Hi everyone! Just to switch things up from all the awards chatter (which is so tiresome already), let’s talk about TV shows.
In the start of the new year, I thought I should catch up on some great shows that people have been recommending. So last week I finally caught up on Season 1 of BROADCHURCH starring Olivia Colman and David Tennant. Thanks to my friend Dave W. who gave me this top 10 reasons of why you should absolutely check out this amazing British drama if you haven’t already. It’s every bit as gripping and emotionally-engaging as I had expected. It took me about four days to finish all 10 episodes as it’s really quite addictive that I couldn’t stop watching!
Now, just yesterday I finally got around to seeing another British series I’ve been meaning to check out: The Honourable Woman.
I erroneously thought that this 8-part series will leave Netflix at the end of the month but it’s actually not up for renewal so it will REMAIN on its streaming service, yay! In any case, I can’t tell you enough how good this series is and Maggie Gyllenhaal absolutely deserves her Golden Globe win as the show’s protagonist. Here’s the premise:
Nessa Stein, a woman who inherits her father’s arms business and finds herself in a international maelstrom when as she continues to promote the reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.
Right from the get go, the show created by Hugo Blick is immensely riveting and suspenseful. Plot twists abound as you have no clue who’s good or bad, there’s no clear heroes or villains which makes it all the more intriguing. The writing, acting and cinematography are top notch, and not only does it have a strong female protagonist, it’s nice to see women playing prominent characters in this series. As a fan of British dramas, the show is filled fantastic mostly-British cast: Stephen Rea, Janet McTeer, Andrew Buchan (who’s also in Broadchurch), and Tobias Menzies. Maggie is a native New Yorker but her British accent is flawless (well it sounds that way to me anyway) but it’s her acting and elegant way she moves that is truly fun to watch.
Check out the trailer:
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So that’s what I’ve been obsessing lately. Which *new* shows did you just discover that you can’t get enough of?
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I’d like to watch The Honourable Woman. Maggie has always been an interesting actress. Right now, for both my wife and I, it’s JANE THE VIRGIN. Funny, expressive, highlighting a culture many overlook, it’s just a gem of a show.
Hi Michael! If you like Maggie then you’d LOVE The Honourable Woman. It’s a fantastic spy drama too, I know you’d appreciate that.
Oh I heard about Jane The Virgin. I thought it’s more of a teen show but that’s great that it appeals to us more, em, mature audience as well 🙂
At first I thought the same. But JtV is such a clever comedy, using the telenovela format as a captivating premise and broadening out in ways one didn’t expect.
That’s great! I think the main actress just won a Golden Globe right? It’s funny but I first heard about it as the young actress I interviewed last year for TCFF (Haley Lu Richardson), her boyfriend Brett Dier is on this show 🙂
Yes, she did 🙂
Great post, Ruth! I’d say Penny Dreadful is the show that has most pleased me this year. Season 2 trailer just came out and looks even better than the first.
Peaky Blinders however, is currently my favourite show. Starring Cillian Murphy, it just finished its second season and is confirmed for a third. Tom Hardy also supports Murphy in the second season.
Hello Joseph! Oooh yes, Penny Dreadful! I LOVE Eva Green & Timothy Dalton but unfortunately it looks too scary for me.
I almost forgot about Peaky Blinders! I love both Cillian and Tom Hardy. That’s cool that they’re doing a third season, I better catch up on season 1 and 2 then, I believe Netflix has them. Thanks!
I liked Marco Polo. Right now am between shows. Waiting for new ones of 2015 and returns of the fall 😀
Marco Polo does sound interesting! How many episodes are there now? I figure since it’s a Netflix original series, it’ll never be yanked off, ahah.
