What We're Watching

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Now that we're all up to speed on our reading and our TBR lists/stacks are ever more burgeoning, it's time for a look at what's on the tube for when we can tear ourselves away from our books.

From the reality TV queen here, we are glued to the new season of GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF–oh, sorry, GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW, as we're supposed to call it in the US, although that doesn't have nearly the same ring as GBBO. My non-cooking, non-baking hubby is now hooked and keeps asking me, "When's the baking show on again?" (Some of his enthusiam this season might have to do with one very cute contestant...) He's also gotten hooked on THE VOICE, my other reality TV indulgence, but is not so keen on the little bits I can manage to snag of the UK's STRICTLY COME DANCING on VPNs. (Shhh, don't tell.)

And now back to crime. In the lull between summer programming and new autumn stuff, we pulled up a UK series from 2003 called STATE OF PLAY. We couldn't find it streaming but it is available on DVD and Blu-ray, and I can't recommend it highly enough. The writing! The cast! It was directed by David Yates and featured David Morrisey, John Simm, James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Kelly McDonald, Polly Walker, and more. Even more than twenty years later, it doesn't feel dated, and it's one of the best things I've ever watched on television. They made a movie of it a couple of years later starring Russell Crowe, but that doesn't begin to compare to the original 6 part series. (That's a very unflattering photo of the Scottish actress Kelly McDonald, who I adore, on the DVD cover. Most recently you will have seen her as Carl Mork's therapist on DEPT Q!)

We're watching SLOW HORSES, although the weekly dole-out formula is especially annoying with the complicated storylines in this series. We've also discovered a British (Irish) police series called BLUE LIGHTS that is really good. This is on Britbox and is in the gritty rather than cozy vein. The 3rd season just aired so we're looking forward to having several seasons to follow.

Oh, and we are now recording the late-night shows on our Tablo, so that we can keep up with the voices of sanity, AKA the late-night TV hosts. Who would have thought it?

Take it away, dear REDs. What are you watching?

HALLIE EPHRON: Like you, I’m watching The Great British Baking Show (Season 16) … so many great contestants to root for. This batch seem especially talented. 

My daughter was visiting and she’s never watched “Sherlock” which we could stream on Britbox. I do love Britbox. The plots are SO COMPLICATED I have no trouble being challenged to follow the storylines even though I’ve seen them all. And Benedict Cumberbatch is so deliciously and gleefully sociopathic as Holmes. And Martin Freeman the perfect foil as the very human Watson.

And I confess, sometime during the pandemic lockdowns I got hooked on Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. They’ve become a weeknight ritual.

DEBS: Hallie, I LOVED Sherlock, and would happily watch it again. Also, my parents were religious watchers of WHEEL OF FORTUNE and that brings back fond memories for me.

LUCY BURDETTE: We’ve been on a busy vacation so I’ve not been watching TV except for the occasional Jimmy Kimmel or Steve Colbert clip. However, I am very much looking forward to seeing Jane Goodall’s FAMOUS LAST WORDS, and Jeremy White playing Bruce Springsteen later this month. Debs, John loved BLUE LIGHTS but I only watched one or two episodes–too dark for my soul before bedtime!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, I have been on book tour, so hotel TV is all about Chopped, which is always on.

 But in real life, back home, so many good things–Slow Horses is back, hurray. Cannot wait for The Lincoln Lawyer to return.

Also, I just spent the day with Elizabeth George, she is incredible, so I came home from Atlanta and instantly started bingeing the new Lynley, and then will return to the old Lynley. SO fun, now that I know all the backstory.

I am a massive fan of The Morning Show, and crossing fingers  the new season is good. Oh, and Invasion. 

I LOVED State of Play, Debs. And isn’t The Diplomat coming back?

OH, and finally–THE OFFER! (Debs, did you tell me about this?) About the making of The Godfather, and it is fantastic.)

DEBS: Yes, it was me who recommended THE OFFER. I don't know why this series didn't get more press. I think it's worth a temporary subscription to Paramount just to watch it!!!! So glad you liked it, Hank. We watched THE GODFATHER when we finished it, and that was fascinating, too.

And, yes, we are looking forward to THE DIPLOMAT, too.

