May 27, 2024: The Crime Binge continues – 1 out of 5 ain’t bad!

Bodyguard (2018) 1 Season

Troubled war veteran turned Police Officer David Budd is assigned to the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Protection Branch.

My thoughts: Clearly one of those shows that was not well thought-out in the writers’ room.  Plot holes a’plenty!

2.5/5

Signora Volpe (2022 – ) 1 Season

Sylvia, a disillusioned British spy turned detective starts a new life in the beautiful heart of Italy. She soon finds out trouble follows her wherever she goes.

My thoughts: A little too staid, a little too silly.  Some of the plotting a little too dubious.

3/5

Criminal: France (2019) 1 Season

Secrets emerge and entire cases unravel inside a police interview room in Paris, where suspects and investigators face off in an intricate dance.

My thoughts: The French version of this interrogation room series suffers from the same problems as its U.K. counterpart – instead of building a case (and plot) against the suspect, key evidence is simply withheld until an opportune time later in the story, thus resulting in a very unsatisfying narrative.  Another miss.

3/5

Suriname/Narco Saints (2022)

The life-threatening journey of a civilian businessman who has no choice but to cooperate with the secret operation of the National Intelligence Service.

My thoughts: In an attempt to cash in on the Narcos craze, Netflix did this series the disservice of renaming it.  It’s too bad because fans of the Narcos franchise expecting a tie-in will be disappointed.  But anyone else going in with no preconceived notions will be treated to a terrific South Korean thriller that I, personally, enjoyed more than afore-mentioned Narcos.

4/5

Suburraeterna (2023 – ) 1 Season

While chaos rules over Rome, established alliances are at risk as tensions rise with emerging criminal clans. The world of “Suburra” takes a new turn.

My thoughts: Alas, the laws of diminishing returns were catching up with the original series in its final episode, and the decline continues in this spinoff series that proves just way too heavy on the melodrama.

3/5

 

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