This goes off the rails in the last two episodes.

We were watching three series at once, “Beef,” “Drops of God” and “Mudtown.” I occasionally do this with books, when nothing grabs me, I read a chapter of each in rotation and then wait to find a book I want to continue to read.

Same thing happened with my TV watching, I got hooked on “Mudtown” and finished that.

And that’s where you should start.

“Mudtown” is one of those series that was shot in Wales in both English and Welsh. Like “Keeping Faith.” You haven’t watched that one? You should, because Eve Myles gives a performance that would have made her a star in the U.S.

Now “Mudtown” takes two episodes to get going, but then you’re completely hooked. And there’s a star in the show too… Actually, more than one. You might recognize Erin Richards, who plays magistrate Claire. Her teenage daughter is out of control and she must tighten the screws, her husband, Matthew Gravelle as Alun, is passive…then again, he’s facing his own trouble.

The other first class performance comes from Tom Cullen as dope dealer/mobster Saint Pete. Who is a variation on the Tony Soprano paradigm. As in he’s got a rough side he can turn on when he needs to, but otherwise he’s appealing, almost suave. Saint Pete is more negative and intense than calm, but Cullen radiates an intelligence, a knowledge of his game, that makes him magnetic.

And the reason I’m mentioning the superior “Mudtown” in a discussion of the second season of “Beef” is because of its look and feel.

These British shows have a darkness, that was in the hit music of the Isle from the late sixties and seventies. American shows are fresh-scrubbed, in your face, and inherently less believable, but it’s that which draws us in and gets us involved that intrigues us, not that which we watch from afar. This is my problem with comic book movies…they might even be intense, but I can never relate. I can relate to “Mudtown,” because of the humanity. Life is not always roses, not always upbeat, beautiful people romping, as a matter of fact, most life is positively mundane, you’re trying to overcome the hurdles in front of you and it’s a slog.

“Beef”‘s second season starts off in a country club. But pretty soon we’re introduced to Cailee Spaney’s Ashley. Whom I recognized, but couldn’t remember where from. I looked her up and… Maybe it’s from “Mare of Eastown,” but that was back in 2021.

Anyway, Spaeny is one of these actresses who looks younger than her age. She appears a teenager, but in real life she’s actually 27. And here she plays a child of divorce that is on a fast train to nowhere. Without a high school degree, her future is hampered.

But she is engaged to Austin, a good-hearted trainer who appears to have taken too many hits playing football. He’s not exactly dumb… But what you’ve got here is a couple surviving on almost nothing trying to live the dream.

They’re not the only ones struggling…

Oscar Isaac’s Josh and Carey Mulllgan’s Lindsay… Let’s just say, this is not the life Lindsay signed up for.

Now I can’t say I’ve ever cottoned to Carey Mulligan. And at times she plays too sophisticated for this role, but her acting is definitely a cut above and a joy to watch. And deep into the series she’s got a soliloquy in pain while Ashley sits by looking on and… It’s fascinating, because the older Carey/Lindsay’s intelligence and personality make her more attractive than the younger cutie Cailee/Ashley, with her perfect skin, in that… If you think looks are enough, once you see the radiation of intelligence, you’ll change your mind.

And the glossy surface of “Beef”‘s second season translates to the story, you do not become immediately involved. But then you do get mildly hooked. The story is at times serious and at times ridiculous, but seeing the power games play out keeps you interested.

Because this is life. Everybody is not only trying to make ends meet, but they’re trying to get ahead. They want more. How are they going to get it? You think you’re special when growing up and then you find out you’re not, you’re just like everybody else, which is scary. You thought you were destined for more.

Then again, all Cailee wants is to get married and have a baby.

All these life issues underpin the action and…

I forgot to mention William Fichtner as Troy. You’ve seen this guy before, he’s been in a lot of things, and you almost always hate him. He’s dark and slimy… Here he evidences more light, and he’s less hatable, this is the best performance I’ve ever seen him give.

Yes, a lot of the acting is superior to the story.

But Netflix’s second season of “Beef” isn’t even in the same league as BritBox’s “Mudtown.” The characters in the latter are much more three-dimensional, the story much more gripping, you’re drawn in, you’re invested, whereas you feel like you’re on a lark, a veritable ride in the second season of “Beef.” As for Apple’s “Drops of God”…all image, with a flat story. Unless you loved, loved LOVED the first season, avoid the second. It’s not that it moves slowly, it’s just not fleshed out, it’s just images and plot points and this is not the TV I signed up for.

But “Mudtown” is.

I guess some people like TV to be their escape. But the truth is so much of today’s life is escape, or totally unbelievable. The posturing and lying online, the focus on image…and a government that makes you throw up your arms in disgust… I’m looking for that dark human feeling, the believability in the records of yore. Which might have been bombastic, but the people making them were not dependent upon physical attractiveness to succeed, their music was definitely human. As “Mudtown” is.

I’ll put it this way, if you want to go to an adult Disneyland, the second season of “Beef” is the way to go.

But if you want to get right down to the real nitty-gritty, if you’re looking for fare that grips you and makes you think, “Mudtown” delivers. In a world where so much does not. I guess that’s the problem with so much of today’s music, it’s a glossy product, made by committee to sell, the person on stage is a presenter, relatively hollow. They’re fads little different from Beanie Babies. Here for a while, and then pure nostalgia at best.

But there are artists who get under your skin, whose music you listen to even if it’s not successful commercially.

That’s “Mudtown.”

Make your choice.