RHYS BOWEN:  A big fan of the Great British Baking Show here too. They are always such nice, kind people who cheer for each other. How could you not love it! We also watched the Thursday Murder Club.. which deviated quite a lot from the book.

Apart from that we watch a lot of Britbox, all our favorite mystery series, plus I like all the travel shows on Britibox. Martin Clunes and various British islands, others on favorite villages, canal trips etc. I guess I’m nostalgic for a simpler era at the moment.

Finally finished up Clarkson’s Farm which got rather annoying in the end.

How about it, dear readers? What other gems have we missed, and are we all "baking" together? (I keep promising to buy some kind of a treat for Friday nights, because we always feel so deprived when the episode is over!)

TV ADHD--What We're Watching (or Not Watching!)

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Skimming through the Emmy's the other night (the second of 2024!) reminded me that while we've talked about what we're reading, it's been awhile since we talked about what we're watching. Or not watching, in my case, as it was a stark reminder that I am TOTALLY OUT OF IT.

I'm embarrassed to admit that we are now almost through season 8 of Grey's Anatomy. That's how many hours?? Nope, not doing the math on that one… We are also watching Great British Bake Off (no, I am not calling it Great British Baking Show. That is so lame. Surely Americans can deal with the British title! ) And yes, I have actually got my hubby watching GBBO! I think I deserve my own award for that! Now if I could just get him to bake...

But as for the ADHD, let's see… We watched all of season 1 of Slow Horses, except for the last episode. Do we go back to that, or just start season 2? Then, one and a half seasons of Emily in Paris. We didn't finish season 3 of Only Murders in the Building. (Meryl Streep's character was so annoying.) Again, do we try to finish that or just start 4? We only made it through 3 episodes of season 3 of The Bear. (Too much yelling and family dysfunction. And I know it's really good, but will somebody please tell me why this series is a comedy??) 

I thought Hacks was about not very good writers. I have only seen a few episodes of The Crown. (Ouch. Do I lose my Anglophile card?) Baby Reindeer sounds entirely too creepy. Fallout, nope, can't do post-apocalyptic these days.

I might tackle Shogun, not sure if Rick would go for it. I would happily watch The Gilded Age, but a definite no from the hubby on that one.

My Britbox and Acorn subscriptions are gathering dust! It's so funny that Rick will watch GBBO or Emily in Paris but will NOT watch a period British mystery. And I, apparently, am just not watching TV except for the nightly hour or so we watch together. Just don't ask me what I'm doing with my time instead because I couldn't tell you!

Reds, what's playing–or not playing–on your screens?

RHYS BOWEN: Having gone through a stressful time, like some other Reds, I have to watch something light, peaceful. I enjoyed the PBS mini series featuring Agatha Christie as a sleuth with her real life drama. I watched the Olympics and then the Para-olympics so I’m all Olympiced out, right now. I also watched much of the US Open tennis. Has a new season of the Great British Baking Show started yet? That’s about my level of excitement at the moment.

DEBS: Rhys,  I think it starts on the 27th. What's the Agatha as sleuth show called?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: We happily watched THE PERFECT COUPLE even though it kind of didn’t make sense, but who cares. And I adore SLOW HORSES and a show called THE MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN which is such an unlikely choice for me, because it is very tough and violent, but it’s riveting and compelling – – just look it up.  And we are just beginning to watch MOONFLOWER MURDERS, the fabulous Anthony Horowitz sequel to my favorite show of all time ever, THE MAGPIE MURDERS. 

So exciting! 

DEBS: We started The Mayor of Kingstown. As much as I love Jeremy Renner, I decided it was just a world I didn't want to live in for that many hours.

LUCY BURDETTE: You might remember that I don’t watch much TV–would rather read! However, John likes me to watch from time to time, so I do. We are in the middle of season 3 of The Bear. There was a lot of screaming in the first few episodes, but it’s improved and I know we’ll finish!

Remember, Hank, when we started to watch THE OLD MAN, and I bailed out after about 15 minutes because it was too depressing and I could tell it was going to be brutal? Anyway I went upstairs to read and happened to message the Reds, and Hank told me to go back downstairs and try again because it’s Really Good. So I did, and it was.

