I finally got around to streaming this popular British TV series — now with 14 seasons!

It’s quite entertaining. Agatha Christie stories set in a tropical paradise.

I started at the beginning – season 1 (2011)

Death in Paradise is a crime comedy drama … filmed on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe …

Detective Inspector Richard Poole (Ben Miller) is sent from the Metropolitan Police in London to investigate the murder of a British police officer on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie, a British Overseas Territory with a French colonial history.

After he finds the murderer, he is ordered by his supervisors to replace the victim and stay on as the Detective Inspector (DI) of the island, much to his dismay, solving new cases as they appear and being the object of many fish-out-of-water jokes.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Not bad. I enjoyed this 4 episode series.

You could argue it is too slow a burn.

You could argue the wrap-up is not convincing.

But the drama leading up to the finale is believable.

The Long Call (2021) is a British crime drama television series developed by Kelly Jones and Silverprint Pictures based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Ann Cleeves. …

The series follows Detective Inspector Matthew Venn as he returns to his hometown in Devon with his husband for his religious father’s funeral, only to find himself investigating a local murder.

related – Guardian review – The Long Call review – a hefty whodunnit for autumn nights

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Intense.

But I believe I could have handled the distress as a competitor.

Beast Games follows 1,000 contestants—the largest cast for a reality show—as they compete for the prize of $5 million …

… or is it $10 million?

I’m a big fan of Mr. Beast on YouTube — but was dubious whether that concept would be enough for streaming TV. It turned out much better than I expected.

Prime Video’s most watched unscripted series ever.

Recommended.

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Wow. This is terrific television.

100% on Rotten Tomatoes for season 1.

The cast is fantastic.

The Tower (season 1) … follows the aftermath of the deaths of a veteran Metropolitan Police officer and a young Libyan girl who fell together from the roof of a London tower block.

When Constable Lizzie Adama—one of the only witnesses—disappears soon afterwards, Sarah Collins‘ investigation becomes two-pronged: what happened on the roof, and finding Adama. …

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I felt season 2 was equally good. But that season 3 was somehow not up to the quality of the first two.

In fact, it was cancelled after three seasons.

On the other hand, Ella Smith as DC Elaine Lucas is a terrific character. Hilarious.

In any case, this is top notch British television. Recommended.

My biggest complaint is overuse of flashbacks. Weak story telling, in my opinion.

Father Brown is one of the most popular British cozy mystery TV series.

It’s been running since 2013!

The series is set in England during the early 1950s.

Father Brown is the priest at St Mary’s Catholic Church in the fictional village of Kembleford …

Britain is struggling with the aftermath of the Second World War, rationing is still in effect, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II took place, the death penalty has not yet been abolished, and homosexuality and abortion are still illegal.

An empathetic man of keen intelligence, Father Brown solves murder cases when members of his parish are involved, when circumstances are strange enough to gain his interest, or when he is directly asked for help. During his investigations, he occasionally neglects his more mundane parish duties.

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Sister Boniface Mysteries is a spin-off which began 2022.

The series is set in early 1960s Britain.

Sister Boniface is a Catholic nun at St. Vincent’s Convent in the fictional town of Great Slaughter …

In addition to her religious duties at the convent, she makes wine and has a PhD in forensic science (although this is referred to as a MA (Cantab), in the “The Forensic Nun” episode of Father Brown) allowing her to serve as a scientific adviser to the local police on investigations

I watched one episode of each simply to know what folks are talking about.

Light entertainment.

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I kinda liked Citadel, the American spy action TV series. Mindless escapism with expensive production values, like a James Bond movie.

So I tried the Italian spinoff on Prime ➙ Citadel: Diana.

It’s not nearly as good, nor expensive.

But Matilda De Angelis as Diana Cavalieri is extensively easy on the eyes. I was mesmerized by her supposedly futuristic hair style. 2030 in Milan.

And there is something charming about the awkward dialogue lip-synch from Italian to English. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Extremely good.

Extremely hard to watch. It’s dark.

I finally got around to trying the acclaimed TV series Prime Suspect — “The Final Act“. (2006)

The final season.

In this one, while dealing with her increasing alcoholism, Tennison leads her team in solving one last case before her retirement as a detective superintendent.

Laura Greenwood is excellent as Penny Philips.

This British police procedural influenced many other shows that followed.

Oscar® winner Helen Mirren is Det. Jane Tennison, rising through the ranks, solving horrific crimes while battling office sexism and her own demons.

The first five series were produced annually from 1991 to 1996, until Mirren left the role, supposedly to avoid typecasting (according to a PBS interview). She returned to play the character in 2003 and again in 2006.

Prime Suspect was voted 68th in the list of 100 Greatest British Television Programmes as compiled by a poll given by the British Film Institute, and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time magazine’s “100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME.”

The series has won multiple BAFTA Awards, Emmy Awards, and a Peabody Award.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

One American version was popular on NBC from 2011 to 2012.