Three of my absolute favorite television shows are based on
books. When it comes to movies, I have found that reading the book first tends
to ruin the movie for me.
The books
provide a much greater amount of detail and are better able to flesh out the
characters and the story. Reading the book also allows you to picture all of
the characters in your mind.
Two
specific films I remember being disappointed with were
The Firm (
John Grisham)
and
Interview with the Vampire (
Anne Rice).
Simply because of the length of the movies, it was necessary for them to
exclude a lot of the details from the books and I didn’t envision Tom Cruise in
the lead role in either.
Consequently,
or perhaps due to laziness, I have not read the books that these television
series are based on.
Ryan Phillipe stars as Bob Lee Swagger, a marine sniper who
is adapting to civilian life in the States after serving for many years.
He is contacted by his former commanding
officer, now a Secret Service agent, who seeks his help after learning that
there is a plot to assassinate the President.
As a patriot and expert sniper, Swagger agrees to assist in thwarting
the assassination attempt, only to discover that he is being set up to take the
fall.
The show unfolds as Bob Lee, now a
fugitive, seeks to protect his family, find the real shooter, and clear his
name.
The book was also adapted into a
film starring Mark Wahlberg.
High-school student, Clay Jensen, receives a box of
cassettes recorded by his classmate Hannah Baker, who recently committed
suicide.
The cassettes reveal the series
of events that lead up to her death.
Clay discovers that many of his classmates who are mentioned on the
tapes have already listened to them and are paranoid about what he will do with
the information.
The sensitivity of the
topic and the quality of the acting make for stunning, powerful, and
eye-opening television.
Despite the
disturbing nature of the events that unfold, you can’t wait to watch the next
episode.
I must admit that I did have to
pause one episode to regroup before I could continue.
Harry Bosch, played by Titus Welliver, is a Los Angeles
homicide detective who has a reputation for going the “extra mile” to solve
cases.
This gains him the respect of his
fellow police officers, but often lands him in court on charges of excessive
force.
Bosch, the son of a prostitute,
has spent most of his police career searching for her killer.
His experience growing up as an orphan along
with the time he spent in Special Forces in Vietnam has shaped him into the
tough, complex, justice-seeking police officer he has become.
Throw in his love of jazz, his teenage
daughter, and his ex-wife (former FBI profiler and professional poker player)
and this is so much more than a typical cop show.
The cases are intense, the characters are
three-dimensional, and the jazz is exquisite.
Ryan Phillipe stars as Bob Lee Swagger, a marine sniper who
is adapting to civilian life in the States after serving for many years. He is contacted by his former commanding
officer, now a Secret Service agent, who seeks his help after learning that
there is a plot to assassinate the President.
As a patriot and expert sniper, Swagger agrees to assist in thwarting
the assassination attempt, only to discover that he is being set up to take the
fall. The show unfolds as Bob Lee, now a
fugitive, seeks to protect his family, find the real shooter, and clear his
name. The book was also adapted into a
film starring Mark Wahlberg. 
High-school student, Clay Jensen, receives a box of
cassettes recorded by his classmate Hannah Baker, who recently committed
suicide. The cassettes reveal the series
of events that lead up to her death.
Clay discovers that many of his classmates who are mentioned on the
tapes have already listened to them and are paranoid about what he will do with
the information. The sensitivity of the
topic and the quality of the acting make for stunning, powerful, and
eye-opening television. Despite the
disturbing nature of the events that unfold, you can’t wait to watch the next
episode. I must admit that I did have to
pause one episode to regroup before I could continue. 
Harry Bosch, played by Titus Welliver, is a Los Angeles
homicide detective who has a reputation for going the “extra mile” to solve
cases. This gains him the respect of his
fellow police officers, but often lands him in court on charges of excessive
force. Bosch, the son of a prostitute,
has spent most of his police career searching for her killer. His experience growing up as an orphan along
with the time he spent in Special Forces in Vietnam has shaped him into the
tough, complex, justice-seeking police officer he has become. Throw in his love of jazz, his teenage
daughter, and his ex-wife (former FBI profiler and professional poker player)
and this is so much more than a typical cop show. The cases are intense, the characters are
three-dimensional, and the jazz is exquisite.
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