Category Archives: Adult Themes

Tele Watching the Summer of 2023

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Wow! How many great shows have been on this Summer? I couldn’t believe my luck when I started a few new series and found out they were all good to great, it meant I had a wide range of things to watch. Plus there were some returning shows too, with second series’ and I had looked forward to those. So! Let me go into what I’ve been watching and how I rate them, if you missed them there might be ones you like the look of and can check out for yourselves!

The Time Traveller’s Wife Image from IMDB via HBO

The Time Traveller’s Wife
Sky Atlantic

So total honesty, I have always loved Theo James (Divergent, Sanditon) and when he was cast for this I was ecstatic. I feel like unless you’ve seen him in several varied roles people think he’s a one sided actor, which he certainly is not, and everything I’ve watched him in he is totally different. They cast the wonderful Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones) as Clare and boy was it a fantastic choice. Their chemistry was excellent and I feel like that the entire casting for this show was actually brilliant.
Anyone who saw the Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams version (I loved that one too) or has read the book, this series is a mixture between the two. Set over six episodes it focuses more so on Clare which is how it’s supposed to be, after all it’s called “The Time Traveller’s WIFE”, right?
Even the opening credits are beautifully created, with Clare ageing as she’s running through the fields below her family house. As the episodes progress so does the age of Clare.
After a rocky start when they first meet when Clare is a young adult studying, the relationship blossoms and you get a series of flashbacks and stories told between them which fill in the blanks in both of the characters’ pasts as they continue on this love affair. Between Clare talking about the older Henry, and the younger Henry trying to remember what his older self did, there are several beautiful moments where things align and either character is sparing the feelings of the other or trying to get them to open up about the past.
The way that they made Theo look different in age was superbly done, and the acting was excellent. I would say that episodes five and six felt a little rushed in the script and I would have liked to have seen eight episodes instead of the six. But that could be me wanting to see more of Theo James naked (though his body double did all the stunt type shots) but I am unapologetic for wanting to see more of this very handsome man.
Rose Leslie did a fantastic job overall considering she had most of the air time, and she had some very difficult scenes to film as well, and I thought she did brilliantly, such as the way she used mannerisms to convey her younger self was very clever too. There was both good directing and good acting that made this series so good. I’m not sure if there will be a series two, I would hope so!
I would suggest a watch, if you aren’t gripped after the end of episode two then you can take it or leave it, but it’s really a beautiful bit of acting and there are some poignant scenes that are still in my mind now even weeks after watching it.

5✩/5✩

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Queen Charlotte
Netflix

Wow… If you haven’t seen Bridgerton (have you been living under a rock?) then watch this first, because this series features the characters who will appear in those later series as time goes by. If you have seen Bridgerton and not Queen Charlotte then I have to say I enjoyed it even more than I did Bridgerton.
The show features the future Queen Charlotte on how she came to be in Great Britain and married off to King George. The series follows their lives for the next few years over six episodes.
The acting is superb and they have been cast so perfectly that I almost shed a tear at times with how amazing the chemistry was on screen. India Amarteifio (Young Queen Charlotte) and Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte) are incredible as Charlotte and the way that India learned some of the mannerisms she had used during the Bridgerton series’ and integrated them into her portrayal of the younger Queen was impeccable.
You should give this show a go simply for the amount of effort that everyone has made to create it, from the set designs, to the incredible costumes, to the delightful period touches of the era it is set and the acting which across the board is such a high standard. There are not just new names in this show but there will also be seasoned actors you will notice who once again bring their years of skills to this series.

Don’t just take my word for it, watch the first two episodes, I promise you’ll be hooked. Every person I have recommended to watch it has said they have loved it.

I rate this (of course) a 5✩/5✩

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Savage River
5 Star

As I mentioned in my previous post about Tele Watching, Savage River was a show I was currently watching. I have now finished it and I have to say I enjoyed the twists towards the final episodes and I did manage to work it out before they told us. Overall an excellent series and the way that they left it open could mean it would return in the future. Very good if you enjoy Australian Drama, Thrillers and Murder Mystery! Some hard hitting themes so do take care, definitely one for adults.

