In Pandemic Time, what I am calling Now Times, I am taking advantage of additional TV time. I love British crime shows, and when I discovered that Acorn TV was offering a 30 day free policy, I was thrilled to take advantage of it.
It will cost me money if I choose to continue, and frankly, I haven’t made up my mind about that yet. I’ve surprised myself. I adore television, and I figured, since reading has become difficult for me, that I would be spending much more time watching TV. I haven’t. I do about 2-3 hours a day, and some days don’t watch any at all. I mention this because I’ve watched far less than I expected to.
This month, I have only watched Acorn so as to take full advantage.
Here is my list of favorite programs in order of delight.
- No Offence
- The Blue Rose
- Pie in the Sky
- Newton’s Law
- Agatha Raisin
Unfinished shows that are worth a look:
- Above Suspicion
- Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime
For the first five, I watched the entire series for each.
No Offence is one of the best police procedurals I’ve ever seen. I love it! It is female-centric. It, unlike so many other police procedurals, truly shows the different ranks of cops and how they work together. (Definitely fantasy, but still). This is not a show that suggests people in the lower ranks are not as vital as those in the highest. The show is crafty and sneaky and clever. I did predict some things—I am good at this. But I was also taken by surprise, several times. Just read there will be a fourth series. Yay!
I am surprised I placed The Blue Rose so high on the list. I actually think it is in a tie with Pie in the Sky, but I might rank it slightly above. Anyway, it has a terrific premise. Workers (and a couple of outsiders who are connected) at a law firm come together to prove that the death of a fellow worker was murder. The entire series is these people working together to gather information. You will be guessing throughout. Terrific character development. Some wonderful humor. Lots of conflict. Very twisty. Blue Rose is from New Zealand and only one series.
Pie in the Sky is traditional/cozy mixed with some police procedural. Our protag is an inspector who opens a restaurant and for reasons has to continue to be a cop occasionally. The cop aspects often made me upset (you’ll see why), but the mystery part is often quite good. My favorite scenes though, and this surprised me, take place in the restaurant. Our protagonist is a true gourmand and wonderful cook. I also greatly enjoyed his relationship with his wife. Some really good political commentary, and its concern about issues of race and other things makes me even more confused about Midsommer Murders and its white as snow cast that lasted for the first several years. Pie in the Sky is a 90s show.
Newton’s Law follows closely on Pie in the Sky. It is from Australia and takes place in a law firm. Newton is a woman who runs rings around her colleagues. Wonderful multi-ethnic cast, and wow, some good political moments throughout. This is a comedy-drama leaning on comedy. It is a newish show and only has one series, and sadly, was canceled.
Agatha Raisin is based on the book series by M. C. Beaton. My favorite series by Beaton is her Hamish MacBeth one (I’m speaking books, not TV. There is a television series based on Hamish, and I couldn’t get through the first episode.) Anyway, It took me awhile to appreciate the Agatha Raisin book series, but I came to love them. The TV series leaves me uncertain. Aspects of it are terrific, but in other ways, it doesn’t work for me. I have watched all 3 of the series, and I’ll probably watch more, but it doesn’t fill me with delight. And I think I preferred the first series, and series 2 and 3 have completely changed the writers etc, so hmph. But, I am glad I saw it. These are comedy/drama leaning on comedy. Cozyish/traditional.
Unfinished Shows:
Above Suspicion was a really good show, but the first episode bugged me, and I am nervous to start the second. It is a feminist thing—and depending on the direction the second episode takes, I’ll either love it or hate it, and I in the sort of mood that I’d rather not be even more pissed off then I am already. I think it is worth giving the second episode a look, so if I end up loving this show, I will let you know. I can tell you it is leaning hard boiled/police procedural, with one male and one female as leads. He’s her boss and very much a jerk. (Perhaps you can understand what my problem might be.) Anyway.
Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime is also quite good. I love Christie, but I have a problem with historical shows. It’s me. And sometimes I’m fine with them (I adore David Suchet’s Poirot, for example) but I don’t know, sometimes I’m not. The first episode of PiC was fine, but aspects just bugged me and I never finished it. Again, I know myself well enough to believe that many people would be delighted in this series, and I might even come back to it. Too much else to see on TV so I’m letting it go for now.
If you would like to check out Acorn TV and get 30 days free:
You can also get free access to Acorn TV at Cuyahoga County Public Library (scroll down to “Hoopla”) and several other library systems as well.
Do you have a favorite show on Acorn? Please share! And also, let me know if you think this is now a service I should pay for. I believe the cost is $5.99 a month. If you have it and use it, I would love to hear.