Its 10 Episodes. Second season coming November. Its good give it a try, The guy who plays The Khan is fantastic, favourtie part of the show 😀
Oh and an Anime called Parasyte. That’s been excellent 😀
Ah I remember you mentioning that before! I used to be into anime comics growing up 🙂
Oh you liked Manga cool 😀
The Wire. For years friends had nagged & nagged me to watch it and i’m devouring the box sets on Sky’s On Demand. The Wire is to me what heroine is to Bubbles. (In joke)
Oh I’ve been wanting to check out The Wire too! But there are sooo many episodes that I don’t know when I’ll have the time. What I like about these two BBC shows I mentioned is that there are only 10-12 eps so it’s not a huge undertaking.
With you 100% on that. Funny – but this year especially i felt like all the mid-season finales came early and there’s been a big gap to fill – because historically it’s been the same reason as you i’ve put it off.
Out of curiosity – is Broadchurch broadcast on the Beeb worldwide? It’s not a BBC show in the UK…
Oh I must’ve been been mistaken that it’s BBC, it’s actually on ITV. I better fix that on the post, sorry! I saw it on Netflix Streaming here in the US.
Oh, OK. That solves that then. 🙂
Funny you should bring up The Honorable Woman…. I’m in the middle of that now because I also erroneously thought that was going away too. LOL. Unfortunately it’s become a bit too serious for me. Even with the great cast and Maggie’s acting it is kind of losing me. Not sure if I’m going to finish it. The one show that I am wrapping up is season 3 of Borgen from Denmark. It’s a really great show. Lined up is Peaky Blinders, The Bletchley Circle (especially after seeing The Imitation Game), Penny Dreadful, The Americans, Justified and new episodes of Better Call Saul, House of Cards and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Oh and Ruth don’t think of The Wire (now in HD) as such a big undertaking. Yes, it IS 60 hours of TV but I’d give up almost everything else I’ve seen to see The Wire with new eyes again. Broken in to 5 seasons it’s only 13,12,12,13,and 10 episodes. Season 4 holds a 98 average rating on Metacritic. A 98 average. Not to oversell it but if I had one piece of filmmaking to take to a desert island… The Wire would be it.
I don’t plan to start watching any new shows since my favorites are coming back this winter, Justified, The Americans, House of Cards and The Walking Dead. It’s a good thing I have DVR because I wouldn’t be able watch them at all during regular broadcast.
As for a new show that I got into, it’s FARGO. Didn’t think I was going to enjoy it but the show was as good or better than the film version. I’m still waiting for TRUE DETECTIVES to hit Netflix, I think HBO is enjoying the DVD and Bluray sales of the show right now, which is why it’s taking so long to hit Netflix.
Oh yeah you’re busy already Ted! I know you’re excited for Justified tonight. It sounds like a great show, I can see why it’s popular.
I know Becky is into FARGO too. I only saw the first episode just to see Martin Freeman, but I can’t get into it. I do love BBC shows generally though. Oh True Detective sounds good too, I might watch it once it gets to Netflix!
Yeah I’m excited that Justified is finally here but also sad that it’s the last season. But I think it’s good that the show ending in its prime, some show stayed well past that and you just want it to end. As I mentioned on Jack’s post, I’d love to see a film version of Justified. It doesn’t require super huge production and if it’s done right, it could be a huge franchise for the studio.
Fargo’s first couple of episodes weren’t that great, I almost stop watching but thankfully I stuck around and it became an excellent show as the season progresses. I’m happy they’re making another season.
Hardly anyone watched it last year, but Penny Dreadful was often brilliant and cool as hell. Can’t wait for the second season.
Hi Ryan, I thought Penny Dreadful was quite popular? I heard it’s brilliant and I’m a huge fan of Dalton, but I just can’t handle horror.
It was really well received, but not nearly as popular as it should be. It’s worth checking out; just watch it with the lights on 🙂
Mwahahaha! Yeah I might check it out when it’s on Netflix (not sure if it is already). I’m such a wimp w/ horror or even thrillers! My nerves just about to snap even watching The Honourable Woman and it’s not gory, just VERY suspenseful!
I’m completely unfit to respond. My answer is a pityful NONE. The one show I watch on a semi-regular basis would be The Walking Dead. But I watch so many movies and mix in some sports and the occasional news. There is no room for me to invest in a running TV series without eating into my family time.
