keithnovak Reviews

The Sandhamn Murders (2010– )

Swedish Soap.

[7/10 · 28 February 2024]

If you're looking for gripping Scandi Noir this isn't it ... it's lightweight but easy on the eye and once you accept that it's thoroughly enjoyable. Island hopping in your speed boat, standing at the wheel with your hair streaming out behind you (if you have it) seems to be one of the favoured ways to get around ... or maybe a bicycle in Nora's case as you head off for a clandestine meeting over a coffee in the village to discuss the latest crime, suspected crime ... whatever! It's all rather good fun and each hour and a half episode drifts by you in no time at all.

Nicolai Cleve Broch has been a worthy addition to the series and like Nora is quite vapid much of the time but very at home in their roles as are all the cast. :)

The Shift (2022– )

Not all Scandi TV is good!

[3/10 · 18 February 2024]

Being a big fan of The Killing and Sofie Gråbøl I decided to watch this when it became available on a local streaming service. From the first episode it seemed a bit ordinary but I saw it through and watched the final episode last night. It's cheesy, very cheesy and is little more that a soap and not really a great one at that.

Sofie Gråbøl has a definite presence but this role doesn't suit her at all in my opinion. The plot is shallow and predictable and some of the characters are not convincing at all and the acting in general is weak. The birthing sequences are fairly convincing but little else is!

Shetland: Episode #8.1 (2023) Season 8, Episode 1

Life without James Perez?

[7/10 · 19 November 2023]

If you had never seen seasons one to seven of Shetland you would watch this without any concept of just how much Douglas Henshall owned the series and the quizzical rather dour character of Jimmy Perez ... and you would think it was pretty good TV. As good as Tosh is though she is not Jimmy Perez. This has a rather lightweight feel to it without his presence and the ring in DI is just OK for me. I'll keep watching it though because I love the cinematography, the Scottish accents and Shetland, beautiful Shetland. The story line so far feels a bit disjointed but it's early days I guess and the visual treat that this show has always been is still there for me. I would doubt that they'll be pursuing another season though ... it's just not strong enough!

Line of Duty (2012–2021)

Someone has to say it.

[9/10 · 16 October 2023]

This is a great series and always has been and if you don't like it fine ... those of us that 'rate' it can live with that. Coming here to score a series 1 or 2/10 is perfectly reasonable if you can explain what it is you actually don't like about it but dismissing all the positive reviews because you personally don't like a series is immature and narcissistic. There seems to be more and more of these types of reviews appearing at IMDB and I don't know about others but I'm sick of them and really wish that these curmudgeons could find something better to do with their time than rubbish other people's opinions. Rant over!

Justified: City Primeval (2023)

Is bad Raylan Givens better than no Raylan Givens?

[3/10 · 4 August 2023]

That was the question I had to ask myself a couple of episodes into Primeval and to be honest I don't have the answer just yet. I watched episode #4 last night and it was an improvement but sadly that was mainly because the daughter wasn't in it. Maybe they thought there would be a natural chemistry there when they chose her but no there isn't ... she's just annoying!

One of the highlights of the original series for me was the character of Boyd Crowder played by the amazing Walton Goggins. What a villain ... cerebral, quirky, charismatic and everything a good villain should be ... the perfect counter to Raylan Givens. The current disaster in City Primeval has absolutely no charisma and is merely an unpleasant psychopath who likes to wander around in his y-fronts wearing a weird robe when he's not killing or torturing people. He's more repulsive than he is evil.

All this series is doing is detracting from the original in my opinion and Timothy Olyphant really shouldn't have bothered!

Breaking Bad (2008–2013)

Worth The Wait!

[10/10 · 24 July 2023]

I can't believe it's taken me so long to get around to watching Breaking Bad ... but somehow life got in the way. I did watch a few episodes of the first season when it came out but drifted away and never went back which I can say was my loss. In 2023 I have just binge watched the entire series and I can honestly say it's the best TV series I have ever seen ... without a doubt.

Just incredible from go to whoa with a cast of villains and heroes that leaves an impression on you that lasts forever. Just magnificent ... the plot, the acting, the cinematography. It just blew me away episode after episode and I think the ending in particular, the final episode, was the best wind up to a series I have experienced. Bravo!!!

Black Mirror: Metalhead (2017) Season 4, Episode 5

Much maligned and under rated episode.

[10/10 · 22 June 2023]

I wasn't quite sure what to expect but have come away thinking that this may just be the best episode of Black Mirror I have seen yet.

Artificial intelligence looms large in our lives currently and many experts are worried about the consequences of letting it get away from us. This is very tense drama from go to whoa and the minimalist cast that started as three and soon became one works well with the black and white bleakness. Maxine Peake is superb ... I first saw her in 'The Village' and she does a fantastic job here as woman fighting for her survival but ultimately doomed to fail.

I will watch this again without a doubt at some point because it really was that good!

Justified (2010–2015)

Can't believe I missed this fantastic series!

[10/10 · 11 February 2023]

I only discovered Justified a month or so ago and I have been binge watching it at any opportunity and am currently part way through season #6. I have enjoyed every second of this brilliant series and Olyphant and Goggins are as good a TV duo as it gets. Add Sam Elliot in season #6 as a villain and it hits another level ... just superb casting and the writing is sublime. I keep finding myself replaying scenes for the pure enjoyment of just how well the dialogue was written for this show and the casual ease in the way that the actors reel it off scene after scene. I can't wait for the sequel they intend releasing in mid 2023 ... bring it on because Raylan Givens is as engaging a character as I have ever seen in a TV series of this type.