4✩/5✩

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NCIS
Season 19
5 Star

I realise the UK is a little behind on the NCIS front because season 19 has only just finished on Channel 5’s channel 5 star this summer. I believe more of it is available on Disney Plus though.
Having been a fan of NCIS all my life it occurred to me that I may or may not like the changes with Mark Harmon choosing to take a back seat now and only appearing every so many episodes. However I love NCIS so much and the rest of the team of actors, I wasn’t about to not watch it. I was more than pleasantly surprised; I loved how they transitioned into welcoming the new team members. It feels a little different but the same at the same time, which is odd but NCIS regulars will know what I mean.
I am in awe of the three leads Sean Murray, Katrina Law and Wilmer Valderrama because they have remained the staple this season holding everything together as their new boss played by Gary Cole enters as a regular. I cannot wait to see what happens next season and I take my hat off to the producers and writers and directors for continuing to bring new and exciting episodes forward with my favourite crime fighting and investigating team! Go NCIS! Here’s to many more seasons ahead.

It has to be 5✩/5✩ and it will always be in my eyes.

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Heat
Channel 5

I saw this advertised for a while and I do usually enjoy the Channel 5 thrillers, so I thought why not, it was only 4 episodes long so not taxing on time and the pace moved on nicely. Great to see some Australian wilderness I had not encountered on other shows, spectacular scenery. Several well known actors in it including some Neighbours regulars and a few British all rounders like Danny Dyer.
The story progresses quite quickly into a series of lies and betrayals and several twists too! The acting was great and at times the two families had great chemistry.
My quick synopsis for this (without giving too much away) is that two families who have always vacationed together meet up at the newly built secluded home of Danny Dyer’s university best friend. He hosts them all for what is meant to be the trip of a lifetime, a chance for everyone to unwind and relax. However with a multitude of secrets bubbling between many of the characters things quickly start to unravel. To make matters worse the bush fires and getting closer, who will make it out alive?
The only thing I will say was that for me it was quite predictable, but then again I watch a lot of dramas so that could be why and it didn’t take away from the acting which was very good.

3.5✩/5✩

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Image owned by IMDB via ITV.

The Confessions of Frannie Langton
ITV / ITVX

I decided to watch this one weekend when I was home alone and had finished a load of other things already, I wanted something gritty and short to watch. With only a few episodes it was perfect. If you enjoy period dramas and thrillers this is ideal for you. If you have already seen Sanditon or Bridgerton then it’s a very similar time period. With only 4 episodes that are of decent pace this show can be watched in one weekend. It is adapted from a novel by Sara Collins and tells the life of Frannie Langton as she confesses the sins of her short life as the storyline unfolds. I do not wish to spoil any of the plot, so I won’t divulge, all I will say is that the acting by the two lead women is superb.

4 episodes around 49 minutes each. Several well known actors and some new comers too.
Aged 15 years and above due to many adult themes. Trigger Warnings: Drug Use, Miscarriage, Racial Language and Discrimination.

4✩/5✩

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Departure
5 Star
Series 3

Gosh I love this show! I’m a lover of mystery and who-done-it’s and this ticks all the boxes for me. With a strong female lead who is tiny but mighty and boy does she know what she’s doing. The brave and smart Kendra Malley is the lead in the show (played by Emmy award winning Archie Panjabi), she is an investigator from London who travels all around the world solving mysteries regarding vehicular disasters. Series one featured a plane crash, and series two was a train. This time we are faced with a ferry sinking and the thriller gains pace within minutes of starting. If you enjoy a crime thriller you should give this a go for sure. Featuring a wide range of Actors from the UK, Canada and the USA, this show has a bit of everything and the scale of the series should be commended.

5✩/5✩

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Young Sheldon
E4
Series 6

As someone who loved The Big Bang Theory I started watching Young Sheldon when it came out on Channel 4’s additional channel E4. Over the last five (almost six) years we have watched the child actors really grow into their roles and I have to say I laugh every single week at this show. I sometimes learn something new too which is always fun! The storyline is really progressing at the moment, and I feel like Series 7 will feature some pivotal moments in Sheldon’s life, one’s that were mentioned during The Big Bang Theory, that fans will know about. They have been slowly building up to this and I am both looking forward to seeing it but am also somewhat apprehensive due to the nature of it being a characters exit.

I rate Young Sheldon a 4✩/5✩

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The Ark
Sky Sci-fi

Brand new science fiction show set in the not too distant future. As Earth fails to survive climate changes and natural disasters a scientist builds a series of spaceships called Arks. Training up thousands of engineers, pilots and science experts the plan was to send teams into space to a new planet similar to Earth outside of our solar system. This first series follows Ark 1 as they journey through space, when the crew are suddenly woken up in their cryo-pods far too early because of an accident. The surviving crew members have to band together to survive and help their struggling ship stay on course to their destination. There are many twists and turns and unexpected revelations in this series and I really enjoyed it. The diversity of actors is also something to be commended, some I had seen before but others are definitely rising stars in regards European acting. It took a few episodes to get in to but now I can’t wait to find out what happens!

