Wanting dramas self-contained with a classical structure seems to me to put one in a straight jacket that ignores the possibilities of character development over a series of weeks, to say nothing of a deepening plot line, which I don’t consider “arcs within arcs”. Many of the crime shows, especially the foreign ones don’t have an ounce of the type of sentimentality that is a constant thread in soap operas. Give NARCOS and GOMORRAH a try, and you will see nothing but betrayal and deceit, and yes, they have a beginning, a middle and an end. The “end” just takes longer getting to. Others that are head and shoulders above the lowest common denominator of domestic films include THE BREAK, THE BRIDGE, BORDERTOWN and RIVER, all of which are grounded in absolutely compelling central characters. The only problem with these shows is that if you are an obsessional individual binge watching can really play havoc with your daily schedule.
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