Not too long ago, the folks out at Acorn Media sent out a copy of Prime Suspect Series One for me to review. And while Acorn has sent out a whole lot of prime drama for us previously, you’ll find that this particular batch is on par with some of their best.

Prime Suspect follows DCI Tennison, who’s out to solve a murder. Tennison’s been bucking to get charge of a murder case for quite some time, and now Tennison’s finally got the opportunity. But as Tennison will rapidly discover, this murder may not just be a murder, but rather a beginning. A beginning of something much larger: a serial killer, and quite possibly, a cover-up within the police department itself. Will DCI Tennison survive this newfound promotion? Or will Tennison not live to collect the enhanced pension?

Sounds pretty straightforward, until you consider that DCI Tennison is played by none other than Helen Mirren, who is pretty much the center of awesome in the known universe as far as actresses go. And DCI Tennison is taking charge of a murder investigation back in a time when murder investigations simply were not headed up by women. Thus, Tennison’s going to be taking on the department just as much as the possible serial killer, as the department very clearly does not want her there.

But even better, it’s not really this simple. There will be plenty of good twists and turns involved with this one, as only British drama can present them. Crime drama is always pretty good; British crime drama is an order of magnitude above that. Folks, if you liked CSI or all those other crime dramas, then frankly, you owe it to yourself to at least check out Prime Suspect Series One.

It’s a lovely, extensive piece of work that’s nicely put together, and is elevated at least a couple notches by virtue of having Helen Mirren around. There’s even some nifty extra stuff showing Tennison’s home life, which is a nice aside from all the murder and mayhem going on elsewhere. It’s some surprisingly fun stuff, and amply worth the three hours twenty-seven minutes you’ll have to invest in it to watch it all.

The Screenhead Ten Scale, meanwhile, gives Prime Suspect Series One an eight out of ten for being some top-notch crime drama, backed up by an overwhelming British influence and the sheer raw awesome that is Helen Mirren. Crime drama fans, you’re in for a great time here.

I’m beginning to really enjoy British television. In fact, I’m probably enjoying it a lot more than I should. But they’ve had some really good stuff of late, and the folks out at Acorn Media sent over what I’d hoped would be another entrant in the sweet British television lineup, Wired. Thankfully, despite a few hiccups, it would prove to be just that.

Wired follows a single mother who’s just managed a promotion at her bank in London, and then discovering that her “high net worth” position connects her to a whole lot of unexpected nastiness, like “crime syndicate” kind of nastiness. Now she’ll be up to her next with a group of killers who are looking for an in at a bank to help them move several million pounds sterling. And our single mother is looking pretty likely in this position indeed. But given that she could use a bit of extra cash herself, she’s not exactly against this plan…but it may well kill her by the end.

The British do drama exceedingly well. And the thing about that incredible dramatic skill is that it not only translates well to regular dramas with romantic comedy edges and the like, but also to full-on crime dramas, as anyone who’s seen Layer Cake, Snatch, or even Crank, sort of, can attest to. Wired is a surprisingly taut little crime thriller that’s not exactly going to have a lot of scary moments, but will do a fine job in the crime department. You’ll need to clear a good chunk of time for this one, though–fair warning–the run time on this one is 134 minutes, or about two and a quarter hours. But it’s two and a quarter exciting hours to this one’s credit–some more so than others–but still.

There are several good twists in there that make it well worth watching. It may actually surprise you to see how well this comes off, but one thing is quite clear–this is some impressive stuff. It’s hard to tell just what will happen next, and that’s one practical definition of “suspense”, something Wired does wonderfully. In fact, by the end, it will actually be tough to tell who’s really a good guy here, and who’s a complete jerk.

The Screenhead Ten Scale give Wired an eight out of ten–you’ve got to be interested in the subject matter (which has both business and criminal interests going on) to get anywhere with it, but once you prove your interest, you’ll do just fine here.

The folks out at Acorn Media sent over a magnificent slice of Canadian television for us in the form of The Red Green Show: The Geezer Years, some of the later episodes of the series, and as is par for the course (as represented by the last time we reviewed one) this will prove to be some delightfully hilarious stuff.

Once again we go back to Possum Lodge, where the thoroughly daffy Possum Lodge brethren regularly assemble to engage in a variety of strange misadventures. And when I say “variety”, that’s exactly what I mean. You’ll get all sorts of events, from the Possum Lodge Fast Food Drive Through restaurant to the Possum Lodge attempt at hosting an air show, plus a regularly recurring series of events in which Harold meets a girl on the internet, dates, and gets engaged to her. Will the wedding come off without a hitch? No. This is Possum Lodge we’re talking about, why would you even ask such a question? But no matter how badly things go wrong, they will always be funny.

