the personable partner in crime-fighting. In the latter, set in New York City, instead of London, the title role is portrayed by Johnny Lee Miller, with Lucy Liu playing the partner detective cum former sober companion cum ex-surgeon, Joan Watson. The recurring secondary characters in both shows are equally well cast. That said, for taking place in one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, Sherlock is very white, and Elementary is only a little better.
  4. The Librarians: First a series of movies featuring Noah Wylie and then a spin-off series of tv shows about a group of rogue librarians who must fight otherworldly evil-doers through their innate talents and their ability to do book research.
  5. The Good Witch: I think this was also a series of made-for-tv movies first before it became a series about a widow who runs a b&b and her high school-aged daughter, both of whom have an other-worldly ability (but that they use for good, rather than evil), her grown step-children, her witchy, trickster cousin, and the love interest, a nationally renowned, divorced doctor who gives up the fast-paced city life to become a small-town GP because he wants to give his teenaged son a better quality of life.
  6. Father Brown: Set in the 1950s, a liberal and kindly nosy village priest (portrayed by Mr. Weasley) saves his congregation’s souls and solves their murders.
  7. One Day at a Time: This contemporary remake focuses on a multi-generational Cuban-American family. Penelope is a former army nurse/single mom with two kids and a mother, played by the amazing Rita Moreno, living in a small apartment owned by the inept Canadian Schneider, who also serves as a sounding board for Penelope and a fill-in father figure for the kids, whose own father is still serving overseas.
  8. Agents of SHIELD: Operating in the same universe as the Marvel superhero movies, this tv series focuses on the law-enforcement agents. It’s a multi-racial, multi-national set of characters (although they’re mostly Americans), each of whom has their strengths, such as hacking, fighting, disguise, or science. Another found family kind of show, but one that’s high-stress and full of aliens and alien tech. Features the best car on television, Lola.
  9. The Princess Bride: I’m not sure what millennials and Gen Y/Z kids quote, but this is solidly the most quotable film of the Gen X’ers.
  10. and, finally, the Harry Potter movies: Because obviously.

Apparently my tv/movie watching skews bookish, because only One Day at a Time and The Good Witch have nothing really to do with books (although they do feature characters who like to read). The others either came from books or comic books, have spun a trilogy of books off from the show (Leverage), or feature a magical library.

What are your favorite shows or films to binge on?

Category: arts. There is/are 19 Comments.



I love how so many of your shows come from books!

Comment by Deb Nance 09.04.18 @ 5:32 am

I do so love Father Brown! He is just a breath of fresh air!

Comment by Kat 09.04.18 @ 7:00 am

I love Sherlock, such a great show. One Day At A Time was on my list this week too!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/09/04/top-ten-tuesday-175/

Comment by Jo 09.04.18 @ 8:51 am

The Princess Bride is one of my most favorite movies ever. And Harry Potter is a close second, for sure! Also, while I enjoy Sherlock, I *love* Elementary!

Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!

Comment by Cholla 09.04.18 @ 10:02 am

Hence our Fezzik. Andre the Giants name in the PRINCESS BRIDE

UNBELIEVABLE

Comment by kathy b 09.04.18 @ 11:01 am

Sorry, but I have to disagree with #9 re: most quotable film of the Gen X’ers. That’s far too sweeping a claim. There are many other films that are equally quotable, perhaps even more so, including “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Ghostbusters.” “Star Wars,” too, because it’s so iconic. Gen-X spans 20 years of birth dates, and even the few years between our birth dates is noticeable in terms of which films/shows we adore and which ones we don’t. But otherwise I think your list is peachy and I enjoyed the Miss Fisher series (thanks for the recommendation!).

Comment by Karen 09.04.18 @ 4:33 pm

thank you for the list! I tend to go for mysteries (BBC) like Fowles war (excellent!) and I can’t remember much of anything else. I have a list somewhere in one of my notebooks.

Comment by karen 09.04.18 @ 5:11 pm

A fine list, and here are my go-to binge watchers:

1. The James Bond films. Yes, there’s a crapton of misogyny, but the gadgets, the locales, the actors who play Bond (I skew toward Lazenby and Connery, with Daniel Craig in close third), the villains, the music. They’re my sick day comfort viewing.

