Category Archives: MHz Choice

2014, French, French Detectives, MHz Choice, Murder

Murder In (2014)

From MHz Choice:

A gorgeous collection of mysteries, each one set in a different, picturesque region of France. Enjoy French towns and areas you may never have seen before!

From MHz Choice you can stream 9 seasons of this wonderful French crime series. Each season offers 9 episodes. Each episode lasts an hour and a half.

Not only is the scenery beautiful, but the stories are excellent. Despite each being a murder mystery,  equally important in each episode are personal relations and history.  There is always a male and female police detective. Often they have been in a relationship. Quite often one or both detectives are from the story’s region of France.  Sometimes an actor will appear in more than one episode.

Some episodes are better than others, but none has disappointed us.

2019, French, French Detective Series, MHz Choice, Romance

Alice Nevers (2019)

From IMDB:

Alice Nevers is a young and beautiful investigating judge. With her partner, policeman Fred Marchand, they use their own power to solve crimes to each their method.

From MHz Choice:

A popular and long-running French procedural, Alice Nevers is a tough and tenacious criminal prosecutor in a professional and personal partnership with police captain Fred Marquand.

From MHz Choice you can stream 4 seasons of this French detective series and continuing romance.  Seasons 1 and 3 have 8 episodes. Season 2 has 6 and Season 4 has 10 episodes. Each episode last about 50 minutes.

Initially Alice has a child with a convicted thief Mathieu and for quite a while in the series she plans on raising that child with Mathieu when he gets out of prison.  As the series progresses Fred Marquand and Alice fall in love but she remains faithful to Mathieu until Fred makes her accept the fact that Mathieu is dealing in an illicit diamond trade.

Nice mixture of crime and romance.

2019, Detective, German, MHz Choice

Irish Crime (2019)

From IMDB:

For years, Cathrin worked as a criminal psychologist, often on cases together with her police-officer husband Liam. But one day 10 years ago, Liam just vanished from the face of the earth. It took all of Cathrin’s strength and the support of her son Paul to get back on her feet after her emotional collapse and fall into alcoholism. Working private practice ever since, she is thrown back into her old life when Liam’s remains are found in a mass grave of dead children as a wide-ranging conspiracy is uncovered. Also, some of her clients seem to be connected to current criminal cases and Cathrin is increasingly drawn back into assisting the Galway police, and they welcome her back warmly. But when old agonies resurface, Cathrin is determined to uncover the truth.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 4 episodes of the only season offered. Each episode lasts an hour and a half. German with English subtitles.

Highly recommended.

 

Abduction, Abuse of Women, Amputation as revenge, Arrogant boss, Based on a Book, Bloody scenes, Could Be Hard To Watch, Detective, Disturbing Image, Drama, Father-daughter relations, Flashbacks, Forensic pathologist, Forensics, French Detectives, Grim, Jealousy, Love Story, MHz Choice, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Occasional gore, Pharmaceutical Experiments, Police Culture, Prison, Psychopath, Rape, Rape Victim, Revenge, Romance, Serbian genocide of Bosnians, Serial Killer, Serial rapist, Single Father, Suicide, Suspense

Inspector La Brea (2009)

From Global Screen:

Based on the successful detective novels by Alexandra von Grothe. Mourning his wife’s death, Inspector Maurice LaBréa leaves Marseilles for Paris with his daughter Jenny. But Paris is no respite, for a ghastly copycat killer is imitating a killing spree around the Bastille that went on ten years ago.

From MHz Choice you can stream 3 episodes of this German language detective series set in Paris with English subtitles. Each episode lasts about an hour and a half.

All the crimes are ugly and brutal. Mutilated bodies are par for the course.

However, the central theme running through all the episodes is LaBrea’s loving concern for his daughter Jenny who encourages him to romance his beautiful painter neighbor who often takes care of Jenny when duty so often calls.

  • Episode 1: The Beast of the Bastille.
  • Episode 2: Murder in the Rue St. Lazare
  • Episode 3: Deadly Dreams in Montparnasse.

Somewhat old fashioned, nothing special, but plots consist of a nice contrast between the grim crimes and LaBrea’s personal life.

2022, Acceptable for teenagers, Bullying, Detective, Drama, Dysfunctional Lives, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Fatherless child, Flirting, French, French Detectives, French Mystery, Longsuffering wife, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Occasionaly violent, Revenge, Small Town, Suspense

A Long Lost Silence (2022)

From IMDB:

During the summer, Jules, 10 years old, is welcomed by a young couple in the countryside, because his mother had an accident. How to feel at home in a village where its inhabitants are shaken by deep antagonisms?

