On social media I’ve seen several requests for recommendations about what to watch while we are all sheltering in place.
The answer depends on what interests you, but at our house we’ve taken a slightly different approach to selecting series to stream.
We’ve been trying to watch series from around the world. Since English is our primary language, we’ve been concentrating on televisions programs and movies from English speaking countries, but it can be fun to watch something and read the subtitles.
Here are some of our favorite finds complete with the country of origin:
“Packed to the Rafters” is an Australian drama with comedic undertones. It ran for 6 seasons from 2008 – 2013. It’s currently available on HULU. The show follows the lives of Dave and Julie Rafter (Erik Thomson and Rebecca Gibney) who get to be empty nesters for about a day before two of their kids move back home and Julie’s recently widowed dad comes to stay with them. The talented ensemble cast makes petty family squabbles and serious social issues come to life with equal precision. What I like most is Dave and Julie’s ability to treat their adult children as adults no matter how much they want to protect them. I have to admit I’m in love with their accents and I learned some great new slang words like wanker and bogan. Australians seem to eat a lot of toast; they like abbreviated words like brekkie (breakfast) and pressie (present) and they have the unique ability to make the word, “no” seem like it has about 8 o’s in it when they are trying to hide something. Plans were announced for a revival of the show in 2020 called “Back to the Rafters,” but after the wildfires and the COVID19 pandemic, I’m guessing it will be delayed.
“Winter” is an Australian detective thriller starring Rebecca Gibney who reprises her role as Detective Sergeant Eve Winter from the 2014 television movie, The Killing Field. The six part series is well acted and showcases Gibney’s range as an actress. It’s available on ACORN TV (which we access through Amazon Prime).
“My Life is Murder” is another Australian mystery thriller streaming on ACORN TV starring Lucy Lawless as Alexa Crowe a former police detective turned private investigator, her quirky band of friends, employees and an adorable cat named Captain Thunderbolt. The show is set in Melbourne. The show mixes comedic elements with dramatic situations and Crowe’s clever and snarky assistant Madison often steals the show.
My final Australian show is Ms. Fisher’s Modern Mysteries which is a sequel to the highly entertaining Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries based on the detective series by Kerry Greenwood about the adventures of Phryne Fisher. This is a new series (2019). It’s set in the 1960s and follows the adventures of Phryne Fisher’s long lost niece, Peregrine.
“Father Brown” is a British detective show starring Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter films) as the Roman Catholic priest who mixes parish duties with solving crimes. It’s based on the short stories by G.K. Chesterton. Apart from soap operas, Father Brown is the third-longest-running drama series on BBC TV. The villagers are quirky and entertaining and Father Brown is surrounded by an eclectic band of friends and parishioners. The series is set in the 1950s and 60s and it’s interesting to see the changes in a small English village during that time period. It’s funny, touching and sometimes sad, but always entertaining. Father Brown is available on Netflix and BritBox, but do not confuse it with an older series called Father Brown Mysteries.
“Grantchester” is a British series about the vicar of Grantchester, a small village in England. It’s a nice mixture of comedy and drama. The series begins in the early 1950s and progresses in time and changing social norms. The first vicar, Sidney (James Norton) is in love with his best friend who is determined to marry well to please her demanding father. Grantchester deals with issues of class structure, race and sexuality with a healthy dose of humor and compassion. It is available on Amazon Prime.
“Murdoch Mysteries” is a Canadian series based on the characters from the Detective Murdoch novels by Maureen Jennings. Yannick Bisson stars as Detective William Murdoch in this drama set in Toronto beginning in the late 19th century. Murdoch employs cutting edge investigative techniques to solve crimes. Historical figures such as Mark Twain and Teddy Roosevelt are featured in episodes and real life historical events mix with fictitious situations. The coroner is a woman in a time before women were allowed to vote. The characters are quirky yet capable. The first 10 seasons are available on HULU and the most recent seasons are available on ACORN TV.
“Corner Gas” is a Canadian comedy starring its creator, Brent Butt. It’s available for streaming on Amazon Prime. It’s set in the fictional town of Dog River in Saskatchewan and follows the misadventures of the townsfolk. Butt’s character owns the local gas station and has a crush on the owner of the diner next door who is a city girl fresh from Toronto. Add to that his wacky parents and dopey BFF, a wise-cracking employee and two well intentioned, but inept police officers and you have a recipe for disastrous fun.
