It’s true, I’m as big a mark for the BBC as it comes.
My latest find has been Spooks or MI-5 as they’ve been attempting to market it in North America. Eight seasons in, it’s the story of a rotating group of spies for the British Secret Service and it’s ultimately one of the more riveting things out there.
Part of it is my appreciation for the moral grey area and the fact that the British viewership actually gets it. Perhaps the Dept. of Homeland Security would only allow a show like this to be made in the U.S if it was a comedy? Perhaps, the only things closest to it yet seem to be a new pilot vehicle for the chick that starred in Coyote Ugly.
They’re due for a tenth series in 2011, which makes me particularly happy seeing that PBS will only start broadcasting season eight in April. What this means is another 18 months of well acted, beautifully shot, grimmer than Newcastle in winter crime drama and that’s never a bad thing. The cast gets killed off with such regularity that adherence to one actor becomes hard, but it doesn’t matter because they’re all so good! Plus, the way the BBC shoots the majority of their shows, it feels unlike anything else out there. It’s a guaranteed must watch show and for something airing late Saturday nights right now, that just makes it that much more impressive.