In the light of the latest trends that have identified the crisis of feature films, television, changing the public's perception of narrative, is gradually becoming the art of the future.
Means of aesthetization of a foreign culture
The series, which the TV audience offers, unobtrusively set standards of behavior, samples of emotional reactions in society. Since its inception, they have captured a significant niche on television and a considerable chunk of broadcast. Speaking about the popularity of foreign television films, it should be noted that the development of the storyline of each project for the domestic audience serves as a means of aesthetizing a foreign culture. According to the rating, foreign series about the police are the most popular in the Russian Federation . The list presented in this publication includes the best telenovelas according to the IMDb rating.
Based on real events.
The American drama crime series Aquarius starring David Duchovny began his triumphal march on blue screens in 2015. The project lasted two seasons, receiving rave reviews from the audience and positive film critics. Its IMDb rating is 7.00. The events of the film take place in Los Angeles in 1967. Hollywood detective Sam Hodiak (David Duchovny) and police officer Brian Scheif (Gray Damon) work undercover to investigate the missing girl Emma Carne (Emma Dumont). A teenage girl is the birth daughter of Grace Karn (Mikeyla McManus) - the ex-lover of Hodiak. A study of the circumstances of the disappearance leads the guardians of the law to Charles Manson (Gethin Anthony) and his sect, which the participants proudly call “Family”. The plot of the project is mainly based on real events, however, individual characters and branches of the storyline are fictitious. It should be noted that the television project did not include the murders that made the maniac famous. The narrative includes the early stages of the killer’s criminal activity.
Production Features
If during the casting at the preparatory stage of the production of the television movie, the performer of the key role was approved immediately and unequivocally, there were problems with the candidacy of the performer, who should embody the main antagonist. The creators for a long time could not pick up the actor who was to play Charles Manson. As a result, the series "Aquarius" still got a villain. On the screen of the world-famous maniac with his murders, Gathin Anthony played, familiar to the audience in the image of Renly Baratheon in Game of Thrones.
Both seasons worked on the script of the series John McNamara; Among the acting ensemble of the film, in addition to the leading actors, Gray Damon stands out, having in his asset significant films like “True Blood” and the American “Oldboy”.
Grand show
When American television people are asked to name the best national television movie, they often call the series “wiretap”. Indeed, David Simon seems to have deliberately created a grand show to receive this title. Five seasons of the television project from various points of view (police, workers, drug dealers, schoolchildren, journalists, politicians), using the example of a separate Baltimore, demonstrate the degradation of the American metropolis. The production of the painting began in 2002. His IMDb rating is 9.30, so he deserves to head the list of the best foreign television series about the police. At the same time, due to the complex structure and deep immersion in American realities, the show is less accessible to the understanding of a foreign audience.
Focusing attention
The American television police drama series The Listening is the author's brainchild of David Simon, a writer and ex-journalist of crime chronicles. The plot is mostly based on the life experience of one of the author's friends, Ed Burns, who produced the series. Prior to producing, Burns served in the Baltimore Police Slaughter Department, and was directly involved in drug trafficking investigations. Each season, the television movie draws the viewer's attention to a separate area of the city’s life and the participation of law enforcement agencies in it, while the narrative retains the plot links with previous seasons. The cast is mostly represented by little-known actors; during the creation of individual episodes, real residents and political figures of the city were invited to the project. The series was highly appreciated thanks to a detailed study of the topics covered, an acute study of social topics and a realistic reflection of the life of the metropolis. David Simon's show was repeatedly recognized as the best among foreign television series about the police. At the same time, the series has no significant awards.
“Werewolves in uniform”
Traditionally, foreign television series about the police assure the viewer that there is no one more honest than law enforcement officers. Traditionally - but not in The Shield, created by Sean Ryan, inspired by real events taking place among the Los Angeles police. The show lasts since 2002, has seven seasons in its assets, each of which lifts the veil of secrecy over the activities of the corrupt “Shock Group”. The series “Shield” has an IMDb rating of 8.70. The main characters of the television movie are not portrayed as inveterate villains, but as complex, contradictory personalities capable of both heroic and disgusting acts. The show was nominated five times for an Emmy and three times for a Golden Globe. The series "Shield" had a huge impact on later created crime films, for example, "Graceland." Although his characters are prettier and more decent than the heroes of the Shield.
