TOP OF THE LAKE and WALLANDER on Netflix

[YJ02]

So, just scrolling through I found these two BBC series/mini series

Top of the Lake was only 7 eps as it was designed. Reminded me of maybe how TWIN PEAKS could have been if someone else had made it (and had been less stoned when they did).

Good show though although it did make me "like" David Wenham a bit less. The lead character-a female detective, is played by an American actress doing a NZ/Aussie accent. I had no idea who she was and just took her for being a non-American. I guess her casting caused a bit of production trouble in Australia with ABC and funding (because she is American)-whatever.

Interesting too to see Lucy Lawless just play a minor bit part-guess she isn't much of a "star" in New Zealand ?

Now watching WALLANDER. Based on the novels of a Swedish detective. A good plot and production as you might expect from English TV. Each episode is actually a short film with some "carry over" of the back stories from ep to ep.

I always seem to find more entertainment value from these BBC/ just British or Australian/NZ productions. Guess they still care(?) about what they put up on TV.

Also, I always seem to find the best of these shows when I go to a show I already watched and hit the "more like this show" function button on my Roku. Don't know why they are so buried in the Netflix library.

 

[shavedape]

So does Top of the Lake wind up in 7 episodes or does it continue to another season? Just curious. I'm looking at adding stuff to my Netflix cue.

 

[EvilSpaceAlien]

Y'know, I never really did warm up the BBC version of Wallander. I still prefer the original films, however the BBC does get some props for not changing the location (hey, they actually filmed it on location) like so often happens when a non-British/US book/tv series gets adapted for local audiences.

 

[YJ02]

So does Top of the Lake wind up in 7 episodes or does it continue to another season? Just curious. I'm looking at adding stuff to my Netflix cue.

No it is a mini series 7 and done.

I suppose they could continue it, the main character and the eclectic bunch of pseudo lesbians-by-the-lake are still around.
--- merged: Jul 26, 2013 1:15 AM ---

Y'know, I never really did warm up the BBC version of Wallander. I still prefer the original films, however the BBC does get some props for not changing the location (hey, they actually filmed it on location) like so often happens when a non-British/US book/tv series gets adapted for local audiences.

I didn't even see the Swedish originals on Netflix. That doesn't mean they are not there. The GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO originals are on NETFLIX-again buried and not on any "suggestion" lists.

I found the originals of those far better then the English version (don't even know why they made it anyhow)

What are the original WALLANDER movies called? Maybe the are on N'flix by name(?)

 

[EvilSpaceAlien]

I didn't even see the Swedish originals on Netflix. That doesn't mean they are not there. The GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO originals are on NETFLIX-again buried and not on any "suggestion" lists.

I found the originals of those far better then the English version (don't even know why they made it anyhow)

What are the original WALLANDER movies called? Maybe the are on N'flix by name(?)

The original is called "Henning Mankell's Wallander" on Netflix, though they only seem to have the second season. Though there's no cliffhanger or anything so there shouldn't be any real issue with watching them.

 

[Overmind One]

Are any of these any good? I dunno, the titles of stuff has to catch me to make me want to find out about movies. The title "Wallander" or "Top of the Lake" sounds as boring as "A River Runs Through It" or "On Golden Pond". Anybody willing to give a brief synopsis?

 

[YJ02]

Are any of these any good? I dunno, the titles of stuff has to catch me to make me want to find out about movies. The title "Wallander" or "Top of the Lake" sounds as boring as "A River Runs Through It" or "On Golden Pond". Anyvody willing to give a brief synopsis?

It's just good TV simply put, like they used to make in America.

WALLANDER is about Swedish police detective Wallander. A cop in what I guess is a medium sized (?) Swedish city-no big metropolis but his jurisdiction includes rural areas as well.

It is just about his and his team investigating different types of murders, sometimes there are two seemingly unassociated deaths that end up being tied together.

It is not heavily leading either. That is, you can't really see the obvious who- dunnit by the end of Act 1.

Nothing is shown that is not necessary to the plot, so no pointless sex scenes that you may have grown used to by watching SGU and DEFIANCE.

TOP OF THE LAKE is a BBC/Australian/NZealand/Sundance channel co-op.
It is set in NZ in a rural small town with a local strong man/drug kingpin who seems to have single handedly populated half the town-well not that many but he has gotten around.