2. Anthony Bourdain’s travel shows, from A Cook’s Tour to No Reservations to Parts Unknown, show the evolution of one of the greatest reporters of our generation. He told stories of the human condition and culture through food, pulled no punches, and loved his craft.

3. The West Wing. Overly idealized vision of how things are done in the White House and Congress? Certainly. But so well crafted, especially in its first four seasons.

4. The IT Crowd. “Have you turned it off and on again?” Classic. And having been in IT support in a past life, all too real.

5. Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Yes, Jeremy Clarkson is an oaf, but the quality of visuals and comedic timing of the trio of Jezza, Captain Slow, and Hamster is most excellent.

6. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Yes, the first two seasons are very cheese-laden these days, but by season three the show hits its stride. It has aged remarkably well.

7. Doctor Who (the reboot). I’m partial to the Tennant years, myself, under the original reboot show runner.

8. The classic trio of Monty Python films: Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Monty Python’s Life of Brian, and Monty Python’s Meaning of Life are the most quotable movies ever (yes, even more than The Princess Bride to most in my generation).

9. Batman: The Animated Series. My favorite Batman of all time.

10. Any old-school (pre-2000) Warren Miller ski film, back when Warren was still involved with their creation.

There are others, of course, but 10 is the limit here.

Comment by Rudi 09.04.18 @ 8:05 pm

I haven’t seen any of these. I really need to watch more TV. I’m missing so many good shows.

Comment by Aj @ Read All The Things! 09.04.18 @ 8:19 pm

The irony of this post is that I’m currently re-watching Alias for the umpteenth time, as it is definitely one of my binge shows, especially when I’m sick or recovering from surgery (happily, neither is the case right now.

Other TV shows:
West Wing
Eli Stone
Modern Family
Speechless
Psych
Happy Endings
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Sports Night

(Sticking just to TV or I’d never keep it to 10)

Comment by Rebs 09.04.18 @ 10:52 pm

@Kat: Agreed. I keep wondering if I’d like the Chesterton novels, since I understand the tv series priest is way more liberal (from a modern standpoint) than the written one.

@Jo: They’re both such great shows!

@Cholla: I think Elementary’s Holmes has been more capable of personal growth than Sherlock’s, which makes it a more interesting show in some regards.

Comment by soe 09.05.18 @ 2:55 am

@kathy b: It’s just so quotable!

@Deb Nance: Thanks! I hadn’t planned it that way, but clearly I appreciate good source material!

@Karen: Inconceivable! What’s quotable from Ghostbusters besides “Don’t cross the streams?” I will concede that Monty Python is also very quotable. Even I, who do not love it, can pull up a line or two when necessary.

Comment by soe 09.05.18 @ 2:58 am

@karen: You’re welcome! My grandmother loved Foyle’s War and I keep meaning to look into it, because she and I had similar tastes in tv a lot of the time.

@Rudi: I knew the Bond would make your list, as well as Doctor Who, and I’m not surprised by Monty Python. However, as you know (since you watch it when I’m not around), I do not get your appreciation for the car shows.

Comment by soe 09.05.18 @ 3:02 am

@Aj: The more tv you watch, the less time you have for reading books, since they really don’t go hand-in-hand. They’re good for knitting to, though, particularly the ones I don’t have to pay attention to fully.

@Rebs: Rebs!!! The West Wing is also a good choice. And I can’t believe I forgot to include Psych! I’ve never seen Alias or Happy Endings, so maybe I’ll check them out. Thanks for commenting!

Comment by soe 09.05.18 @ 3:06 am

I’m a millennial and I totally quote The Princess Bride. 😀

Check out my TTT and my plans for Fall Bookish Bingo

Comment by Lauren @ Always Me 09.05.18 @ 10:59 am

@Lauren: I’m glad!

Comment by soe 09.06.18 @ 1:21 am

I need to watch Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries! A swap partner sent me a DVD of it and I really need to watch it! 😀

Comment by Maggie 09.06.18 @ 3:19 pm

@Maggie: She is such fun!

Comment by soe 09.07.18 @ 3:19 am

I had always thought “Ghostbusters” was highly quotable, but when I shared some of the best quotes with my hubby, he told me that no one remembers them. Wow. I guess I am living in my own little “Ghostbusters” bubble. Does that make me a “Ghostbubbler?”

Comment by Karen 09.07.18 @ 7:12 pm