HALLIE EPHRON: Seems like I spend a fair amount of time grazing among the various streaming offerings, and occasionally striking gold. Britbox is my favored pasture, and I have just started watching an absolutely fantastic series: RIOT WOMEN.
It "ticks all the boxes": great cast, fantastic acting, and most of all fabulous (funny, wry, believable, ...) writing. And it's been green-lighted for a second season.
No surprise that it comes from the pen of Sally Wainwright.
She's an amazingly prolific English TV writer, producer, and director. She is known for her dramas set in West Yorkshire, such as LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX and HAPPY VALLEY.
She's also the creative behind my all-time favorite British police procedural SCOTT AND BAILEY.
And now three cheers for RIOT WOMEN. It's about five iron-willed women of a certain age, each some version of damaged goods, who come together and form a rock band. A PUNK-rock band! Singing their own material that channels their anger and creativity and can bring tears to my eyes.
Profound stuff when you wipe away the tears of laughter.
It gets off to a roaring start with a failed suicide attempt (life intervenes)... It swings from tense to hysterically funny to insightful to profoundly sad. Always affirming life and hope and sisterhood.
As one of the women (Beth) says of their band: "We sing songs about being middle-aged and menopausal and more or less invisible."
Let's just say that it had me standing up and cheering at my television screen.
Anyone else out there watching RIOT WOMEN? My one advice is: when it seems to be going dark dark dark, hang in there with it.
What else is atop your watch list at the moment?
This does sound amazing . . . I'll have to look for it.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen this yet, but it makes me think of We are Lady Parts about a Muslim female punk band that is very funny while wrest with serious issues of identity. I think it is still available on Peacock.
ReplyDeleteGood to know!
DeleteI LOVE We Are Lady Parts. I got sidetracked (on and off Peacock sub) but want to get back to it. So good.
DeleteI’m sure I’ve been watching too much TV but what else to do when we had two feet of snow all winter! And we loved Riot Women, Landman , HAMNET, Bugonia, Train Dreams, Coldwater,, Shetland of course, too many to remember.
ReplyDeleteYesterday we finished our binge, It’s Your Fault,
Don’t bother. It is at least two episodes longer than needed.
And the winner for. favorite show of the season?
THE PITT!
We wait on tenterhooks for the next episode to drop so Dr Robby can take his sabbatical.
Not to be missed.
I spent last week being long distance hospice nurse support to my adult children as their father lay dying. They stepped up to the plate for him, hours and hours of bedside watch. They’ll have no regrets.
And on a happier note, my granddaughter Sarah is having a baby girl in August. Her name has been announced:
Penelope Ann! (Penny, Nell, Nellie)
Happy Daylight Savings to those who celebrate!
So true, Ann. Being there at the end is a gift - I’m so glad they have you for support.
DeleteAnd yay! for happy baby news!
Ann: I remember well you being my at-distance hospice nurse as my mother approached death almost two years ago. I'm glad your children had you. Sending love to all...
DeleteEven long distance, love is a powerful support no matter how old the 'children' are. And yay!! for a new baby! May I add I'm partial to the nickname Nelle? (It's the title character of my latest novella).
DeletePenelope is a lovely name, Ann. Mazel tov!
DeleteCongratulations, Ann. Penelope is a lovely name!
DeleteCongratulations Ann!!!
DeleteA great-granddaughter. How lovely! I'm so happy for you.
DeleteSo glad your children had you, Ann, and sorry for the loss of their dad.
DeleteCongratulations on being a great grandmother, Ann!! And I love Nell!
That sounds awesome! We don't have Britbox, unfortunately. Right now we are working our way through Bosch Legacy, then I need to get back to Shetland.
ReplyDeleteEdith: I held out for years, but finally gave in to BritBox late last year. I have not looked back. The offerings are terrific.
DeleteWe got Britbox and love it too. Well worth the money.
