Taken Down [RTE]

The Late Late Show · 10-12-2018 4:37pm

Overall verdict. Taken Down took an interesting topic and started off good enough but then set into 4 dull and largely uneventful episodes. The Gardai were appalling in many cases. The last episode upped the ante a bit but one could not help feeling that this series could be done in 3 not 6 episodes. The conclusion was poor and left things hanging. Wayne turned out to be the harmless clown I predicted and Gar went AWOL. Gar has potential and if they do a series 2, they should show more of him and his viciousness akin to Love/Hate's Git.

Taken Down was watchable but generally dull. It was not a great series but it was not exactly The Big Bow Wow and was also much better than the awful Striking Out. Clearly with this anti-climax ending there is a series 2.

Also was surprised to see this Resistance is made. I take it that is the sequel to Rebellion talked about a while back?

The Late Late Show · 10-12-2018 8:56pm

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Has to be up there in the running for absolutely the worst dog sh1te RTÉ have screened in years

And that’s being harsh on dog sh1te

It’s so so bad.

Hang your heads in shame everyone involved in this rubbish

Taken Down was overall disappointing. Wayne was just a clown and the Gardai often were worse clowns in it. Episodes 1 and 6 were good enough but the climax was not so good and episodes 2-5 were unforgivably bad.

That all said and done, Taken Down was not in my view the worst drama on RTE in recent years. That honour would have to go to Striking Out. Taken Down is in the same class as dramas like Rebellion, Clean Break, The Young Offenders, etc.: not great but not as bad as other stuff. The Big Bow Wow remains the worst RTE drama I ever saw and Striking Out is not too far behind.

RabbleRouser2k · 11-12-2018 1:32am

The Late Late Show wrote: »

Taken Down was overall disappointing. Wayne was just a clown and the Gardai often were worse clowns in it. Episodes 1 and 6 were good enough but the climax was not so good and episodes 2-5 were unforgivably bad.

That all said and done, Taken Down was not in my view the worst drama on RTE in recent years. That honour would have to go to Striking Out. Taken Down is in the same class as dramas like Rebellion, Clean Break, The Young Offenders, etc.: not great but not as bad as other stuff. The Big Bow Wow remains the worst RTE drama I ever saw and Striking Out is not too far behind.

Young Offenders is miles ahead of the others on your list-it definitely deserves to be above the others mentioned.

Taken Down just felt padded-and that RTE were advertising another series straight after it's finale (without a 'if you've missed any episode, the boxset is on the RTE player) showed how little interest it had drawn.
Really bad-had elements of worse shows in it too.

The Late Late Show · 11-12-2018 4:01pm

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

Young Offenders is miles ahead of the others on your list-it definitely deserves to be above the others mentioned.

Taken Down just felt padded-and that RTE were advertising another series straight after it's finale (without a 'if you've missed any episode, the boxset is on the RTE player) showed how little interest it had drawn.
Really bad-had elements of worse shows in it too.

Young Offenders I agree is miles ahead of the others which I'd put in the order: Clean Break, Rebellion/Taken Down (which I'd rank equal). Taken Down and Rebellion both suffered from being way too long and padded out.

The Young Offenders film was actually excellent and perhaps the TV series was not quite as good but it was not overly long and drawn out. Clean Break kept things to 4 episodes and while not as satisfying as its predecessor Love/Hate, it is in hindsight quite decent compared to what came after.

That Taken Down was better than Striking Out is no prize really. Striking Out was almost as bad as The Big Bow Wow and the main character Tara felt like one out of that series. Taken Down had elements of these worse shows in it while not 100% keeling over into Bow Wow-land like Striking Out did.

The main problems regarding characters in Taken Down were the unmemorable Gardai characters. If we get series 2, we need a new set of more competent Gardai and not what we got here. I was not even familiar with most of the actors who played the Gardai apart from Lynn Rafferty who is a better actor for gangsters' molls than Gardai. The other Gardai actors probably would not be good in any role, other than bit-parts in culchie comedies where Pat Shortt and not them would be the main focus.

prunudo · 11-12-2018 5:01pm

What was the idea of adding the miscarriage story into it. Had no bearing on the story what so ever.

12-12-2018 2:59am

jvan wrote: »

What was the idea of adding the miscarriage story into it. Had no bearing on the story what so ever.