That’s the great thing about the Red Green Show. There’s always something to laugh at, as long as you’re into slapstick and otherwise stupid comedy in general. There will be lots of people getting kicked or blown up or punched or occasionally set on fire, and all in the name of good classic Three Stooges style comedy. And they will once again be interspersed with lots of small short-form stuff of even more various misadventures at the lodge. So not only will you get a larger story that runs through the entire episode, but you’ll also get a whole collection of B-stories in which Red builds something preposterous partially involving duct tape, or where Bill goes off on some crazy stunt of his own usually involving something outdoorsy, or any of a dozen other possibilities, including the usually seen Possum Lodge Word Game in which players attempt to get someone to guess a word for any of a variety of allegedly valuable prizes like a free pony from the Screaming Pony Breeding Centre (where every pony is a little hoarse).

It’s delightfully funny stuff, and for those of you who enjoy the more guy-style humor, then this is going to be the show for you. And the Screenhead Ten Scale is going to respond accordingly by handing The Red Green Show: The Geezer Years a full ten out of ten–the constant hilarity and endless variety will prove to be entertaining for the whole twenty hours you’ll be watching this.

If the economy is getting you down, and the staycation concept is starting to wear a little thin for you, then be of good cheer, world traveler in the making, for I have a treat for you. The folks out at Acorn Media sent out a copy of the Visions of Europe box set, and if you want to really show the power of a home theater system, and its ultimate value, then you must have a copy of this.

Visions of Europe is a massive travelogue of a different sort. While many travelogues would subject you to a chipper, cheerful host (Samantha Brown, I’m looking at you) who can get a little annoying at times as they walk throughout the various places they wish to show. But Visions of Europe takes a whole different path, instead going by helicopter with a faceless narrator who takes you to all the great sights of a variety of European lands.

Set to some absolutely unbelievable music, and treating us to some breathtaking scenery, Visions of Europe is, quite literally, the next best thing to being there, as you get to see all the great tourist attractions, as well as a variety of other sights, from an angle precious few people get to see it from: above.

You will see magnificent sights with Visions of Europe, but you will also learn a great number of things about a variety of different places. You’ll learn about the history and the current culture of major cities, but also lesser known places like Lipara and Bavaria, among literally a host of others.

And just in case the learning and the beauty aren’t sufficient for you, then there’s another good reason to have this one around, and that’s as a showpiece for your home theater system. If you want to see just how potent your hardware is, you put this on. And when you can hear each octave of the classical and popular scores, and see each ocean wave ripple and leaf wave in a passing breeze, you know you’ve got some serious home theater gear that will utterly destroy anything the theater can bring out.

Admittedly, if you’re not interested in seeing the great cities of Europe and the relevant sights, then this will bore you to tears. But as a show of beauty, as an educational device, even as the new measure by which your home theater quality can assert itself, Visions of Europe will serve so many purposes it’s hard not to like it.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives Visions of Europe a full ten out of ten for managing to do so much in one six blu-ray set. It’s thoroughly amazing stuff, and if you have any interest in seeing the amazing sights Europe has to offer, then this is the place to start looking.

Remember when we tackled that bit of classic British television in the form of Upstairs, Downstairs? Well, we’re about to get a look at what it might have been like if political aristocrats had been replaced with theatrical aristocrats in the form of The Bretts: The Complete Collection, which the folks out at Acorn Media sent out for us to review. This will be something of a niche product, so settle in and prepare for what might be your biggest treat in a while.

The Bretts The Complete Collection gives us two full years–that’s thirty-four hours regular time–of The Bretts, a series about what amounts to the First Family of British stagecraft, the Bretts. The Brett family has effectively ruled the British stage since the 1880s, and they’re very confident about their place in the universe. But when the stage starts to recede toward the bright lights of Tinseltown and the moving picture show, well, things start to buckle a bit for the Bretts. But they’re not the sort to take the paradigm shift lightly; they’ve bought their own theater and are preparing to keep their way of life alive in the face of an overwhelming change in the entire world.

The great thing about The Bretts is that it’s immersive, for several reasons. Not only will you get to watch the occasional bit of play the Bretts put on, you’ll also get a look at what’s going on with the actors themselves. And even from the word go, you get to see that the Bretts aren’t nearly what their public facade says they are. With bills going unpaid and occasionally unopened, it’s not hard to see the gilt beginning to chip, and that which was thought solid gold is merely gold leaf. But at the same time, the Bretts also show off a wide variety of behind the scenes chicanery that’s surprisingly fun to watch.

Some have described The Bretts as a soap opera of sorts, and this is actually perfectly believable. But what’s particularly strange about this soap opera is the number of laughs it engenders. I’ve seen some soap operas before–usually never understanding much because I clearly wandered in in the middle of absolutely everything–and I’ve never, ever, laughed at a soap opera that I can recall. But The Bretts? Several great laughs. This is some terrific, fully-featured stuff that puts on an almost disturbingly good show, and it’s well worth your time to check out.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives The Bretts: The Complete Collection an eight out of ten–it’s full of laughs and some good old fashioned drama to boot, but it’s hard to disguise the fact that we’re still talking about a dose of ITV fare straight out of the eighties. But it’s still a delight and well worth watching.

