TV Series Picks August 2013

Some of us may not realize right now but 
I think we are in the golden age of television.

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I used to silently and meekly nod when people would say 
in an erudite tone they do not watch television as it is all rubbish 
but no more.  

I can't pinpoint when the tide changed but I hardly go to the cinema anymore.  How the heck does anyone expect me to meet someone and then care about their lives after only spending an hour and a half with them?? 

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 I think it started with the Sopranos and Sex and the City when we started connecting directly with people on shows like they were our actual friends. 

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 I know I complained about Don Draper in the latest series of Mad Men but we go way back people.  

And don't forget people change and he might come good again okay?

I have become one of those box set people.  
I immerse myself and the TV version of Spock beams me to various time portals and helps me do some tele-visual astral travel.  For instance, I am saving Game of Thrones for the next British winter so I have something to look forward to and balance the ecological real world misery and enter a sci-fi world to escape the cold. 

The theater is good for certain things: a mood, the live analysis and noting when the audience gasps or laughs that differ from yours.

  

But it is terrible when a huge cranium cramps your view and you leave the theater ringing your osteopath to sort out your hips having leaned to one side for two hours.  

But there is a special pleasure in knowing your TV show is on later that day and thinking about making a dessert to enjoy while on the sofa with your favorite throw on your lap.

My new favorite show is Psychobitches shown on Sky Arts.
It is written and acted by some of the best comedians.
The platform is about  famous female characters and 
their session with a psychotherapist.
I urge you to just click on the links below as 
they are only a few minutes each at best.  
It is one of the cleverest sketches I have seen.

I tried to pick my top five favorite ones but if you go on YouTube they have plenty of other characters like Edith Piaf, Frida Kahlo, and Sylvia Plath.

My absolute favorite was Mary Queen of Scots. 

Click here for link.
I adore the Stuart monarchs but I must warn you that there is heavy profanity in this one sketch.

Click here for link to see the session with Audrey Hepburn.

Click here for the link  about the session with the Bronte sisters - 
this was literary comedy at its best. I love the mix of high brow references with a bit of common humour.

Click here for the link for the session with Jacqueline Du Pre.

Click here for the link for Margot Fonteyn.

So brilliantly cast that I thought it was her...

One that was very brief was for Princess Di.
( click on her name for link)
But I must warn you that some of you may be offended by this one.

There are a few older shows that I have been absolutely hooked on.  But they stand the test of time and are superb in all aspects: writing, plot, and acting.

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I know there has been a Downton Abbey frenzy which correlated to the revived monarchy but I phased out at the end of season 2.  

But the original Upstairs Downstairs  trumps Downton Abbey easily in my opinion and is beyond reproach. 

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 It encapsulates the best of theater and television.  

Each and every episode is not only entertaining but a true social perspective of history with a civic stance.  It is perfect for family viewing and I have rarely seen better casting from the BBC. 

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 The house is not an original and a character in itself like Downton and is only a stage set but I dare you not to like it.  You can watch the series on YouTube - click here for the very first episode.

Another oldie but goodie from the BBC vaults is I, Claudius.

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Are you or a family member interested in Ancient Rome and 

all its shenanigans?  

Then this is the show for you.

It is classical acting and rather theatrical so I can't say it has a modern broad appeal.  The cast is stellar - in this case the adjective is not a cliche as it has the likes of Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, and Brian Blessed among many others.



It is a bit marmite-y ( you either love it or hate it ) but it is great historical docudrama.  But having said that, it was also one of the most successful BBC dramas of all time.  
Apparently, HBO is going to remake the show!

Click here for the link to the series also available for view on YouTube.

Well I hope you have a lovely weekend and enjoy some of the snippets! x