Gone are the days of poring over the TV listings to work out which shows to record and how to avoid any program clashes. Catch-up TV, along with the many “on demand” TV streaming providers, means we can rest easy, knowing that it is all available at the touch of a button or two.
Here are five programs you should be plugging into the planner for a binge of top-quality drama.
Little Boy Blue: ITV1
Stephen Graham, a Liverpool-born actor, plays Detective Superintendent Dave Kelly and Sinead Keenan brings real emotion to the part of Melanie Jones, Rhys’s mum. There is some artistic licence but most of the scenes are based on transcripts from the case files.
Little Boy Blue is a must-see. ITV1, Mondays, 9pm and on ITV Player
Game of Thrones: Sky Atlantic
No discussion about major TV series would be complete without GoT. The epic fantasy returns to our screens in July for Series 7, as the battle for Westeros hots up.
Adapted from the series of fantasy novels “A Song of Fire and Ice” by George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones charts the conflict between warring families trying to gain the Iron Throne.
Sky has made all 60 episodes of Series 1-6 available via Sky Box Sets. If you want to find out what the fuss is all about, or just want to refresh your memory of the Lannister, Stark and Targeryan families, get involved on Sky Box Sets. Series 7 premieres on July 17.
Homeland: Channel 4 and Netflix
Nobody does binge-watching quite like Netflix and if you’re done with the antics of Walter and Jesse in Breaking Bad, throw yourself into Homeland.
The CIA spy thriller stars Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, an intelligence officer who suffers from bi-polar disorder. Series 1 sees her working with US prisoner of war Nicholas Brody, played by Damien Lewis. Things get very, very complicated between the two and later series sees things coming to a spectacular conclusion. We then take in CIA operations in Iran, Afganistan, Pakistan and Germany, all in the company of the slightly unhinged but brilliant Mathison.
Art is superbly woven into real life throughout and the latest series, just finished, shows a newly elected president in conflict with the US intelligence community. Look out for fake news, intrigue and suspense as well as the uncertainty caused by the election of a new president. Sound familiar……….? Homeland Series 1-5 available on Netflix, Series 6 on Amazon Video.
The Durrells: ITV and ITV Encore
Getting tired of espionage, blood and guts? Why not have a look at “The Durrells”? This ITV miniseries is based on naturalist Gerald Durrell’s autobiographical trilogy of books about his family’s four years on the island of Corfu.
The brilliant Keeley Hawes stars as Gerald’s mother Louisa. Series 1, set in 1935, starts with the family leaving behind their life in Bournemouth for a new beginning on Corfu. We follow the lives of each family member, in particular Gerald, and his growing fascination with wildlife.
You won’t see any tyre-screeching car chases or gun-toting gangsters killing people indiscriminately. “The Durrells” is delightfully gentle with a beautiful glimpse at a life away from it all a few short years before the outbreak of World War II. Milo Parker is brilliant as the young Gerald. Series 1 – ITV encore, Series 2 now showing on ITV1
Line of Duty: BBC iPlayer
No discussion about the joys of catch-up TV would be complete without the compelling BBC crime drama about the work of police anti-corruption unit AC-12. Series 4 has just ended with a breath-taking finale and we are told to expect another season next year.
The previous stories are not essential but they do give you a feel for the development of the characters and in particular the incredible twists and turns delivered by writer Jed Mercurio. Detective Sergeant Kate Fleming, played by Vicky McClure, is an undercover specialist and in Series 4 she tries to infiltrate an alleged corrupt team of detectives, led by Detective Chief Inspector Roz Huntley (Thandie Newton).
Line of Duty is captivating drama and if you haven’t already watched it, get it downloaded. Series 1-4 – BBC iplayer.
by Ian Hine
The post What’s On TV: 5 Shows to Binge Watch appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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