Fool Me Once

Britain loves a crime drama, to the point where it’s gotten hard to keep up with the sheer volume of them. Some are broad and kitschy, some are dark and sophisticated. Fool Me Once finds a way to straddle a lot of these dividing lines and has been widely loved as a result.  

Michelle Keegan’s Maya Stern is an example of a part of this show that is sometimes blockbuster and sometimes deep and complex. Keegan’s masterful performance puts the exclamation point in her transition from soap actor to future BAFTA winner.

Maya is a compelling lead: an all-action British army veteran who commandeers private helicopter tutorials to chase down her enemies. She is a formidable protagonist with the agency and foresight to stay one step ahead of the drama, yet her actions never feel overly farfetched and remain rooted in reality, drawn from logic and real life.  

The same can’t be said for everything in Fool Me Once and some things do stretch the bounds of credibility. Examples include a digital photo frame that also captures video (not found in many homes) and a ‘DNA website’ in which Maya’s nieces Daniel and Abby receive a new brother request from their estranged half-brother.

Back to the positives, the final twist, the most crucial (and hard to get right) element of the British crime drama, is deeply satisfying. Maya (literally) frames her tormentors in a heart wrenching but at the same time gratifying ending – fittingly holding a mirror up to the tyranny of big pharma and the ruling classes.   

Harlan Coben has become the authority on crime drama in the UK over the last few years and the country will look forward to his next offering.    

Grime Kids

Available on BBC iPlayer

You’d be forgiven for entering Theresa Ikoko’s adaptation of DJ Target’s celebrated memoir Grime Kids with a preconceived idea of the sort of show it would be. Given the international success of Top Boy, it would be understandable if Ikoko leaned into the grittier elements of the upbringings of Target and other grime pioneers such as Dizzee Rascal, Skepta, and Wiley (to name but a few). While those elements are certainly not ignored, this is a far more joyous series than one might expect it to be.

That is due in no small part to Grime Kids’ excellent ensemble cast, which is led by relative newcomers Yus Jamal Crookes, Tienne Simon, Juwon Adedokun, Gabriel Robinson, and Shanu Hazzan. Despite the fact they predate the era which the show documents, the actors thoroughly imbue the spirit of the time, from their garms through to their effervescent attitude towards life. With each character benefitting from their own absorbing back story, which coalesces nicely with the group’s shared ambition of starting their own grime collective, Grime Kids is an infectious experience which grows in stature over the course of its five episode arc.

The Fake Sheikh

Available on Amazon Prime

If you were seeking a physical manifestation of the term ‘gutter press’, it might come in the form of Mazher Mahmood, who for years relished in entrapping celebrities by posing as the ‘Fake Sheikh’, a feat which he achieved through appropriation of Arabic dress. While not quite as morally destitute as the phone-hacking scandal which eventually brought about the Leveson Inquiry and demise (of sorts) of Mahmood’s employer the News of the World, it is certainly a stain on the reputation of the British press that has yet to be fully washed out.

Amazon’s documentary follows the grim rise and belated fall of Mahmood, as told by many of his ex-colleagues and a small handful of his former victims. Tonally, it is an odd series, with creator Ceri Isfryn electing to give a perplexingly generous amount of air time to Mahmood’s former News of the World chums who, unsurprisingly, are mostly in awe of his journalistic prowess, despite the effects it had on the lives of his victims.

Indeed, the series only really clicks into gear in its third and final instalment, where Mahmood’s cold and unfeeling attempted stitch-up of the N-Dubz singer Tulisa Contostavlos thankfully lead to the end of his career and brief imprisonment for perverting the course of justice. Anyone with a conscience will enjoy recalling how this grotesque individual got his comeuppance, but will doubtlessly leave The Fake Sheikh wishing it had served as an analysis of journalistic ethics rather than the ambiguous career retrospective it actually is.

Colin From Accounts

Available on BBC iPlayer

Catastrophe is just about the only series I can recall that came close to accurately depicting the real-life complexity of falling in love. You know, the initial giddiness followed by the frightening realisation that, in order to get your happy ever after, you’re going to have to work through all your long-standing neuroses and try to be the best version of yourself that you can be?