If you have ever seen Stargate, The 100 or any Star Trek and enjoyed those then this is a series you should check out for certain. Ideally suited for people aged at teenagers and above due to injury detail, adult themes and several examples of harrowing death.

I would give this show 4✩/5✩!

Image owned by IMDB via SyFy Channel

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The Tower
Series 2
ITV

I loved series 1 of The Tower, so when I heard it was returning this August I couldn’t wait. The second series starts off almost immediately where the previous one ended, and the characters have their own lives intertwining as well as their on going police investigations. I have to say I enjoyed this set of episodes just as much as the first series. The pace is always good and you aren’t waiting for something to develop, and despite the hard hitting storylines it was excellent tele to watch. I think the acting was great from all the leads and I really hope we get a series 3 (if not more) to come!

I give The Tower 4✩/5✩

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My Mum, Your Dad
ITV

✩ CURRENTLY ON NOW ✩
I gave this show a go on a whim, but I’m actually really enjoying it! Think of it as the camera set up and team from Love Island so you can see everything except the toilets! Plus the sweet kindness of Davina McCall giving everyone advice and guidance. If you haven’t seen this then give it a go, the countryside retreat they had them all staying at is just stunning!

4✩/5✩

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Thanks for reading this blog post today! If you watch anything after my recommendation please let me know I would love to hear what you think. Have you seen any of these? What have you been watching? Have a great day!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Tele Watching, what have I been viewing on my television this season and what I would recommend to others

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I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t watch at least something on their television or stream it on their device at home even if it’s just a couple of times a week. And what with so many ground breaking TV series that have been on over the last ten years or so, I decided that I would start to watch things that perhaps not everyone else was seeing. So let me tell you about a few series that I have watched as Winter ended and Springtime began, and these are ones that I would highly recommend.

Look out for the Trigger sections and Themes that I outline in each section, and also the genres to decide if a series if right for you or not. I also rated each series I watched.

The Rising

When I saw this program advertised on my SKY TV Box I was instantly drawn in by its synopsis. This series left me itching to watch the next episode, and with a cast of people who are mainly British and Irish, you will see some familiar faces, as well as a few rising stars for sure. Superb acting and storytelling that far surpasses some of what is on the tele at the moment, The Rising is a relatively short series that I can recommend to anyone who likes thrillers, murder mystery and the supernatural.

I don’t want to give out any spoilers, that isn’t why I’m writing a review, what I will do is give you no more detail than the synopsis does, and tell you in my own words why I think you should give this one a go.

Neve Kelly is furious that someone has murdered her, for the 8 hours of this incredible series we watch her get angry and scared, before vowing for justice. Neve refuses to be somebody’s victim and she starts to slowly piece together what happened that night. The twists and turns will have you binge watching this show episode after episode wanting to find out who killed her, will the family ever get closure?

If you like a good “whodunit” murder mystery, if you like British Drama, if you enjoy something supernatural and/or ghosts and spirits, then this show will be right up your street. I found myself rooting for the main character after the first episode had finished and I was looking for the clues just like she was. A brilliant and somewhat uplifting drama despite its genre, I was also compelled by several actors and their performances and would recommend this show to anyone.

Themes: Death, Drugs, Drowning, Alcoholism, Murder, Death of a Child, Depression
Genre: Murder Mystery, Thriller, Supernatural Drama
Episodes: 8
Average Episode Time: 1 Hour
Where to Watch: Sky Boxsets or Sky Go
My Rating 5✩

Pretty Little Liars Original Sin

If, like me, you watched the Pretty Little Liars series back in the early 2010’s you’ll know it was a huge deal. I personally loved the show, acting and storyline was fabulous. So when I heard that they were revisiting that area of state with a new series dedicated to the same principle I was intrigued. Set years after the events in Rosewood in a town not too far down the road called Millwood. A group of young women in high school start to become terrorised by a masked figure who calls himself A. Their worlds crumble around them one by one and with tons of references to the original PLL but without trying to out do them, this series had me gripped from start to finish. It’s also been left open to continue on to series two which I really hope they do. I was very impressed by the five young actresses, two of which I had seen before in other shows. They each embodied their characters flawlessly and on screen chemistry of the group was excellent too.