Probably to show us that Super Cop Woman was so dedicated to the job that she miscarried and her Silly man should have known this could happen and done more for her :rolleyes:

RabbleRouser2k · 12-12-2018 5:02am

Deleted User wrote: »

Probably to show us that Super Cop Woman was so dedicated to the job that she miscarried and her Silly man should have known this could happen and done more for her :rolleyes:

She didn't even care-it was the same 'stock' wooden expression.

You know how on Blade Trinity, Ryan Reynolds just delivered a whole load of lines and they edited in Wesley Snipes expressionless face to the lines they picked?

I feel like you could have edited in any line, then intercut it with her face and just called it a day.
She really was that bad.

jay0109 wrote: »

I don't think many will be surprised to see that the Irish Times liked it

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/tv-radio-web/taken-down-killer-is-revealed-in-the-series-where-everyone-has-blood-on-their-hands-1.3726195

So....the best bits were when nobody was on screen, just the 'sets', so to speak?

Wow, that's not a review, that's a 'well, at least you tried'... If you can't say anything good, don't say nuffing at all.

The Late Late Show · 12-12-2018 6:37am

jvan wrote: »

What was the idea of adding the miscarriage story into it. Had no bearing on the story what so ever.

This, the golf scenes and so much more in it were just padding out what could have been a tight and much better 3 parter. Taken Down got very 'soapy' in places and the reason I gave up on the soaps was precisely because these annoying non-stories were getting in the way of the development of better stories. Problem with the soaps too is they are on too much and have to be padded out.

12-12-2018 11:20am

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

She didn't even care-it was the same 'stock' wooden expression. .......

Not that it matters but I thought she seemed to obviously care when she told him.

BridgeBoy · 12-12-2018 12:26pm

I said I would give it all the chances and wait till the end. It was decent, but had far too many characters that were totally underdeveloped.
Abeni mislead a murder inquiry and that's all grand with the Garda seemingly.
Wayne somehow kept his job, when the minimum he was under pressure over food choice in the audit at the start and by the end he is still there after a suicide, a murder and a girl became a sex slave on his watch!
The SEXISM of the Super surely could have been a bit more subtle too.
It was so hard to engage with the characters and Gar, Benji and Marvellous were the best of them, despite being the worst people in it.
It was all very worthy, a very worthy look at a very worthy subject but it was done badly. As I said too many characters that I didn't really engage with.
It needed to be tightened up a lot. If the focus on Series 2 was put on Gar they would be better off.
It wasn't muck but it was disappointing in terms of the subject matter.

RabbleRouser2k · 12-12-2018 4:45pm

BridgeBoy wrote: »

I said I would give it all the chances and wait till the end. It was decent, but had far too many characters that were totally underdeveloped.
Abeni mislead a murder inquiry and that's all grand with the Garda seemingly.
Wayne somehow kept his job, when the minimum he was under pressure over food choice in the audit at the start and by the end he is still there after a suicide, a murder and a girl became a sex slave on his watch!
The SEXISM of the Super surely could have been a bit more subtle too.
It was so hard to engage with the characters and Gar, Benji and Marvellous were the best of them, despite being the worst people in it.
It was all very worthy, a very worthy look at a very worthy subject but it was done badly. As I said too many characters that I didn't really engage with.
It needed to be tightened up a lot. If the focus on Series 2 was put on Gar they would be better off.
It wasn't muck but it was disappointing in terms of the subject matter.

That was the biggest issue-flawed people are far more interesting than supposedly 'virtuous' people.
Those three, as you mentioned, were flawed-to put it mildly.
The gardai had no flaws, barring stereotypical 'add in crap and see what sticks'-such as the 'miscarriage' thing in the last episode.

Death and Nightingales was on at the same time-it was a three parter, with a tighter story. It felt like that was what could have saved Taken Down-even a 4 parter might have been stronger. But nope.

14-12-2018 8:46pm

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

That was the biggest issue-flawed people are far more interesting than supposedly 'virtuous' people.
Those three, as you mentioned, were flawed-to put it mildly.
The gardai had no flaws, barring stereotypical 'add in crap and see what sticks'-such as the 'miscarriage' thing in the last episode.

Death and Nightingales was on at the same time-it was a three parter, with a tighter story. It felt like that was what could have saved Taken Down-even a 4 parter might have been stronger. But nope.

That was a very good production

mugsymugsy · 16-12-2018 10:17pm

Anyone else having problems watching episode 6 on rte player. 1-5 available but can't see episode 6.

