Pasckie Pascua's Nerdy Squirrel Reviews: TV Series.

“Down Cemetery Road” (Apple TV+) British television thriller series based on the novel of the same name by Mick Herron . A woman hires an investigator after an explosion and a girl goes missing on the same night in a quiet suburban neighborhood.         “Down Cemetery Road” is from the poem by Philip Larkin, “Toads Revisited.” The line: “Give me your hand, old toad; / Help me down Cemetery Road.” But nope, I still don't get its significance to the entire thriller drama. No matter, never mind.         Emma Thompson as bored private investigator Zoë Boehm, with spiky hair, and Ruth Wilson as “an inquisitive Nancy Drew wannabe by personal circumstance” Sarah Trafford, with her perennial nerdy/clueless look--are the life and spice of this series. Although the other characters are not in the stereotypical mode, kinda darky/funny actually in the nature of Mick Herron's creations. “Slough House” or TV's “Slow Horses,”...

“Murdaugh: Death in the Family” (Hulu) true crime drama , based on the “ Murdaugh Murders Podcast ” by Mandy Matney , who investigated and blogged about the unfolding case and was often the first to reveal new information.         This series, although the intermittent dim lighting distracted me, is an interesting watch. The case was a popular headline drama in 2021. A prominent South Carolina lawyer was the prime suspect in the murder of his wife and son.         Insistent questions crowd my head about the guy's perplexing behavior or how the media coverage (including Ms Matney's) reported the murders and how the police investigation unfolded. Maybe those are not brainers? Anyhow, this series navigated those plot points but I am still wanting, of course.        Never mind though. The life of this show is Jason Clarke's crafty performance.      ...

“One Hundred Years of Solitude” (Netflix) Season 1 or the. first 8 episodes. Colombian historical drama series based on Gabriel García Márquez 's 1967 novel of the same name . Tells the story of seven generations of the Buendía family in the town of Macondo .         It'd be hard or impossible to replicate Mr Garcia Marquez's monumental literary epic as a cinematic project. But this series, directed by Alex Garcia Lopez and Laura Mora from a team of scriptwriters, did an exemplary job of visualizing what we imagined as we immersed in Gabriel's entrancing narrative, punctuated by his genius use of magical realism.        I give special kudos to production designers Barbara Enriquez and Eugenio Caballero. Their craft is so intimately detailed and grandiosely picturesque, adding dramatic urgency to the story's panoramic reach. Indeed, magical!        And yes the outstanding perform...