Anyway, John told me Saturday that the new season had begun and we agreed to watch it. After about 15 minutes, we both said, “This is very familiar. Is he going to set up those tin cans every season?” Yes, we were watching season 1 episode 1 all over again! So now we’re ready for the next season, which I think starts this weekend!

DEBS: We'll go back to The Bear, on your recommendation, Lucy!

HANK: Oh, thank you for reminding me! We will watch it, too!  

HALLIE EPHRON: I’m definitely the laggard, despite the fierce competition for the title. A few months ago I added BRITBOX to my choices and I’ve been watching old favorites. Joan Hickson as Miss Marple–she’s great but those plots, sorry, they’re byzantine and farfetched and cliched. The old Poirots hold up. David Suchet is sublime. I still love NEW TRICKS, up until they swapped out the cast. Is there a new Great British Baking Show? And I’m looking forward to watching Kathy Bates in the new boot of MATLOCK. Starts next week.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I just recently added a PBS Masterpiece subscription to my Amazon account, because I was craving exactly the same thing Rhys was - old fashioned mysteries. I watched DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLY and am planning on starting the Agatha Christie-as-detective shows soon.

My deep dive into KDrama has left me very spoiled as to series length. They do hour-long shows for 10, 12 or 16 episodes and then it’s done. When I see something that says “4th season” I shy away, no matter how alluring the description. I just cannot commit to 40 or 50 hours of watching something. My one exception? ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING. Loving the 4th season!

My Kdrama rec for those of you brave enough to try it is BEYOND EVIL. You can find it on the free-with-annnoying-ads Raukuten Viki. The show got multiple Baeksang awards, the Korean version of the Emmys. No supernatural elements, just a slow burning serial killer investigation with amazing performances and tension that will have you covering your eyes and shrieking. 

DEBS: Julia, Grey's Anatomy is 26 or 27 episodes a season and is still running, on, I think, season 19. We should have realized what we were getting ourselves into, but now we just can't seem to stop. They're clever that way, those writers.

JENN McKINLAY: Hub and I are watching BAD MONKEY - it’s soooo good! We love SLOW HORSES so that’s up next and then SHOGUN (Hub is trying to finish the book first). We’re also watching SCHITT’S CREEK. We’re late to the party (I’d seen the 1st season ages ago) but waited for the Hub to catch up so here we go. On my own, I am watching A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES (very seasonal!). I adored the first book, struggled with the second and never read the third but I am enjoying the series on Netflix tremendously. 

DEBS: Jenn, I've been listening to whole series again on Audible. Funnily, the second book is my favorite in the series. I adored Elizabethan London, and the science history. Nerdsville here. And now I want to rewatch the series! So well done!!

Oh, and so glad you finally are watching Schitt's Creek! It got us through the worst of the pandemic.

How about you, dear readers? What's on the tube in your house?

 

We'd Like to Recommend...

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Every once in a while we like to post what our pal Ingrid Thoft called “I’d like to recommend.” Everyone’s probably (hopefully) busy enjoying Memorial Day, but maybe you’ll have time to pile on with a new favorite. Here are a few of ours.

 LUCY BURDETTE: I have two…

The first is the new Netflix show based on Michael Connelly’s THE LINCOLN LAWYER. I know that book was in our top five one of the years that I judged the Edgar awards best novel category. Last week I saw on Facebook that two Red friends, Kristopher and Dru, were watching the Lincoln Lawyer, so John and I tried it and are now attempting not to race through too fast. I especially love Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller.

My second suggestion–which I feel a little bad telling you about–is a new obsession with these Tarallini crackers with hot pepper flavor. They are addictive and though they’d be low cal and low sodium if you only ate a few, I find that hard to do. They’d be perfect for guests alongside little cubes of cheese or salami–if there were any left by the time the guests arrive.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Yes, yes, we are watching The Lincoln Lawyer, too! We powered through Ozark, which I adore, and I even loved the ending. And Better Call Saul, which we watch with utter bafflement, saying: Isn’t this great? I don’t understand it at all. We also watched A Very British Scandal, but I was fascinated and distracted by Claire Foy’s impeccable lipstick. And Gaslit (or is it Gaslight?) the Watergate show. But–I am hesitant to continue because if it’s not true, I don’t want it in my head.  Does anyone know? Oh, and the OTHER British scandal one, with the MP and the lawyer. Implausible, but truly fun to watch. (I had read the book by Sarah Vaughn, and remembered it being just that.)