The Specialist · 16-12-2018 10:23pm

mugsymugsy wrote: »

Anyone else having problems watching episode 6 on rte player. 1-5 available but can't see episode 6.

It might have been......taken down

The Late Late Show · 16-12-2018 11:02pm

BridgeBoy wrote: »

I said I would give it all the chances and wait till the end. It was decent, but had far too many characters that were totally underdeveloped.
Abeni mislead a murder inquiry and that's all grand with the Garda seemingly.
Wayne somehow kept his job, when the minimum he was under pressure over food choice in the audit at the start and by the end he is still there after a suicide, a murder and a girl became a sex slave on his watch!
The SEXISM of the Super surely could have been a bit more subtle too.
It was so hard to engage with the characters and Gar, Benji and Marvellous were the best of them, despite being the worst people in it.
It was all very worthy, a very worthy look at a very worthy subject but it was done badly. As I said too many characters that I didn't really engage with.
It needed to be tightened up a lot. If the focus on Series 2 was put on Gar they would be better off.
It wasn't muck but it was disappointing in terms of the subject matter.

Sums up my views on it too. A more realistic portrayal of cops is needed. Would one see the type of cops here on say The Bill? No. Cops portrayed in Irish drama often seem to be written as comic relief. Imagine if there was an Irish production of The Handmaid's Tale. Would the Gilead police be portrayed too as culchie clowns?

16-12-2018 11:31pm

Dude..let it go..

RabbleRouser2k · 16-12-2018 11:52pm

The Late Late Show wrote: »

Sums up my views on it too. A more realistic portrayal of cops is needed. Would one see the type of cops here on say The Bill? No. Cops portrayed in Irish drama often seem to be written as comic relief. Imagine if there was an Irish production of The Handmaid's Tale. Would the Gilead police be portrayed too as culchie clowns?

Knowing RTE, it would be the other way round-the 'Gilead' would be the 'culchies' and the 'jackeens' would be the authority, telling em what to do.

But RTE would botch it and make it so that the jackeens were doing the right thing.
And it would star Eoghan McDermott.

The Late Late Show · 11-01-2019 12:05am

Does anyone know if Taken Down is getting a new series or not? If so, how could it be improved upon? I feel the best way if series 2 goes ahead is to bring back a strong Garda character perhaps even Moynihan from Love/Hate as the main character, have it focused on Gar and a drug gang and have it 100% written by Stuart Carolan.

11-01-2019 1:44am

I reckon Season 2 the Center takes in a load of refugees from Gilead..

mr_edge_to_you · 11-01-2019 8:32am

The Late Late Show wrote: »

Does anyone know if Taken Down is getting a new series or not? If so, how could it be improved upon? I feel the best way if series 2 goes ahead is to bring back a strong Garda character perhaps even Moynihan from Love/Hate as the main character, have it focused on Gar and a drug gang and have it 100% written by Stuart Carolan.

Didn't hear. I know when Love/Hate was being filmed, it generally took place in Mar/Apr. So you would imagine that if a 2nd series was being made that they'd be well into planning/production at this stage.

Fully agree that the plot you refer to would be really good but it would effectively just become Love/Hate 2.0. I'd still watch it though.

The Late Late Show · 11-01-2019 8:42am

mr_edge_to_you wrote: »

Didn't hear. I know when Love/Hate was being filmed, it generally took place in Mar/Apr. So you would imagine that if a 2nd series was being made that they'd be well into planning/production at this stage.

Fully agree that the plot you refer to would be really good but it would effectively just become Love/Hate 2.0. I'd still watch it though.

I remember Love/Hate was always filmed around that time at least in its later seasons. So, unless we hear of something in the next few weeks, chances are Taken Down is a one off.

I feel the series had and has potential despite its flaws. A second series could do the world of good in the manner I outlined. I am hearing Resistance which I will watch over the weekend is better than Rebellion. WRT Love/Hate and Breaking Bad too: series 1 of both were very good but the subsequent seasons were excellent. So, even the best of series improve.

I would have no problem with a Love/Hate 2.0. Better Call Saul for example is Breaking Bad 2.0 and am enjoying it. Spinoff series can be good and making more out of characters is the key. Saul was a great BB character but Walter White/Heisenberg and the rest outshone him in that series whereas he has come into primary focus in his own series.