The Handmaid's Tale (2017–2025)

I'm distressed ...

[10/10 · 16 August 2022]

... at the number of people who seem to come here mainly to complain about reviews that don't match their opinions! If you like it fine, if you don't like it that's ok too!

Aquarius (2015–2016)

Rollercoaster ride.

[9/10 · 4 August 2022]

I've just started season #2 and I'm hooked which I wasn't initially. I think I was a few episodes into season #1 before it clicked with me. Great series and Duchovny is terrific.

Endeavour (2012–2023)

TV as good as it gets in my opinion.

[10/10 · 3 April 2022]

I have never been a huge fan of Inspector Morse but I think it's largely to do with John Thaw ... there is something about him that doesn't sit correctly in that role for me but I can't explain why?

However, Sean Evans as the young Morse was an instant perfect fit for me and I believe that the first couple of seasons of Endeavour are as good as anything I have ever seen. The casting and the production are absolutely spot on and Sean Evans as the rather arrogant detective constable is simply superb. The role was made for that type of actor.

Troppo (2022– )

Just ordinary.

[5/10 · 21 March 2022]

Nothing special. After hearing a beat up about the series on the radio I decided to watch it but to be honest it's pretty flat. The lead characters are a bit clichéd and the dialogue is very forced at times. I'll see it through on i-view for the whodunnit factor but really, it doesn't justify the bandwidth!

Twin (2019)

If you were expecting more quality Nordic Noir you'll be disappointed.

[4/10 · 18 October 2021]

What you'll get is an overblown plot that really goes nowhere with OK acting and nice scenery. I fast forwarded through a lot of this series because I really wanted to see what happened in the end and guess what ... nothing happens. It just runs out of puff and leaves you thinking "WTF!"

The Team (2015–2018)

Season #1 was ok ... #2 not so much!

[7/10 · 16 October 2021]

Two episodes into season #2 I was fast forwarding constantly because I found it dragging horribly ... but was curious about the outcome. Sometimes it's hard to look away from a car crash as they say ...and season #2 was certainly that. Awfully cliched characters and some pretty hard to believe police procedural work.

State of Happiness (2018–2022)

Don't forget the excellent soundtrack!

[9/10 · 3 October 2021]

As someone else said "scandi without the noir!" I haven't finished it yet but at episode #5 I'm really enjoying this series and fail to understand the people who can dismiss it as a soap opera? Some beautiful locations, an interesting story and most of the cast members are very easy on the eye ... and of course they can all act! The female lead 'Anna' in particular is superb ... her character with her slight quirkiness and do all attitude. Just great.

DNA (I) (2019– )

All good but for one thing.

[8/10 · 25 September 2021]

Charlotte Rampling ... why her? Without her in this series I would have given it another star ... she irritates me and just seemed really out of place in her role.

The Lawyer (2018– )

Just OK

[6/10 · 15 September 2021]

I enjoyed it but did approach it with fairly low expectations having read the reviews of others. The weakest character in the series for me is Frank played by Alexander Karim ... I didn't think much of him in the Sandhamn Murders either, that actor deserves better roles ... but maybe he's just not up to it?

The plot jumps around all over the place and just drifts along at other times. That said it's still better than the majority of the pulp coming out of the US.

Bedrag (2016–2019)

Excellence again from the Danes.

[8/10 · 31 August 2021]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two seasons but season three is where I really sat up and paid attention. I love the characters in #3 ... Anna played by Maria Rich with her uncoordinated awkwardness in particular fascinates me as she slides comfortably into a life of crime away from her husband's stultifying presence.

Thank you Denmark for constantly restoring my faith in television drama! :)

Bäckström (2020– )

Entertaining series.

[8/10 · 14 August 2021]

If you don't like this you may be lacking a sense of humour ... Kjell Bergqvist is not only charismatic he's also pretty funny at times. I'm up to episode four and I'm thoroughly enjoying it but not taking it too seriously ... and I think that is the key!

The Sandhamn Murders: Blå lögner (Del 1) (2020) Season 7, Episode 1

Not worth the effort.

[2/10 · 31 July 2021]

It was never a great show but it had a certain appeal in a soapy sort of way and Thomas made it for me. His replacement doesn't cut it and Nora just seem irritating now. I think they should have left it at season 6 ... I won't be bothering with the rest of this season.

The Investigation (2020)

A slow burn!

[10/10 · 18 July 2021]

I can well appreciate that many people will find this series frustrating due to it's somewhat pedantic pace not to mention it's total fixation on procedural policing. Personally I found it totally absorbing and by the second half of the series I was completely locked into the team's obsession with locating the remains of the victim ... Kim Wall. All those relentless dive trips that kept failing to deliver until they discovered the key to finding the correct location based on the information they had received courtesy of the cadaver dogs brought in from Sweden. I found that fascinating.

The quality of the acting and directing convinces me that the Danes have something special going on when it comes to this type of drama. Just superb!

Borgen (2010–2022)

Best Political DramaI I've Seen.

[10/10 · 13 July 2021]

Being a huge fan of The Killing I expected big things from this series and it hasn't disappointed. Great plot lines, superb acting and very, very good casting. Really ... how do the Danes do it?

Mystery Road (2018– )

Close but no cigar!

[5/10 · 8 July 2021]

I liked the plot, location, characters etc but felt let down by far too much of the 'strong silent' thing being hammered constantly for the lead role. I'd also like to see him wearing a size larger shirt! Lol.