10 DVD series you should watch.
Have you ever felt there is no TV show worth watching? Ads for TV shows seem to be blatantly plagiarising the list of acts of the sinful nature in Colossians. So one might wonder if there are any TV shows that are fit to watch.
Indeed many Christians choose to live without a TV, believing it is neither wise nor helpful to watch such shows.
Are there TV shows created for adults which don't glorify evil, or don't do it as blatantly as many at the moment do? Are there TV shows that aren't harmful to watch for education or just to help us escape and relax?
With the rise of the TV series available ad-free on DVD, there is a growing desire to find TV shows that are not force feeding the sinful nature. "Can anyone recommend a good DVD series to watch?' is often seen as a Facebook status or topic of conversation.
I have made an attempt to find 10 TV series to recommend. I settled on the following list because they do not glorify sinful acts. My criteria also omitted shows that were already well known or watched (eg Packed to the Rafters), not readily available in DVD stores (Press Gang, Frontline) or shows that were formulaic (Get Smart).
1. Pushing Daisies has not yet been screened on free-to-air TV in Australia. It centres on Ned, a 20-something piemaker, who has the ability to bring people back to life (including his childhood next door neighbour Charlotte). Those who he brings back to life he can't touch again or else they'll die and so Ned and Charlotte negotiate an amusing non-touch relationship. His gift makes him invaluable to Private Investigator Emerson Cod in solving each episode's mystery.
2. Agatha Christie's Poirot, consists of 12 series of both 50 minute and movie length episodes, filmed between 1989 and the present, most of which are expertly crafted with plenty of opportunities to spot the clues and solve the mystery. The highlight of the show is the expert portrayal of Belgian Detective Hercule Poirot and all his idiosyncrasies by English actor David Suchet.
3. Commander in Chief is interested less into the goings on in the west wing of the White House and more in the personal life of the first female president, Mackenzie Allen. This fact alone makes it a disappointment for West Wing fans, but most things generally are. The idolatry that is so prominent in West Wing (notice President Bartlett's first line in the series) is absent here.
4. Doc Martin is the colloquial name give to the efficient, professional Dr Martin Ellingham by the inhabitants of the inefficient, unprofessional English coastal fishing village of Portwenn. An irregular paced show, involving plenty of suspense, subtle humour and slightly annoying characters; it is the best of all the shows that sound like it.
5. Another virtually unheard of show is the SBS-screened, slow-moving, Corner Gas. The show is based on the intertwining of lives in a small Saskatchewan town with one gas station. There are many similarities in plotlines to Seinfeld but the absence of sit-com style filming and the absence of a laugh tract make it funnier. Sarcasm features heavily and it borders on treating others unkindly, but the sense of community is encouraging.
6. Before Smallville, there was Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Each episode is well crafted with suspense and the "will they won't they' tension between the Daily Planet reporters. This TV adaption of the comic book superhero brought Superman into the modern day where people question his motives, fear his power and plot to subdue him. The show doesn't appear to have an agenda, just delights in justice.
7. To latter generations, MacGyver is a show that Aunt Patty and Aunt Selma are obsessed with. But those older will remember the suspense as MacGyver would try to escape from impossible situations, break into secure buildings, save helpless people and generally trouble shoot, all with the aid of everyday objects. This show is good fun but comes close to becoming predictable at.
8. Enough Rope is not available in a season format as other shows are, but instead as a series of four DVDs each with multiple interviews with people with similar motivations. Contains well crafted interviews with ordinary people who've been in extraordinary situations. Denton's interview style is a treat in itself, but what comes out most is the interviewees motives and the graphic retelling of their own experiences.
9. Whether you're a car lover or not, Top Gear is watchable for it's entertaining hosts and weekly challenges. Whether the aim is to make a vehicle that travels on both land and sea, or to make it across a desert in a vehicle you get for free, the updates on the hosts progress make for entertaining television.
10. Finally, Arrested Development is just keeping its place on my list despite glorifying of the dysfunctional family, its idolatry of family and its making light of unhealthy relationships. The Bluth Family struggle to maintain their lifestyles when their father ends up in jail but the show humour comes from its clever coincidences.
Happy viewing