FrancieBrady · 11-01-2019 9:38am

The Late Late Show wrote: »

I remember Love/Hate was always filmed around that time at least in its later seasons. So, unless we hear of something in the next few weeks, chances are Taken Down is a one off.

I feel the series had and has potential despite its flaws. A second series could do the world of good in the manner I outlined. I am hearing Resistance which I will watch over the weekend is better than Rebellion. WRT Love/Hate and Breaking Bad too: series 1 of both were very good but the subsequent seasons were excellent. So, even the best of series improve.

I would have no problem with a Love/Hate 2.0. Better Call Saul for example is Breaking Bad 2.0 and am enjoying it. Spinoff series can be good and making more out of characters is the key. Saul was a great BB character but Walter White/Heisenberg and the rest outshone him in that series whereas he has come into primary focus in his own series.

Problem is that Love Hate didn't have the same depth of characterisation as BB.
Most, if not all, of the L/H characters were stereotypes or one dimensional. All of them played to preconceived notions of what these people are like, from Nidge to the wives to the Gardai.

Better Call Nidge - we see how Nidge learned how to scowl. Not much meat in that. :rolleyes:

TheBlock · 11-01-2019 2:22pm

TD 2 is written but might not see it until 2020.

FixdePitchmark · 11-01-2019 10:25pm

TheBlock wrote: »

TD 2 is written but might not see it until 2020.

It shouldn't be made - the female lead character doesn't work.

Maybe if they could bring a new lead in.

Atlantic Dawn · 11-01-2019 10:29pm

A gritty crime drama about 2 drug dealing families who have a falling out might work, one could be worth billions and the other a small time player, places like Spain and Dubai could be used for it, lots of killings and money around in it.

12-01-2019 1:47pm

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

A gritty crime drama about 2 drug dealing families who have a falling out might work, one could be worth billions and the other a small time player, places like Spain and Dubai could be used for it, lots of killings and money around in it.

They could have easily done a good Love/Hate spin off using Terrence, the IRA, and as much as i hate the man, John Connors (Patrick). Nidge owed a debt to Terrence

which was lost when Patrick murdered Nidge so someone would have to pay this debt back

And then another facet to the story is how Terrence and the IRA interact with each other and work in the same world [/SPOILER].

RabbleRouser2k · 12-01-2019 4:49pm

So why are RTE peddling Nowhere Fast, for the third damn time, and then showing the last series of X-files at the graveyard shift at 11.30 pm?

It's this continual spending a huge budget on foreign programs, and then just tossing programs on at any hour.

The Late Late Show · 13-01-2019 7:49pm

Deleted User wrote: »

They could have easily done a good Love/Hate spin off using Terrence, the IRA, and as much as i hate the man, John Connors (Patrick). Nidge owed a debt to Terrence
which was lost when Patrick murdered Nidge so someone would have to pay this debt back

And then another facet to the story is how Terrence and the IRA interact with each other and work in the same world [/SPOILER].

They could of course. Assuming Nidge is dead, your description would be how it could go. Another option is to continue with a spinoff cop series with Moynihan as the main character.

There is room for at least one direct spinoff season for sure with loose ends to tie up. Assuming Nidge is dead, there is the issue of the cops going after Patrick for the murder of Nidge. There is the issue of Terence seeking revenge on Nidge's enemies. There is the issue of Fran v Noelie too. The series could be set initially in 2013/14 and then jump to the present day. Fran and Noelie are no longer in prison and are out for revenge. The new feud would see an alliance of Fran, Patrick and pro-Dano IRA line up against Ado, Elmo, Terence, Tony/anti-Dano IRA and Noelie.

prunudo · 21-03-2019 2:20pm

Was there ever any more word on it getting a second season?

RabbleRouser2k · 29-03-2019 12:08am

jvan wrote: »

Was there ever any more word on it getting a second season?

Seems like all that talk was folks huffing their own flatulence-the reviews for the finale were not kind, between tepid and to 'catching fire too late'.
The cast came in for a drubbing too-so I'd say season 2 isn't happening.
Plus RTE rolling out the Rebellion show so soon afterwards showed even they knew it was DOA.

Usually a show like that, you know there will be problems for a first run-but the good should outweigh the bad.
Problem is, the bad was outweighing the good-and much of the bad was the casting.
Also...what do you do in Season 2? They blew their load with the direct provision stuff.
They got nothing else.

