I know that a lot of you, like me, are fairly avid watchers of British crime series such as Vera and Shetland. Both of these series are, of course, based on books and/or characters created by author Ann Cleeves who has also just recently had a new series called The Long Call make its US debut via the BritBox app.
I've come to realize that I watch the various series almost as much for the settings they depict as anything else, and that got me to playing around with my cellphone and TV long enough to capture a few stills from the series for myself:
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Vera Stanhope's fictional home in the middle of nowwhere
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| Vera and team at the home of a suspect |
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| Vera and Joe, mid-investigation |
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Joe and his wife (from Vera)
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| Jimmy Perez interview (Shetland) |
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| Kenny on his way to an interview |
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| Investigation Scene |
The images are clickable if you're interested in seeing a larger image.
Yeah the shots from these shows seem incredible ... evocative too. I guess we need to get to these British shows. Right now we're onto Vigil set on a submarine, ha.
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for series that I can "binge" at my own pace, but for some reason, it's mostly the British ones that grab my attention here lately. Vera is 11 seasons long now and Shetland is in season 6. There are usually 4-6 episodes per season, so it's not as time-consuming as it sounds.
DeleteI agree that the setting adds much of the charm to all of Cleeves' series, both the books and the television series. We are currently watching and enjoying the latest season of "Shetland." I did not realize there was a new series called "The Long Call." I enjoyed the book and we'll have to look for the series.
ReplyDeleteThe Long Call debuted on BritBox last month...only four episodes long. Now I wonder if it will continue as the book series continues - with a short new series every year. It was nicely done.
DeleteThe Shetland setting is my favourite, I have to say. We have the recent series recorded ready to watch in the new year when everything else we watch just disappears and we're usually scratching around for something to watch. It'll be a nice treat.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching the new Shetland series now, Cath, and it's excellent. Five episodes have now been aired by BritBox, so it's almost over. I find that whole Shetland background fascinating...and for some reason, I keep being surprised by the Scottish accents. That's probably because I wasn't absolutely sure where the islands are located for a long time.
DeleteI tried the shows, but they didn't quite match my concepts of the books so I didn't watch more than an episode of each. I do love the book series of both and of Cleeves' new one, too.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had that problem, probably because I was well into the TV series before I read any of the books (still haven't read one of the Shetland books). What hooked me was more the lead actors in both series; both of them are excellent...and that scenery - what a bonus that is.
DeleteWe didn't watch the newest one. I don't enjoy those sorts of religious connections.
ReplyDeleteI like Vera, and love Shetland. The cast is just so perfect. Perez is so kind.
I feel very drawn to Scotland - probably won't ever get there but do love seeing pictures.
And our sheep are Shetlands!
The Long Call has a different feel to it from Vera and Shetland, and I think the cultish religious connection is why that is. I've not warmed up to that series yet but still haven't read the second book. I'm hoping that now that the main characters roots have been fully exposed and explored the emphasis will turn to the setting and mysteries themselves.
DeleteFor a few decades, several branches of my family owned Shetland Sheepdogs. Wonderful animals...used to chuckle as they herded my children and then my grandchildren around the backyard if they got the chance.
I've long watched these series (and ones like Hamish Macbeth as much for the scenery as the stories. I could easily live in the UK for part of the year. I have to admit that, of Ann Cleeves' series, I'm most partial to Vera since I love Northumberland-- especially the area around Alnwick. I never get tired of seeing familiar places as I watch.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the Vera and Perez characters, Cathy. The way that Vera needles the others, especially Kenny, always makes me laugh, and Blethyn's facial expressions when she's doing it are always perfect. And Jimmy Perez is such a patient, soft spoken guy that he stands out among all the fictional detectives I've ever known of. Makes him unique.
DeleteNow, the new guy, Matthew Venn just doesn't hold a candle to Vera and Jimmy, at least so far, for me. He just seems too weak and conflicted all the time, rushing off to take care of personal problems that only inadvertently lead to him solving a crime, etc. I'm hoping all that's behind him with The Long Call, though, and that he becomes more a character I want to spend some time with than he is now based only on that first book in the series and the four-episode TV series made from it. Cleeves is really rather a brilliant writer.
Oh...and it's precisely the scenery in these series that got me curious about using my phone to take pictures off my TV this way. I often found myself freeze-framing the shows anyway so that I could get a better look at the setting.
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