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(118,696 posts)BootinUp
(47,165 posts)pretty good yes. But for a weekly show I still keep my choice. Funny that both of the first 2 mentioned were made in the 70's.
every Sunday evening - 8:00 pm
easychoice
(1,043 posts)Angel Martin from the Rockford Files was a genuine treat though.
BootinUp
(47,165 posts)I'll try to check it out.
BootinUp
(47,165 posts)In a 4th season episode Rockford tells Gandy how... Angel tried to con him with a food wholesaling scheme, trapping pigeons in the park and selling them to Chinese restaurants, he just needed $25 for popcorn and wire.
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)But Rockford Files was a good one, too.
Auggie
(31,173 posts)BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)A smokin' hot jazz waltz composed by Lalo Schifrin, the same guy who did the theme for Mission Impossible.
Maybe we need another thread for our favorite ensemble thriller drama where the cast is a secret group of spies that organized revolutions in nebulous, unnamed South American countries where all the kingpins strangely speak English with really bad fake Spanish accents.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)There are a lot of good ones, going back to ones like Peter Gunn and 77 Sunset Strip. Mannix, Rockford, Colombo, Murder She Wrote, Magnum, and more.
Do you remember this? ...
Arkansas Granny
(31,519 posts)He was my first celebrity crush.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)We knew that building from driving past it in Hollywood, though it wasn't really #77. Kookie was quite a celeb at the time.
BootinUp
(47,165 posts)that are being mentioned. I never caught Peter Gunn or 77 Sunset Strip.
OriginalGeek
(12,132 posts)along with Ellery Queen, Monk, Kojak, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and if The Untouchables counts I loved that too
Initech
(100,081 posts)The only detective show that can pull off any number of episode styles ranging from horror movie to musical to election and all points in between. Loved the recent musical episode, and I generally don't like musicals.
avebury
(10,952 posts)found it too plain childish. The immature behavior of the lead actors just became to annoying after a while.
Lulu KC
(2,567 posts)loving it!
Phil1934
(49 posts)rurallib
(62,423 posts)and that was just as good.
idendoit
(505 posts)Just about every place she showed up, somebody died.
rurallib
(62,423 posts)On Sunday night we would get our two girls, the dog, some blankets and one whopping bowl of popped corn and settle in for a pleasant little murder.
After about 2 seasons we realized that being Jessica Fletcher's friend in the small town of Cabot Cove could be hazardous to your health. We were always surprised anyone would even look at her.
Kaleva
(36,312 posts)Kablooie
(18,634 posts)dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)archiemo
(492 posts)dipsydoodle
(42,239 posts)between Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller.
BootinUp
(47,165 posts)I also like The Mentalist.
TeamPooka
(24,229 posts)we have a TV station here in L.A. that runs them in daily or weekly reruns and I still watch them
Arkansas Granny
(31,519 posts)it's still good.
boston bean
(36,221 posts)discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,479 posts)ailsagirl
(22,897 posts)Believable characters and excellent writing!!
One critic called it an "Existential ballet"
Top-notch
discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,479 posts)He was our group operations officer. In civilian life he was a Philly detective. One afternoon, sitting in a diner with some friends, someone asked George what was the most realistic cop show on TV. I was thinking Baretta or Starsky and Hutch. Guess what George said?
BootinUp
(47,165 posts)Barney Miller was a comedy sit-com show! Lol.
discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,479 posts)ailsagirl
(22,897 posts)Not "Hill Street Blues," or "Streets of San Francisco," but "Barney Miller!!"
From Wikipedia:
Barney Miller retains a devoted following among real-life police officers, who appreciate the show's emphasis on dialog and believably quirky characters, and its low-key portrayal of cops going about their jobs. In an 2005 op-ed for the New York Times, real-life New York police detective Lucas Miller wrote:
"Real cops are not usually fans of cop shows. [...] Many police officers maintain that the most realistic police show in the history of television was the sitcom Barney Miller, [...] The action was mostly off screen, the squad room the only set, and the guys were a motley bunch of character actors who were in no danger of being picked for the N.Y.P.D. pin-up calendar. But they worked hard, made jokes, got hurt and answered to their straight-man commander. For real detectives, most of the action does happen off screen, and we spend a lot of time back in the squad room writing reports about it. Like Barney Miller's squad, we crack jokes at one another, at the cases that come in, and at the crazy suspect locked in the holding cell six feet from the new guy's desk. Life really is more like "Barney Miller" than "NYPD Blue," but our jokes aren't nearly as funny."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Miller
discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,479 posts)I can recall Fish talking to his wife and Harris talking about his book.
ailsagirl
(22,897 posts)And Dietrich, with his knowledge of everything.