Anyone that has truly experienced it will tell you that finding ‘the one’ is simultaneously one of the best and hardest things that can happen to you but, aside from Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan’s aforementioned show, few romcoms seem to truly understand that. Hallelujah, then, for Colin From Accounts.

Created and written by husband-and-wife team Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer (who also star as main characters Gordon and Ashley), this whip-smart series follows two singletons who are brought together by a freak occurrence involving a flashing, a car crash, and an injured dog whom they decide to adopt and name Colin. From there, they slowly begin to fall in love and are subsequently faced with the momentous task of, for want of a better expression, getting their shit together.

Like any good romcom, the beauty of Colin From Accounts is not in its fleeting dramatic moments, but rather the gradual evolution of its two leads as they expose their vulnerabilities to one another and realise that life is all the sweeter when you decide to face up to your trauma. It is a funny, expertly written, and beautifully acted affair and, thankfully, has already been renewed for a second season, which should hopefully air later this year.

Mr Bates vs The Post Office

Available on ITVX

Every now and then, we are reminded of culture’s ability to unite people behind a cause. There are countless examples of this littered throughout human history, and ITV’s outstanding Mr Bates vs The Post Office may just be the latest example.

Written by Gwyneth Hughes and directed by James Strong, this mini-series recounts the British Post Office scandal, which saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted for theft, false accounting, and/or fraud. It is one of the gravest miscarriages of justice in British history, yet one that has largely gone under the radar until now. Thankfully, this stellar show has reinvigorated public interest in the long-standing attempts of Alan Bates (here played by a peak-form Toby Jones) and the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance to hold the Post Office and, perhaps more importantly, the U.K. government to account.

Hughes’ approach to this emotive subject is commendable, paying respect to the personal tragedy that has befallen those affected by the scandal while also drumming up outrage at the cruel machinations of its orchestrators. As mentioned, Jones is also in fine fettle and supported commendably by an ensemble cast that includes the always dependable Alex Jennings, Ian Hart, Julie Hesmondhalgh, and Monica Dolan.

At the time of writing, the impact of the show has been underlined by the fact that the case of the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance is the first item up for discussion at the reopening of Parliament after its winter recess, with pressure growing to strip the former Post Office CEO, Paula Vennells, of her CBE. That, my friends, is the power of collective action and great storytelling, and long may it continue.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Available on Netflix

Netflix have monopolised the anime market as of late, enjoying success with shows such as Blue Eye Samurai and creating buzz for forthcoming properties such as Terminator: The Anime Series. Whether this strategy will prove effective is something that remains to be seen, although, on the evidence of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, the streaming giant may be on to a good thing.

Co-developed by BenDavid Grabinski and Bryan Lee O'Malley, the creator of the original Scott Pilgrim graphic novels, this eight-part series reunites the voice cast of Edgar Wright’s much-loved 2010 live action adaptation while providing a fresh twist on its plot. Here, the titular protagonist (voiced by Michael Cera) is mostly MIA, leaving his bae Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) to confront her seven evil exes and discover who is responsible for the disappearance.

Much like Wright’s film, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off moves at a frenetic pace whilst keeping its tongue firmly in its cheek, with flippant pop culture references peppered throughout the show. Meanwhile, director Abel Góngora and animation producers Science SARU ensure the animation remains gorgeous throughout, with aspects evoking childhood memories spent watching Dragon Ball Z and the original Pokémon anime series.

Sure enough, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is likely to entertain long-standing fans and newcomers alike, although its slacker tone may not be to everyone’s taste.

Based on a True Story

Available on NOW TV and Sky Comedy

Craig Rosenberg’s concise true crime parody benefits from an intriguing premise and two capable leads in Chris Messina and Kaley Cuoco, but fails to sustain intrigue over the course of its eight-episode run. Following Messina and Cuoco’s disillusioned suburbanite couple and their attempts to create a money spinning podcast with the help of their plumber and suspected serial killer (Tom Bateman), Based on a True Story questions how far one would be willing to compromise their morals in order to make a quick buck out of murder.

Executive produced by Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films, the series certainly has the potential to be more than what it winds up being, which might explain why it has already been renewed for a second season. However, the issues with this debut outing are manifold, with its protagonists being intensely unlikeable (and thus impossible to root for) and its events growing even more implausible, to the point where, by its finale, I was rolling my eyes more than I was laughing. Messina, Cuoco, and Bateman keep proceedings from ever growing completely lifeless, but this ought to be filed as a missed opportunity.

