What are you watching? Readers recommend 'Broadchurch,' 'The Andy Griffith Show'

Monitor TV and movie fans share what they've been watching lately.

I tend to watch crime shows, but I love grit. I usually avoid most US shows of the genre because everyone is so pretty and everything so perfect. Happy Valley, which airs on BBC One in Britain and is on Netflix in the United States, is a good example of a crime drama in which the acting is superb and the characters are a bit flawed. Lead actress Sarah Lancashire is not afraid of getting dirty. 

Case from Iceland, which is on Netflix, is another example of a good show with a flawed main character. Some of these European shows are a bit darker and I like that. Belgium’s The Break, also on Netflix, has a strong lead and compelling story. 

Broadchurch, an ITV show from Britain, was well paced and really did a great job presenting a lot of possible suspects. The Department Q movies from Denmark are good, as are the brilliant Red Riding movies from Britain.

– Wendy Bjork, Camarillo, Calif.

My husband and I are rewatching the BBC series Call the Midwife on Netflix. 

The series takes place in East London during the 1950s and 1960s. It can rip your heart out in one scene while making you laugh out loud in the next. It’s full of warmth, color, and compassion. I am eagerly anticipating Season 8.

– Dana Casale, Ben Avon, Pa.

The Americanization of Emily is a special picture. James Garner and Julie Andrews? Who’d a thunk it?

– Ronald Stevens, Minneapolis

A movie I watch over and over is Office Space. If you have ever worked in a corporate or government office, you will feel as if the movie is showing your life as this delightful comedy captures the absurdities of the modern workplace.

– Tom Kuekes, Bakersfield, Calif.

I like the portion of PBS’s NewsHour in which syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks appear. In addition, there are always some free, previously broadcast American Masters documentaries available on PBS’s website, and I enjoy watching those.

– Dan Ziskind, St. Louis

My favorite TV shows are oldies. CBS’s The Andy Griffith Show is filled with life lessons, and CBS’s The Munsters is a ridiculous comedy that just makes me laugh out loud.

– Ann Perrizo, Fargo, N.D.

What are you watching? Write and tell us at whatareyouwatching@csmonitor.com.