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DVD Ten

I am not a television watcher, or a movie buff, but I do have a pretty large DVD collection. I like mostly SF and mysteries, and a lot of BBC productions of historical novels (I think I have every version of Jane Eyre ever made.) I put the DVDs on a personal player and listen to them with head phones.

There are a few series I never tire of watching, so here are:

Ten TV Series That I Watch Over and Over on DVD, and Why

Battlestar Galactica (the 2004 remake) -- Very realistic, terribly gritty and always melancholy, the modern remake of this old tv classic SF series has amazing actors, awesome special effects and some of the best world-building I've ever seen. I hate the ending, though.

Blindspot -- I'm watching Season Four this week, as it happens, and there's one more to go. The storyline is supremely convoluted, but Jaimie Alexander is superb in her role as a woman who wakes up covered in tattoos and has no idea who she is, or why she was dumped naked in Times Square. I also like the support cast a lot.

Dead Like Me -- This black comedy about a group of misfits who work as grim reapers after they die is definitely quirky, truly funny, very poignant and kind of mysterious. The brilliant cast includes Mandy Patinkin in one of the best roles I've ever seen him act.

Firefly -- Yep, I'm a Firefly fan. Mainly because of the lovely jobs Ron Glass, Gina Torres and Adam Baldwin did with their roles. A one-season SF western in space that fans still can't believe was cancelled (and neither can I.)

Haven -- A SF/crime drama based very loosely on Stephen King's The Colorado Kid, in which an FBI agent goes to a small town in Maine where the tight-lipped townspeople have supernatural abilities, many borrowed from Stephen King's books, and finds out she's part of their history. What to say about Haven . . . it's more complicated than it should have been, but very well done for what had to be a super low-budget production. I mostly like the slowly-developing romance between Agent Audrey Parker and local cop Nathan Wuornos.

Lost -- Another SF series, in which a plane crashes on a mysterious island where the survivors discover its secrets while we slowly learn theirs. Oh, if only I could rewrite this series, which suffers from confusing storylines, depressing themes, and badly planned, build-as-you-go world writing. It also taught me to hate flashbacks. But it offers a fascinating, compelling cast, a remarkable setting, and a core concept that is really cool. I hope never to meet the writers, because I'd slap them for the idiot way they ended it.

Medium -- I love this supernatural psychic drama, loosely based on the life of a genuine psychic, for the inventive storylines and the way the Dad and kids cope having a psychic mom. Patricia Arquette is amazing as the lead character. Also, I've had a thing for Jake Weber, the actor who plays her husband, ever since I first watched it.

Ripper Street -- a BBC historical crime drama set in Whitechapel immediately after the Jack the Ripper murders. Surprisingly authentic and absorbing. Matthew Macfayden and Jerome Flynn as cops are both fabulous.

The Blacklist -- Another crime drama. Ryan Eggold and James Spader are the two reasons I watch this one. Actually, James could probably recite his grocery list for ten seasons and I'd watch it.

The Expanse -- one of the best SF series I've ever watched, with a cast of nearly complete unknowns and a marvelous storyline. Don't waste your time reading the book, though.

What do you collect on DVD and watch over and over? Let me know in comments.

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Comments

nightsmusic said…
The only one I've watched is Ripper Street and I only got halfway through the first season. I don't remember why I quit watching it though.
April 7, 2020 at 6:53 AM
Maria Zannini said…
I loved Dead Like Me. It really appealed to my quirky side. Firefly is also a family favorite.

While the husband still watches Blacklist, I lost interest after the baby was born. It was almost a whole season of who has the baby now. I really hate Agent Keen. I know they write her in to flip flop between loving and hating her father, but it got old. But the first few years of Blacklist were great! James Spader is amazing.

I'm going to tell hubs we need to watch The Expanse as soon as we finish binging Dr Who.
April 7, 2020 at 7:44 AM
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