The Late Late Show · 22-05-2019 10:48pm

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

Seems like all that talk was folks huffing their own flatulence-the reviews for the finale were not kind, between tepid and to 'catching fire too late'.
The cast came in for a drubbing too-so I'd say season 2 isn't happening.
Plus RTE rolling out the Rebellion show so soon afterwards showed even they knew it was DOA.

Usually a show like that, you know there will be problems for a first run-but the good should outweigh the bad.
Problem is, the bad was outweighing the good-and much of the bad was the casting.
Also...what do you do in Season 2? They blew their load with the direct provision stuff.
They got nothing else.

Taken Down was a good concept but taken as a whole, was pretty poor stuff. The first episode opened things interestingly and the finale was a step up from episodes 2-5 but the events of episodes 2-5 would be done in one episode in a better show. Overall, the series was not gritty enough and did not give us memorable characters (the Gardai are terrible in it for example) and as with so many other RTE shows, it will be forgotten.

I agree the casting was awful and the episodes 2-5 almost totally pointless. A 3 parter would have been better. Generally, this series was ok to watch on TV once but will not buy the DVD or will not watch on TV again.

The Late Late Show · 22-05-2019 10:59pm

jvan wrote: »

Was there ever any more word on it getting a second season?

Just as it is now May: did anyone hear if a second series of this is being filmed? Or if RTE have something else instead?

Taken Down was overall very disappointing. I had high hopes for it but it felt like yet another post-Love/Hate RTE tame damp squib that finally showed promise in the final episode (but was too little too late).

The plans for quality Love/Hate continuations or spinoffs were forgotten by RTE and the insistence on tamer dramas prevailed there while fans of Love/Hate found new interests in series like The Handmaid's Tale, Better Call Saul, McMafia and Game of Thrones. RTE's dramas became increasingly irrelevant. Taken Down was just another one added to a long list of ones that also failed to live up to their potential like Rebellion, Clean Break and Striking Out.

Will we see another season of Taken Down? Or another 'crime drama'? Any news on what the plans are as of May 2019?

RabbleRouser2k · 23-05-2019 10:16pm

The Late Late Show wrote: »

Just as it is now May: did anyone hear if a second series of this is being filmed? Or if RTE have something else instead?

Taken Down was overall very disappointing. I had high hopes for it but it felt like yet another post-Love/Hate RTE tame damp squib that finally showed promise in the final episode (but was too little too late).

The plans for quality Love/Hate continuations or spinoffs were forgotten by RTE and the insistence on tamer dramas prevailed there while fans of Love/Hate found new interests in series like The Handmaid's Tale, Better Call Saul, McMafia and Game of Thrones. RTE's dramas became increasingly irrelevant. Taken Down was just another one added to a long list of ones that also failed to live up to their potential like Rebellion, Clean Break and Striking Out.

Will we see another season of Taken Down? Or another 'crime drama'? Any news on what the plans are as of May 2019?

I have the feeling we're going to see RTE lick it's wounds and claim 'couldn't commission another series cos Brexit'.

The show wanted to shock, but pulled back on the shock factor. Wanted to do a crime series, but didn't understand technology(the video technology they were awful at analysing) or the intricacies of dealing with the subject matter. And then they just pulled from a stock cliche of 'Oirish' characters- who were comically inept.
And the 'woke' elements meant the women were without flaws-but also without emotions, and without any sort of interesting personalities or complexities.
If you don't write a flawed character, you don't write a human character.

To paraphrase Malcolm X, If you have no critics you'll likely have no success. Flawed characters make folks root for them, flawless characters make people root against them.

The Late Late Show · 23-05-2019 10:58pm

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

I have the feeling we're going to see RTE lick it's wounds and claim 'couldn't commission another series cos Brexit'.

The show wanted to shock, but pulled back on the shock factor. Wanted to do a crime series, but didn't understand technology(the video technology they were awful at analysing) or the intricacies of dealing with the subject matter. And then they just pulled from a stock cliche of 'Oirish' characters- who were comically inept.
And the 'woke' elements meant the women were without flaws-but also without emotions, and without any sort of interesting personalities or complexities.
If you don't write a flawed character, you don't write a human character.

To paraphrase Malcolm X, If you have no critics you'll likely have no success. Flawed characters make folks root for them, flawless characters make people root against them.

