Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Miniseries ~ A Slice of Heaven

One of my FAVORITE things in life is finding out about "new" old miniseries and TV shows ~ especially after the fact, when they've been out for awhile and I can watch the whole thing in one sitting! This is so much better because you don't have to wait around for the next episode, and you don't have to deal with commercials, and if you're like me, you can stay up 'til 3 in the morning because you simply cannot help yourself! ;) I've discovered lots of amazing TV shows after the fact: Arrested Development, Bones, The Office, and thanks to my BFF Netflix, you can just sit there and watch the whole darn thing! http://www.netflix.com Miniseries are a whole 'nother slice of heaven for me. One day in college, my roomie T and I sat at home over Spring Break in our PJs and watched "Pride and Prejudice" in its entirety. We may have even rewound it a few times at certain KEY parts... (if you've seen it, you KNOW what I'm talking about, ladies!!!) LOVE my Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy!!!
A year or two ago, the new "Emma" came out on PBS, with Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller. And while I still enjoy the Gwyneth Paltrow version, and Jeremy Northam makes a yummy Mr. Knightley, the new one was far and away my favorite! Romola perfectly captured the character of Emma, and was even a little aggravating, which I think was Emma to a "t."
Last year, I discovered the new gold standard for miniseries in "North and South." Now, this is the BBC version based on the book by Elizabeth Gaskell, not the Civil War one. I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how magnificent this miniseries is, or how much you will fall in love with Mr. Thornton, because OH MY. You will. Rather desperately
A few other favorites are "Daniel Deronda," also with Romola Garai, "Wives and Daughters," and let's not leave out "Sense and Sensibility" with Emma Thompson and the new "Northanger Abbey," as well as "Jane Eyre," of which there are several great options, and even a new, deliciously dark one set to come out this month! But a few weeks ago, my friend Beth told me to watch "Downton Abbey," a 7 part series by Masterpiece Theater about the wealthy class upstairs and the servant class below. It is too fabulous, and yes, I DID stay up until 3 in the morning watching the first 6 episodes! And the best part about this particular miniseries? It has a second part coming out next year!
You can watch this and most of the others on Netflix, so treat yourself ~ get your tea, your comfy quilt, and your favorite PJs, and get ready to fall in love. Oh yes, and to not be able to go to bed for awhile! What are some of your favorites??? I'm always looking for a new miniseries to love!