Doesn’t September feel a bit like the Sunday night of the year? — slightly bittersweet, but also full of good intentions. (I will start meal prepping/drink fewer cups of tea per day/watch more “this will make me smarter” documentaries.) Don’t worry — while the world gets back to business, your dose of escapism is queued up to ease the transition. From small-town New Zealand to the sun-drenched coast of Southern India, we’ve got some far-flung dramas to brighten the shorter days.
So, if you’re not quite ready for serious emails and sweaters, you’re in the right place. Oh, and while you’re here, would you mind taking a minute to fill out our Deep Dive survey? We know you’ve got great taste, and we want this newsletter to reflect it. We’d really appreciate it!
Definitely not shopping for pumpkins yet,
Anna Fort, Senior Digital Producer
This is a web edition of GBH's The Deep Dive, a weekly newsletter bringing you the best GBH has to offer.
Real Life Can Wait. These Shows Can’t.
The Brokenwood Mysteries Returns
New Seasons Available
Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd is back, armed with his country music cassette tapes and investigative instincts that shouldn’t work but somehow do. With the help of the more methodical, and definitely more tech savvy, Detective Kristin Sims, Det. Shepherd tackles the off-kilter crimes that plague Brokenwood — a seemingly sleepy New Zealand town with a suspiciously high body count. So, before you swap your beach towel for a throw blanket, stream Seasons Five and Six — or binge the entire series.
The Good Karma Hospital Is Back
Season Three Now Streaming
After a four-month soul-searching sabbatical at her family’s tea plantation, Dr. Ruby Walker returns to the under-resourced hospital, only to find her love life complicated (because of course) and an onslaught of medical cases that keeps her sweating through her scrubs. Think ER, but tropical, with heartfelt stories, characters you root for (and occasionally yell at), and medical suspense, all wrapped in a kind of warm escapist glow that will have you ready to pack a stethoscope and find a palm-lined beach to begin your expat life. Season Three of The Good Karma Hospital is now streaming and will air on GBH 2 this November. Or catch up on Seasons One and Two.
Even More Drama
* Allow yourself to be swept away by swirling gowns, simmering rebellion, and smouldering passion — enough to raise an imperial eyebrow. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century Europe, Sisi: Austrian Empress is the perfect royal diversion, and you can stream all three seasons now.
* As Foyle’s War enters its final chapters, (Seasons Eight and Nine) we find our ever-composed Detective Foyle tackling deadly Cold War conspiracies and MI5 bureaucracy — all while keeping his tie straight. As usual, Michael Kitchen’s quiet brilliance anchors this sharply written, morally complex drama. Stream the full series on Passport. Season 9 airs September 29 on GBH 2.
* The bodies keep piling up in the quaintest corners of England. DCI Tom Barnaby returns to Midsomer, this time with new sergeant, Dan Scott, in tow. Fresh-faced and metropolitan, Dan quickly learns that “quiet village life” in Midsomer involves an awful lot of funerals. Season Seven of Midsomer Murders is currently airing on Mondays at 8pm on GBH 44. And, if murder in the English countryside is just what you need to unwind, check out this fan favorite Midsomer Murders episode.
Two Impeccably Timed Distractions
1. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale: It’s the final bow for Britain’s reigning family. The Crawleys have a few more exquisite table settings before the silver is polished one last time, and you’re invited to dress up and show up for an exclusive advance screening. It would be unseemly not to.
2. The wait is over —the first trailer for MASTERPIECE’s The Forsytes has officially dropped! Expect old money, new grudges, and drama that’s nothing short of spectacular.
Read More from GBH Drama
* Meet the creators behind Code of Silence, a crime drama with a deaf lip-reader who cracks cases and misconceptions alike.
* Damien Timmer, the executive producer behind hits like Code of Silence, as well as MASTERPIECE’s Poldark and Endeavour, reflects on three decades of reinventing British drama. Read the full interview here.
* MASTERPIECE’s real scene-stealers have four legs, fur, and a flair for drama!From pampered pugs to heroic mutts, these canine co-stars deserve their own Emmy (and maybe a treat or two).
Off Topic
- Mister Rogers might be getting his own Forever stamp soon! Watch this throwback moment when he was delighted by the magic behind stamp-making!
- How do birds use their brains to earn a snack? Join NOVA as they explore the surprising ways birds solve puzzles.
- An antique jug, a life-changing adoption, and a reunion years later — watch this unforgettable ANTIQUES ROADSHOW story.