When you watch most BBC videos, at least the ones we’ve covered here so far, there’s often a little blurb before the presentation starts, talking about the various content offered. And one of the things they describe is the British capacity for drama. When you take a class-ridden society that represses its emotions on a regular basis, or something like that, you have the capability to produce said drama. And that’s kind of what you’ll get with Reggie Perrin. And the folks out at Acorn Media sent out a copy of Reggie Perrin set one for us to review, and the end result is terrific drama couched in a surprisingly delightful comedy.

Reggie Perrin follows the title character, Reggie Perrin, the head of a disposable razors division that’s seen better days. Work is getting downright absurd, he’s getting bored at home, and his entire world is getting more absurd and alienating every single day. But Reggie has two things that keeps him sane: his fantasy life, which is unsettlingly active, and his aggressively tactless nature. He’s resolved to live a little more on impulse, but will this cause more trouble than it solves?

Reggie Perrin is actually a spectacularly funny affair. In the first episode alone I think I laughed half a dozen times, and in a half-hour sitcom, that’s not normal. And in fact, it’s a delightful change. What impresses me about this, though, is how often the parts of Reggie Perrin prove to be the same from episode to episode, but with slight changes between them. For instance, there’s the Late For Work Excuse section, and the Late Coming Home Excuse section. At one point, Reggie’s regular commuter train is delayed, and the reason? “Whatever.” Really, “whatever”. That was the reason. And I just laughed like crazy.

Reggie’s fantasy life, meanwhile, has a strange way of getting him in trouble and saving him from it, which always leaves you wondering just what’s going to happen to him next. Yet, on a certain level, you often know what will happen next. And it usually winds up being hilarious.

This is one of the better sitcoms out there, and frankly, I’m almost ashamed to see the Brits beat us to it. But they have Martin Clunes, who is his era’s Kelsey Grammer, so we can hardly be blamed for losing out on this one.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives Reggie Perrin Set One an eight out of ten. It’s uproarious, delightful stuff that may not be for everyone, but should be at least worth a look for most anybody.

The folks out at Acorn Media have sent us a lot of interesting pieces over the last few months; they’ve introduced me to a lot of British television that’s been a lot different from anything I’ve seen before, like the Upstairs Downstairs series, Murdoch Mysteries, and of course, Doc Martin. So when they sent out a copy of The Far Pavilions, I was definitely interested. Would it prove as good as the other stuff they’ve sent out? The answer was yes, but for unusual reasons.

The Far Pavilions joins us with Ashton Pelham-Martyn, raised in India as the son of British parents. Ashton’s returned to India as a young military officer, and he’s got some serious problems on his hands. With the troubles of the locals on the one hand, and the troubles of British society on the other, he’s walking a fine line from this dichotomy pulling at him. And things will only get more complex when he reunites with childhood sweetheart Princess Anjuli. How will it all end up? I won’t be spoilering it here.

Clear your schedule for this one, because it’s going to take a chunk out of your calendar. Like five hours of chunk, and just a little bit extra. But this thing is spectacularly rich and dense in terms of content; there’s so much going on in here that it’s actually a bit hard to follow. There are the strangenesses of the Indian culture, the intrigues of the British culture, and between the lot, a world of difference. It’s part war movie, part drama, and largely unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

It’s a bizarre title; there’s not much to compare it to, and that leaves the whole thing with this sort of unfathomable quality. When you haven’t seen much of anything like what you’re watching, it becomes rather unpredictable, strange in its way. But at the same time, that sheer unpredictability gives it an edge that you wouldn’t expect, and makes The Far Pavilions a lot more fun than it really has any right to be.

The Screenhead Ten Scale, meanwhile, gives The Far Pavilions an eight out of ten. There’s a whole lot going on here, and if you don’t want to follow along you’re likely going to be lost here from a very early stage. But if you’ve got the intestinal fortitude to keep up with Ashton and his many adventures, then you’re going to get a very welcome and very unique shot of drama here that’s unlike anything you’ve seen before.

Fourth season of the smash hit U.K. crime series debuts on DVD.

Featuring a brilliant cast, top guest stars, deft writing, and an irresistible blend of compelling drama and dry humor, New Tricks, Season 4 makes its highly anticipated DVD debut from Acorn Media on June 7, 2011. Amanda Redman leads a motley crew of semi-retired detectives investigating cold cases in this fast-paced, witty British series. New Tricks has run on the BBC for seven seasons since 2003 with an eight season currently in production, and has enjoyed ongoing broadcast exposure in North America on public television, garnering fans on both sides of the Atlantic. The series co-stars Dennis Waterman, Alun Armstrong and James Bolam. The DVD 3-Disc Set includes all eight episodes from Season four.