Hey don’t feel bad Keith! You are one truly prolific blogger and you do watch a ton of films AND you’re so fast at reviewing them! I don’t know how you do it man, honestly. Plus you still have time for work AND family, you are a rock star!
Wow. Thanks Ruth. My wife gets a ton of props. She is so awesome. She lets me watch all of these movies. 🙂
Good for her! It’s good that you have such a supportive spouse. Does she have a similar taste in movies as you? I’m fortunate that my hubby and I do, so we often watch a lot of stuff together. The only thing he’s not into is period dramas 🙂
Actually we kinda have similiar tastes. I can watch any of the genres she likes. The thing is my tastes are ridiculously broad – old, new, romance, action, thrillers, horror, silent, artsy, blockbusters.
I guess what I’m saying is we often like the same movies, but because my tastes are so broad I often love a movie that she doesn’t care for. 🙂
Well I think that’s what a film blogger is supposed to be! I wish I had a broader taste in movies, I mean I don’t like horror or violent films so that’s already two very popular genres right there. I don’t see too many period dramas on your blog though, so maybe you’re not too keen on that one 😉
Hmmm. You know, you’re right. I really do like period films but usually with a touch of action. And I guess it depends on the period. I have a review written and waiting to be posted that is a WW2 period drama. It is tremendous. Maybe I can get it posted this week. I have such a backlog. Right now I have 31 reviews or features written and ready to post!!!
31 posts done ready to post??! Unbelievable, you must not sleep at all eh Keith? 😀 Well, hopefully you’d give Belle a shot at some point. It’s really a beautiful story!
Absolutely. It is one that is high on my list mainly due to your feelings about it.
I am obsessed with The Bridge. About to start season 2!
Hi Abbi! Is it the original The Bridge or the remake?
The original.
This is how out of it I am…somebody just lent me their DVD of series 1 of Downton Abbey. I have seen two other episodes last year. I don’t know if I should start it or wait until the show ends. Lol.
Hey don’t feel bad Paula! I actually finished Downton season 1 months ago but haven’t got a chance to even get to season 2! I might try to pick it up again later this year though. Do you like the show?
I do like it, yeah. At least the couple episodes I saw. It’s like a combination of GOSFORD PARK (same writer I think?) and Upstairs, Downstairs. Of course I had very little idea what was going on. Things have just been so crazy that I haven’t had a chance to start it.
I’ve seen bits of The Honourable Woman as I am a fan of Maggie and happy she won the Golden Globe. I’m just not a fan of Sundance Channel’s use of commercials which often interrupts the movies they show.
Maggie is soooo good in the show! I’ve been a fan but I never saw her in a lead role like this and I wish she’d get more prominent roles now that she won a Golden Globe! I don’t have cable so I don’t have a clue about Sundance Channel, but this one was aired on BBC 🙂
I’m so bad when it comes to TV. I try and I fail. I tried to watch Gotham. I told myself I would make it my TV show, since I wasn’t watching anything else. I lasted like four episodes, and it wasn’t that I didn’t like it…I just got busy and missed like three weeks and then decided to give up.
I’m going to try 12 Monkeys…I think.
Hey Drew! You sound exactly like me! I tried keeping up w/ a show and somehow I got distracted on something or forgot when it aired, then I lost interest!
There’s actually a TV show called 12 Monkeys?? I presume it’s based on the Brad Pitt/Bruce Willis movie, right/
The Honorable Woman looks great….I wish I could volunteer I’m into some TV, but honestly, I can’t keep up with the movies let alone watch a TV series. Sigh. No comment. I see previews and announcements for Black Sail, and I think of you!
Hi Cindy! The Honourable Woman is REALLY good! I caught another episode again last night and boy it just gets better! Ha..ha.. yes I’m anticipating Black Sails season 2 this Saturday, woo hoo!!
Ill have rcord it
I loved Broadchurch! Of course, I was an easy sell. They had me at “David Tennant.” An Honorable Woman looks terrific.