And Wojo
Such a good show
I bought the collection
discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,479 posts)Dietrich: "Was that Mrs. Miller?"
Barney Miller: "Yeah."
Dietrich: "Past tense was unintentional."
I like the episode where a few detectives were locking someone in the cage as Fish emerged from the restroom. They were seriously disheveled and said they had chased him into the sewer. Fish commented that he may have been obstructing justice.
ailsagirl
(22,897 posts)Also the one where Wojo brought in hashish-laced brownies (unbeknownst to him) and all the guys had some except, of course, for Barney (who was wisely watching his waist line).
Or when Harris didn't don a uniform when it was mandatory he did-- he and Barney really got into it.
So many downright funny moments.
discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,479 posts)Captain Barney Miller: [to Harris, who is stoned on hashish brownies] I want you to go home until you feel better.
Detective Ron Harris: [grinning] Hey, I'll go home... but I ain't never gonna feel better!
Captain Barney Miller: And I don't want you driving a car; take the bus.
Detective Ron Harris: Okay... wait. If I can't drive a car... (laughing)
Detective Ron Harris: I better not try to drive a BUS!
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,479 posts)Make7
(8,543 posts)discntnt_irny_srcsm
(18,479 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)Angel used to make my skin crawl.
BootinUp
(47,165 posts)Maybe I will check it out. BBC eh?
Scuba
(53,475 posts)Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)Very worth catching.
Ian McShane (Deadwood) and Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey) are the main characters in this series about a slightly ne'er-do-well antique dealer.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)progressoid
(49,991 posts)Back when it still meant Arts and Entertainment.
mythology
(9,527 posts)But I also love Psych and loved Monk.
valerief
(53,235 posts)enjoying Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.
I'm straying a bit here, but the best "police" series is Reno: 911!
auntAgonist
(17,252 posts)Inspector Lynley Mysteries
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988820/
Agatha Christie's Poirot is unassuming and light entertainment.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094525/
Wallander is good too!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1178618/
valerief
(53,235 posts)BootinUp
(47,165 posts)the Sherlock show is.
Response to mythology (Reply #22)
BootinUp This message was self-deleted by its author.
uppityperson
(115,677 posts)Barack_America
(28,876 posts)Can. Not. Wait.
Shrek
(3,981 posts)pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)Just throwing that in in case anyone remembers.
Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)from the same era? Also starring Tim Considine?
HappyMe
(20,277 posts)I like Law & Order too.
mucifer
(23,550 posts)Those were pretty cute.
BootinUp
(47,165 posts)Art_from_Ark
(27,247 posts)Last edited Sun Jan 5, 2014, 04:51 AM - Edit history (1)
I would say that it probably doesn't count
ConcernedCanuk
(13,509 posts).
.
.
James Garner has been one of my favorite actors for decades, starting with Maverick.
I also liked Perry Mason & Ironside with Raymond Burr.
yeah, I ain't no spring chicken . . .
CC
NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)Monk?
LumosMaxima
(585 posts)LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)till they had Sharona move back to NJ and they got that other woman assistant. I kept watching but IMHO it was not a change for the better.
BootinUp
(47,165 posts)I still catch it every now and then.
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)TheMightyFavog
(13,770 posts)Brannagh is perfect for this role. And as a side benefit, if it weren't for this series, Tom Hiddleston might not have been tapped to play Loki.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,735 posts)I've become a huge fan of Scandinavian murder mysteries. They're very dark.
Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)It doesn't follow the books, but the character is truer to the character in the books.
Barack_America
(28,876 posts)WorseBeforeBetter
(11,441 posts)Many more.
KT2000
(20,584 posts)Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)The original series.
TexasBushwhacker
(20,202 posts)I even had that "chung chung" sound for a ring tone. BTW, they have started showing the original Law & Order on the Sundance Channel on weeknights. They started on Wednesday and they are showing them in order.