The Crown (Season 6: Part Two)

Available on Netflix

The Crown’s final season couldn’t have gotten off to a much worse start than the crass dumpster fire that best describes its first four instalments, and this swansong certainly benefits from the subsequent low expectations that are imposed upon it.

Indeed, after the soap-operatic retelling of Princess Diana’s final days, it is a relief to see Peter Morgan resume his cash cow within the confines of Buckingham Palace, as The Crown desperately seeks to rediscover what initially made it one of Netflix’s premier series. That, of course, was its introspective analysis of the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II, and the uncompromising duties that are bestowed upon monarchy.

Unfortunately, these concluding six episodes only do a fitful job of restoring Morgan’s show to its former glories. Some, such as its eight (‘Ritz’) and tenth (‘Sleep, Dearie Sleep’), serve as a reminder of what originally made The Crown so compelling, and elicit the best performances of Imelda Staunton’s otherwise underwhelming stint as the aforementioned monarch. Sadly, others do the exact opposite. Take, for example, the odd sixth instalment (‘Ruritania’), which begins with a bizarre dream sequence in which the newly minted Prime Minister, Tony Blair, is crowned King by the British public, before proceeding to serve as an odd essay on the importance of protecting tradition (even ones as wasteful as the Keeper of the Queen’s Swans - look it up) from reformism.

Even more perplexing is this series’ recounting of the painfully dull romance of Prince William and Kate Middleton, an arc which does neither (particularly the latter) any favours and is far too inconsequential to merit the screen time it is afforded. That’s before you even begin to discuss Morgan’s loutish depiction of Prince Harry, a creative decision which assumedly makes his personal opinion on the recent royal scandal clear.

Alas, even at its most yawn-inducing, The Crown remains a supremely acted affair. Staunton, as mentioned, is more affecting than ever before, while there is a lot to like about Dominic West’s underrated performance as King Charles III. Sadly, this is just another case of a once-great series failing to nail its final landing, although few have decreased quite so drastically in quality as this.

Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road

Available on BBC iPlayer

Much was riding on this latest episode of Doctor Who. Not only did it have to introduce Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor and companion, it had to attract a new audience while remaining familiar enough so as not to alienate lifelong fans. Luckily, this latest special is penned by Russell T. Davies, who continues to prove why he is possibly one of the best writers this beloved show has ever had.

Gatwa is completely electric, proving that he can hold his own as the face of the show. Not only does he bring a fresh, vibrant, and utterly joyous feeling to the character, but he really shines during this episode’s more sombre scenes, particularly the incredibly tense conversation he has with Michelle Greenidge’s Carla.

Millie Gibson also shines as new companion, Ruby Sunday, and shares a fantastic dynamic with Gatwa; I particularly loved how the two came across as two excited school children at times. That being said, she does feel a bit like Rose 2.0, so I’m hoping we’ll get more added depth to her character in the upcoming series to really set her apart from previous friends of the Doctor.

Unfortunately, the villains of the episode, the Goblins, weren’t the best antagonists, but, then again, they didn’t need to be. The focus was really on introducing new audiences to the show, so I understand why the Goblins were a bit sidelined, especially when we’ve only got an hour to get everything established for this new era. The real controversy with the Goblins seems to have come from their musical number halfway through the episode, although personally I absolutely adored the song. Yes, it was silly and campy, but that’s what makes it brilliant. And, let’s be honest, since when has Doctor Who not been silly and campy? I’m glad that Davies doesn’t seem to be taking things too seriously - this is a children’s show after all.

This new special completely solidified my excitement for this new era and, whilst it may not have been as strong as the recent anniversary specials, still managed to be a fun and engaging introduction to our two new leads. I cannot wait to see more of them in May.

Gen V

Available on Amazon Prime

It’s somewhat surprising to see The Boys, a series that has defiantly parodied cinematic franchises since its 2019 debut, launch a spin-off series but, despite the slight whiff of contradiction that lingers around Gen V, the end result is good fun.