Hi Irene!! Ha..ha.. Tennant is a looker isn’t he? I LOVE that he got to use his real Scottish brogue on the show. Do give Honourable Woman a try, it’s much more intense than Broadchurch but just as good.
I accidentally discovered Grantchester this week after Downton Abbey aired. I totally enjoyed it — an Anglican vicar helps a local police detective solve mysteries. I have only seen the one episode but hope that the rest is as good!
Hello Brenda! I haven’t heard of Grantchester but the premise sounds interesting. Might have to check out the trailer.
I’m a big fan of Maggie Gyllenhaal so I may have to check out The Honourable Woman. I’m still working my way through Deadwood, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite shows. Who would have though something so profane could also be so poetic?
Maggie Gyllenhaal is absolutely phenomenal here Eric, definitely worth checking out just for her but the rest of the cast are superb as well. I’ve been hearing great things about Deadwood!
Marco Polo was my recent TV addiction. Loved the show. I sometimes watch really bad shows to pass the time, but even I’m too busy for that now.
Hi Austin! Ha..ha.. yeah, why waste time on bad shows right? I definitely will check out Marco Polo soon, fortunately it’s a Netflix original so it’ll be around forever 🙂
Hi, Ruth:
‘Justified’ had its season premier tonight, so I’m a happy camper. I don’t stream or have access to HBO or Cinemax. Though, I do have a group of BBC and classic TV stations, So, I’ve been keeping up on ‘I Spy’, ‘The Outer Limits’ and ‘Barney Miller’ when not enjoying the superb WWII mystery series, ‘Foyle’s War’, Along with ‘Midsomer Murders’, ‘Lewis; ‘Morse’ and ‘New Tricks’. Which is an occasional treasure trove for guest stars I’d seen decades ago in ‘Danger: UXB’ and ‘The Sandbaggers’.
Haven’t seen any of the newer ‘Doctor Who’ with Peter Capaldi. Though there is a surfeit of older Tennant and Eccleston episodes to watch!
Hey Kevin! Glad to hear Justified met your expectations and then some! There are a lot of great BBC shows on Netflix, wish I had the time to see them all. You should check out The Honourable Woman, should be right up your alley 🙂
Not really anything new, but I’m waiting for Scandal to continue at the end of the month. Started watching it last year and really went quickly through all seasons 🙂
Oh Scandal sounds great! I might get on that at some point. I like Kerry Washington and Tony Goldwyn!
Well I was sick for few days so I finally caught up on new American Horror Story – can’t believe they had Matt Bomer for 2 scenes and in the second they stabbed him repeatedly. I’m really not that well informed on new TV to start watching anything new but I always wanted to star It’s Always Sunny, a lot of people say it’s really funny
Hi Sati! Hope you are feeling better now. Ahah poor Matt Bomer! Are you referring to ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’? Yeah I heard it’s pretty hilarious, too.
I’m currently binge watching The Wire, which I think is brilliant so far. I just started Agent Carter, which I’m loving, and Togetherness, that seems okay.
I do want to see The Slap when that mini starts in Feb. There’s a lot of good actors in it.
Another vote for The Wire! I would need like a year to catch up on that, ahah. Which one is The Slap? I have to look that up now.
I don’t watch a lot of TV. I did pick up the set of True Detective and watched it a month or two back. There are a few shows that I’ve been watching for a while (Castle, Big Bang Theory), so they are not new. On thing I’ve been enjoying right now is Galavant. It’s stupid and silly and goofy, but it’s the right thing at the right time. It’s just an 8 episode run for four weeks before whatever is normally in that time spot comes back, though. It’s more what used to be called a mini-series or a limited series.
Hi Chip! I’m still waiting for True Detective to come to Netflix! Galavant is indeed a hoot! I missed the latest episode so I have to watch that this weekend. It’s pure goofy fun and the songs are fun to listen to, I wouldn’t mind watching that show regularly.
