h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

TV series, on DVD (rental). I tend to watch whole series back to back. In the past year I watched House, Being Human, Glee, Outrageous Fortune, Spooks, Ashes to Ashes and Life on Mars ('cept the other way round), Nurse Jackie, and Californication.

I'm tempted to do Buffy and Angel again, but it's a big commitment and summer is not too far off...

Have you watched 'The Wire'? On the plus side, it's an amazing achievement. On the minus side, it does kind of ruin all other television for you.

No, but it's been on the list of 'should check out's

Will it ruin it more than having watched any other outstanding TV that's come to an end?

Damn! I really am going to have to see 'The Wire'.

How about 'Forbrydelsen' (aka 'The Killing') - an interminable Danish crime drama obout a detective with only one pullover. (an I selling it? )

*Don't* watch the execrable US remake. To illustrate the difference - the eponymous killing is of a adolescent girl. In the US version, the parents are grieving, so they shout a lot. In the Danish versionm the parent are grieving...so nobody says anything.

Series 2 coming imminently.

Is it Grim Ed? Can't really take too much Grim.

Charlie Brooker on 'The Wire'.. he explains it better than I can...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ2iGYwdEi8

It makes every other television series look shallow and superficial.

I'd second 'The Killing' (Danish version). It's a little frustrating at times, but the acting is amazing.... it's a very hard watch at times.

What do you mean by 'grim'?

Grim = 'a very hard watch at times'.

I don't mind serious, and I don't mind violence where it's not gratuitous. But there has to be something redeeming for me to enjoy it.

Breaking the Waves would be an example of ubergrim. Can't see the point, although I guess it's a personal thing.

Watch House. From the beginning.

RF

Just did that

Will do it again when the lastest series comes out on DVD. Don't think I've seen what House and Cuddy got up to. Has it finished its run on TV yet?

Yup. I missed a few, but I've ordered the box already (released on Monday 26th IIRC).

RF

I'd say 'The Killing' is quite grim... in no other TV show that I'm aware of is there anything like as much focus on the impact of the crime on the victim's family. It's so raw and well acted that I found it hard to watch at times - it's that good that I felt like an intruder even watching it. For me, it really calls into question the very idea of 'horrific-crime-as-entertainment' genre. But it's more that 'The Killing' doesn't flinch, where most TV shows just draw a veil over it.

Having said all that..... it's still a very good 'whodunnit', with some great memorable characters (especially Sarah Lund, the lead detective) and terrific acting. It's not grim in the sense of just being a series of unremitting despair and darkness. It's a good cop show, and a really interesting peek into (a representation of) an unfamiliar culture.

But it's not as good as The Wire.... but then, nothing is....

Can you compare The Killing to another series so I can get a sense of the not flinching but still being good story telling?

I'm not sure I can, really. Nothing remotely similar springs to mind. Most other whodunnits tend not to stretch over 20 or so episodes. It's compared to Wallander, but I think that's more to do with being Scandinavian than anything else. But... it's been very successful in the UK, and has really hooked people. I think if it were *that* grim, fewer people would have stuck with it through 20 episodes.

Ed? Any comparisons you can suggest?

>>Can you compare The Killing to another series

Well I could compare it to Corrie...but the comparison would be entirely inaccurate.

Similar to what Otto said, it was genre-busting. It became a cult hit in the UK earlier this year - it was on BBC4 and got a big audience for that channel (i.e. a small audience: BBC 4 is the Beeb's 'serious' nook). Originally it was taken as a filler between series of Wallander (Swedish crime) - but good as Wallander is, 'The Kiling' was so much *more* than that.

How can In explain? If you like the kind of acting that relies on the infinitessimal tightening of a single facial muscle, then it's for you. But it has guns, too. And a pullover. (Surely as a Kiwi you'll like that? Wool, you know? )

Its other unique feature is that it deals with a single investigation over 20-odd hour long episodes, each episode set on a consecutive days. Here it was shown two episodes at a time.

I was in Copenhagen the week before last and I took a colleague on a special diversion to see the Town Hall Square which is heavily featured.

btw...while we're watching Wallander, Swedes are seemingly watching Taggart. 'There's been a murrrrderrr!'

And a Swedish colleague and I were teaching one another to swear recently. I'd learned the all-purpose 'Fan' () from Wallander...but she surprised me by knowing 'By 'eck!' from Emmerdale.

(I know a lot ruder than those, btw. )

Misfits (a British take on Heroes, but much better than Heroes ever was) is very good and achingly funny/witty. It's also beautifully shot and has fantastic performances from pretty much all the cast. Two series released so far with series three starting soon.

For my money Being Human is one of the best British dramas of the last decade. It can get a bit dark but it's absolutely worth it and even at its depths there's always a bit of humour or character notes that prevent it from becoming too grim/depressing. In the first series I don't think they waste a single second or scene, it's so well-written, acted and edited.

A bit loftier is the West Wing. I learned more about American politics from that than my entire degree. Again, it's very well-written and there's enough of it to keep you busy for ages.

Never really took to 'The West Wing' myself.

You've watched 'The Sopranos', I hope? Shakesperean! And funny.

I have to second all the pro-Wire opinions - it really is that good!

You might also try Spiral, a French crime drama that, like the Wire, is quite a cut above the rest thanks to showing all the various behind the scenes political machinations, etc. It might be a bit 'Grim' though.

Personally, I'm mostly watching complete rubbish at the moment, including the fantastically silly 'Burn Notice'.

The Danish 'Killing' series was easily my all time favourite programme of this year..So unbelievably complicated, and the main detective being a really interesting woman.

20 hour long episodes..I guessed correctly by episode 6 I'm proud to say.