Serving as a prelude to The Boys’ highly anticipated fourth season, this series follows the travails of a group of teenage ‘Supes’ that attend the Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, where students compete for top ranking and a chance to join The Seven, the nefarious group of morally compromised superheroes made famous by The Boys. Unsurprisingly, over the course of Gen V’s eight-episode run, we discover that all is not as it seems at the University, and that its powers-that-be harbour ulterior motives.

Given its knowing title, Gen V is geared towards contemporary audiences and helmed by a fledgling cast, of which Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, and Maddie Phillips shine, although not as brightly as London Thor and Derek Luh, who benefit from being assigned the series’ most interesting role as the gender-shifting Jordan Li. Shelley Conn is also good value as the nefarious University dean (although her thunder is well and truly stolen by a returning big bad from The Boys), while there’s a promising turn from Arnie offspring Patrick Schwarzenegger.

Although the teen-centric tone of the show means it can at times be difficult to differentiate Gen V from genre bedfellows such as The Hunger Games or X-Men franchises, this is a welcome addendum to one of Amazon Prime’s major success stories that succeeds in building anticipation for what’s to come next.

Smothered

Available on NOW TV and Sky Comedy

This charming romcom series from former Schitt’s Creek writer Monica Heisey is indebted to the chemistry of its two leads, Danielle Vitalis and Jon Pointing, which is authentic enough to draw audiences into a narrative that, although not entirely conventional, is fairly predictable. Heisey’s series follows Sammy (Vitalis) and Tom (Pointing) who, after a chance encounter at a karaoke bar, decide to embark on a no-strings affair that quickly becomes more complicated than either expected.

Vitalis and Pointing are both thoroughly enjoyable in their respective roles, distinguishing themselves as formidable comedic leads whose career paths are worth keeping an eye on. They are aided by a formidable supporting cast that includes the always excellent Aisling Bea (This Way Up), Blair Underwood, Lisa Hammond, and critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Self Esteem.

Exceptionally easy to binge (me and my partner watched the entire series over the course of one train journey to London), Smothered is unafraid to indulge in genre tropes while covering difficult topical terrain such as growing up, modern love, and step-parenting.

What We Do in the Shadows (Season 5)

Available on Disney+

If the fourth season of Jermaine Clement’s small-screen adaptation of his and Taika Waititi’s acclaimed 2014 film did little to add to its legacy as a modern-day comedy classic, its fifth outing could be considered something of a return to form.

This is chiefly because, unlike its predecessor, this chapter of What We Do in the Shadows successfully progresses the arc of its central characters, with the majority of its events focused on Guillermo’s (Harvey Guillén) duplicitous (but completely understandable) decision to be transformed into a vampire by someone other than his long-time master Nandor (Kayvan Novak). While the eventual payoff of this season-long arc isn’t entirely satisfying, the comedy and suspense it simultaneously generates makes for entertaining viewing on the most part.

Nonetheless, it remains the case that What We Do in the Shadows is most enjoyable when serving up entertainingly odd episodes that, despite being seemingly disconnected from its central narrative, are riotously good fun. Prime examples from this season include Pride Parade (in which the vampires help their uber-straight neighbour host a Pride parade), Local News (where local news coverage of a water main break threatens to expose our anti-heroes to the human world), Hybrid Creatures (during which the scientific experiments of Laszlo (Matt Berry) unexpectedly result in the creation of a series of Guillermo/animal hybrids), and The Roast (in which a comedy roast hosted in Laszlo's honour quickly goes south).

While it’s unclear how much life is left in this vampiric romp, laugh-out-loud episodes such as these mean it remains worthy of the time of anyone with a soft spot for absurdist comedy.

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials

Available on BBC iPlayer

When Chris Chibnall took over Doctor Who in 2018, he ushered in one of the show’s most mind-numbingly boring runs, wasting the talents of Jodie Whittaker while driving the show into the ground. So, when Russell T. Davies’ return was announced, fans such as myself were ecstatic, as there was no doubt that he would deliver something capable of drawing in the casual fans that had lost interest in recent years.

