New Drama TV Series on Free Services - Page 66

Prospects

1986

Prospects

1986
7
Prospects is a British television comedy drama series that was written by Alan Janes and originally shown on Channel 4 in 1986. Created by Euston Films who had a pedigree of producing successful, gritty drama such as The Sweeney and Minder, it followed the exploits of two East End 'geezer' characters - Jimmy 'Pincy' Pince played by Gary Olsen and Billy played by Brian Bovell and their trials and tribulations of making a living in London's Isle of Dogs. Comprising 12 episodes Prospects - with a comic slant, dealt with many of the major issues affecting British society at the height of the "Thatcherite" '80's including unemployment, crime, poverty, regeneration, social change and racism. Prospects gained a cult following and ratings wise it performed well above expectation for Channel 4. At that time Channel Four received a large subsidy from the rival commercial network ITV in exchange for the right to sell airtime; this gave ITV a significant input into the management of the station. The success of Prospects and
The Ray Bradbury Theater

1985

The Ray Bradbury Theater

1985
6.9
A Canadian-produced fantastic anthology series scripted by famed science-fiction author Ray Bradbury. Many of the teleplays were based upon Bradbury's novels and short stories.
The Last Place on Earth

1985

The Last Place on Earth

1985
7.4
The Last Place on Earth is a 1985 Central Television seven part serial, written by Trevor Griffiths based on the book Scott and Amundsen by Roland Huntford. The book is an exploration of the expeditions of Captain Robert F. Scott and his Norwegian rival in polar exploration, Roald Amundsen in their attempts to reach the South Pole. The series ran for seven episodes and starred a wide range of UK and Norwegian character actors as well as featuring some famous names, such as Max von Sydow, Richard Wilson, Sylvester McCoy and Pat Roach. It also featured performances early in their careers by Bill Nighy and Hugh Grant. Subsequently Huntford's book was republished under the same name. The book put forth the point of view that Amundsen's success in reaching the South Pole was abetted by much superior planning, whereas errors by Scott ultimately resulted in the death of him and his companions.
Highway to Heaven

1984

Highway to Heaven

1984
7.4
A probationary angel is sent back to Earth to team up with an ex-cop and help people.
Hunter

1984

Hunter

1984
7.1
Hunter is an American police drama television series created by Frank Lupo, and starring Fred Dryer as Sgt. Rick Hunter and Stepfanie Kramer as Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1991. However, Kramer left after the sixth season to pursue other acting and musical opportunities. In the seventh season, Hunter partnered with two different women officers. The titular character, Sgt. Rick Hunter, was a wily, physically imposing, and often rule-breaking homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. The show's main characters, Hunter and McCall, resolve many of their cases by shooting dead the perpetrators. The show's executive producer during the first season was Stephen J. Cannell, whose company produced the series.
Sherlock Holmes

1984

Sherlock Holmes

1984
8.2
Sherlock Holmes uses his abilities to take on cases by private clients and those that the Scotland Yard are unable to solve, along with his friend Dr. Watson.
宮本武蔵

1984

宮本武蔵

1984
8
Kennedy

1983

Kennedy

1983
6.3
Kennedy is a five-hour miniseries written by Reg Gadney and directed by Jim Goddard. The miniseries was produced by Central Independent Television and originally aired in the United States starting on 20 November 1983 around the time of the 20th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. The TV miniseries was a biography of the 1961-1963 presidency of John F. Kennedy. The mini-series stars Martin Sheen as President John F. Kennedy, John Shea as Robert F. Kennedy, Blair Brown as Jacqueline Kennedy, E.G. Marshall as Joseph P. Kennedy, Vincent Gardenia as J. Edgar Hoover and Kelsey Grammer as Stephen Smith amongst many others. The series was broadcast on NBC, and was also sold to 50 Countries, with 27 of them broadcasting the series simultaneous. The series was nominated for 3 Golden Globes and 4 BAFTA, and won Baftas for Best Drama Series and Best Make Up.
Rejseholdet

