Ever wondered what to do on a lazy Sunday or a holiday? All you want to do is just sleep around and wait for the day to pass? Look no further because we at Read Scoops bring you two of the best TV series to binge-watch. Trust me, the moment you watch the first episode, you won’t stop until all seasons are over!
Mad Dogs (UK TV Series, 2011-2013)
Mad Dogs is a British psychological thriller with a little dash of humor. Written and created by Cris Cole, it consists of 4 seasons with a total of 14 episodes. With a running time of approximately 10 hours and 30 minutes, it’s one of my personal favorite TV series.
John Simm as Baxter, Marc Warren as Rick , Max Beesley as Woody, Philip Glenister as Quinn star as four long time and middle aged friends who are invited at a villa in Majorca to celebrate the early retirement of another long time friend Alvo played by Ben Chaplin.
The pilot episode focuses on the strained relationship between the friends with everyone taking a swipe at each other. With Alvo’s behavior becoming rather erratic and by the wealth that he has accumulated the group presumes that he’s onto some illicit and shady business. The climax of the pilot will shock you beyond doubt and thus setting the tone for the entire series.
The series revolve around the four friends who are holidaying in Majorca but as the time passes, their holiday turns into a nightmare of lie, corruption, deception and murder.
Philip Glenister elaborated, saying it is not about “a group of blokes hitting their 40s and having a jolly-up, that would have been boring”, but is “an undercurrent of something a bit darker”, and “about reaching a stage in life, looking at what you’ve achieved and where you go next, it’s about how normal people deal with a certain situation and how they can implode”
With every episode the group is faced with new situations and you just wish “If only they hadn’t done that”. You begin to sympathize with them, there are some fine dialogues exchanged by the group throughout the series. With each character contemplating their lives, wondering what a disappointment they have been, their dreams, their hopes just washed away. The off-screen chemistry between the four actors plays a pivotal role in making the series so effective and engaging.
Mad Dogs is a treat to watch, you will fall in love with the characters and their journey till the end. It also has a great soundtrack, I discovered one of my favorite songs from the season one finale ‘Run‘ by Snow Patrol. It adds a perfect soul to the finale.
Here’s the official trailer.
Fargo (US TV Series, 2014-Present)
Fargo is an American black comedy-crime drama anthology series created and written by Noah Howley. The first season has a run time of around 10 hours and is the best of the series.
In the pilot, a mysterious man hits a deer with his car, his car trunk opens, a man wearing boxers comes out of it and runs into the forest. What happens next is a series of murders which are all linked to that stranger known as Lorne Malvo played by Billy Bob Thornton.
Martin Freeman plays Nester Lygaard who’s an insurance salesman. His wife hates him, he is low on self confidence and after an encounter with his old school bully he ends up meeting Malvo at the hospital. This meeting sets the tone for the murder spree. Colin Hanks as Officer Gus Grimly and Allison Tolman as Deputy Molly Solverson deliver some excellent performances.
Lester’s character development throughout the season is intense to be honest. Martin Freeman certainly looks like an A-lister by now. Billy Thornton has delivered one of his best performances in years. Every time he is on screen – it’s a pleasure, his dialog delivery, the way he intimidates people, it’s just a top notch performance. The season gets better with each episode.
Noah Howley pays the perfect tribute to the 1996 film Fargo written and directed by the Coen brothers.
This is a real nail biter series and at the end of it you will surely think about the human nature and the way it manipulates your mind and body. This is black comedy-crime at its best. Enjoy the thrilling ride!
Here’s the official trailer.
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