I See Dead People ... on TV

Six Feet Under

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:17:25 GMT

This has to be my favourite TV show, bar none. Centred around a funeral home in Pasadena (near Los Angeles) run by a (very) dysfunctional family. The spectre of death is ever present and every episode starts with the death of the person who will have his funeral at the home. Well, every episode but the finale, but I'm not going to give everything away. The deaths are a backdrop to an interesting discussion of the meaning of life and death and giving some dignity to the dead.

Poirot

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:59:12 GMT

A (very) long running series based on the short stories and novels of Agatha Christie, usually with one or more murders in each episode. Started off as 1 hour episodes based on the short stories and then branched into feature length episodes based on the full length novels. The quality has dropped off a bit recently but David Suchet still remains the quintessential Poirot.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:23:57 GMT

Investigating murder never looked this good. A group of forensic investigators working in a lab in Las Vegas. It's lost it's intensity as the seasons have gone on but still throw in an interesting episode now and then. We will usually witness some part of the autopsy of the dead body every episode. They should really lay off the ridiculous fake technology that overwhelms the show these days.

CSI: Miami

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:23:57 GMT

Same formula as the original CSI, this time in Miami.

CSI: NY

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:23:57 GMT

Ditto, in New York. I've watched occasionally but lacks the intensity and inventiveness of the early seasons of the original CSI. Overall, it's mediocre at best.

Silent Witness

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:19:01 GMT

When there are no witnesses to a murder, the dead body is your only "Silent Witness". Amanda Burton plays a forensic investigator in this BBC drama series. Think of it as a grittier, more believable version of CSI. It helps that the limited number of episodes are longer in length (around 100 mins each).

Dexter

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:34:38 GMT

Dexter is your friendly neighbourhood serial killer. He's very meticulous with his killing and disposes of the dead bodies by completely dismembering them. One of the most ambiguous characters to ever grace the television screen. It's no surprise to me that the actor playing him, Michael C. Hall, was part of the ensemble in Six Feet Under.

William and Mary

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:17:09 GMT

William is an undertaker, Mary is a midwife, they make quite the pair. One of the highlights of the show is the different funerals and services that William's firm organises, trying to give the dead as good a farewell as possible and providing their friends and family with closure. My favourite has to be the funeral of the biker who got his very last ride.. after death.

Dead Like Me

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:45:42 GMT

A group of dead people working for the grim reaper. I only saw the pilot and was eager to do so, given the subject matter but was disappointed.

Midsomer Murders

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:42:56 GMT

British mystery series set in the rural county of Midsomer, which seems to have more than it's share of serial killers and murderers. Again, a handful of episodes that I've seen haven't really made me want to pursue the series further.

Bones

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:16:41 GMT

Popular American TV show about a anthropologist who doubles up as a forensic investigator. I've seen a few episodes but nothing in here really hooked me. They do have a *lot* of dead bodies.