War with the mafia
In 1986, the television series Crime Story was created by Gustav Reininger and Chuck Adams in the crime drama genre. The project has two seasons and an IMDb rating of 8.40. At the center of the television movie’s narrative is Lieutenant Mike Torello, head of the Chicago Police Special Department. Its structural unit was created specifically to combat organized crime. The situation is complicated by the fact that a new mafia group appears in the metropolis that does not reckon with other criminal clans that have long settled in Chicago. The gang is headed by an unprincipled, tough young gangster Ray Luca, rapidly moving up the "career ladder". He wants to take the throne of the underworld of the city. By the way, foreign television series about the police rarely take the relationship between representatives of the rule of law and mafia structures as the basis of the story. But in the work of Adams and Reininger, the plot is based on a long confrontation between Torello and Luke, who killed the son of one of Michael's friends.
Highly reliable
An interesting fact from the features of the production process of the project is that certain members of the film crew are directly involved in the world, which was shown by the series “Crime Story”. For example, Adamson and starring Torello, actor Dennis Farina, served in the Chicago police. And John Santucci, who presented the image of Polly Taglia on the screen, was a professional thief. Most of the scenes of the criminal short story were based on a real crime that had once been committed by John. Such reliability was highly appreciated by film critics and the audience.
Inspired by Holmes and Colombo
The British psychological detective series Luther was presented to the public in 2010. Since then, the project has acquired five seasons, a huge army of fans and an IMDb rating of 8.60. Sherlock Holmes and the equally famous detective Colombo inspired Neil Cross to create a masterpiece. The story of the series “Luther” famously spins around the personality of the protagonist - an outstanding detective John Luther. The story clearly demonstrates the difference between the concepts of "dirty" policeman and "dirty" methods. The success of the protagonist lies in the high rate of disclosure of crimes, thanks to personal intellectual data and an unusual way of conducting an investigation.
The protagonist of the television movie, Luther, is similar to Sherlock with a non-standard approach to solving crimes and unique deduction. And the format of the show was borrowed from Colombo: the viewer will immediately know who the criminal is, but does not know how he will be caught.
In June 2017, the creators announced that they had extended the picture for season 5 - they plan to shoot another 4 episodes, work on which will begin in early 2018. Therefore, we can safely say that the brainchild of Neil Cross is the most modern among foreign television series about the police.
Think like a maniac
The television serial thriller Thorne: Sonya was created in 2010 by director Stephen Hopkins. The show received conflicting ratings from TV and film experts and an IMDb rating of 6.80. The basis of the script for the series “Thorn” is a series of crime novels by British writer Mark Billingham. The main character, police inspector Tom Thorne, is investigating a series of mysterious murders. Three victims fell at the hands of the attacker, but for the fourth time the maniac was unable to complete what he started. His victim, Alison Willets, managed to survive. Unfortunately, the girl cannot help the inspector in the investigation, since she cannot get out of the state of the pseudocom. Outwardly, Alison has all the signs of a real coma: she cannot speak and move, while the unfortunate one hears and feels everything that is happening around her. The detective understands that the attacker will not stop in order to interrupt the activity of the raging maniac; he needs to understand what is driving the criminally ill patient and learn to think like him.
Recommended for viewing
In addition to the above-mentioned foreign series about the police, the following, no less interesting projects can be recommended for viewing:
- The Defective Detective (2002). The protagonist of the series, Adrian Monk (Tony Shalub), is the funniest and most “defective” detective story on American TV. Due to the nature of his character, he is always accompanied by a nurse who helps to get along with his endless phobias and complexes. But even in moments of panic attacks or other "crazy" Monk remains a penetrating detective, inspiring confidence in the audience suffering from physical or mental illnesses. The rating of the telenovela IMDb is 8.00.
- “CSI Crime Scene” (2000). This series is most hated by American prosecutors. The fascinating criminalistic show about police from Las Vegas convinced the audience that any crime could certainly be solved by carefully analyzing the collected evidence. Therefore, every time the prosecutors have to explain to the townsfolk that in reality everything is not as scientific and simple as in CSI. The show began to be broadcast in 2000, and it still goes on, completely replacing the ensemble of actors. That's what it means - the power of a grand plot idea!