SS-GB

A lot of reviews seem to have this series decided from the first episode. Well I enjoyed the first episode and the second seems to have improved the quality of the series.

The premise is hardly new and despite the book being out in the 70s it seems like it has similarities to "The man in the high castle" but, other than the premise that Germany won the war, it's not.

I think it's closer to 40s film noir where the hero/Nazi Sympathiser(?) is constantly lied to and friends become enemies and visa versa. I'm going to give it a go and see where it goes. I'm hopeful.

The concept is definitely a good one, one of the darkest 'what if's' you can imagine, what would Britain have looked like if the Nazis had won the war?

As always the BBC gets the visuals spot on, the whole thing looks fantastic and slick from start to finish, the costumes, sets, effects are all amazing, it looks incredibly high budget. The story is very engaging, the first episode is a bit of a drag, but get past that and it opens up very well. It's definitely better then The Man in The High Castle, so much more realistic, you watch this and realise it could have happened, this is what life could have been like.

The sound at times was a little bit poor, with a little bit of mumbling, not a great deal, definitely nothing like Jamaica Inn. Accents, however, spot on, I'm glad they didn't use non authentic dialects.

If you're a fan of film noir, this will suit you, I hope very much that we get a second series. 8/10

I am thinking I must be watching a different show going by some of the comments on here. It is English not American so the style is probably what some people are unable to respond to positively. I hate everything spelled out for me. I like the English style which is more subtle and allows the viewer to imbibe the atmosphere and fill in some gaps and silences. Some other shows allows one to do this more but this one is still very English. I am liking the characterisation and the costumes and the setting all of which provide drama. Not everything is told in the dialogue. The main protagonist is handsome and mysterious. The female characters offer the possibility of more than one choice for romantic tension. The Nazis are dangerous but there is another group that will be difficult for the inspector to negotiate and stay on good terms with. He has a son to protect which means he has to tread carefully. I like this show and think it is worth at least an 8.

From time to time, I find myself interested in utopias, dystopias and what-if stories, being not a particular fan, but if the narration is logically developed, then it is catchier than "pure" sci-fi totally based on fantasy.

As ratings here are not so friendly, I had some prior doubts, but alas - the work captivated me from the very beginning and the choice of becoming actors (both English and German, so the German language was used when needed) let the watching smoothly. The era and atmosphere were well taken, the benchmarks of the 1941 events correct (e.g. Soviets and Nazis were rather close until WW II) and the involvement of the US at that time was as it was... True, some moments were odd (e.g. use of public pay phones under dictatorial occupation), the crime itself was soon pushed to the background and the ending could have been wittier, but, in general, SS-GB is a worthy time spending for those interested in both history and crime story.

I suggest to watch this miniseries as an "ordinary" drama, without moral dilemmas or painful spite regarding Nazi symbols in London. Otherwise you will be in the sulks and downgrade its merits...

I liked man in the Man in the High Castle, although a lot of the time you are spoon fed the concepts and told what's going on more by pointless dialog and not by a simple matter of deduction. SS-GB is nothing like the Man in The High Castle, as far as I'm concerned, that's Sci-Fi and SS-GB is fiction. And I admit that I was put off thinking its UK version of the above and some pretty bad reviews. I should have ignored them, because after watching the first episode I had to binge on the next 2. SS-GB is dark and gritty, it's what I would expect of a UK based crime thriller. No fast car chases .. well there might be later, no 1000 bullet magazines or bar brawls. I could smell the "Big Smoke's", War Time atmosphere because the sets where so convincing. The pace was fine the tension build up was perfect, the dynamics between the characters great. The story and concept are an excellent piece of "What if", so I'm astounded by so much negativity about this series. What I have found is that all my friends over the age of 30 really enjoyed it and it's become a talking point during socialising. However below that age, it seems to need a lot of explanation, as in "Were the SS the German police?" etc., although Sam Riley's character made a good attempt of trying to explain the differences. And all this "Douglas Archer", mumbled a lot, total tosh! Stop watching it on your phone on the tube and appreciate the surround sound and glorious HD on a decent TV.