TV series to get HOOQ'd onto this monsoon!

Maigret

Maigret is a British Television Series set in the 1950s, in France. Based on novels by Belgian Novelist Georges Simenon - brooding and ever so serious detective Jules Maigret is played by the unlikely-for-this-role Rowan Atkinson who does a brilliant job on the philosophical and world-weary Parisian detective. This is quite different from what you would come to expect from detectives worth telling stories about - much unlike Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, Maigret solves crimes through getting to work and staying at it - and waiting patiently for his tireless work to come to fruition.
It has 2 seasons and only 4 movie-length episodes, all worth a watch!

Available on HOOQ

Luther

The fascination with detective shows continues with Luther, a brilliant investigator who is finding it difficult to keep up the blurring lines that stand between himself and those he works to track down. Idris Elba in the titular role won a Golden Globe among many other awards. Because, of course, it’s Idris Elba. The ex rogue-cop with a bunch of issues against an evil genius murderer is a cliche that works incredibly well with Luther.
With 16 episodes spread across 4 seasons that are crisp and don’t feel as weighted down as you’d expect it to be from the trailer.

Available on HOOQ

Justified

U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens is reassigned from Miami to the rural coal mining towns in eastern Kentucky, where he grew up. It won 2 Primetime Emmy Awards and many many nominations - and a series should be measured by its nominations more than its awards - it’s got quite a few of them. Based on the books of Elmore Leonard’s Riding the Rap, this show is violent, but not gory - it is humorous but keeps its seriousness. Quirky characters with great story-lines and crisp dialogue keep this show going.
It’s not a polarizing TV series, most people seem to find this on a scale of good to excellent - definitely not a waste of time.

Available on HOOQ

The Shield

The Shield, with Michael Chiklis is shot in a documentary-style fashion and follows a cop who breaks the mould of a regular cop. Detective Vic Mackey, leader of the elite Strike Team unit - great at putting criminals behind bars but not quite good enough at staying under legal bounds. This series stays interesting from start to end and is incredible binge-able content. True to the previous statement, it was the first ad-supported cable series to win the 2003 Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series.

Available on HOOQ

The Mentalist

It’s quite likely that everyone has heard about this show, and not enough because it is a great show. About a mentalist who relies on his intuition and knowledge about people and crime to help out the CBI - it rides masterfully along with the unlikely-but-talented-white-male-joins-hands-with-investigative-agency shows like Castle and White Collar, while doing a brilliant job of it. It shows why shows like that have a knack for doing incredibly well. Not one you’d feel bad about starting.

Available on HOOQ

Chosen

Defence lawyer and single parent Ian Mitchell finds himself in an odd situation. On a regular day at work, he finds a box on his desk - with a gun and a photo of a stranger inside it. He must kill the person, in order to preserve his daughter’s life. This series poses some important questions about whether one life really is worth more than another, with the tagline: “How far would you go?” Pretty far, apparently.
Three tight seasons. Well worth a watch.

Available on HOOQ

Mad Men

Arguably the best TV series ever. Though it seems like it’s all about the rises and falls of the Ad Men of Madison Avenue starting from the 1960s - these mysterious men who treat their vices like luxuries. With his excessive smoking, drinking, and womanizing despite being a family man - Donald Draper. Many secrets surround this man that not only has to sell products but also himself to those around him. Mad Men is a show that has a lot of clever and crisp things to say about the times it is set in, and the times we live in today. If only you can listen instead of falling in love with Donald Draper, which does happen to the best of us.

Available on HOOQ

The Big C

The Big C is exactly about that - Cathy, a suburban high-school teacher, wife and mother who seemingly has a perfect life, and her cancer diagnosis. Cathy as a character is great to see on screen, and really helps the series show that there is a lighter side to an illness that spells near-certain death. Lead actor Laura Linney won the solitary Golden Globe for The Big C, which is among 5 other wins and 30 other nominations. It’s a hearty show that doesn’t pull any punches - leaving a bittersweet taste in your mouth, but in a great way.

Available on HOOQ

The Blacklist: Redemption

Tom Keen joins forces with Susan Hargrave - the cunning chief of a covert mercenary organisation called Grey Matters (because they have the brains to deal with matters that are too ‘grey’ for nationalised militaries to deal with). Just thought that very clever (not) reference was not lost on you. They team up to employ their unique skills and resources in a dangerous world of deadly criminals, Tom begins his own mission to find out more about his shadowy past.

Available on HOOQ