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What are you watching? Readers recommend 'Ethel & Ernest,' 'The Wonder Years'

Monitor TV and movie fans share what they've been watching lately.

  • By Heidi Smith Monitor reader
  • Lisa McLaughlin Monitor reader
  • Loraine DeBoom Monitor reader
  • Kerry Lee Dickey Doehr Monitor reader
  • Christopher Bowers Monitor reader

My favorite sitcom is a British comedy, Miranda, which aired on BBC Two and then BBC One. You can find it on Hulu. It’s like watching a modern “I Love Lucy.” After watching it, you should never be embarrassed by your own flubs.

– Heidi Smith, Westlake, Ohio

Ethel & Ernest is a book by Raymond Briggs that served as the basis for an animated movie of the same name. Ethel and Ernest were Briggs’s parents, who met in 1928. He was a milkman and she was a lady’s maid; she left that employment to marry Ernest and set up home with him in London. It covers the Blitz; the evacuation of their 5-year-old son, Raymond, to the countryside, where he begins his love of drawing, which is what he later does for a living; and Raymond’s love of the country, where he settles as an adult with his wife, who has schizophrenia. 

However, the film is more about Ethel and Ernest and shows their relationship, with their differing political views and different family backgrounds. He is kinder to and more gregarious with neighbors and friends, while she is more concerned with what people think and a little less charitable of others, but still lovely. It is all done with humor. The film goes through celebrating the end of World War II, the family getting their first telephone, and the family getting their first television.

– Lisa McLaughlin, Kenilworth, England

For sitcoms, I like “Seinfeld” but I love The Wonder Years, which aired on ABC. I can relate to the main character, Kevin (Fred Savage). He’s not the smartest or coolest kid. He’s also not the outcast kid. He’s just regular. I love that.

– Loraine DeBoom, Altoona, Iowa

After a hard day, I watch Father Brown, which airs on the BBC, some public TV stations, and Netflix. For me, watching the show is about relaxing and being taken away to another location. It’s a whodunit that has charming characters and a lighthearted but enticing plot. It transports me for a much-needed break and escape.

– Kerry Lee Dickey Doehr, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Courtesy of PBS/File
'Foyle's War'

Foyle’s War, which aired on ITV and is available on Acorn TV and Netflix, is a delightful, intelligent police mystery series set during World War II. The character development is low-key yet rich, and the plots are full of surprises. It’s highly engaging.

– Christopher Bowers, Victoria, British Columbia

What are you watching? Write and tell us at whatareyouwatching@csmonitor.com.

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