DeleteI watch BritBox more than any of the other streaming sources we have. High quality programming.
DeleteWorth every penny
DeleteI’m glad Riot Women will get another season. I love all the shows she’s written; I’ve seen most of them. I’ll be looking up some others.
ReplyDeleteRiot Women is great, although some of what these women go through is hard to watch. Love the songs, and especially some of the reactions to them. And nothing like casting against type with a former Dr. Who/Campion/other shows too numerous to name in a minor role.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteLOVED Riot Women, cannot wait for season two. Anything Sally Wainwright writes is worth watching, though Happy Valley was a bit dark for me, haven't made it past season one. But I binged Scott and Bailey -- wonderful wonderful: the acting, the storylines, the relationships among and between the women. All fabulous viewing. And I recently rewatched for the umpteenth time Last Tango in Halifax; the quality of the acting is out of this world. And, oh, that Yorkshire scenery...
ReplyDeleteI love that her characters are so complicated and while she goes dark, she doesn’t go icky
DeleteRiot Women looks great!
ReplyDeleteWe're deep in "Grace" on Britbox, based on the books by Peter James, set in Brighton. With a superb supporting cast, it's approaching "Blue Lights" or "Line of Duty" for excellence. And wading through "Hidden Assets" on Acorn, a fast-paced combination of Belgian and Irish law enforcement investigating international skullduggery in and around the port of Antwerp. Subtitles for the French and Flemish dialogue.
Thanks Margaret
Delete"Line of Duty" is also my gold standard for brilliant TV. I've never seen anything to top it. But I'll have to check out Blue Lights, which I've never heard of.
DeleteBlue Lights is set in Belfast and follows the careers of rookie cops as they become more experienced. It won a BAFTA.
DeleteScott and Bailey—oh yes, , I’m with you, Hallie: best police procedural ever! Loved that series. And excited about your recommendation for Riot Women ; in fact, this may overcome my resistance to signing up for Britbox (I know it’s great, but do I really need another streaming service? Rhetorical question….apparently I do!)
ReplyDeleteAs this is International Women's Day, what better to recommend than a show about incredibly resilient and empowered women!
ReplyDeleteCatriona McPherson first mentioned RiotWomen, with the caveat to heed the warnings for trigger events. At one point I had to take a break from it, because of the violence, but in the main it is a powerful show, with unbelievably talented actresses.
If you enjoy Joanna Scanlan's Beth, I also highly recommend her very different turn in No Offence, which is on both BritBox and Acorn. She plays the Detective Inspector to a department of homicide detectives dominated by another group of amazing females. I just finished watching the second season, and am sad there is only one more to go. Hard to believe Scanlan is the mum in the light and frothy The Larkins, which is based on The Darling Buds of May. She is a super versatile actor, and riveting in No Offence.
We love Joanna Scanlan in No Offence, Karen! I noticed she’s one of the band members in the pictures I’ve seen for Riot Women, which adds to the appeal. — Pat S
DeleteNow I have to try to track down No Offence--I'm not sure I can get it in Bern.
DeleteHappy International Women's Day!
ReplyDeleteWe love costume dramas and historical dramas. Mysteries too. Britbox is one of my favorites. A relative mentioned RIOT WOMEN and I have been meaning to watch it. I get Netflix and I find myself going back to favorites like THURSDAY MURDER CLUB. Many new additions to Netflix do not seem to appeal to me. I have been watching LIFE IS MURDER on Acorn TV. Another favorite is MIDSOMER MURDERS.
My Life is Murder is a delight!
DeleteWe love these shows on Britbox which are done for the season and will return:
ReplyDeleteSister Boniface, Father Brown, Ludwig, Madame Blanc, Art Detectives, Senora Volpe, and Shakespeare and Hathaway.
And on PBS, All Creatues Great & Small which is filmed in the Yorkshire Dales and the scenery is breathtaking, the acting excellent, the characters make you want to move in with them. It's based on the book and the true story of 3 Yorkshire vets pre to post WWII.