From MHz Choice:

French thriller about a 10-year-old boy encountering secrets among the people who’ve taken him in for the summer.

From MHz Choice you can stream this 3 episode French mystery thriller. Each episode lasts no more than 55 minutes.  The French title is “Les Hautes Herbes”. English subtitles are provided.

Jules, the 10 year old center of attention, hardly ever speaks. But his glances and stares speak volumes as he watches the adults around him misbehave in various ways.  When episode 3 reveals the killer, things get very tense.

Lots of contention between characters and  emotional scenes make this very French film watchable.

 

2015, Abandoned child, Abortion, Adopted child, Arson, Attempted Murder, Blackmail, Bullying, Burglars, Career Competition, Career Criminal, Contract Killing, Controlling personality, Cooking and food, Corrupt Prison Guards, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Erotic Tension, Ethical struggles, Failed Father, False Imprisonment, Family Secrets, Father-son relations, Fight Scenes, Frame someone for a crime, French, French Culture, Friendship, Happy ending, Jealousy, Love Story, Love Triangle, Melodrama, MHz Choice, Murder by poison, Must suspend disbelief, Narcissist, Occasionaly violent, Personal Betrayal, Police Investigation, Prison, Revenge, Romance, Sex Scenes, Uncle-Niece relations, Unwanted Pregnancy

Chefs (2015)

From IMDB:

Chefs in France. Competition drama and more.

From MHz Choice you can stream 2 seasons of this French soap opera centered around the competition between chefs. Season 1 offers 6 episodes whereas season 2 offers 8 episodes. Each episode is a bit under one hour. In French with English subtitles.

Where to begin!  This over-the-top melodrama is something only the French could conjure and runs the gamut from vegetables to love to murder.  Name a topic and it is probably involved. Still the gist of the series is:

  • Le Chef (we never hear his name) is the chef of Le Paris, an expensive and renowned Parisian restaurant who oversees and bullies his expert staff to achieve perfection.
  • Romain is out of jail for burglary and gets a job with Le Chef. We learn later that Romain does not know that he is the estranged son of Le Chef, whereas Le Chef recognizes his son. For most of the series Romain hates Le Chef, especially when he learns more about his father.
  • One constant theme is the fierce and unlawful competition to purchase various properties on which restaurants are located. For example,  Monsieur Edouard, a major villain in the story, manages to purchase Le Paris and force Le Chef to accept as a manager
  • Delphine, a beautiful and ruthless woman, whom Le Chef hates at first glance. Needless to say they eventually fall in love.
  • Yann is a superb kitchen culinary technician that is yet another villain.  Eventually we learn to sympathize with Yann.
  • Additionally there are far too many beautiful young women to record.  As the story proceeds each woman manages to love and leave various men.  Did I mention that this drama is a soap opera?

You will not learn a single recipe even as you watch zillions of meals go by that are too precious or exotic to believe.  Expect burglars, loan sharks, hired thugs,  Russian roulette poisoned meals,  betrayals, attack dogs, apprenticeships in using knives and preparing Chinese food,  unwanted pregnancy,  love affairs,   murder,  and difficult stays in prison to name a few.  Did I mention over-the-top?

If this milieu appeals to you then, DO NOT MISS!

 

2022, Abduction, Anxiety Attacks, Arson, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Boating, Cocaine, Contract Killing, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Dark family secrets, Detective, Dishonest father, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Dog episode, Drama, Drug Dealers, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Frame someone for a crime, Hopeless Love, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Motorcycles, Murder, Murder Investigation, Prison, Psychiatrists, Revenge, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish Crime Thriller, Violent

Gasmaman (2022)

From MHz Choice:

Alexandra Rapaport stars as a suburban mom pulled into the criminal underworld to pay off her murdered husband’s debts.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 8 episodes of Season 1. Each episode lasts about 44 minutes.

Sonja Ek and her husband Fredrik have three children Nina, Gustav and Linus.  Sonja’s brother is Niklas.  Fredrik, Niklas, and their associate Stein have stolen cocaine from a crime boss. Because Fredrik has hidden the cocaine and then been shot dead, the  other two cronies cannot return the cocaine to the crime boss. Sonja is now burdened with appeasing the crime boss. Sonja’s father is also corrupt, which only makes her life more difficult.

There is not a single relaxing moment in this tense Swedish crime drama.  Expect lots of violence. DO NOT MISS!

