But then ... I follow both Acorn TV and Britbox on Instagram, because we subscribe to both channels. I'll make a plug here, which I've made before, IF you are an Anglophile, and/or you like well-written television, you ought to subscribe. Their pages on Instagram had a lot about the upcoming season of MM - series 21! It has been on since 1997. I got caught up in the hoopla, and thought I would give it one more try. I still didn't care for the music in that first episode, but I continued on, and well, that was it. Love at third sight. I wish I could remember exactly when I started watching, but I know it was in the late fall. Over the holidays I usually watch quite a few Thanksgiving and Christmas movies. This year I watched two. Every other night I was in my comfy living room chair happily visiting Midsomer. Even when cast members changed, I still loved the show. I finished at 12:55 am on Friday, April 10.
Why do I love it so much? Well, the cast is a big part. Wonderful acting by everybody. A lot of famous actors show up, and many are my particular favorites: Phyllida Law, Edward Fox, Owen Teale, Toby Jones, Clare Holman, Tony Haygarth, Peter Egan, Joanna David, Anna Massey, on and on and on. You may read the entire show's cast here. So, that's one thing. Another is the Barnaby family, both the first and the second. The series begins with John Nettles, whom Tom and I first "met" long ago in A Family At War, as Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby. He is married to Joyce, and has a grown-up daughter named Cully, a name I've not heard before which I'm quite fond of. This cast was there from 1997-2011. Then it changes to Tom's cousin John, and his wife Sarah who have an unbelievably adorable dog named Sykes, and later a little girl named Betty, and later another dog named Paddy. The detective sergeants change in both shows, but I like them all.
Both families are happy and loving, and interesting in their own right. They are sometimes involved (not killing people!) in the crimes in one way or another, and sometimes they are just there for the Chief Inspectors to be with.
When I finished watching, I felt a bit lost. I had been involved with these people for so long. They were my evening company! I began following MM on Instagram, and suddenly they were asking people to list their top five episodes, and then they would calculate the top 50. I didn't get involved because except for that first episode that I ended up watching three times, I wasn't familiar enough with all the episodes to choose. A few days ago, the site began the countdown with number 50. I decided I would watch each one on the list! So far, Tom is watching with me, but who knows how long he will last? Even if he stops, I will happily go on, watching 50 episodes in a row! Oh, and by the way, I have come to love the music!
I am going to offer this for British Isles Friday which was yesterday, but better late than never.
I've only watched a couple and those were just too gruesome. Couldn't get husband interested either. Thought he would like it after watching Foyle's War, but no.
ReplyDeleteNew from here: we are moving to Lebanon NH in late July. Daughter lives just south of there in Cornish Flat. Need to get closer to family as the other daughter is now in Buffalo after being close by for many years.
I have watched a couple that were just too much! I just watched a little.I think they were ones about cults - never a fave subject with me. haha.
DeleteThat is exciting news!! So good to be as close to family as possible.
not familiar with this, but do write on instagram
ReplyDeletedo not like Facebook
I am only on igram
DeleteI don't know what it is about MM, but I cannot get into it. I do like the character John better than Tom, but still...After the - to me - spectacular Inspector Lewis, Poirot, and all the Miss Marples, it just didn't catch my imagination. Sometimes it just is like that.Just didn't resonate with me, although I would watch anything with any of the Fox family of actors in it.
ReplyDeleteI get it. Look how very long it took me! haha. Lewis is and will always be my very most favorite. I own the DVDs and have watched them many times. Midsomer isn't nearly the same. It is pretty much different from anything I've seen. I can't explain except I do like it. And oh, yes, to the Fox family! Laurence, of course, being my most favorite.
DeleteI've watched 3 episodes and I'm still not sure..the actors and sets are great but so far the plots vary...but I've only watched 3 and 2 were fine .. so I shall dip in again though.
ReplyDeleteGosh Anna Massey did a good job in the episode I saw.
Have you heard her in the Radio series Daunt and Dervish? WW2 setting and very good!
It took me a few episodes to love it. A few were too creepy for me, and I would fast forward. What a chicken I am! I am so fond of Anna Massey. And her brother. Do you remember the Morse episode about cricket - Deceived by Flight, one of my most faves - and Morse' old friend shows up, and then dies soon after. Daniel Massey was such a good actor in that role. I am quite interested in the Massey family. I have a book about a true-life murder of one of them in Canada in 1915.
DeleteI have not heard of the radio series. Will look it up.
for you rather then the blog you can listen to the radio series here
Deletehttps://archive.org/details/DauntDervish101
I've been a big MM fan for years! Unfortunately, on German TV the same episodes are repeated over and over again; sometimes I enjoy re-watching, sometimes I don't. When I'm in England, I love warching new episodes with my sister.