These 60th anniversary specials open with The Star Beast, a story adapted from a 1970s comic strip that serves as a simple and fun tale that I personally found to be the most enjoyable of these three specials, in which the Meep (Miriam Margolyes) steals every scene. Margolyes is clearly having immense fun chewing up the scenery, and the Disney budget allows the production team to bring her character to life via a range of incredibly impressive practical effects and CGI.

David Tennant and Catherine Tate immediately slip back into their respective roles, despite having been gone from the franchise for over a decade. Their chemistry is palpable and they completely sell each moment of intense drama over these three episodes. I was especially impressed by how well Tennant and Davies managed to address the changes the Doctor has gone through since 2010. It’s a really nice way to respect what Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall brought to the show, while making the 14th Doctor slightly more likeable than the 10th.

After The Star Beast, we transition into Wild Blue Yonder, a story I’ve seen other fans describe as the best since 2015’s Heaven Sent. Davies immediately puts us right in the middle of a psychological horror, with doubles of the Doctor and Donna serving as the villains of the episode. There is a wide range of effective scares on display, with the body horror scenes being the most prevalent. Although the episode is bloodless and perhaps a little too goofy for most adult tastes, it definitely stretches the boundaries of what should be considered child-friendly (a seven-year-old me would definitely have had nightmares about this one).

To round things off, we get The Giggle, guest starring Neil Patrick Harris as the dastardly Toymaker. This is the episode that slightly drops the ball, chiefly due to Davies leaving himself with too many plates to spin. Toymaker? Anti-climatic. Bigeneration? Minimal foreshadowing and barely any explanation. Stooky Bill and the creation of the TV? Wouldn’t that be a great opportunity for thematic subtext about the nature of modern entertainment and Doctor Who’s role in that? Nope. It ultimately comes down to a pithy epitaph of ‘screens are bad’.

The climax of The Giggle is ultimately dropped in favour of new Doctor Ncuti Gatwa’s arrival, which mostly consists of him running around in his underwear and the most intense game of catch the universe has ever seen. Don’t get me wrong, it’s enjoyable enough, but I can’t shake the feeling that the BBC should’ve allowed for the episode to run slightly longer. That being said, Ncuti Gatwa is an absolute joy to behold and I can’t wait to see his fully-fledged interpretation of the Doctor this Christmas. I also thought that the splitting of the Doctors was pretty perfectly executed, offering us both an end to a 13-season character arch and a fresh new beginning for this beloved sci-fi show.

The Crown (Season 6: Part One)

Available on Netflix

The gradual decline of Peter Morgan’s once-great dramatisation of the life and times of Queen Elizabeth II is emphasised with this four-part opener to its sixth and final season. Charting the last days of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her companion Dodi Fayed, it is sadly another case of grim voyeurism that pays little respect to its deceased topics, instead exhuming and, at worst, fabricating the closing moments of their life and serving it up as ‘prestige’ drama.

By now, the finer details of Diana’s life have been pored over with such crassly forensic detail that it’s questionable whether The Crown ever needed to chart such contentious waters, especially given how dreary and forgettable its fifth season had been. Nonetheless, one could argue that it is impossible to document the late Queen’s reign without confronting one of its most seismic moments, when the tide of public opinion briefly turned against the otherwise revered monarch.

Even if you subscribe to that viewpoint, or are just one of the many that are morbidly infatuated with Diana’s life, you’d have to be a charitable fellow to commend this asinine soap opera, which clumsily portrays the late Princess as a media-savvy attention seeker, her former husband King Charles II as an irreproachable saint and, most troublingly, the Fayeds as nefarious schemers that were at least partly responsible for the tragic events of 31st August 1997.

The sorry affair is compounded by the now infamous scenes in which the aforementioned Charles (Dominic West) and Queen (Imelda Staunton) are individually paid a visit by Diana’s ghost, a narrative device so distasteful it almost beggars belief. What makes this even more of a shame is that Elizabeth Debicki is genuinely excellent in the role of Diana, with West, Staunton, Salim Daw, and Khalid Abdalla also in fine form.

The good news for Morgan and co. is that they still have six episodes to redeem what has previously been a stellar show, but this opening salvo will leave a sour taste in the mouth for some time.

