Friday Finds shares a piece of content I’ve recently discovered on broadcast, cable, or streaming TV.
Today’s find: Detectorists
Genre: Half hour dramedy
Origin: BBC
Find it on: Amazon Prime, seasons 1 (6x) and 2 (7x)
Detectorists is a very engaging half hour that follows the exploits of two metal detectorists in rural England. Set in the present day, there are no murder mysteries or elaborate period sets here, only a story about our quirky leads Lance (Toby Jones) and Andy (Mackenzie Crook) as they navigate their lives as they search for Saxon treasure in English fields.
I call this a dramedy (albeit more comedy than pathos) because both men are also trying to discover where relationships are going as well as treasure. In season 1, we see Andy has a girlfriend who seems devoted although constantly mildly mocking his passion for detecting. Lance pines over his lost love, who still lives in town and has a new boyfriend, thinking he’ll win her back. And several twists bring unexpected consequences in both relationships and detecting.
If you like subtle, character-driven content – and don’t mind navigating some mild English accents – then give Detectorists a try.
David Tice is the principal of TiceVision LLC, a media research consultancy.
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