There are plenty of hard hitting themes within PLL, even more so than there were ten years ago in the original series. So if you have suffered trauma and are subjective to trigger warnings, I would like to outline the themes so you can make a decision on whether you should watch this or not. Although some are hard hitting, the show did very well in regards getting justice for people who had been wronged within the storyline, and some lines were done very tactfully as well.

Themes Include;
Teenage Pregnancy, Rape, Blood, Torture,
Death of a Parent, Horror and Gore, Drugs,
Suicide, Bullying, Death, Serial Killer.

If you can get past all those triggers it’s actually a fantastic series. It has even more adult themes compared to the original Pretty Little Liars which made it more hard hitting than just teen drama. Many references to the original and some of its characters too made it very nostalgic watching for me. If you liked the original PLL, high school teen drama, adult drama with them having flashbacks, twists and murder mystery with serial killer vibes then this is the show for you.

Genre: Teen / Young Adult Drama, Serial Killer, Revenge
Episodes: 10
Average Episode Time: 51 mins
Where to Watch: I watched it on BBC1 but it’s still available on BBC iPlayer at the moment.
My Rating 5✩

Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?

I loved this! The Agatha Christie novel adapted by Hugh Laurie, who also stars, so what’s not to love?! Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton have fantastic onscreen chemistry and I thought she was just fantastic with all her mannerisms and quirks! The story was gripping and intriguing and moved on at a pace that you simply couldn’t be bored if you tried. Will Poulter is excellent and I was really rooting for him after only a few minutes of this. I grant that this genre isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I would suggest giving it a chance. Watch out for lots of guest stars too with the likes of Game of Thrones legend Conleth Hill and the brilliant Emma Thompson as well as Jim Broadbent to name but a few.

Brief Overview
The vicar’s son Bobby (Poulter) is working as a golf caddy on the welsh coast when he discovers a body at the bottom of the cliffs, upon climbing down to the man he speaks his final words to him “Why didn’t they ask Evans?” before passing away. The bond and this question then leads Bobby on an intriguing murder mystery all over the UK. Frankie (Boynton) is Bobby’s childhood socialite friend who agrees to help him on his quest for the truth. Several twists and amazing characters later and the pair finally start to unravel the mystery.

You could watch this in an evening because there are only 3 episodes totally a time of 3 hours. Highly recommend it for anyone aged mid teenage years and above (due to the blood at the cliff and several other serious scenes including a beating, torture, mental illness and the use of guns and a bit of smoking). Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Genre: Murder Mystery, Period Drama, Thriller
Episodes: 3
Average Episode Time: 55 mins
Where to Watch: Currently on ITV X.
My Rating 5✩

You and Me

This series caught my eye on an advert one night, and after viewing that it was only 3 episodes I decided it was worth a go. I was pleasantly surprised by excellent acting, brilliant on screen chemistry and a story that sadly a lot of people might be able to relate to. Have a tissue at the ready! (No Spoilers!)

If you’re a fan of an unconventional love story, this will definitely be a show for you. It’s really well cast throughout the families involved with a few famous faces as well! There are several triggering parts of this series including death and cancer and sudden loss, but don’t let that put you off viewing this beautiful story. Me and You taught me that you should never give up hope of finding happiness, to be grateful for all that you have right in this moment and to always seize the day and take that photo, because you don’t know if it could be the last you take of that person. It is a romantic comedy and there were times that I laughed, but also times I cried. It’s beautifully directed though.

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Drama
Episodes: 3
Average Episode Time: 45 mins
Where to Watch: ITV X
My Rating: 4✩

What else am I currently watching?

NCIS Season 19 – the original and in my opinion the best, love this team and all their navy drama and thrilling crime busting shenanigans! Currently airing on Channel 5 USA once a week.

Savage River – murder mystery in a small town called Savage River in rural Victoria (AUS). Miki returns after ten years in prison and all she wants to do is move on with her life. Half the town seem happy for her to do just that, but the other half won’t let her forget the past. As a new murder rocks the town to the core, Miki must clear her name and help find the culprit, uncovering town secrets at every turn. Airing once a week on Channel 5 Star.

I will review these and anything else I end up watching once the seasons have finished.

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Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope you’ve liked this new content that I’m bringing to the website. If you would love to see more posts like this please leave me a comment letting me know.

Have you already seen any of the programs I have reviewed?

Wishing you a great day and thanks for visiting Severn Wishes Blog.

✩ Sabrina ✩

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Please Note:

✩ Programs were still available to view as of June 5th 2023.
✩✩ All the words are my own including the synopsis’ that I’ve written after viewing the programs.
✩✩✩ I have screenshot the images for reference from BBC, ITVX and IMBD.