KT2000
(20,584 posts)now, I wish they would bring back Goren and Eames for some more of those complicated stories.
GoCubsGo
(32,086 posts)I love goofy characters, and that show is full of 'em.
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)The writing was wonderful (some of the best in the history of television). I loved the characters of Angel (Stuart Margolin) who Jim Rockford could always count on to be totally unreliable and Beth (Gretchen Corbett) who was always talked into doing freebies as Rockford's attorney.
BootinUp
(47,165 posts)the writing was just superb. So real life much of the time, with just the right amount of intrigue. Angel Martin is perhaps the funniest believable character I have seen. Beth Davenport, interesting, very pretty, not the strongest actress but held her own. The best guest actress ever on the show was probably Joyce Van Patten who played a woman obsessed with befriending police in the Season 3 -2 part episode To Protect and Serve.
ailsagirl
(22,897 posts)Peter Falk was a real character!
840high
(17,196 posts)PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Maybe not the BEST EVER, but certainly the best RECENTLY.
Really gritty and exotic.
yellowdogintexas
(22,264 posts)I am currently plowing through it on Netflix.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)I loved both seasons (but especially the 1st) of "The Killing".
It was cancelled, but I read somewhere that Netflix has picked it
up and was going to do another season.
They believe the pacing lends itself to their format.
Yay!
First Speaker
(4,858 posts)I love just about all detective series. Yes, Rockford and Columbo and Ellery Queen--and Suchet as Poirot--all were terrific. But there is only one Sherlock Holmes. And there is only one Jeremy Brett. This is probably the best piece of casting in TV history, and the scripts were superb--very faithful to Doyle, but modern, too. Just the best there ever was.
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)Last edited Sat Jan 4, 2014, 01:25 PM - Edit history (1)
I've downloaded all available episodes from youtube and watch them over and over. The acting in that series including that of Brett is superb, the writing is amazing, the cinematography is top notch, and the locations (old castles and estates and the English countryside or Victorian London cityscapes) are breathtaking. Each hour-long episode is of feature film quality. I'm a Sherlock Holmes nut and love the series. The consistent quality of each episode leaves me awestruck each time upon their conclusion and I can only utter "wow". Excellent choice!
Incitatus
(5,317 posts)Just kidding.
Monk and Law and Order.
Kingofalldems
(38,458 posts)Best ever.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)it would have to be Inspector Montalbano...
And the fact that he hasn't even gotten a mention must mean no one here has ever seen it....
Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)on streaming.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)BootinUp
(47,165 posts)ailsagirl
(22,897 posts)And his little grey cells...
Lars39
(26,109 posts)Barack_America
(28,876 posts)Other series are good, but nobody owns their character like Suchet owns Poirot. He has literally done them all (with the exception of one short story, I believe).
ailsagirl
(22,897 posts)I do like British mysteries, I confess. Another detective series I watch is "Inspector Morse." I find it most entertaining (plus, the scenery ain't bad, either!).
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)based on the famous books on Detective Maigret by Georges Simenon. The BBC also did a good job bringing the books to the TV screen with Michael Gambon in the title role as Inspector Maigret. The English-language series ran on PBS in the 1990s and you can find several episodes of both the French and British versions on youtube.
Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)A real favorite on MHz Worldview TV, although not currently being shown.
Lionel Mandrake
(4,076 posts)Raymond Burr was the perfect Perry Mason.
LA street maps show a Perry Mason Court and a Della Street.
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)The Perry Mason series was fantastic, even if the courtroom procedure was not very authentic. I have the complete set of the original TV series (all black and white until one of the very last episodes when they experimented in color.)
Them Los Angeles folks sure do blackmail each other a lot.
Lionel Mandrake
(4,076 posts)Perry Mason solved the mystery in most episodes of the TV show. At the end of a typical episode, Paul Drake says something like "But Perry, how did you know that ...", to which Perry replies something like: "It's simple, Paul. You will recall that ... ". This is a variation on a theme by Arthur Conan Doyle, whose main character often said "Elementary, my dear Watson".
