462. Web-series Reviews – 259

More web-series reviews…

Columbo – Ran from 1971 to 1998. When you first saw him, Lieutenant Columbo looked like a bum that just came off the street. He had a bumbling demeanor, was overly polite and seemed to chomp on the same short cigar on a daily basis. However, beneath all that comical exterior was probably the most dogged investigator in the Los Angeles Police Department. Columbo was often called on to investigate high profile murders that involved the rich and famous. The culprits were often amused by him, and just as they thought they were going to get away with murder, Columbo would find a way to trap them or find enough evidence to make them confess.

A review from IMDB...

I am a huge fan of detective series- Inspector Morse(my favourite), Agatha Christie:Poirot, Murder She Wrote, New Tricks, Monk, Ellery Queen, A Touch of Frost and Taggart are all wonderful, but I can't not mention Columbo.

Columbo is sophisticated, funny and clever, and is quite simply one of the best detective series ever. It does show who does it a vast majority of the time, so the viewer knows who's the murderer before Columbo does, like on Monk and sometimes on Diagnosis Murder as well. But the real fun is Columbo investigating why the crime was committed, how it was committed and of course the exchanges between him and the suspects.

Columbo is well filmed, with nice photography and interesting locations. The stories are involving and well paced, the murders and motives are calculating, the scripts are intelligent with some humour in them(the quintessential "just one more thing" and anything to do with Mrs. Columbo), the music is cleverly composed and the direction is strong. I can't fault the acting either- Peter Falk is simply brilliant as the dishevelled, cigar-smoking, dog-eared Columbo, a detective who has a brilliant mind and is endearing in his own way. Morse, Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher and Poirot are very like that as well. And there have been many memorable guest stars, Dick Van Dyke, Nicol Williamson, Gene Barry, Jack Cassidy, Robert Culp, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick McGoohan, Ray Milland, Rip Torn and George Hamilton are just a few of these memorable guests.

Overall, one brilliant detective series, clever with a great central performance.

My Take – One of The Best detective series out there! Excellent watch. Finished all the seasons!

 

Hostage  – Came in 2025. Abigail Dalton is making history; a female prime minister of the UK running on a platform that puts the NHS first. But she's in trouble, shortages in cancer drugs are leading to unrest across the country. It's possible the only person who can help is Vivienne Toussaint, the right-leaning French president. As the women come face to face at the summit that will decide both of their political futures, tragedy strikes - Dalton's husband is kidnapped in French Guiana, but at the same time the French president is blackmailed over a scandal that could cost her the upcoming election. Now these two women with opposing political beliefs must come together to uncover the truth and protect the future.

A review from IMDB..

Hostage kicks off with a high-stakes premise and rarely lets up, moving at a relentless pace that mixes political maneuvering with personal peril.

The story occasionally stretches credibility - there are moments that make you think, "no way this could actually happen" especially in the first couple of episodes. But if you lean into the heightened reality, the series delivers a tense, absorbing ride.

At the centre is Suranne Jones, outstanding as Prime Minister Abigail Dalton. She brings a mix of steel and humanity that makes the wildest twists feel grounded. Julie Delpy is her perfect foil as French President Vivienne Toussaint - cool, enigmatic, and always hinting at deeper motives. Their on-screen push and pull is the show's real power play.

The series looks great, too. Directors Isabelle Sieb and Amy Neil keep the action tight and urgent, while Jeff Russo's score hums with understated menace. It's bingeable television in the truest sense: five hours of fast politics, high drama, and personal stakes colliding.

Yes, some plotting relies on convenience, and a few resolutions arrive too neatly wrapped. But the energy, the performances, and the sheer audacity keep it entertaining throughout.

Not prestige realism, but an unapologetic political potboiler with flair.

Overall: 8/10 - tense, stylish, and far more fun than it has any right to be.

My Take – An ok series,

 

In Flight – Came in 2025. Jo Conran's son is imprisoned for a murder he denies. A gang blackmails her into smuggling, pushing her into a world of corruption and violence to save her child's life.

A review from IMDB...

I dove into In Flight expecting a pulse-pounding maternal thriller, but it left me fidgeting like a passenger on a six-hour delay... hooks sharp as a seatbelt buckle early on, then endless circling in contrivance clouds.

Katherine Kelly? She's my MVP, clawing through Jo's hellish hustle with gut-wrenching grit that had me rooting despite the rote "mum on the edge" schtick. Stuart Martin's Cormac? Oily devil in a suit, his smirks slicing the fog like a cocktail knife-pure catnip. But Harry Cadby's Sonny? Just a teary prop to yank my sympathies, and Ashley Thomas's Dom broods like he's phoning in from the cargo hold.

Walden's script revs fierce at takeoff, only to sputter in mid-flight muck: subplots balloon like bad inflight meals, tropes thudding dully. Randall's sweaty close-ups trap the paranoia, but the choppy cuts and budget blandness scream "no frills."

At 6.5/10, I stuck it out for Kelly's fire, but the drags drained me; finale's tidy bows felt like autopilot mercy. Binge if her rage revs you; ditch if you hate turbulence without payoff.

In Flight teases thrills but crash-lands in meh... relieved to deplane.

My Take – An ok series.

Adios till next time😊!!