KIMMER'S TOP 5 TV SERIES FOR ESCAPING THE PANDEMIC!

During this hideous COVID 19 Pandemic the best thing for me is having all the time in the world to stream all my favorite tv series over and over! So in no particular order, here are my top 5. I seem to be escaping into Britain. They take me away...

THE CROWN ( Netflix)

The Crown is a historical drama web television series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, created and principally written by Peter Morgan, and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television for Netflix. It grew out of Morgan's film The Queen (2006) and his stage play The Audience (2013), and is credited as based on the latter. The first season covers the period from Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh's marriage in 1947 to the disintegration of her sister Princess Margaret's engagement to Group Captain Peter Townsend in 1955. 

The second season covers the period from the Suez Crisis in 1956 to the retirement of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1963 and the birth of Prince Edward in 1964. The third season spans the period between 1964 and 1977, including Harold Wilson's two periods as prime minister, and introduces Camilla Shand. The fourth will include Margaret Thatcher's premiership and introduce Lady Diana Spencer. Watch on Netflix 

BREAKING BAD (Netflix)

Breaking Bad is an American neo-Western crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. The show aired on AMC from January 20, 2008, to September 29, 2013, consisting of five seasons for a total of 62 episodes. 

It was set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and tells the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid and dispirited high school chemistry teacher who is struggling with a recent diagnosis of stage-three lung cancer. White turns to a life of crime, partnering with his former student.

THE SOPRANOS (HBO)

The Sopranos revolves around fictional New Jersey-based, Italian American mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini). The series portrays the difficulties that he faces as he tries to balance his home life and his criminal organization. 

These are often highlighted during his therapy sessions with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). The series features Tony's family members, mafia colleagues, and rivals in prominent roles and story arcs, most notably his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) and protégé Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli).

DOWNTON ABBEY (Amazon Prime/PBS)

Downton Abbey is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. 

The series, set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era—with the great events of the time having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy. Events depicted throughout the series include news of the sinking of the Titanic in the first series; the outbreak of the First World War, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the Marconi scandal in the second series; the Irish War of Independence leading to the formation of the Irish Free State in the third series; the Teapot Dome scandal in the fourth series; the British general election of 1923 and the Beer Hall Putsch in the fifth series. The sixth and final series introduces the rise of the working class during the interwar period and hints at the eventual decline of the British aristocracy.

The Forsyte Saga, (Amazon Prime/PBS)

First published under that title in 1922, is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921 by Nobel Prize–winning English author John Galsworthy. They chronicle the vicissitudes of the leading members of a large, upper-middle-class English family, similar to Galsworthy's family.[1] Only a few generations removed from their farmer ancestors, the family members are keenly aware of their status as "new money". The main character, Soames Forsyte, sees himself as a "man of property" by virtue of his ability to accumulate material possessions – but this does not succeed in bringing him pleasure.

THE FORSYTE SAGA 2002 MINI-SERIES

My latest TV obsession during the Lockdown of 2020 is The Forsyte Saga on Amazon Prime/PBS. The acting is superb, the writing is really tight and true to the classic books by John Galsworthy. Not your usual dry British period series. Gripping drama along with humor and touching interactions with its characters. It's so much better in my opinion than Downton Abbey as the plotlines are much more realistic.

The Forsyte Saga is a 1967 BBC television adaptation of John Galsworthy's series of The Forsyte Saga novels, and its sequel trilogy A Modern Comedy. The series follows the fortunes of the upper-middle-class Forsyte family and stars Eric Porter as Soames, Kenneth More as Young Jolyon, and Nyree Dawn Porter as Irene. Original release‎: ‎7 January –; 1 July 1967

Then in 2002, a new version was filmed. The makers of the 2002 version of The Forsyte Saga felt that any new production would be compared with the 1967 version, which set the standards for period drama for the next 25 years.

The idea came initially from David Liddiment, ITV's director of channels, who seized on the Forsyte novels not only as a great achievement in English literature but also for their iconic status in British television.

Granada was thinking big from the outset of the project - this was clearly something that couldn't be dashed off as a two-parter. The initial plan was for two series, the first an adaptation of The Forsyte Saga and the second continuing with A Modern Comedy.

Sita Williams (fabulous!) attached herself to the project in late 1999 and by the start of 2000 was talking to writers and working on the adaptations. Casting began in 2001, first casting the leading roles of Soames, Irene, and Bosinney (Williams had seen Damian Lewis as Captain Winters in Band of Brothers). All of the casting choices are rock solid. The Full Cast is Here. Read the Episode Guide Here