Category — Mystery/Suspense

My first episode of “Wire in the Blood” left me a bit confused since it started off in Luther, Texas. Definitely an unexpected locale, since it’s a UK crime drama. Most episodes follow psychologist Tony Hill and his work with the UK Bradfield CID.

From BBCAmerica.com:
“This season [season 5], the first time Wire in the Blood has ever been shot in America, a case takes Tony all the way to Austin, Texas. Robson Green says of the special season premiere, “Wire in the Blood has a loyal and growing audience in the States and we were delighted to have the opportunity to film this special episode in Texas. I was personally thrilled to be working in America for the first time - it was an opportunity for me to develop the character of Tony Hill in unfamiliar territory as he gets caught up with a prisoner on death row.”

Despite the experimental locale, I was immediately drawn into the show. The episode blended comedy with mystery-suspense quite easily. They had Tony complaining about the Texas heat one second and the next a rattlesnake mysteriously attacks him in his car! I didn’t know much about the show, so I literally just went with the flow. And by the end, I was captivated by the stylish cinematography and deft acting by all the players.

The rest of the season takes place in Bradfield, England where Tony helps DI Alex Fielding solve murders involving voodoo witchcraft, child abduction, and serial killers.

“Wire in the Blood” airs Sundays at 8pm EST on BBC America.

This sunday is Mother’s Day, so I feel I should spotlight some of my mom’s favorite tv shows.

Mystery/Suspense:
“In the Heat of the Night”
“Murder, She Wrote”
“Remington Steele” - got her seasons one and two for her birthday…
“Matlock” - no one can hate on the Griffith

Cop Shows:
“Walker, Texas Ranger” - Mom loved it before Conan made it “cool”
“Nash Bridges”
“JAG”
“Silk Stalkings”

The Soaps (every mom has “her show”):
“Knots Landing” - with Alec Baldwin! and William Devane!!

“Young and the Restless” - doesn’t everyone love this show, though?
“Days of Our Lives” - My mom finally learned how to dvr new episodes
“Another World”
“Falcon Crest”

Comedy:
“Martin”

“Living Single”
“The Cosby Show”
“Monk”
“A Different World”
“Empty Nest”
“Golden Girls”

But really, she’ll watch whatevers on USA and just leave it there. This sunday, I hope she gets the remote all to herself.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Before seeing Iron Man, the theater commercials were hyping the heck out of “The Andromeda Strain” tv mini-series, which premieres on A&E this Memorial Day.

My first thought was - is this remake really necessary?

Guess producers Ridley and Tony Scott thought that it was. The uber-special effects remake stars Benjamin Bratt, Andre Braugher, Eric McCormack, and Ricky (does he still go by Ricky?) Schroder.

The apocalyptic themes from Michael Crichton’s novel are certainly loud and clear on that trailer. It sounds like it’s next to impossible to find a cure with the melodramatic dialogue and music. I guess I’m intrigued enough to dvr it just to see what the so-called cure turns out to be.

Sad but true, I’ve been keeping up with “Moonlight”, a vampire detective show starring Alex O’Loughlin.

It’s not very good, actually some of the dialogue is down right terrible, but it’s a guilty pleasure that I can’t seem to shake. I’m not like those crazy fans giving blood or anything. I can relax and laugh at this show instead of how serious I need to be for “Lost”.

I’d mostly forgotten about it due to the strike gap, but yesterday, I noticed two episodes waiting for me on my Tivo DVR. As it turns out there’s only two more eps left to go. CBS has been quite mum on saying if it’ll be renewed. But hey, didn’t it win a People’s Choice award? That’s gotta count for something. Plus, Mick St. John is pretty easy on the eyes (despite his Criss Angel wardrobe), so I’m sure it’s doing well with the female demographic.

“Moonlight“, a thinly veiled “Angel” rip-off, airs Fridays at 9pm on CBS.

Am I getting old or are these Lifetime movies getting better? I typically only watch these tv movies when I’m extremely bored and want a laugh.

But recently, I got wrapped up in the “Capture of the Green River Killer” mini series with Tom Cavanagh. It was pretty riveting (and graphic!) compared to the usual lover scorned tv fare on LMN.

And then yesterday, I watched “Barbara Taylor Bradford’s A Secret Affair“. That’s like twice in a month that I’ve embraced Lifetime Movie Network programming! The flick from yesterday starred Janine Turner and some Irish bloke. They meet in Venice and fall in love (despite all odds and him being kidnapped by Yugoslavian terrorists?!).

It was based on a romance novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford (which the title won’t let you forget) , so it was pretty heavy with the cheese. At the end, they all think the Irish guy is dead but alas, he escaped his captors and magically ended up in Ireland unscathed.

My mom introduced me to “Murder, She Wrote” since it was one of her favorite shows. Between Jessica Fletcher and Matlock, I thought everyone on tv could solve mysteries! After perusing the dvd seasons, I discovered that the show was on the air for 12 seasons!

The show follows the adventures of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), mystery writer and world class gumshoe. Somehow each week, she winds up solving crimes faster than the local police department. Whether on vacation or in her home town of Cabot Cove, Ms. Fletcher stumbles upon a confounding crime that only she is clever enough to solve.

If you don’t have a dvd player and/or the box sets, you can easily catch “Murder, She Wrote” almost everyday on the Hallmark Channel.

I found this “Lost” widget today and thought I’d share. My Sawyer nickname is “Half-Pint”. I suppose it’s because I described myself as short, which isn’t very clever.  I guess they’re just trying to say Sawyer calls it like he sees it.

New episodes of “Lost” start up again on Thursday, April 24th, 10/9c.

Since I watch so much television, I usually save entire seasons on my DVR. Once the finale airs, I can finish the whole season in a straight shot or at my leisure.

This is the case for F/X’s “Damages”, and boy am I glad I did. The finale was a doozy with all that dramatic irony fueling the final reveals. Not to mention, it was alot easier to follow the double-crosses without having to wait a week in between episodes.

The show uses a flashback structure where it starts and ends each episode in the present, but shows the past in between to reveal a how the whole thing started. Each week you learn more about the events surrounding Ellen (Rose Byrne) and how she came to be charged with the murder of her fiance. Ellen works for Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), a top notch hold no prisoners litigator. The Hewes firm is trying a civil suit against Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) whose company fell apart due to financial fraud, sorta like Enron.

I’m telling you this show is intense! The acting is superb, I even like Rose Byrne despite hating her in anything else with her. After the finale, I was very afraid of Patty Hewes. She’s not a person you want to get mad.

Season 1 is out on DVD, so catch up before they start the second season.