The Survivors - 2025 - Australia

The Survivors - 2025 - 6/10 

 
Answers may lie in the coastal caves that flood during high tide.
One girl went missing, was forgotten; two men drowned, were enshrined.
Another local took blame, others shoulder massive guilt.
Fifteen years pass, until an outsider arrives, asking all manner of questions.
Before her death.
Enjoyable thriller mystery chock full of suspects, motives and secrets.
Along with jealousies, resentments, buried longings.
Bit of an emotional overload at times.

Concordia - 2021 - Germany

Concordia - 2021 - 6/10

 
The gated, monitored city of Concordia, with thousands of surveillance cameras.
On the streets, in offices, cafes, in homes, bedrooms, bathrooms.
Observing, listening, studying heart rates, impulses.
The more invasive the AI community is, the safer everyone is.
Until the mysterious murder of one of the techs.
Being a guarded city, police are not permitted inside, and local agents attempt to solve.
The conclusion a bit open, scores swing depending on which side of optimist/pessimist spectrum one is.

Post Nosh - 2003 - UK

Post Nosh - 2003 - 6/10 

 
Say Graham Kerr married Martha Stewart and they aired their own cooking show.
With bizarre recipes and outlandish commentaries.
Where one has a drinking problem, the other is a social climber.
Where the jokes are so sly, they might slip past until you think on them later.

Chestnut Man: S02 - 2026 - Denmark

Chestnut Man: S02 - 2026 - 6/10 

 
A copycat killer has been restaging a bygone serial killer’s modus operandi.
This time, victims are given a countdown via a nursery rhyme, then hunted down.
The detective duo is back, although freighted with an ex-romantic liaison.
(Don’t date coworkers – EVER – the relationship will only fail.)
Narrative is intricately plotted (contrived?), with tight suspense.
Those who like family drama, backgrounds, et al, those are here, too.

The Hairdresser Mysteries - 2026 - UK

The Hairdresser Mysteries - 2026 - 5/10 

 
Lily opens a retro shop in a new town, along with best mate Clara.
They arrive, and murders soon begin – which she has a talent for solving!
Mysteries in this are bland, poorly written and uninspired.
Prime example of stale formula and bad writing.
Cast seems alright.  The entire creative team ought to be replaced.

Stella Blómkvist - 2017 - Iceland

Stella Blómkvist - 2017 - 6/10 

 
Stella is supposedly a lawyer.  Maybe she is the courthouse once.
The rest of the time, she acts like a private eye, along with a lot of alcohol and sex.
Three two-part episodes, mostly of risqué behavior of Iceland’s rich and powerful.
Prime minister beleaguered, rich kids terrorized, Chinese influencers.
Scenery underutilized and not enough to tempt armchair travelers.
OK enough mysteries, but none meriting a rewatch.
Heida Reed (Stella) looks and walks like a runway model.

Battlestar Galactica: Razor - 2007 - USA

Battlestar Galactica: Razor - 2007 - 7/10

 
A nice, brief return to form coming between soggy S03 and staggering S04.
This could pretty much have been called “Pegasus” since the bulk of the story occurs on that ship.
The vessel under Admiral Cain takes a more belligerent course than Galactica.
Wonderful flashback scene during the first Colonial War is a highlight and SHOULD have been a spinoff.
Character study of XO Smith shows writers could still create concise, compelling stories.

Arctic Circle 2 - 2023 - Finland

Arctic Circle 2 - 2023 - 6/10 
AKA - Ivalo 2

 
Five years on, detective Nina has moved: school for her daughter, hospital for dying mother.
Assassinations and a disappearance draw her back to Ivalo, where she teams with a Russian cop.
Police work and mystery of the lodge are attractions.
Nina’s family business remains a waste of time and grinding gears.
She is a terrible mother, why do writers insist on weighing down this series with oily soap?

The Girlfriend - 2025 - UK

The Girlfriend - 2025 - 7/10 

 
Pampered mama’s boy Daniel swoons over high-end realtor Cherry.
Mother Laura is incestuously possessive, and Cherry is a knockout with a murderous streak.
Daniel?  What a dunce.  30 years old, still clutching Ma’s skirt, no employment.  A rich manboy.
Short series is an extended, delicious catfight, each side with sharp claws and drawn knives.
All of us actually know overly close mother-son relationships shown here.
Occasionally over-the-top, never dull.

Children Of Evil - 2023 - Serbia

Children Of Evil - 2023 - 7/10 
AKA - Deca Zla

 
During an upcoming election, the frontrunner is murdered by a masked intruder.
Police soon find footprints, shoes, a witness, and a patsy.
Yet, the defense attorney reveals the shoes don’t fit, the witness has an alcohol problem.
There are also conflicts of interest in a rigged trial.
Well and good, until it delves into why the man was murdered, as well as the next victims.
Modern Noir, set in Serbia, laced with corruption, curses, and wartime atrocity.

Books That Made Britain - 2016 - UK

Books That Made Britain - 2016 - 6/10 

 
Strolling book doc.  Regional writers and books explored.
Hosts seem to choose themes at whim. 
Some hone in on classic authors, others local names.
Environment always mentioned, whether the moors or bustling London.
Most are on YT if curious, if one still reads.