Breeders (Season 4)

Available on NOW TV and Sky Comedy

The fourth and final season of this endearingly honest parental comedy does not necessarily give off swansong vibes, in the sense that it mostly elects to tread familiar ground for the majority of its ten-episode run. Nonetheless, viewers of its previous instalments are likely to be contented by another round of fine performances from Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard, whose deadpan stylings continue to do justice to the unrivalled anguish and joy that comes with raising children.

There is some nice synergy to be found in the arc of Luke (Oscar Kennedy), who in this season finds himself burdened by the life-changing responsibility of being a father, a duty that was so often the cause of the tension between him and his father Paul (Freeman). This results in a neatly packaged, heart-warming culmination to a story that has so often dominated Breeders, although it does admittedly come at the expense of other narratives, such as those belonging to Paul’s parents (who are once again played with aplomb by Joanna Bacon and Alun Armstrong).

While its last outing isn’t all that distinguishable from those that came before it, Breeders remains a heartful and relatable show that will strike a chord with parents of all ages.

Welcome to Wrexham (Season 2)

Available on Disney+

Football documentaries are seldom enlightening affairs. Granted, they provide a welcome insight for fans into the mindset of elite athletes, but they rarely strike an emotional chord. Take, for example, Amazon’s expertly produced but fundamentally stage managed All or Nothing series which, despite the fanfare that follows their release, fails to leave much of a lasting impression (beyond the memory of Mikel Arteta’s unusual motivational techniques).

Welcome to Wrexham, the tale of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s stranger than fiction takeover of a previously beleaguered non-league side, is an altogether different beast. Beside the peculiarity of its premise, the series has been distinguished by its documentation of the Hollywood actor’s earnest attempts to make an indelible impact on their team’s local community.

Its second season could be forgiven for being exclusively focused on Wrexham’s ultimately successful attempts to secure automatic promotion back to the English Football League, particularly given the fact that their previous campaign ended in play-off heartbreak. Reynolds, McElhenney, and producers Boardwalk Pictures should be commended, therefore, for once again taking time out to shine a spotlight on less glamorous, but no less important, topics such as the club’s efforts to make their stadium more autism friendly, the success of its women’s team, and their continued honouring of the 1934 Gresford coal mine tragedy.

With the series generating a tidy £600k in additional revenue, it would be easy to dismiss Wrexham as being little more than just another case of a well-backed club buying its way to success, but this heartful series reminds us that football’s impact stretches well beyond on-field events.

Loki (Season 2)

Available on Disney+

If the overall health of the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t especially rude, viewers of the sophomore season of Loki wouldn’t know it. The series, created by Michael Waldron and featuring a broad spectrum of creative talent, could rightfully exist in isolation from the increasingly tangled web of analogous Marvel properties, such is the distinctiveness of its aesthetic and tone.

Nonetheless, Loki’s second outing confirms the mini-series as a vital cog in the Multiverse Saga that is being not so carefully assembled by Kevin Feige and co., with its second six-episode run picking up directly from the cliff-hanger ending of its first. The titular protagonist (played with aplomb by Tom Hiddleston) finds himself slipping between branches of time and must frantically make sense of the increasingly convoluted conundrum that was caused by his variant Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) offing He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors’ increasingly uncertain ‘big bad’).

Waldron and writer Eric Martin wisely opt for continuity from Loki’s maiden voyage, with the majority of the cast remaining the same, aside from newcomer Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once), who excels as the quirky but exceptionally savvy TVA officer Ouroboros. The perpetuation of the first series’ narrative motifs - the importance of free will and the value of striving to be the best version of yourself - is also wise, and is displayed poignantly through the performances of the dependably excellent Hiddleston and his criminally underrated co-star Owen Wilson.

Granted, the complexity and simultaneous ridiculousness of Marvel’s burgeoning multiversal world makes aspects of Loki less enjoyable than others, but, at its best, this is a widely entertaining home run for the comic book behemoth that really ought to set the standard for the forthcoming phases of its seemingly never-ending cinematic content.

The Morning Show (Season 3)

Available on Apple TV+

When The Morning Show initially arrived on our screens at the tail end of 2019, it quickly achieved the lofty status of ‘prestige television’ on account of its star-studded cast, helmed by Jennifer Anniston and Reese Witherspoon, and it’s impressive examination of the #MeToo movement.