My parents had collected most of Erle Stanley Gardner's novels, and I read them long before there was a TV version of Perry Mason. Since Gardner was a lawyer, he knew all about criminal procedure and wrote realistic dialog about it. The early episodes of the TV show were taken from the novels. I think for this reason that the courtroom procedure in the TV show was probably authentic. But I'm not a lawyer and can't vouch for it directly.
What was wildly improbable in the TV show was the confession that usually took place in the courtroom. This never happens in real life.
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)I'm not a lawyer either, but I think the objections and various maneuvers were mostly legit. What is not legit is the sequence of activities. Ham Burger would put on a devastating witness. and then Mason would immediately call another witness to blow the first one out of the water. Court doesn't work that way. The prosecution puts on a case and the defense can only cross-examine. Then after the prosecution is done, the defense calls their witnesses.
And also the timing of the cases and discovery are not legit at all. The show usually had the trial happening while the bodies were still warm, which never happens. And all that surprise evidence? Maybe you could get away with some of that back in the 1970s, but today everything is brought out in discovery before the trial begins.
But that would make for a horrible show. They mixed it up for dramatic effect, as they should.
Another bit I love is how in almost every episode, the real guilty party stands up screaming from the gallery, and then the judge lets Mason carry on peppering that person with questions even though they haven't been called to the stand. I bet most lawyers wish they could get away with some of those tricks.
hamsterjill
(15,222 posts)Loved Robert Urich, but loved even more the "Hawk" character played by Avery Brooks.
Hawk just kicked some serious ass when serious ass needed to be kicked!!!
eShirl
(18,494 posts)but only if they can get Brooks himself
MissMillie
(38,562 posts)j/k
I like all of the iterations of Law & Order
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)Both were very hard-hitting detective shows from the late 50s, early 60s. M Squad had a very gritty film noir quality to it starring Lee Marvin as Chicago police detective Frank Ballanger. The Naked City was largely shot on location in New York and featured great acting as well, often focusing on the social issues and motivations involved in crime. They were wonderful shows.
Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)I wish they would release The Defenders, the 1962 original, which dealt with controversial issues of the day, and featured stories in which the main characters, father and son lawyers, sometimes lost their cases.
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)like in the marvelous Defenders that you mention or Perry Mason, where the accused was unfairly charged. In later times, with shows like Law And Order, the prosecutors became the heroes and the defense attorneys were usually depicted as scum bags. I thought Law And Order was well made and I was a fan, but I recognized the systematic brainwashing. As a lawyer myself, I found prosecutors in real life to be among the most corrupt and deceitful individuals I have known.
Lydia Leftcoast
(48,217 posts)The noble prosecutors trying to send the serial killer to Death Row while the defense attorney tries to bargain down to one count of manslaughter. (I exaggerate, but yeah...)
They don't have double jeopardy in Japan, and it's possible for the same person to be tried repeatedly, because the prosecutors are CONVINCED that the person is guilty and can't get a tribunal of judges to agree (jury trials are a recent innovation there).
Logical
(22,457 posts)klook
(12,157 posts)Wonderful writing, great characters, flawless acting -- especially by Michael Kitchen as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle.
I love this series -- not only are the episodes gripping drama, but it's so interesting to get an idea of what life in Britain during WWII must have been like. There are 25 episodes available on streaming Netflix, and it's killing me to wait for the next season(s?) to show up on PBS.
Little Star
(17,055 posts)BootinUp
(47,165 posts)Tommy_Carcetti
(43,182 posts)I was going to say David Simon's other Baltimore creation, The Wire (from which I get my screen name), which derives itself from the same source material but is even better than Homicide (thanks to the lack of network censorship). But it's not solely a detective/police story, given that it focuses just as much--if not more--on the non-police characters.
So I'll say Homicide, since that was pretty top notch in terms of network television police series. It was the original home of Richard Beltzer's Detective Munch character, and sadly after Munch's move to the laughably bad Law and Order: SVU series, his character was nowhere near as well-developed or well-written.
Brigid
(17,621 posts)I loved that show.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)frogmarch
(12,154 posts)is my favorite. It's set in Toronto, Canada in the early 1900s.
I get it on Saturdays on Ovation TV.
Still Blue in PDX
(1,999 posts)I told a friend about the show. She told me about The Artful Detective.
It was quite a kick when I realized we were talking about the same show.