Obituary - 2023 - Ireland

Obituary - 2023 - 6/10

 
Elvira is the obituary columnist for the small town.
Paid when, and only when, she has an obit to write.
She has bills, a father to support.  What’s a girl to do?
Well, if neighbors were to start dying, and she pushed villainous types …
Irish black comedy begins well, ends strongly.
In-between, drama, soap and meandering.
The double edged “luck of the Irish” applies often.

Tricʞ - 2000 - Japan

Tricʞ - 2000 - 6/10 
AKA - トリック

 
Naoko is an unsuccessful magician.  Behind in rent, she accepts a challenge from a physicist.
Ueda refutes magic and spiritualism, and the pair are soon a team.
Seeking out phony mediums, shamans, cults, curses.
There are also a pair of police detectives who provide comic relief.
Word to the wise, Japanese comedy, often lowbrow, can be an acquired taste.
Cheap looking, two-part episodes birthed more seasons and four movies.
New fans of Yukie Nakama ought to hunt this down.

Saltychikha - 2017 - Russia

Saltychikha - 2017 - 6/10
AKA - The Bloody Duchess // Krovavaya Barinya // Кровавая барыня

From an early age, Darya had been placed (institutionalized) in a convent.
Her mother had been homicidally mad, and the father feared the trait was inherited.
Nevertheless, business competitor want an alliance, a marriage of wealth.
Whereupon Darya is wedded to the troll, not the handsome stud.
Following the first murder, she begins to spiral.

 
True, there are forces moving against her.  Assassination attempts and kidnapping.
She flees to the countryside, then vents her fury and insanity on her serfs.
The woodland witch ingratiates herself; she has grievances against the villagers, as well.

 
Handsome Russian production suffers melodrama at points.
Based on the real Darya Nikolayevna Saltykova who tortured and killed almost 200 servants.

The Marlow Murder Club - 2024 - UK

The Marlow Murder Club - 2024 - 6/10

 
Another variation of female cozy.
Retiree Judith solves murder mysteries in the troubled riverside burg of Marlow.
Suzie and Becks act as Watson to the all-wise Judith.  Police = background props.
60 something Judith swims naked in the Thames, and solutions come.
Writers, please!  The Thames – sewage and feces.  Think!
After a few episodes, police realize how peerless the trio are and enlist them as advisors.
“There is no spoon.”

Dear England - 2026 - UK

Dear England - 2026 - 7/10

 
Inspiring adaptation of the West End play into a four-part miniseries.
The tenure of Gareth Southgate as he rebuilds a broken English squad into contenders.
Team building moments, similar to boot camp, without the abusive Drill Instructor.
Also a sport psychologist to help navigate mental and emotional pressures.
Key players profiled, along with important matches.  World Cups and Euro Cups.
Will be enjoyed more by fans or supporters of the game.

The Other Bennet Sister - 2026 - UK

The Other Bennet Sister - 2026 - 7/10

 
Who would be Mary, the bookworm, best seen previously in the 1980 adaptation.
Here, after her sisters marry, she is dispatched to London to stay with her aunt and uncle.
Who encourage her, bolster her, permit her to emerge from her shell.
Costume drama, RomCom all the way, brilliantly cast, with people who resemble you and I.
Final act seems to drag a trifle, squeezing the last ounce of predictability.
Goes without saying, you ought to have viewed at least one version beforehand.
For Janeites, this will please.  On the fence?  10 episodes, 30 minutes each.

Fool Me Once - 2024 - UK

Fool Me Once - 2024 - 5/10

Yes, that would be you and me, sucker.
Overly convoluted “mystery” that keeps adding characters and puzzles with each episode.
Like an infomercial, “But wait!  There’s more!” until the mess collapses into silliness.
Maya, ex combat veteran, trigger-happy Maya, has lost her sister and husband to murder.
His rich family suspect her, she suspects … gasp … a conspiracy.

 
Donning a disguise (clichéd baseball cap), she starts sleuthing.
Everyone plays a bit over-the-top, and overly suspicious.
Each installment, I’m going, “Now what?”
Based on wildly popular Harlan Coben novel.
As with his The Innocent, I started losing patience midway.

The Library Thief - 2011 - Sweden

The Library Thief - 2011 - 7/10
AKA - Bibliotekstjuven

 
John works in the national library (Stockholm) as a menial researcher.
A chance opportunity cracks the door to advancement, likewise access to priceless materials.
The polite face masks envy, jealously, resentment, greed.
Who’s going to miss a few books?  Books that can be sold to dealers of high-end antiquities.
Nightmare for book lovers and collectors, fans of the library.
Sadly, inspired by a real individual.  Curious: Anders Burius.

Ceux de 14 - 2014 - France

Ceux de 14 - 2014 - 6/10
AKA - Men Of ‘14

 
Men of 1914, onset of the Great War, soldiers of the French 106 Regiment.
Pretty much all told from the soldier’s point of view.
March here, wait, go there.  Attack, retreat, no – go back, wait, wait.
Husbands, boyfriends, sons, an illiterate, a cook, scavenger, intellectual.
In keeping with the mass carnage of that war, each installment brings losses.
Not as much as those in 1914, Verdun, but familiar faces will be buried.
History types will be on surer footing, yet the lack of details may disappoint them.