Its journey since then has been slightly less assured, mostly due to a second season that offered a well-meaning but ultimately heavy-handed assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, it was difficult to know what to expect from this third voyage, which focuses on the efforts of an Elon Musk-esque billionaire (played by Mad Men star Jon Hamm) to purchase the UBA news network.

Whatever my expectations were, they had exited via the front window by the time the first episode had ended with Witherspoon’s character navel-gazing about the conflict in Ukraine whilst broadcasting live from, believe it or not, a spaceship. If there had always been a soap opera aspect to The Morning Show, this is the season where creator Jay Carson and co. fully embrace it.

The end product is a show that is decidedly more ‘guilty pleasure’ territory than it is prestige, with the aforementioned Witherspoon and co-star Anniston unafraid to ham it up as the series veers sporadically between fictitious and real-life topics without ever really saying anything of substance about either. Nonetheless, if one adopts a laissez faire mentality towards this rather radical tonal shift, there is plenty of enjoyment to be found in The Morning Show’s gloriously shouty brand of ridiculousness.

Indeed, while its social commentary may be rendered null and void, this series is emphatically more entertaining than its predecessor, making the prospect of a fourth outing more tantalising than it otherwise would have been.

The Reckoning

Available on BBC iPlayer

Your appreciation (or lack thereof) of the BBC’s controversial posthumous biopic of the disgraced media personality Jimmy Saville is likely to be determined by whether you interpret it as an act of genuine atonement on the broadcaster’s part or a cynical act of voyeurism.

Based loosely on Dan Davies’ book In Plain Sight: the Life and Lies of Jimmy Savile, this mini-series covers the full spectrum of Saville’s ugly life, beginning with his rise to fame in the early 1960s and culminating in his belated passing in 2011. It is co-written by Davies and Neil McKay (Four Lives) and sees Steve Coogan take on the unenviable assignment of portraying the notorious sex abuser.

Coogan, who previously voiced Saville for Spitting Image, is suitably discomforting in the lead role, and is aided by a stellar supporting cast. Nonetheless, The Reckoning is a pervasively grim experience from beginning to end that feels like a misguided attempt by the BBC to pardon their old guard’s cover-up of the unspeakable crimes Saville committed on their watch. My heart sank thinking about how the former DJ’s victims must feel about the prospect of his heinous actions being reenacted as extensively as they are here.

That’s not to say that there isn’t merit in reexamining how such a renown figure could accumulate enough clout to get away with such brazen depravity. After all, as put by one of Saville’s unfortunate victims in the series’ final episode, it is paramount that this never be allowed to happen again. It’s just highly questionable whether such a deeply unpleasant dramatisation is the right way to go about it.

Therein lies the issue with our collective fascination with the true crime genre. What serves as a passing distraction for viewers can be needlessly traumatic for those that have sadly been affected by the subject in question. With that in mind, shows like The Reckoning need to do better.

Brassic (Season 5)

Available on Sky Max and NOW TV

There’s a certain roguish charm to Danny Brocklehurst and Joe Gilgun’s long-running comedy series that defies its rather obvious limitations and ensures that it remains one of the most quietly entertaining shows on British television.

Indeed, Brassic is a little bit like your school year’s most feared tearaway, the sort that you might now occasionally bump into in your local pub and, despite their problematic worldviews and egregious braggadocio, can’t help but be amused by. There is a certain charm to ‘lad culture’ that Brocklehurst and Gilgun are unafraid to tap into without necessarily glamourising it, and their show is all the better for it.

While the premise of each episode continues to be mostly formulaic, the fifth series of Brassic demonstrates an admirable willingness to explore the vital topic of mental health, as we see lead character Vinnie (Gilgun) begin to explore his childhood trauma with the help of a therapist. There is also some welcome development for comedy relief characters such as Tommo (Ryan Sampson), courtesy of a side story which sees him discover that he has a teenage son who hails from Germany.

Perhaps most interesting is the show’s fleeting attempts to toy with its well-established form, as can be seen in an episode where lovebirds Cardi (Tom Hanson) and Carol (Bronagh Gallager) have a short-lived disagreement that the latter attempts to resolve by means of an unexpected musical number. Such quirks only serve to make this unusual show all the more endearing, although one does wonder how much mileage it has left as we approach its sixth season.