 

2020, Abduction, Action sequences, Amazon Prime MHz Choice, Bisexual theme, Bizarre Episodes, Clever Plot, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Eccentric Detective, Explicit sex, Family Conflict, Father-son relations, German, Grisly, Happy Family Gatherings, Hostage Taking, Husband leaves wife, Jewish Religious Observance, Kidnapping, Male Chauvinism, Marital Infidelity, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder by Robot, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Physical fighting, Police Investigation, Psychopath, Revenge, Secret Society, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Torture, Unhappy Marriage, Violent

Tatort: Streets of Berlin (2020)

From MHz Choice:

Berlin is sexy, deadly and dangerous, devouring unwitting victims and the cops who walk its streets. In this latest installment of the Tatort franchise, Inspectors Nina Rubin and Robert Karow team up as a uniquely competent and dysfunctional pair.

From MHz Choice directly or through Amazon Prime MHz Choice you can stream the 11 episodes of the only season.  Each episode lasts about 1.5 hours. German with English subtitles.

Robert Karow is a single, smart, sexist, overbearing, bisexual detective that drives Nina Rubin to distraction.  Nina Rubin is separated (temporarily) from her husband while she tries to raise her two sons with great difficulty.

As with most of all the many different Tatort series, the plots are well imagined, the characters of the detectives are distinctive, and the level of tension is palpable.

Tatort Lindholm is better. Nonetheless, once again for a Tatort series:  DO NOT MISS!

2017, Abduction, Abuse of Women, Action sequences, Amazon Prime MHz Choice, Amnesia, Athletes, Bloody scenes, Corrupt policemen, Corrupt Politicians, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Detective, DO NOT MISS, Failed Romance, Forensics, Game hunting for humans, Gay theme, German, German Air Force, German Detectives, Homophobia, Journalist, Kidnapping, MHz Choice, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Personal Betrayal, Serial Killer, Sex Scenes, Sex trafficking, Single Mother, Soccer, Suicide, Undercover police work, Upsetting ending, Violent

Tatort: Lindholm (2017)

From MHz Choice:

Lone wolf detective Charlotte Lindholm has an uncanny talent for solving crimes and fumbling all personal relationships.

MHz Choice ($7.99 per month in 2021) can be purchased directly or through Amazon Prime. From MHz Choice you can stream the 12 episodes of the only season available. Each episode lasts about 1.5 hours. German with English subtitles.

From Wikipedia:

Tatort (“Crime scene”) is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public service broadcasting organisation ARD for their channel Das Erste, it is unique in its approach, in that it is jointly produced by all of the organisation’s regional members as well as its partnering Austrian and Swiss national public-service broadcasters, whereby every regional station contributes a number of episodes to a common pool.

Charlotte Lindholm is a smart, determined, and courageous detective, as well as a single mother raising her young son. Throughout the episodes she will have many romantic relationships, none of which succeed.

Of the 12 episodes, number 10  “The Smooth Death”  is unsettling because the “bad guy” wins.  Sometimes in a series, one episode will have the evildoer win only to be followed by an episode in which justice prevails. Sadly, not so with this difficult episode.

Each episode is very tense and can be unnerving to watch. If that appeals to you, then

DO NOT MISS!

 

1970, Acceptable for teenagers, Detective, DO NOT MISS, German Detectives, MHz Choice, Police Investigation

Tatort: Borowski (1970)

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From MHz Choice you can stream 5 seasons of this German detective series centering around detective Klaus Borowski. Seasons 1 through 3 offer 8 episodes each. Seasons 4 and 5 offer 4 episodes each.  Each of the 32 episodes lasts 1.5 hours.  Each episode is a complete story.

“Tatort” is the German word for “scene of the crime”.  MHz Choice offers 6 Tatort series of which Borowski is only one.

From Wikipedia:

Tatort (“Crime scene”) is a German language police procedural television series that has been running continuously since 1970 with some 30 feature-length episodes per year, which makes it the longest-running German TV drama. Developed by the German public service broadcasting organisation ARD for their channel Das Erste, it is unique in its approach, in that it is jointly produced by all of the organisation’s regional members as well as its partnering Austrian and Swiss national public-service broadcasters, whereby every regional station contributes a number of episodes to a common pool.

Because there are so many themes in the 32 episodes, that it makes no sense to attach categories to this blog post.

Klaus Borowski is a smart and experienced German detective.  If you follow all the episodes you can actually notice his aging. Along the way he has some love affairs and almost gets attached.  For the most part the plots are cringe-free and not very violent. Sometimes he gets hit over the head but, of course, survives the blow.

For me this is a superior detective series.

DO NOT MISS!