Since Glen and I didn’t watch many riveting TV shows in 2019, winnowing our recommendations to five wasn’t too difficult. Before revealing our choices, I will mention the Golden Globe (GG) nominations: “Big Little Lies”, “The Crown”, “Killing Eve”, “The Morning Show” and “Succession”. Netflix dominated the GGs by earning 34 nominations: 17 in each of the different film and television categories.
Despite objections the films didn’t play for long in theatres, two Netflix originals — “Marriage Story” and “The Irishman” — garnered nominations for Best Motion Picture – Drama. The GGs agree with the Academy whose Rule Two says a film is eligible to be considered for an Oscar so long as it has a seven-day run in a Los Angeles theatre. Expect to see Martin Scorcese’s epic film appear on the list of Oscar nominees as well.
Once again we toured the world — five countries — in our viewing. We saw the first four on Netflix, the fifth on a library DVD.
TOP FIVE SERIES
- “Deep Water” (Australian) is loosely based on numerous hate crimes, all targeting gay men, that occurred near Sydney in the 1980s and ’90s. A female detective long suspected her gay brother did not die from an accidental drowning, as reported at the time, but was murdered. When a new murder of a gay man occurs decades later in the same vicinity of Bondi, she aims to link the murders and expose the homophobia.
- “Dogs of Berlin” (German) deals with immigration and gangs (Turks and Eastern Europeans), corrupt police and organized crime, politicians and neo-Nazis. Kurt Grimmer, a compelling anti-hero, is at the show’s centre. He’s partnered reluctantly with a gay Turkish police officer out to destroy the gang of Turks to ameliorate the reputation of immigrants.
- “Deadwind” (Finnish): Having lost her husband in Germany, homicide detective Sofia Karppi returns to Helsinki. Her first case, the murder of a social affairs consultant, involves an energy efficient residential project that uses the latest technology in wind power. But a report undermines the project’s claims to efficiency, causing considerable controversy. This Nordic noir series starts slow, but stay with it.
- “Gomorra” (Italian) is presented strictly from the view of drug lords inhabiting, or creating, the underbelly of Naples. It explores turf wars among rival crime families and unbridled ambition in several individuals. About Naples, setting of her hugely popular novels, pseudonymous Elena Ferrante, says: “Since [Naples] is a city by nature of astonishing beauty, the ugly — criminality, violence, corruption, connivance, the aggressive fear in which we live defenseless, the deterioration of democracy — stands out more clearly.”
- “The Legacy” (Danish): A matriarch, who’s lived an eccentric and colourful life since the tumultuous ’60s, dies in Grønnegaard manor, leaving behind an ambiguous Will for her children to resolve. Thus ensues a modern family portrait that treats greed, dysfunction, blended families, adoption, miscommunication and misunderstanding.
DOCUDRAMAS AND DOCUMENTARIES
- “Unbelievable” is a must see docudrama that delves into the traumatizing issue of rape. To ease our discomfort in watching, the writer turns it into a buddy cop drama about tracking a serial rapist in Colorado. We come to appreciate, at least to a small extent, the pain rape victims feel and the injustice they often face.
- “When They See Us” is about the wrongful conviction of five teenage boys from Harlem in a violent rape of a woman in Central Park on April 19, 1989. Important viewing, the series addresses racial bias, class distinction, police detection, the legal system.
- “Greatest Events of WWII” analyzes ten events through archival photos and insightful commentary. Each episode reveals at least one nugget of new information. About the Battle of Midway, for instance: renowned director John Ford had the only camera to capture combat footage of the Battle, an air and sea campaign that was a turning point in the war in the Pacific. About the bombing of Dresden: Reich Minister of Propaganda Goebbels inflated the number of dead by almost tenfold to 200,000 and then ran a campaign to tarnish the Allied forces’ strategy. The war of “good versus evil” became fraught with moral ambiguity.
I tried to whet your interest in each series above without needing to add a caveat of “spoiler alert.” Please share your favourite viewing of 2019 in the comments below. •
Ian Wallace says
This a fine list of excellent TV entertainments and, best of all, I have only seen one of them, so there is lots to look forward to!
Pam McPhail says
You recommended “The Legacy” to us, though we’ve watched only one season to your three. We need Netflix to pick up this series.
Tim McPhail says
An excellent list Pam. I really have nothing to add, except that I’m very appreciative of all the high quality foreign language series. Now that my hearing is beginning to deteriorate, it’s handy to have the subtitles. I have a theory that the speed reading required is good exercise for the mind.
