What are you watching this January?

What are you watching this January?

Chris and I are torturing ourselves by watching the latest season of All Creatures Great and Small as the episodes drop each week on PBS. My goodness, the good old-fashioned WAITING!! We are only 2 weeks in, and my patience is wearing thin as I finish each episode and know I have to wait seven whole days until the next one. How did we ever live like that?!

I adore this show so much. It is based (yes, somewhat loosely) on the beloved memoirs of Yorkshire veterinarian Alf Wight (pen name James Herriot). And I do mean beloved -- my books were ragged from reading and rereading them in my adolescence.

I don't think those copies exist anymore because I wore them out, but I do still have this "best of" collection, sweetly given to me on my 15th birthday by my parents. It has often traveled with us on road trips, with me reading the stories aloud to Chris as he drives. We've been known to have to pull over because he's laughing so hard at the clever writing.

Because of these stories, I just knew I wanted to be a vet -- until I realized what a queasy stomach I have. (Also, please don't get me started on how dismayed I was when I found out James Herriot was not his real name!)

What I cherish about this sweet series is that it captures the essence of the books: the quirkiness of the characters, the coziness of the surgery/home of the vet practice, the animals and their plights, the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales, and the satisfaction of jobs well done. Plus, the acting is superb.

So, what are we are watching while WAITING for the next installment? Well, we discovered that a whole new season of another favorite show is out! Have you checked out the spy thriller Slow Horses? (Spoiler alert: there is not a single horse in Slow Horses.)

The only things that Slow Horses has in common with ACG&S are : 1) It's a British production; 2) Part of season one is also set in Yorkshire; 3) Both shows feature the actor Samuel West (as Siegfried in ACG&S and as Peter Judd in Slow Horses).

And that's where the similarities end (well, except for the excellent story lines, quirky characters, and great acting - Slow Horses also features acting heavyweights Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas). It's NOT cozy, it's not about jobs well done, and it keeps you on the edge of your seat rather than snugly settled in. But I can't recommend both enough.

Drop me a line and tell me if you've seen either one, and I'd love to know what your current favorite thing is to watch!

xo,