1983

Rejseholdet

1983
7
Tucker's Witch

1982

Tucker's Witch

1982
5.2
Rick and Amanda Tucker own and operate their private detective agency in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles. Amanda's psychic powers become an asset in solving cases but also tend to get the spouses into various troubles.
Bergerac

1981

Bergerac

1981
6.7
Jim Bergerac is a detective sergeant in The Foreigners Office who likes to do things his own way. While dealing with his own personal demons Bergerac has a knack of finding trouble, and sometimes causing it.
Sindikat-2

1981

Sindikat-2

1981
8.5
A miniseries about the Cheka's destruction of an underground organization led by Boris Savinkov.
Shillingbury Tales

1981

Shillingbury Tales

1981
7.2
Shillingbury Tales is a 1980–81 British sitcom produced by Associated Television for ITV. Comprising a single feature length pilot and six one-hour episodes, the series deals with life in an idealised fictional English village and stars Robin Nedwell, Diane Keen, Nigel Lambert, Jack Douglas, John Le Mesurier, Bernard Cribbins and Trevor Howard. The series was written by Francis Essex and directed by Val Guest. Unusual for the time, it was shot entirely on location in the village of Aldbury in Hertfordshire on 16mm and consequently there was no laugh track. The show ended when ATV lost their licence to broadcast and their replacement Central declined to continue production.
Wolcott

1981

Wolcott

1981
6
Newly promoted Black detective Winston Churchill Wolcott is transferred to a troubled London borough, where he becomes embroiled in a drug war and police corruption, dealing with cross-racial tensions and a persistent journalist.
Hammer House of Horror

1980

Hammer House of Horror

1980
7.1
Each self-contained episode features a different kind of horror, varying from witches, werewolves, ghosts, devil worship and voodoo, but also includes non-supernatural themes such as cannibalism, confinement and serial killers.
Lady Killers

1980

Lady Killers

1980
7.5
Compelling crime anthology looks at some of Britain's most notorious murder trials, in which both male and female defendants stood accused of the murder of women. Presented by Robert Morley, seven hour-long dramas reconstruct sensational trials which shocked Britain, offering in-depth analyses of individuals' motives and methods.
Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

1980

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones

1980
7.3
In the 1960s, Reverend Jim Jones began as an idealist helping minorities and working against racism. After a move to San Francisco and increased power and attention, Jones became focused on his belief in nuclear holocaust, declared himself a prophet, and founded the Peoples Temple. With a loyal following of over 1,000, who donated their entire life savings to him and to join his commune, he moves them to Guyana. When possible crimes come to the attention of the authorities, and once notified that some individuals are being held against their will, an investigation begins. Rather than face the charges, Jones commits suicide, and roughly 900 of his followers do the same.
The Gentle Touch

1980

The Gentle Touch

1980
7.2
Notable as the first British series to feature a female police officer (predating Juliet Bravo by four months), Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes raises her teenage son while navigating a male-dominated police force following the murder of her police commissioner husband.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

1980

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

1980
7.9
Tom Sawyer is a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River in the mid 1800s. Along with his best friend Huckleberry Finn, he spends his days ditching school, fishing, climbing trees and having adventures.
The Kids of Degrassi Street

1979

The Kids of Degrassi Street

1979
6.9
The Kids of Degrassi Street is a Canadian children's TV show that aired from 1979 to 1986, and is the first in the Degrassi series, about the lives of a group of children living on Degrassi Street in Toronto, Canada. It grew out of four short films: Ida Makes a Movie, Cookie Goes to the Hospital, Irene Moves In and Noel Buys a Suit, which originally aired as after-school specials on CBC Television in 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively. The show was acclaimed for its realistic depiction of every day children's lives and tribulations, and remains memorable to many Canadians because of this. Kids of Degrassi Street featured many of the same actors who would later appear on Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, including Stacie Mistysyn, Neil Hope, Anais Granofsky, Sarah Charlesworth and others. However, their character names and families were different, so this series cannot technically be seen as an immediate precursor to the later shows.