INSIDER Autumn 2019 | Page 20

INSIDER ENTERTAINMENT Hundreds of Crime Shows, why these stand out! There have been hundreds of crime shows throughout time. Some seem copies of others. But some stand out above the rest, what makes them so special? By Oliver Bessell Year after year we’re hand fed tv shows that bleed into our brains. We’re shown high budget thrillers and down-to-earth detective stories. But sometimes it all gets too much, sometimes we feel we’ve seen all this before. That the line between originality and copying a formu- la that is known to work has drawn somewhat thin. So when we think of certain shows, why do they naturally stand out above the rest? What do these crime shows have that others lacked? We have the biggest shows with the big- gest budgets that still can get thrown aside and forgotten in the pile of ratings fail- ures. Like BBC’s At- lantis or Netflix’s Marco Polo. This in itself could be proof that having a big budget and fantastic production values is- n’t in itself what it takes to have a series connect with the pub- lic and critics alike. Take FX’s Fargo, which has become a classic and solidified itself as a favourite among audi- ences. The first series was what was responsi- ble for drawing viewers in to this anthology se- ries. With a fairy-tale like tone, surrounding itself with brutal mur- ders and tension through suspenseful po- lice investigations. It has an all star cast dur- ing its first run and then throughout its following instalments , such as Fargo, 2014- present. “A very good script that only lasts 10 epi- sodes I was like, ‘Great! That’s right up my street.'” , Martin Free- man on Fargo. Martin Freeman, Billy Bob Thornton, Ewan McGregor or Chris Rock. Now, I don’t know whether you’ve even watched the show but you may have heard about it, most likely on lists about shows “you have to” watch. But Fargo is not the only show to take a lighter approach to serious subjects within the crime genre, but why is it remembered more? The College magazine online: sixthformmag.blogspot.co.uk