There are certain (video) stories that are so good, I just gotta share. And this page is called “Viewing” not “TV” because most people associate that with cable and we cut the cord years ago. We stream absolutely everything now, so anything I write about here, we stream. That doesn’t mean it’s not available on cable; I just don’t know.
Anyway! Most of what I’ll share here are series, not movies, as I tend to enjoy the longer form stories more than the two hour kind. Most of these are 6-10 (average) episodes centering on one storyline per season. A good portion of them are foreign t.v., as it happens, so as long as you don’t mind British accents or even subtitles, you may enjoy them too! There are plenty that are American, to be sure, but my absolute favorites tend to be foreign. They also tend to be noir. So if you like a good murder mystery, with atmosphere and really good plotting, we’ll get along just fine! I’ll update this post as I find new things that merit a place on this page, so check back every now and then, if you are so inclined.
Unforgotten (6 seasons of 6 episodes each) is British and without a doubt, one of the best scripted, and acted shows, I have ever seen EVER. You know how people said The Sopranos was one of the best scripted and acted shows ever? It was basically a universal acclaim. Well, this is better. And I loved The Sopranos and agreed with the acclaim. It centers on a male/female British police team who investigate historical murders. So the crime itself can go back decades, and it involves a lot of interesting investigation and character development and most importantly, plotting. I’ve never seen such intricate plotting! “Intricate” is not a synonym for frustrating, though. It’s well plotted, not plotted in such a way that you are lost, if you know what I mean!
My husband, who can normally tell you whodunit within the first five minutes (seconds!) did not see “it” coming throughout every season of Unforgotten, so that’s a tell, to me at least! It’s available on Amazon Prime and on PBS. It’s about a 7 years old now, but there’s a new season, Season 6, coming in August of 2025.
Amazon’s description of Season 1:
“When a prominent French politician is found dead on the border between the UK and France, detectives Karl Roebuck (Stephen Dillane) and Elise Wassermann (Clemence Poesy) are sent to investigate on behalf of their respective countries. The case takes a surreal turn when a shocking discovery is made at the crime scene, forcing the French and British police into an uneasy partnership.”
This 3 season series (Season 1 is 10 episodes. Season 2 is 8 episodes. Season 3 is 6 episodes.) is about half English (Dillane) and half French (Poesy). The subtitles, of course, get you through it. Karl is a flawed husband, and Elise’s social skills are stilted at best. 🙂 She can be very funny without meaning to be, and Karl has a way of animating her that is fun to watch. They end up working really well together but it’s not without a lot of trying, especially in the beginning. The cases they work on are also fascinating, full of twists and turns and the villains can be very dark indeed. All in all, a very creative noir series with very memorable characters.
It is — or has been — available on Amazon, on AppleTV, and PBS.
“Klem” or “The Blood Pact“
The Blood Pact is 4 seasons (10 episodes each, except for the 4th and final which is only 3) in 100% Norwegian and used to be available on PBS and on Amazon Prime but no longer, which is a real shame. I haven’t been able to find anyplace that has it anymore. Ugh. It’s a kind of Norwegian “Breaking Bad.” If you don’t mind subtitles, it’s a very entertaining watch! Presuming, of course, it shows up again somewhere!
Here’s the description from Amazon:
“Widower Hugo is struggling to balance his work and home life. His life is about to get much more complicated when his 8-year-old befriends the daughter of a prolific ex-criminal. From Walter Presents, in Dutch* with English subtitles.”
(*Norway is not Dutch. It’s a common mistake.)
Here’s the IMDB link.
I just watched this recently; it’s new, so I thought I’d include it. It’s noir-ish. Mostly just easy to watch, easy plot to follow, nothing brain-bending. Just a fun watch. The wealth… omg. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a Manhattan hedgefunder, here you go. My God. Conspicuous consumption doesn’t even begin to cover it!
Pretty sure it’s just an AppleTV thing. You can find it here.
The Better Sister, like all the shows I will post here, passes the iPhone test. What’s the iPhone test? I bet you can guess: not once did I pick up my iPhone during it. Not once! It had me hooked minute to minute the whole way. It was recommended to me by my son-in-law’s aunt. Why mention that Annie? Well, because I just wanted an excuse to write that it was recommended to me by my son-in-law’s aunt; it sounds really obtuse and I love obtuse. I also really love my son-in-law’s aunt. She’s a neat lady!
It’s an 8 episode Amazon series and here’s how they describe it:
“Chloe moves in New York’s most elite circles with her lawyer husband Adam and teenage son Ethan by her side while her estranged sister Nicky tries to make ends meet and stay clean. When Adam is brutally murdered, the investigation sends shockwaves through the family and exposes long-buried secrets.”
It’s noir. It even manages to be funny at times. It’s incredibly well-acted. There’ are some scenes between the sisters when you felt uncomfortable it was seemingly so wrenching and real. They did a really great job with it. I hope there’s a season two.
You can find it here.
Holy cow what a ride! “The Waterfront” is one season of eight episodes on Netflix. It’s about a family (ostensibly) in the fishing/restaurant business on the coast of North Carolina. This is not your ordinary family, to say the least. They get into all kinds of trouble, good grief! I don’t want to give anything away, just watch the little snippet below if you are so inclined and maybe give it a try, but Mike and I absolutely loved it and can’t wait for what we sincerely hope will be a season two!