January 2, 2025: Four Fantastic International Crime Shows I absolutely loved!

These shows premiered in 2023 in their home countries (but released in North America in 2024) and were technically ineligible for my 2024 Top 10 ranking. Which is a shame because all four are great and the last two would have definitely made the Top 10.

A Bloody Lucky Day/Woonsoo Ojin Nal – South Korea

An ordinary taxi driver becomes entangled with a customer who turns out to be a serial killer.

South Korean crime shows have a tendency to veer into the comedic, thereby undermining the suspense, but this one plays it pretty straight and delivers one of the best SK thrillers in recent memory.

Ferry: The Series/Ferry: De Serie – Belgium, Netherlands

Before “Undercover’s” Ferry Bouman became a notorious drug lord, he had to rise from obscurity by ascending the ranks of Brabant’s criminal underbelly.

The spinoff prequel of the Belgium crime series Undercover explores the backstory of the colorful titular character. Love me some Ferry Bouman.

Community Squad/Division Palermo – Argentina

A ragtag civilian patrol squad created to improve the image of the police inadvertently put their lives at risk when confronting some strange criminals.

The funniest comedy series I’ve watched in years. Totally fell in love with this show and am really looking forward to its second season.

The Boy’s Word: Blood on the Asphalt/Slovo patsana. Krov na asfalte – Russia

The late 1980s. While parents fight for survival in a changing world, children fight for territory. Two 14-year-old boys, Andrey and Marat, seek protection and support amid violence and poverty – and find it on the streets.

This one was apparently a huge hit in Russia in 2023, and with good reason. Of the 650 or so crime shows I’ve watched on this crime binge, this one is easily Top 50, maybe even Top 25.

Discover more from Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Podcast also available on PocketCasts, SoundCloud, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, and RSS.

4 responses

Tam Dixon

January 3, 2025 at 3:02 pm

I’ll look these shows up and Thanks!

Hubby subscribed to Britbox and I’ve been watching “The Responder” with Martin Freeman. It’s pretty good, so far.

I guess all of you got back home okay? 🤞🏻

Loading…

Reply
dasndanger

January 5, 2025 at 12:52 am

Nowadays I’m not into foreign (non-English speaking, subtitled) shows because I can’t JUST watch tv anymore. I have always been a tv-viewing multitasker, but now in my old age I can’t seem to watch tv without doing paperwork, a jigsaw puzzle, a craft project, shop online, or do any other task (whether or not it’s a necessary one) at the same time. So I rely on my ears rather than my eyes to follow the story, unless – of course – sexy pale, long-locked aliens are involved. 😉

I do get a lot done by multitasking when watching tv, and for many shows it means that I can watch them several times over and still enjoy them because I pick up on things that I missed the first or second time around. But what happens if I don’t multitask when watching tv? Do I get more out of the show? Do I enjoy it more? Do I remember it better?

No. I fall asleep, that’s what I do. Every. Single. Time. I’ve turned into my parents. 😛 I remember back when I was young, teasing my folks because they fell asleep watching tv every night. “Wake up!” I would demand. “How can you fall asleep? This show is SO good!”

Yeah, well…now I know. Hit 40, and it becomes very easy to fall asleep halfway through a show. Hit 50 and you’re asleep 15 minutes in. And then, when you hit 60, you’re asleep before the opening credits even end.

das

Loading…

Reply
1. Joseph Mallozzi
  
  January 5, 2025 at 4:31 pm
  
  Which show allows you to get the most done?
  
  Loading…
  
  Reply
  1. dasndanger
    
    January 9, 2025 at 12:08 am
    
    I always get loads done when watching rugby – very stimulating game, and I can follow the play-by-play very well without looking at the screen until the commentator starts getting really excited. THEN I look! As far as tv shows, Midsomer Murders, Columbo, and anything else that I’ve watched a bazillion times and never get tired of. Granted, there are some that I can become glued to the first time around (Brokenwood Mysteries, Dalgliesh, Whitstable Pearl, and several others along those lines), but that’s mostly during the quiet moments when the storytelling becomes visual and I need to watch in order to keep up with the plot. Oddly enough, without looking at the screen I can follow the story better than my husband, who cannot take his eyes and ears off the tv, and often rewinds during a show because he missed something.
    
    Loading…
    
    Reply