A Touch of Frost, Inspector Morse, Inspector Lynley, Vera … Free to air TV (at least in Australia where I am) consistently cycles such British crime series as these on repeat. Are such series perennial favourites, and if they are, why? Is it the characters? Or is it the familiar comfort and repetitiveness of the storylines? Does the quality of the shows or the popularity of crime as a genre play a part? Maybe it’s a combination of the above—or maybe these series are not perennial favourites and are rather the entertainment of only the unadventurous, narrow-minded, or deprived.
Is what is sought/gained from the entertainment experience such series offer the same as or distinct from other forms of crime drama (less/more episodic examples, those produced around the world, shows offered on subscription streaming services etc.)? How does "quality" in terms of the writing and production of the shows compare? An investigation of these questions could potentially include books, noting that the examples above were originally based on book series.
This could be a massive topic, but it would be fun to see at least some of it explored …
Is "perennial favourite" a common expression in Australia or elsewhere? I wonder if its use, over "classic" or "timeless," may restrict the global audience to a specific view or local perspective, if that happens to be the case. – T. Palomino2 years ago