A 12 yr old girl-half white/half Thai is found attempting to drown (?) herself in a huge lake that is nearly ever present in the show. She is found to be about 7 months pregnant and she has no idea who the father is.

Key to this is that she is also a daughter of the local drug czar and he loves her dearly and is very protective of her.

Then we have a female cop-originally from town but now a cop in Australia-home visiting her sick mom. Since she is a child abuse specialist she is warranted by the local Police Chief to investigate the crime of the girl's impregnation.

There are several other important characters as well. David Wenham (Faramir in LOTR) is the town's police chief.

If you remember TWIN PEAKS, then you may get why I say the show is a little reminiscent of it though not whacked out like TP's was.

The most goofy thing going on is a group of NZ/Aussie/US "lonely" women with issues who have come to Laketop(the town) and moved onto the 'top of the lake' on a contested piece of property known as 'paradise'. The leader of this crazy bunch of women is a self appointed "specialist of nothing" guru played by Holly Hunter (as an American)

At first you think they play no role in the over all plot but they tie in.

Again, just a well made show that if an American mainstream channel tried to put on, they would totally f it up.

 

[YJ02]

The original is called "Henning Mankell's Wallander" on Netflix, though they only seem to have the second season. Though there's no cliffhanger or anything so there shouldn't be any real issue with watching them.

I did find those-I did a "Swedish tv police shows" and it came up.

By the dates though-there are eps the first from '10- they were made after the BBC WALLANDER, yes?

Or is it a typo?

I watched all of the BBC ones and IMO DOGS OF RIGA was the best one, though they were all good shows. IMO,not one of the eps was "bad" or "slow" or in any way "off" from the rest-of course it may be because of excellent source material, I have no idea how the novels are.

Any idea if BBC is coming out with more? They do seem to have a bit of lag between seasons with some shows. All of the WALLANDER eps were '08, '10 and '12-so any coming out in '14? Seems there is plenty more material, the Swedish versions all seem to be different from the BBC's as to plot.

See, that what we do not get here-and not for a very long time, a show where every ep you can call "good", know we have to put up with the crappy eps of even our favorite shows.

 

[EvilSpaceAlien]

I did find those-I did a "Swedish tv police shows" and it came up.

By the dates though-there are eps the first from '10- they were made after the BBC WALLANDER, yes?

Or is it a typo?

I watched all of the BBC ones and IMO DOGS OF RIGA was the best one, though they were all good shows. IMO,not one of the eps was "bad" or "slow" or in any way "off" from the rest-of course it may be because of excellent source material, I have no idea how the novels are.

Any idea if BBC is coming out with more? They do seem to have a bit of lag between seasons with some shows. All of the WALLANDER eps were '08, '10 and '12-so any coming out in '14? Seems there is plenty more material, the Swedish versions all seem to be different from the BBC's as to plot.

See, that what we do not get here-and not for a very long time, a show where every ep you can call "good", know we have to put up with the crappy eps of even our favorite shows.

No, Netflix doesn't have all of the Swedish Wallander movies. IIRC, they have the 13 eps from 09/10 which is the "second season" of the movies with Krister Henriksson playing Wallander, with the first season being from 2005/6 and the third coming this year. There were also some movies made during the early 90s with a different actor.

 

[Bluce Ree]

I WANT SOME DECENT SHIT ON NETFLIX!

 

[Gatefan1976]

Are any of these any good? I dunno, the titles of stuff has to catch me to make me want to find out about movies. The title "Wallander" or "Top of the Lake" sounds as boring as "A River Runs Through It" or "On Golden Pond". Anybody willing to give a brief synopsis?

Are you talking about shows, or the progression of a urinary tract infection???

 

[Overmind One]

Are you talking about shows, or the progression of a urinary tract infection???

Exactly!

 

[YJ02]

No, Netflix doesn't have all of the Swedish Wallander movies. IIRC, they have the 13 eps from 09/10 which is the "second season" of the movies with Krister Henriksson playing Wallander, with the first season being from 2005/6 and the third coming this year. There were also some movies made during the early 90s with a different actor.

Cool-are they all based on a specific novel or are they "freelanced?"

 

[EvilSpaceAlien]

Cool-are they all based on a specific novel or are they "freelanced?"

No, they're not based on any of the novels because they've all already been adapted for Swedish TV so instead they're original stories but Henning Mankell, the author of the novels, developing the plots and participating in the writing process for every episode.