A couple of my favourites...

[djd]

I've had a parallel interest in period detective literature and the tv adaptations of such, that's run alongside Indiana Jones for as long as I can recall. My favourites would be the Poirot stories and the superb TV adaptations, Sherlock Holmes and the late Jeremy Brett's unsurpassed portrayal, the lesser known stories of Albert Campion by Margery Allingham and the short lived but good tv version staring Peter Davison. Foyles War was also a super series - I just wish they'd made more of them. A great look at the home front in England during WW2.

[kiltie]

... Sherlock Holmes and the late Jeremy Brett's unsurpassed portrayal, ...

Second this and would like to add the Nero Wolfe mysteries on A&E with Maury Chaykin and Timothy Hutton. Great art direction, snappy writing, and it just looked like the actors were all having a good time.

On the page: Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series. Read all but the last one ( I just can't bring myself to 'end it' ). I've only seen a couple of the TV adaptations, and doubt if I'll see any more; not too special.

For Poirot, since they were the first I saw, the Peter Ustinov adaptations with the all-star casts will always be first in my mind. To be honest, they've kept me off most of the recent stuff, and that's probably not smart of me.

[Kt Templar]

Forgive me for the name drop, I met Paul Freeman a few years ago at LFCC I asked him what he was filming at the time, and he said he was about to start a Poirot... I must have pulled a face cos his face fell... LOL I had to quickly backtrack!

I never got the hang of Poirot, sadly.

[djd]

Great stories, great acting, great clothes and a great moustache!

[Kt Templar]

I do have a bit of an aversion to 'sunday night' detective shows. Wexford, Inspector Morse, Lewis etc etc do my head in too

Give me the original Cracker, early Prime Suspect, early Between the Lines....

[crismans]

Masterpiece Mystery has given me a bit of an appreciation for the Inspector Lewis series. I'm a big fan of the new Sherlock as well (although, nobody will ever top Brett).

[Indyoriginal]

I grew up watching the David Suchet Poirot mysteries, and as such, will always hold a soft spot for them. However, lately, I'm all about BBC's contemporary Sherlock Holmes. If only the BBC would make more than 3 episodes a season, blast them!! But, that seems about par for the course for British television. It's a trade off between quantity and quality, I suppose.

I will try to check out some of the other shows you guys have mentioned. I would particularly like to start the old(er) BBC Sherlock set in the nineteenth century. Once again, parents watched it when I was a kid, but never warmed to them the way I like Poirot.

[fifthchamber]

I loved the original Sherlock Holmes series...It'll never be done better...Although the new series is great, and honestly, I do rather like the Downey version too....Decent..Not especially Holmes, but decent...

Columbo was always a favourite too... Not especially for the story, since they weren't as well done, but just for the way it was acted...Falk was brilliant at that, and I always enjoyed watching them...Still do...

The new Sherlock has been a small (and short) light to download... It was lovely seeing the way they mixed the stories I knew well into the new series, I loved that...And although 3 episodes is short, it does mean that they MEAN something...Spread too thin it might lose some of the originality...

Poirot rocks...No question...Seeing Suchet back as Poirot for the Orient Express was a delight....Lovely stuff....And while I don't enjoy the story as much, the original Miss Marple show and books are fun and intelligent enough to enjoy reading..

[djd]

Final series of Poirot this year it seems. Last 4 stories including 'Curtain'. Sad but at least we should see the return of Captain Hastings.

I don't mind the Guy Richie Holmes films although as you say, not very Holmes. I thought the second one was a lot more fun than the first. Brett just completely nailed the character for me and those shows were just beautifully made. I'm not a fan of the new BBC version. Partly because to me, Holmes is a period piece and that's a chunk of its charm. Secondly, because I do not like the current BBC house style where everything is like Dr Who. Everyone over acts.... The thing I like about quality US drama these days is that people play it straight - BSG being a great example. I just prefer that more naturalistic style in my fantasy.

Other great shows for me are Firefly, Rockford Files, Rome, Band of Brothers, From the Earth to the Moon, The Avengers, 60s & 70s Dr Who and Deadwood. Guilty pleasures include Xena and Blakes 7.

[fifthchamber]

Did you watch "The Wire"?

Several decent British actors in that too...And a bloody great story....Kind of connects to detection...Kind of, but then spirals off into so many different threads I don't really know what you'd call it..Except "genius"...Well worth the time to watch..

"Rome" was brilliant...Agreed..Shame they couldn't keep it going on..But it's nice to end it with those two characters rather than spread out too much..

As for the new Sherlock, I think I appreciated it BECAUSE it was done like that...No one can remake the series better than Brett did, so trying would have been silly....Taking it and updating it worked rather well I thought, simply because it allows it to be changed enough to not be compared to the best show ever...The old series...
Although yes, I have to agree that recently, the BBC has taken a lot of steps over the edge, and they now try and overact everything so badly there is nothing "gritty" left really...Dr. Who was always like that, and I was never much of a fan in honesty..Music aside...

New season for Poirot? Sweet! That'll be something classy to look forward to! Good news! I'd thought it was just the Orient and then he would stop! Yay!

Did you see the newer version of Miss Marple? Complete bat guano...Well stayed away from...Sherlock is a dmaned sight better still...Thank god...