In the excesses of the pandemic, I have discovered breadcrumbs. I know, it's so silly, but I always wondered why people ruined perfectly good chicken and shrimp by coating them in carbs. Now I understand. 

And Lucy, what are “guests”?

 JENN McKINLAY: My first recommendation is SLOW HORSES an Apple TV show based on Mick Heron’s Slough House mysteries. In short, it’s about a bunch of MI-5 rejects doing mindless work until they get caught up in something big. Gary Oldman is AMAZING as Jackson Lamb and the series is short - six episodes but all cliffhangers and so so so good. The novels are fabulous as well. 

My only other discovery is that if you twist thick cut bacon up tight and bake it for 40 min at 350 degrees, it comes out crisp and chewy and doesn’t smoke (bacon smokes at 370 degrees, apparently) and you can fit all the slices on the pan. Thank you, Instagram!

 

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I am entirely the copycat here! We've just started THE LINCOLN LAWYER and I think it's terrific. I also, because I am really shallow, think that Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is absolutely delicious.

And I'm seconding Jenn on SLOW HORSES. Such a great cast and Gary Oldman is as always fabulous. 

Here's a little fun thing I've discovered recently, Madison James Flyaway Sticks from Terrain. These are ridiculously expensive for 40 sticks, but I figure they will probably last us years. They're insect repelling sticks that you put in the ground or a pot and light like incense, and they smell absolutely divine. 

I have got to try the twisty bacon!

 HALLIE EPHRON: I haven’t watched Lincoln Lawyer but I have loved the books, and of course I’m a huge fan of Michael Connelly. I’m just starting on the new season of Russian Doll and the jury’s still out. Also the Poirot mysteries with David Suchet are back on Public Television. 

Flyaway Sticks… do they work? Awaiting your verdict.

And something I just discovered: my local upscale market carries roasted artichoke hearts… from actual fresh artichokes! They must roast them in the store. So delicious.

 

RHYS BOWEN: This past month I haven’t had much time to watch TV, as you saw from last week’s post! And we don’t get Apple TV so I’ll have to stick to Mick Herron’s books, which are very good. I have enjoyed Hugh Laurie’s production of Why Didn’t They Ask Evans, which is by far my favorite Agatha Christie book. And our local PBS has been rerunning all the old Poirots. Some of those short stories would actually have made great novels. Really clever.

After two years of boring, self-cooked food, I’ve been eating out and savoring new experiences, including a cocktail called Bubbles and Berries, that was not only champagne and some kind of fruit alcohol but also had those frozen nitrogen balls in it so that it bubbled away for about ten minutes (making it impossible to drink). And last weekend, at my daughter’s graduation in psycho-therapy from Pepperdine, I had an Aperol Spritz with my brunch and was reminded why I always drink it in Italy. Not sweet but tangy and so refreshing.

 

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I'm not doing much TV watching, either (although I've discovered I can see shortened versions of my beloved HGTV shows on YouTube, so I've been indulging in that.) Instead I'll recommend a board game for everyone headed to family get-togethers this summer: Cranium Family Edition. There's a popular version for kids, which you may have seen, but 16 plus one is challenging and hilarious. It's played with partners, so it's perfect for a crowd. At our celebration of Youngest's graduation, my three kids, two significant others and I spent an evening having SO much fun with this game.

My other recommendation is a facial cleanser/treatment. I bought Urban Skin Rx Even Tone Cleansing Bar (which it's not, it's in a pot) after reading an article suggesting it was great for uneven skin tones. Sadly, it didn't get rid of the sun spots on my face. BUT! It is amazing for smoothing and softening skin. It worked so well on my face I started using it on my forearms, which I swear I could use to file down my nails. Now that skin has great texture as well. 10/10, as the kids say today.

How about you, readers? Anything you'd like to recommend?