'Top of the Lake' is TV at its best

I just finished watching “Top of the Lake,” a disturbing but thrilling seven-hour BBC mini-series packed with terrific acting, gorgeous cinematography and plot twists that keep you guessing right up until the end. 

“Top of the Lake” stars Elisabeth Moss of “Mad Men” fame, and she delivers a marvelous performance in a complex role that is both inspiring and gut-wrenching. Moss was nominated for an Emmy and won a Critic’s Choice award in playing a troubled New Zealand police detective relentlessly pursuing the mysterious

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Give up an hour for 'The Hour'

BBC America has just started a terrific weekly series called "The Hour" that's a good as anything I've seen recently on free or paid TV. 

"The Hour" is centered around the launch of an hourlong news show on BBC in the mid-1950s. Swirling in and around that subject are plotlines that include spies, mysterious deaths and Britain's legendary focus on class. 

Stars include "The Wire" veteran Dominic West, whose British accent is natural here -- his streetwise Baltimore cop in "The Wire" was where he had to twist his voice. Like "The Wire," this is a strong ensemble cast with a fast-paced script. This is not a show for multitaskers. 

The series is only three episodes deep in the States so there's time to dive in while the early episodes remain in rotation. 

BBC's "Sherlock" is a winner

I am a longtime fan of Sherlock Holmes, be it books, movies or TV series so could easily turn my nose up at BBC's "Sherlock" series, which sets the famed detective smack dab in the 21st century. 

PBS has broadcast three episodes in recent weeks, and a Season 1 DVD set was released in the States on Tuesday. I haven't seen all the episodes -- yet -- but love what I've seen so far. Even though a strong tech theme pervades "Sherlock," the show's wit and attention to detail respect the original. 

Benedict Cumberbatch (not making that up) brings a new flavor to Holmes, building on the earlier Basil Rathbone and Jeremy Brett portrayals just enough to give the character a confident edge without offending hardcore fans. 

The tech references -- among them a great texting scene that opens Episode 1, Watson's stillborn blog, mobile web searches at crime scenes -- are invigorating, not forced. "Sherlock" makes clear from the beginning that this isn't your father's Holmes.

Indeed.