Wallander & Jane

It's not often that there's a TV programme that appeals such much that both David and I will make the effort to get in front of the set in time. Wallander is one such prog.

We started watching it last year when Kenneth Brannagh starred as the grumpy Kurt (as we both think he is a great actor)  and enjoyed the unfamilar setting and the engrossing storylines.

This year we have started watching original Swedish version with Krister Henrikkson being the workaholic copper, and we are hooked, and even enjoying the subtitles!
It takes us back to when we were young trendy "intellectuals" going to the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle to watch every French, German or Russian film that came along. We rarely watched anything in English and never anything mainstream ( we've never seen Titanic and we never will!).

The plots are always completely absorbing and we can never predict what is going to happen, unlike so many contemporary dramas which have fairly standard story arcs. The programmes last 90 mins and have no advert breaks which means a lot can happen in that time and the plot is very well developed with no plot holes.

We try to make time to watch The Mentalist too, but for completely different reasons- the story arc is very predictable, but Patrick Jane's one-liners are excellent, and make David roar with laughter, the cops look inept beside the stage psychic, and the plot is not really a who-dunnit, but how-will-Jane-undo-it.

It's difficult to imagine two more different cop shows, one thoughtful, one cheeky. But as David has never enjoyed CSI, New Tricks or Law and Order as much as I do then they must have something going for them!
I think Wallander has the edge though, it must be the subtitles!