Binge Watching Television

By Laurie Lyda  Rowan Public Library

Hot summer weather offers the perfect excuse for binge-watching television, and I always enjoy queuing up a good series and working my way through, episode-by-episode. While my most recent binge was Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” I always circle back to British series, a staple in my viewing repository. Luckily, Rowan Public Library’s collection houses many of these titles, and the 10-dvd-checkout-limit per patron account, combined with the two-week checkout period, offers everyone a chance to catch up on some good television.

Based on Winston Graham’s novels, the series “Poldark” stars Aidan Turner (“Being Human,” “The Hobbit” trilogy). Turner’s Ross Poldark is a broody hero who returns home to Cornwall after serving in the American War of Independence. Believed dead by family and friends, his return is met with mixed reactions, and drama ensues as Poldark works to restore his father’s lands and his own reputation. The beautiful landscape accents the compelling performances and storylines, and I’ve been anxious for new episodes since finishing my season one binge.  With the news that season two is (finally!) filming and will air later this year, you’ve got just enough time to catch up on Poldark’s adventures-so-far. “Poldark” and Graham’s novels are part of RPL’s collection.

“Call The Midwife” is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a former nurse who worked in London’s East End after World War II. The series captures the changes wrought in daily lives and attitudes by technological and medical advances, as well as shifting cultural ideals and values. Jenny’s perspective anchors the first three seasons, and I worried that the departure of her character (played by Jessica Raine) would leave a gaping hole in the show’s tapestry. My worry was needless; season four brings the nuns and midwives of Nonnatus House into the 1960s and fleshes out the ensemble cast. Vanessa Redgrave, as an older Jenny, continues to provide voiceovers, which helps build continuity with the earlier, Jenny-focused seasons. Renewed for a sixth season, the show continues to be inspired by Worth’s writings. All five released seasons of “Call The Midwife” and Worth’s memoirs are part of RPL’s collection.

Martin Clunes stars in “Doc Martin” as Dr. Martin Ellingham, a famed vascular surgeon who develops a sudden onset of haemophobia, the fear of blood. Unable to perform surgery, he becomes general practitioner for the small village of Portwenn, where his aunt Joan (Stephanie Cole) lives. Ellingham is not, however, used to village life, and he has little patience for his patients and their quirks – though he learns to work on that. The cast of characters is quirky and memorable, and the picturesque backdrop of Port Isaac, Cornwall, lends itself well to the fictional Portwenn. The villagers accept their “Doc Martin” before he fully accepts them, and Clunes deftly portrays his character’s cantankerous-yet-often-sympathetic persona. The series is based, in part, upon “Doc Martin: The Movies,” though the series departs significantly from the films’ narrative. Recently renewed for an eighth and final season that will air in 2017, all seven released seasons of “Doc Martin,” as well as “Doc Martin: The Movies,” are part of RPL’s collection.

For those who enjoy well-crafted, suspenseful, and dark series, “The Fall,” starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan, is a must-see. Anderson’s Stella Gibson is sophistication and steel, while Dornan’s Paul Spector is chillingly compelling. Watching Gibson’s cat-and-mouse game with Paul Spector – or is it Spector’s game with Gibson? – is a macabre delight. The third and final season is currently filming, but you can watch the first two now. Both are part of RPL’s collection.

Fans of the classic whodunit with a British flair have several connected series to choose from. “Inspector Morse,” based on Colin Dexter’s series of detective novels, is a series of 33, two-hour episodes featuring Morse (John Thaw) and his partner, Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whately). Whately went on to star in “Inspector Lewis,” a series also comprised of 33 episodes. This time, Whately’s Lewis teams up with James Hathaway (Laurence Fox) to solve crime. In 2012, yet another series in this show universe was launched with “Endeavor,” a prequel to “Inspector Morse.” Starring Shaun Evans as Endeavor Morse, the show’s fourth season will air in 2017. Many seasons from all three shows and several of Dexter’s novels are available in RPL’s collection.