Love Britbox! There’s always something great—that’s how we fell in love with the brilliant LINE OF DUTY. So addictive and wonderful storytelling. Has anyone seen it?
ReplyDeleteYes! As I wrote above, it remains the best TV I've ever seen.
DeleteI haven’t. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the recommendations, everyone, although I'm not sure how many of these programs I can find. We're watching the latest Season of Lincoln Lawyer at present and enjoying it, although I don't find this season as good as some of the others. Before that, the best thing we saw was the latest Strike and Ellacott series, The Ink-Black Heart. Oh yes, glad to know to look for Sally Wainwright's programs. I thought Happy Valley was superb, even though it was so dark. Amazing acting by Sarah Lancashire.
ReplyDeleteKim, my daughter and I are big fans of Strike. And Holliday Grainger (who plays Robin Ellacott) is also now starring in a police/thriller series called The Capture which is being compared to shows like Line of Duty. Going to look for it now!
DeleteI'll look for The Capture! Thanks, Debs.
DeleteI loved Scott and Bailey. Thanks for the recommendation of Riot Women. I’ve been looking for something new to me.
ReplyDeleteI’ve watched all seasons of My Life Is Murder, and I’m now rewatching it from the beginning. I love McDonald and Dodds, but I don’t think it has been renewed. I’m hoping for/waiting for more Ludwig. There are so many more detective series I love but don’t have time to list them all.
For sheer delight, I watch Elsbeth!
DebRo
I had been wondering about Riot Women, so thanks for the recommendation, Hallie!
ReplyDeleteI think we are up to the last episode of Hijack, which I've found confusing and slightly preposterous, but, hey, Idris Elba. Also, we've been watching The Beatles Anthology on Apple (?) which we've found riveting. I don't know if viewers who didn't grow up with the Fab Four would find it as fascinating, but it's a reminder of just how amazingly good they were. And it has had me listening to whole albums, not just random songs, which I hadn't done in years--or maybe decades. Ouch.
Oh, also, there is a new McCartney documentary on Prime called Man On the Run, about his post Beatles breakup life. It's told through voice-overs and archival photos and videos, with gorgeous Scottish scenery.
DeleteI haven't seen Riot Women yet, but I am a fan of Sally Wainwright's shows. Last Tango in Halifax and Happy Valley are two of my favorite shows I've watched. I was late coming to Happy Valley, and when I did watch it, I loved it, and coming to late meant I got to see the entire series.
ReplyDeleteI think I mentioned recently that my husband and I watched Down Cemetery Road (I think it's on Apple TV). Emma Thompson as a hard-nosed private investigator who becomes entangled in Ruth Wilson's search for a young girl who has disappeared after her house exploded, killing both her parents. Emma Thompson is an absolute favorite actress for me, and Ruth Wilson is also a favorite. The movie is based on the book by Mick Herron, a trio series. It is a separate entity from Herron's Slow Horses, which for some reason I haven't finished watching and intend to get back to. Down Cemetery Road will have a second season, but I'm not sure when it starts.
Philip and I just watched The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix) and enjoyed it, but it wasn't what you'd call a thriller, more a quiet mystery. Of course, with Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, and David Tennant, this first offering from the book series was absolutely worth the watch. The Residence, a Shonda Rimes production was excellent. I loved Cordelia Cupp as the quirky detective. It''s also on Netflix. Oh, and we watched Carl Hiaason's Bad Monkey with Vince Gill in the lead role and really enjoyed it. I'm not a big Vince Gill van, but he was perfect for this role. Season two is in production now. Philip got me interested in Pluribus on Apple TV, but the next season won't be out until at least 2027, and that doesn't sit well with me. And, Debs, I do want to see the McCartney documentary Man on the Run.
We just watched the first episode--very intriguing and I'm sure we'll continue. Thanks Hallie!
ReplyDelete