This is what I predict too. Taken Down ruined a great idea and just drifted from episode to episode into typical RTE fare before picking up too little too late in the final episode. Even the final episode was not great and felt like a second episode rather than a climax overall.

In the world where viewers were meanwhile watching The Handmaid's Tale, Game of Thrones, McMafia, Peaky Blinders and Better Call Saul, and were watching Breaking Bad, Love/Hate and The Sopranos before that, Taken Down seemed to miss all that. 4 pointless episodes and bland cliched characters did little to save Taken Down.

Amazingly, another poor drama called Striking Out managed 2 seasons despite it being unpopular. When RTE make such dramas, it just shows how out of touch they are. My prediction for this coming TV year will be another drama from RTE of a similar style: there will be hype about it and once more, it will be tame bland stuff with nothing to offer.

RabbleRouser2k · 24-05-2019 12:28am

The Late Late Show wrote: »

This is what I predict too. Taken Down ruined a great idea and just drifted from episode to episode into typical RTE fare before picking up too little too late in the final episode. Even the final episode was not great and felt like a second episode rather than a climax overall.

In the world where viewers were meanwhile watching The Handmaid's Tale, Game of Thrones, McMafia, Peaky Blinders and Better Call Saul, and were watching Breaking Bad, Love/Hate and The Sopranos before that, Taken Down seemed to miss all that. 4 pointless episodes and bland cliched characters did little to save Taken Down.

Amazingly, another poor drama called Striking Out managed 2 seasons despite it being unpopular. When RTE make such dramas, it just shows how out of touch they are. My prediction for this coming TV year will be another drama from RTE of a similar style: there will be hype about it and once more, it will be tame bland stuff with nothing to offer.

Don forget the Amy Huberman co-written 'comedy' that is also getting a second series.
They are very quick to announce a second series of something, so that there was little to no discussion or shooting schedule for Taken Down tells you quite a bit.

Even the twitter page has had zilch on it since last December.

Atlantic Dawn · 24-05-2019 1:01am

RTE completely missed the point, the real world had massive drugs families at war, making anything remotely based on this would have been a ratings hit but no they decided to bankroll a show on a pure sheite topic that would have 1 series max no matter what the ratings were.

Qrt · 24-05-2019 1:09am

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

RTE completely missed the point, the real world had massive drugs families at war, making anything remotely based on this would have been a ratings hit but no they decided to bankroll a show on a pure sheite topic that would have 1 series max no matter what the ratings were.

You realise they had Love/Hate, right? A show dedicated to the trials and tribulations of organised crime and the drugs trade?

Atlantic Dawn · 24-05-2019 1:12am

Qrt wrote: »

You realise they had Love/Hate, right? A show dedicated to the trials and tribulations of organised crime and the drugs trade?

Yes and a massive success but no they decided to gamble with rubbish.

The Late Late Show · 24-05-2019 1:15pm

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

RTE completely missed the point, the real world had massive drugs families at war, making anything remotely based on this would have been a ratings hit but no they decided to bankroll a show on a pure sheite topic that would have 1 series max no matter what the ratings were.

RTE of course could have done this. A continuation of Love/Hate. Assuming Nidge is dead, Terence and Tony who had deals with Nidge want revenge against Patrick Ward, Fran, etc. and introduce a lot of new characters. So much potential for a Love/Hate followup.

Qrt wrote: »

You realise they had Love/Hate, right? A show dedicated to the trials and tribulations of organised crime and the drugs trade?

As said above. Love/Hate was an excellent series and wasn't afraid to show the world of organised drug crime.

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Yes and a massive success but no they decided to gamble with rubbish.

RTE listened to all the wimps who complained about the violence and so-called 'torture porn'. Rape, cats getting shot, kneecappings. Well, that is the world Love/Hate was about: it was not Mary Poppins or Daniel O'Donnell. I hear the same crap being said about The Handmaid's Tale now as well. And about Breaking Bad before.

For this reason, all of RTE's efforts have been restrained since 2015. The likes of Finding Joy, Striking Out, Rebellion, Clean Break and Taken Down are all mediocre to outright rubbish and are because of the restraint.

The Late Late Show · 24-05-2019 4:14pm

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

Don forget the Amy Huberman co-written 'comedy' that is also getting a second series.
They are very quick to announce a second series of something, so that there was little to no discussion or shooting schedule for Taken Down tells you quite a bit.

Even the twitter page has had zilch on it since last December.