Three former detectives thought they were retired—until the lovely and persuasive superintendent Sandra Pullman recruited them to right the wrongs of the past. Now members of the unsolved crimes unit of the Metropolitan Police, they reinvestigate tough cases no one else can crack.

Their methods are old-fashioned, and they don’t care about the rules because they have little to lose. Gerry Standing is thrice divorced; Brian Lane is depressed; and Jack Halford is mourning the death of his wife, killed by a hit-and-run driver. But their camaraderie is real and their skills are still sharp.

I have a copy of New Tricks Season 4 to give away. Please post your name and you will be a part of the giveaway. I will pick the winner July 28, 2011.

I am super happy about this extraordinary giveaway from Acorn Media.

Starring Michael Praed and Ray Winstone, Robin of Sherwood combines elements of history, myth and magic with a healthy dose of action. The Blu-ray from Acorn Media is on the streets now, with all 13 episodes from Series 1 and 2.

Marking the series’ first Blu-ray release, this lavishly produced 1980’s British series comes digitally remastered and presented in stunning high definition with over eight hours of bonus materials. Shot entirely on location in England’s castles and countryside, the set brings the centuries-old legend to vivid life.

Broadcast on PBS and Showtime as Robin Hood, the superb ensemble cast are Michael Praed (Dynasty) as Robin of Loxley, Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Departed) as seething-mad Will Scarlet, and Nickolas Grace (Brideshead Revisited) as the greedy, conniving Sheriff of Nottingham. The 3-Disc Blu-ray and DVD bonus disc set includes a wealth of extras including 5 episode commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentary, outtakes and photo galleries.

Rich with gritty medieval realism and cunning plot twists, Robin of Sherwood adds a bit of sorcery and mysticism to the swordplay and social justice that have made the heroic outlaw so endearing and enduring for fans of all ages. The series boasts an authentic atmosphere enhanced by an award-winning soundtrack of haunting melodies by the Irish band Clannad.

Whoever wins this DVD set with have over 8 Hours of Special Features: 5 episode commentaries by series creator Richard Carpenter, director Ian Sharp, and producer Paul Knight; behind-the-scenes documentary, The Electric Theatre Show, upgraded and expanded from the original series; Nothing’s Forgotten: The Making of Robin of Sherwood (remastered), two documentaries about the making of Series 1 and 2; new featurettes for three episodes; 40-page booklet with extensive production notes; photo galleries with nearly 500 images in HD; outtakes; PDF material including PR, Richard Carpenter’s original story treatment, and several scripts (access via the bonus DVD via your computer) and more!

To enter the giveaway, post your name and I will pick the winner July 25, 2011

We’ve seen a lot of versions of the Robin Hood story. Multiple movies, a cartoon featuring anthropomorphic animals from Disney, at least one television series from the folks at BBC, and now, Acorn Media sent out a copy of one more: Robin of Sherwood.

Robin of Sherwood takes us back, way back, to the whole medieval period of England back before it was an empire. Young Robin, following the death of his father, has to grow up and take up the mantle of the resistance against the oppressive regime of the Sheriff of Nottingham and the like. But this time, it won’t be just archery that runs the day here, but also just a little magic getting thrown in to make this a really rather full featured experience.

Seriously, I don’t remember the last time I saw magic figure in heavily to a dose of Robin Hood, and this one actually does a nice job. The soundtrack is a bit weird, heavy on the synthesizer, but then I discovered that this was originally made back in 1984, well, then it suddenly made a lot of sense.

One problem I had with Robin of Sherwood is that the subtitles only occasionally match the dialogue. This isn’t a huge problem, you understand, but really rather irksome. Aside from that, it’s definitely a winner. It’s a huge, sprawling epic lasting fully seven hundred minutes (or just short of twelve hours), and this is just Set One.

I was very impressed by this. Some of Acorn’s stuff, especially their older stuff, has shown its age. But Robin of Sherwood is not only a fine presentation for an English television show from the eighties, but has a downright timeless quality to it that’s not only surprising but welcome.

Folks, if you’ve got any love at all for the Robin Hood mythos, you’re absolutely going to love Robin of Sherwood. It’s terrific stuff, well acted, well put together, and downright credible. It’s a treat. A downright treat to watch, minor subtitle issues aside, and it’s not every day I find something that I can actually refer to as a treat.

The Screenhead Ten Scale hands over a full ten, once again (we’ve had a lot of those lately, and while I’m glad to see it it still doesn’t quite sit right), out of ten to Robin of Sherwood, a series that’s going to put on a fantastic show with terrific performances, credible plotlines, annoying synthesizer music, and all the action you could hope for from an installment of Robin Hood.