Pam McPhail says
I hadn’t thought about the value in speed reading the subtitles, but you make a good point, Tim. We’ll hope 2020 brings more high quality foreign language series.
Linda Richardson says
Pam and Glen, yours is a very strong list of series, docudramas and documentaries. In particular, since watching “Making a Murderer” a few years ago, Rick and I have watched a number of “docuwhatevers.” They are getting better year after year. We watch our share of TV over the course of a year so we, being over 65, have forgotten what we watched more than a few series ago! That being said, we have been on a recent roll with binge-worthy programming as follows:
“Occupied”: This is a 3 season Norwegian series which finished in 2019. Think “House of Cards” mashing with “The Russians are Coming”.
“Prime Suspect”: We saw this older British series on Starz TV (c/o Video on Demand). 7 seasons of Helen Mirren as an acerbic homicide detective in a chauvenistic police force. Mmmm. For us, it was like 3 seasons of “Cracker” from the same TV era. Oh, those Brits.
“The Americans”: Also from our Cable TV Video on Demand. Wow, after 1 season with 5 to go.
“The Shield”: If you missed the first go-round of this Emmy winning series (as we did), you missed out. We also saw this on Starz TV (VOD). It is a cop show where you have trouble separating the cops from the bad guys. The lead character (Vic) makes Sipowitz (NYPD Blues) look like a babysitter. Lots and lots of intriguing viewing.
“Dear John”: Linda had to talk Rick into starting this 8 episoder on Netflix about a con man and a vulnerable divorcee. Bless Linda’s soul. Rick wanted to give every actor, writer and director an Emmy nomination by the end of it.
Of Note: 3 seasons of “Animal Kingdom” (the American series based on the Australian movie) finished in 2019 on Netflix and was definitely cringe-worthy viewing.
Linda’s Pick: “Offspring”. This is an Australian 8 season series on Netflix about a female obstetrician with an off-beat complicated family and love interests. It combines comedy and drama.
Of Extra Note: Netflix, with over 100 million viewers, paying at least $10 monthly per subscriber, has a pretty good budget for producing great movies and series. And now with other high budget streamers on offer, what does the future hold?
Pam McPhail says
Thanks for a thorough, entertaining list of recommendations. Looks like we’ll have to expand our viewing options from Netflix and the Library to see some of these shows. We watched “Prime Suspect” in pre-streaming days (remember that bygone era?) so purchased the series on DVD as each season was released. Prime viewing indeed! After we finish watching “Bad Blood”, a crime drama about the Montreal mafia recommended last year by Ken and Marie, we’ll turn our attention to “Dear John.”
Linda Richardson says
Oops, I meant “Dirty John”, not “Dear John”. It is based upon a true story. There is also a podcast featuring the real people involved.
Ken McLean says
Thank you for your interesting suggestions, Pam. The only one of your five we have seen is The Legacy. I too hope Netflix picks it up, since we’ve seen the first two seasons but not the third. My suggestions are:
1) Succession. A fascinating study of family conflict in the 1% cohort.
2)Escape at Dannemora. A compelling dramatization of a prison escape (Showtime)
3)The Crown season 3. Particularly interesting in the light of recent royal doings.
4)Jack Irish. An excellent Aussie crime drama, starring Guy Pearce. We saw this on Acorn,a British streaming service, costing $6 per month. Also carries European shows.
5) Single-Handed. An Irish police show. Also seen on Acorn.
I could also add Mindhunter (Netflix),and Bosch Season 5(Amazon)
Pam McPhail says
We always like getting your recommendations but so often cannot see them until they appear on DVD at the Library. We watched three seasons of The Crown and especially appreciated the third in which we’re reminded of important historical events such as the Aberfan Mine disaster in 1966. I am hooked on Michael Connelly’s police/crime novels featuring Harry Bosch so would love to see the adaptation to screen. Somehow. Do you advise a subscription to Acorn? When you watch Amazon is it pay as you view?
Ken McLean says
Amazon Prime subscription costs $80 a year. You get free delivery of Amazon parcels and the tv streaming service.Works just like Netflix , no extra charges. Acorn is worth the $5 per month if you are a fan of British crime and other drama. Recently added some European.
Ken McLean says
I second your recommendation of Unbelievable and When They see us. Greatest Events of WWII I’ve not seen sounds very interesting.
Ken McLean says
Another ps: under documentaries, I forgot the excellent Ken Burns’ “History of Country Music”(PBS), which is as much a cultural history of the US from the 1920’s to the mid 1960’s as it is a history of this genre.