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Parks and Recreation - A Retrospective

6/11/2015

by Cookie N Screen

I’ve never been the biggest fan of The Office, both UK and US versions. It’s not that I hated it completely but I could never really get into it. Perhaps it was the characters or perhaps it was the set up. See I could never completely grasp the idea that a film crew, unseen, is following some lowly office workers around and they are interviewed after a certain event happens. It seems like a cheap trick. But while I couldn’t wrap my head around The Office, I most certainly dived head first into Parks and Recreation without a second thought. Why? Because of Leslie Knope and her collection of incredible characters who lifted this show into exceedingly good comedy.

Spooks - A Retrospective

5/8/2015

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by Cookie N Screen

Growing up in a British household during the nineties and early noughties means gathering around the television and watching some right proper English television shows. From The Bill to Casualty, Heartbeat to Bad Girls, the family used to gather around and watch some of the greatest shows, revelling in the spectacular action, heartfelt emotion and drama. Oh, so much drama. On the epic list of incredible series that we’d gather round as a family, enjoying the high octane thrills and chills, then 2002's Spooks (which premieres on May 13th) was definitely one of the best. As Spooks: The Greater Good lands in cinemas today, starring Kit Harrington, let’s visit the phenomenal television series.

Sky One's Discworld Adaptations: A Retrospective

3/16/2015

by Helen Langdon

The Discworld novels are beloved. And there’s only one way to please everyone when adapting a beloved series – don’t do it. That’s why it wasn’t until 2006, 23 years after The Colour of Magic was first published, for Sky One to start producing live-action adaptations of life on the Great Turtle’s back.

Star Trek: The Original Series - A Retrospective

3/8/2015

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by Helen Langdon

“Space – the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise...”

Back in 1966, one man had a dream. A dream that would go on to become one of the most iconic sci-fi worlds ever. Exploring the galaxy and beyond, peaceful explorers would be able to tell allegorical stories about contemporary American politics. Gene Roddenberry’s original vision changed the world in multiple ways, from inspiring real-world inventions to creating tropes used across fiction today, and not just in science fiction. In the 49 years since Star Trek first aired, our screens have been treated to five live-action TV shows, one animated series, and twelve films (soon to be thirteen), but exactly where did it all start?

House of Cards (UK) - A Retrospective

3/1/2015

by Helen Langdon

Politics is one of those subjects that programme-makers and audiences can’t get enough of, no matter what the country. Whether it’s American politics, with shows like The West Wing and Parks and Recreation tackling politics at every level, Borgen predicting the election of the first Danish female Prime Minister, or The Thick of It managing to pre-empt British political stories by mere days, tales of those in charge are irresistible. We want to imagine what goes on behind the scenes in the corridors of power.

Sometimes, what we get isn’t as reassuring as we might hope.

The Office (US) - A Retrospective

2/21/2015

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by Jack Edwards

The Office (U.S.) as everyone knows was developed for American television after the monumental success of the original English version. It started in 2005 with a six part season that heavily followed the first series of the original; and it was not an easy start. The close resemblances to the original episodes inevitably lead to direct comparisons between characters, actors, and the interpretation of the original dialogue. This made many memorable scenes from the original unbearably clunky and awkward as these direct comparisons left the US version lacking a certain something; a certain Englishness and originality.

Pushing Daisies - A Retrospective

11/20/2014

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by Catherine Wignall

From the mind of Bryan Fuller (responsible for shows such as Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me, and NBC’s Hannibal) Pushing Daisies was a forensic fairy tale for the ages, cruelly cancelled after two seasons on ABC, despite seventeen Primetime Emmy nominations, seven wins, and a massive audience of diehard cult fans.

Spartacus - A Retrospective

11/7/2014

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by Hayley Charlesworth

Far more gruesome than Game of Thrones, and with even more explicit set, Spartacus burst onto screens in 2010, demanding to be noticed and taking more than a little inspiration from the hyper-real violence of 300. But it’s so much more than the slow-motion beheadings and all the boobs. Behind these superficial pleasures is an incredibly intelligent script, a wonderful cast, and a story that can still shock even though it’s so well known. With the whole thing now available on Sky+, maybe it’s about time you gave Spartacus a shot.

Luther - A Retrospective

10/3/2014

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by Melissa Haggar

Gritty and highly intelligent, Luther was a true gem amongst the stones of television shows. The British TV series crept onto screens in 2010 and was broadcast on BBC One. Like many BBC shows, Luther had relatively few episodes (six in Series One, and four in Series Two and Three), but every episode was packed full of quality; at every corner there was a different twist or turn, a new, exciting character was introduced or re-appeared and there was never a dull moment throughout the three series. Luther is perhaps one of those shows where you are truly sad that it was so short-lived, as it had so much potential to be even better and long-lasting, but considering how long production took for the episodes (there was a two year gap between series two and three) it almost seemed inevitable that it would come to a close.

Friends - A Retrospective

9/22/2014

by Cookie N Screen

So no one told you life was going to be this way. That your life was going to always have constant involuntary clapping whenever the Rembrandts was on. That ever since a rain soaked bride-to-be rushed, panicked into a coffee shop, we'd get six friends in a relationship now spanning two decades. That every day at least one line of their repertoire will be uttered from your lips. That every funny moment in your life must be followed by "like that moment in Friends." It's been 20 years and everyone has been touched by the comical lives of Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey. Ingenious, hilarious and touchingly human, the lives of New Yorks most famous six became a household name for everyone.

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