Finding Joy? More woeful drivel that we are all supposed to be in awe of. RTE just as said listened to the minority who were shocked by the violence in Love/Hate and then gave us all this sort of drivel. Finding Joy has Amy playing the same type of character as in Striking Out and this is all she has to offer.

brian_t · 03-06-2019 9:51pm

Dead Still is coming.

RTÉ and Acorn Media Enterprises have partnered to commission Dead Still, an Irish period mystery.

Set in 1880s Ireland in the Victorian era heyday of “postmortem photography,” the six-episode period drama follows a renowned memorial photographer as he investigates the murders of his recently deceased subjects. It is written by John Morton and directed by Imogen Murphy (Can’t Cope, Won’t Cope; Red Rock) and Craig David Wallace (Slasher, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Murdoch Mysteries).

https://worldscreen.com/tvdrama/acorn-tv-teams-with-rte-for-period-mystery-dead-still/

RabbleRouser2k · 03-06-2019 10:22pm

brian_t wrote: »

Dead Still is coming.

https://worldscreen.com/tvdrama/acorn-tv-teams-with-rte-for-period-mystery-dead-still/

Ah, so it's dead in the water-Taken Down I mean.

Good riddance.

Strazdas · 04-06-2019 12:28am

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

Ah, so it's dead in the water-Taken Down I mean.

Good riddance.

What has that new series got to do with Taken Down?

It sounds interesting anyway.....sounds like it will be shown in a lot of countries

brian_t · 04-06-2019 10:33am

Strazdas wrote: »

What has that new series got to do with Taken Down?

It sounds interesting anyway.....sounds like it will be shown in a lot of countries

I didn't want to start a new thread for a crime drame that had not been made yet and The Late Late Show did ask :

The Late Late Show wrote: »

Will we see another season of Taken Down? Or another 'crime drama'? Any news on what the plans are as of May 2019?

Strazdas · 04-06-2019 1:39pm

brian_t wrote: »

I didn't want to start a new thread for a crime drame that had not been made yet and The Late Late Show did ask :

It seems a totally different genre to Taken Down though. A murder mystery series set in 19th century Dublin can hardly be lumped in with the likes of Taken Down or Love Hate.

The Late Late Show · 04-06-2019 3:30pm

RabbleRouser2k wrote: »

Ah, so it's dead in the water-Taken Down I mean.

Good riddance.

Taken Down was a major disappointment just like so many of RTE's recent dramas have been. While it took an interesting topic on, it ruined it. Lynn Rafferty's cop character was poor and Brian F O'Byrne's character from Love/Hate surely could have been used instead with a more hardcore people smuggling gangland story, but no: Rafferty's Amy Hubermann-like acting had to get pushed by RTE.

This Dead Still is a different type of drama but will it be a good one or yet another failed attempt? Will that be shown in the place of Taken Down or will it be more the Rebellion/Resistance slot after Christmas? Anyway, will not get overexcited about it and may be pleasantly surprised. This is the best approach to RTE dramas.

Atoms for Peace · 04-06-2019 5:51pm

Dead still sounds promising, but going on recent form it will probably be heavy on historical revisionism.

The Late Late Show · 04-06-2019 6:54pm

Atoms for Peace wrote: »

Dead still sounds promising, but going on recent form it will probably be heavy on historical revisionism.

It does but then again so did Rebellion, Taken Down, etc. RTE have the knack for taking an interesting idea and then ruining it.

Beechwoodspark · 04-06-2019 7:07pm

Atoms for Peace wrote: »

Dead still sounds promising, but going on recent form it will probably be heavy on historical revisionism.

Have to say from the blurb it doesn’t entice me in the slightest.

Not surprised taken down has been “put down”

The Late Late Show · 04-06-2019 7:22pm

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Have to say from the blurb it doesn’t entice me in the slightest.

Not surprised taken down has been “put down”

I have become disillusioned by RTE drama in the last few years and won't expect anything too exciting from this new one and any other one. Taken Down was misleading: Because Stuart Carolan's name was attached to it and because it was marketed as 'from the makers of Love/Hate', I wrongly assumed Taken Down was another drama of the quality of Love/Hate. Perhaps a Handmaid's Tale-inspired story of abuse of refugee women. It wasn't. I'd say Stuart only wrote episode 6 and Jo Spain wrote the rest.

Taken Down [RTE]

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