ABC: Agent Carter, Forever, Galavant, How to Get Away with Murder. CBS: Madame Secretary. NBC: State of Affairs. History: Vikings. Starz: Black Sails, Outlander. Entirely too much TV, I know, I confess 😉
Ahah yes you do watch too much TV Becky! But then again if you already paid so much for cable anyway, might as well get the most out of it, right? 😀
Oh, I borrowed Broadchurch season 1 from my aunt, and I still need to watch it. I’m not watching much TV at the moment, though I would like to check out Agent Carter. Also waiting for more House of Cards, True Detective and Sherlock. 😀
Oh you should check it out! It’s quite addictive as you got wrapped up on each of the characters. I’ve only seen the pilot of Agent Carter and I don’t mind seeing more, love Haley Atwell in that role.Still waiting on True Detective to come to Netflix!
January seems to be a bit of an odd time over here for TV, there aren’t any new series that we’re really into at the moment. We’ve been watching Patrick Dempsey Does Le Mans – it seems to combine my other half’s love of racing and my love for, well, Patrick Dempsey 🙂 We need to watch The Honourable Woman though and we’ve recorded The Kennedys from a while ago. I’m very excited to hear that we might be getting more X-Files though!!!
Hi Natalie! I had no idea there’s even a racing show w/ Patrick Dempsey! I’m not a big fan of his but I could imagine it’d be fun if you are a fan. The Honourable Woman is such an excellent, female-centric show. Definitely worth your time!
I’m definitely going to see if it’s on UK netflix after all the good things I’m hearing about it 🙂
My TV watching has dropped off the side of a cliff! Nothing much has really inspired me to watch. Have started getting stuck into Mozart in the Jungle, starring Gael Garcia Bernal. It’s one of Amazon’s TV show – it’s surprisingly good! Funny and very addictive to watch.
I have so many tv shows on my Netflix list, I don’t know where to start. The Fall is what I’m into the most right now. It only has twelve episodes total, and I’m excited and anxious to finally watch the last one. haha
Hi Katy! Sorry somehow I missed your comment. I just saw your post on The Fall, I might check it out since there are only 12 eps.
It’s official… totally hooked on Downton Abbey at the moment! It’s awesome!
FINALLY!
Right? I have been putting it off for YEARS. Finally had a viewing gap.
Good I’m glad you are sticking with it. Different kind of show, but good.
Wow two shows bravo girl, I know how you are not a big tv binger like me lol. Those are on my list as well, Broadchurch and Honourable Women. When are you going to finish Downton? You must do it for Maggie Smith if anything. That’s what I am loving right now and to be honest there are not a lot of good shows on this month. I think Feb kicks back with a lot of different series.
Hey girl! I actually haven’t even finished Honourable Woman and it’s only 8 episodes! I have 4 more to go and then I’ll be back on Downton again 😀
Btw your site seems to be broken as I can’t get to it. I hope to catch up w/ your blog too!
Oh good get on that Downton! Oh no that’s weird, I just checked and it worked for me, but maybe that’s because I am signed in. Let me know if it’s not working later.
Aww, I love Broadchurch! I just saw it last year and couldn’t stop watching it. I can’t wait for the second series! Hmm . . . as for shows for me, The Killing was one of the best ones I saw last year. It’s based off a Danish series, and for me, it is the best crime drama I’ve ever seen.
I just started Orphan Black (a British show) and Marco Polo (a Netflix show), and I’m entertained so far. We’ll see how both of those go!
The Honourable Woman trailer looked GREAT! I may have to check that one out now too. 😀
You’ve piqued my interest in seeing The Honorable Woman.
It’s excellent. Great writing, acting and very tense & suspenseful. One of the best British series I’ve seen lately.
It’s going at the top of my to watch list right now.
Awesome, let me know what you think. I love Maggie Gyllenhaal, she’s so underrated.
You will be the very first person to know my feelings on it.
Awesome! 😀
Just saw the first episode of The Honourable Woman, so riveting can’t wait to watch more.