ReplyDeleteYou do know how the first Barnabys came to name their daughter Cully, right?
No, I do not know!!!
DeleteThe Barnabys were on holiday in France, and their baby was conceived in a town by the name Cully... (that is the explanation I have come across in various MM documentaries).
DeleteWe subscribe to Acorn and Britbox and are fans of MMurders. Vera is probably my favorite mystery but there are lots of good other ones, Foyle's War, for instance.
ReplyDeleteI recently watched Foyle's War all over again for the first time since it was originally on. Wonderful show. I am especially fond of the actress (or am I to say "actor" now) Ellie Haddington. She has done so much good work. I like her in The Cafe which is available on Amazon Prime, at least the first season. I do like Vera, but for some reason I don't understand, I don't ever watch episodes again, unlike say Lewis where I've seen some episodes 3 or 4 times!
DeleteSome friends of ours were looking to move to Radstock, an little town in Somerset in the Midsummer Murders area....but we warned them off, saying too many murders!!!!
ReplyDeleteNan, have you seen any Endeavour episodes yet? If not do watch out for them. They are my favourite of all, not least because there is a character called Fred Thursday, Endeavour Morse's superior officer who, during the course of each series, suffers badly because of family problems amongst others. He's played by Roger Adlam - lovely voice.
There's a funny part in one episode when Joyce wants to move to a village, and after much mayhem in that village, she tells Tom she never wants to move to one!
DeleteI have seen Endeavour, all but the latest which hasn't been available here yet. Great name, Thursday!
I've dipped in and out of the series for a few years but never got to the point where I considered myself to be a big fan. I'm not sure why that is other than the mysteries seemed to be a little less realistically portrayed than the crimes in some of the other British series, especially the more recent ones. I never got that feeling of "menace" to lock me in to the story. Of course, I haven't watched any of the ones from the last six or seven years, and that may not be the case at all right now. I did like the main characters a lot, and always thought the acting was exceptional even from the minor characters. Maybe they are just a little to "cozy" for me. I wish I knew.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean when you say " I wish I knew". I can't explain my liking of it! I feel that menace quite often, and there have been a couple shows I just couldn't watch.
DeleteI've watched this series for years and got completely caught up on it a few months ago. I liked it very much and also liked all the new cast members that came and went. I've not ever read any of the mystery series that it's based on. Suspect I wouldn't like how the characters would be described as they are usually different.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed! Pleases me no end that you watch, too! Ha!
DeleteI loved MM! I missed it so much when it was over. I loved the settings of course and I loved it that the actors weren’t all gorgeous and young with perfect teeth. Loved seeing so many actors before they were big successes. I just got through watching the Australian series A Place to Call Home. Enjoyed it a lot but am searching for a British series that I haven’t watched. I think I’m running out of new ones.
ReplyDeleteOf course you did! Doesn't surprise me a bit. I love so much the way the actors in British series aren't young and skinny and beautiful or older with "work" done. I don't think you see that in American tv though how would I know. I haven't watched any in years! But yes. Old people with real wrinkles and gray/white hair. Overweight women and men who still fall in love and are appealing to others. And just matter of factly. There is nothing made of it. Just so real. I know there are whole bunches of shows that are all about youth over there, but I am just so grateful they made shows about regular people you'd run into. I felt this way even as a kid watching British shows. They were always a mix of all ages, and looks, just like in real life.
DeleteThis is good news. I've made a couple of attempts at Midsomer Murders and haven't made it work for me. Now, I'll be open to trying again!
ReplyDeleteI'm always impressed that British series can run so long, even through changes in cast. I enjoyed, so far, 21 seasons of Silent Witness for that.
My husband and I have been fans of the series for years. We bought a set of the first 4 seasons on DVD and loved all of those so gradually got copies of all the seasons over the years. When we started they were not so easily available on streaming. I initially pooh-poohed the series because it continued with new episodes after the books (I had read all of the books in the series). But I am so grateful we finally watched it. We have watched all of the seasons twice, except the last two.
ReplyDeleteI do like all of the sergeants. The first one, Troy, and the one that lasted the longest, Ben Jones, are my favorites. And as you say, the guest stars are often very good too.
The books are good but they are different from the TV shows. Not drastically. I have reread some of those in the last few years.
I love Morse and of course Lewis as well, Inspector Lynley and the Australian vintage series Phyrnne Fisher (the flapper style and imagery is wonderful). Thanks for the tip re Britbox. I am going to check that out.
ReplyDelete