Shadows on the Screen: Autumn TV Roundup

Television is my escape: something I can watch without getting into film critic mode. Yet while I prefer mindless nonsense on the small screen, I am also tempted by big, quality shows that are currently all over the channels and streaming services. So here's what I was watching this summer. And now that film festival season is upon me, I need trashy TV even more!

EVENT TELEVISION

Game of Thrones: Series 7

Without pausing for breath, this show propelled a large number of people into a variety of conflicts that left our jaws hanging open in shock. After six years, the central characters are all so complex and involving that they almost feel like family: some we love and others we hate. So what happens to them feels like a punch to the gut. Meanwhile, the show's creators just keep topping themselves with exhilarating epic moments that take the breath away. There's never been anything on TV that even comes close to this scale of excitement and adventure. And this season finally brought many the characters together, ready to head into the final series of shows next year.

Top of the Lake - China Girl: Series 2

Jane Campion's haunting mystery series returned for a new set of episodes, anchored by another astonishingly internalised performance from Elisabeth Moss as detective Robin, still recovering from the trauma of the earlier mystery, and events even further back in her history. This season is set in Sydney following the discovery of a body in a suitcase on Bondi Beach, and it features terrific supporting roles for the likes of Gwendoline Christie and Nicole Kidman (who wonderfully goes full Aussie). The main theme here is motherhood, and the labyrinthine threads of the plot come at this issue from so many angles that it's sometimes a little overwhelming. But it's also emotionally punchy and utterly riveting. 

Twin Peaks

After that astonishing mid-season nuclear bomb, this revived series continued to deepen the mystery rather than solve it. Although a much stronger sense of narrative thrust emerged once Kyle MacLachlan's old Dale Cooper finally returned from the dazed wreckage of Dougie. This is a show packed with wonder - funny and scary and impossible to predict. David Lynch loves challenging the viewer to think and feel things in unexpected directions, and this is like nothing else on television. It's also refreshingly nothing like the original series from 25 years ago: the world has changed and so has the show.

SOMETHING NEW

Ozark

A superbly edgy 10-episode thriller created by star Jason Bateman, this constantly spinning story sends an imploding Chicago family into deepest Missouri, where they try to hold things together to survive the mobster who's dangling death over their heads. Bateman and Laura Linney are excellent as the estranged couple who clearly never bothered to properly raise their two teen kids. The tone of the show is dark, twisty and blackly funny. And while the echoes of Breaking Bad are sometimes a little too on-the-nose, this cast and setting keep things fresh. Hopefully the second season will keep the story spiralling organically, rather than starting to insert corny TV series elements designed merely to keep it running.

Friends From College

The pilot episode of this sitcom is so promising that you could forget how lame the title is, setting up some clever dynamics as a group of university buddies once again become neighbours in New York. But from the second episode onward, the writing turned stupid, creating insufferably unlikeable characters who do stupid things that push them into increasingly contrived situations. Every scene has the germ of a great idea, nicely played by an expert cast (including Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Savage and Cobie Smulders), but the script pushes them over the edge into cornball farce, so the actors look like they're straining desperately for laughs. Which is annoying when there's plenty of material here for something both funny and pointed.

Man in an Orange Shirt

A clever story told in two halves set more than 70 years apart, this BBC drama follows Michael and Thomas (Oliver Jackson-Cohen and James McArdle) as they serve in WWII then split up because Michael chooses to to conform with society and marries Flora (Joanna Vanderham). In the present day, Michael's grandson Adam (Julian Morris) is resolutely single, living with his grandmother Flora (now Vanessa Redgrave) and engaging in casual sex until an image from the past shakes him up. Both halves of this story are compelling, depicting denial and repression in the same country but very different cultures. It's beautifully shot, edited and acted, perhaps a bit oblique but powerful.

Ill Behaviour

The premise of this comedy-drama is not easy to stomach: a just-divorced loser (Chris Geere) talks a friend (Jessica Regan) into kidnapping their old buddy (Tom Riley), forcing him to abandon his holistic healing and take chemo to cure his cancer. All with the convenient help of a hot mess doctor (Lizzy Caplan). Everything about the set-up stretches belief to the breaking point, but it's still compulsively watchable. Where it goes over three parts is fairly absurd, but there are some terrific performances in the cast that make these brazenly unlikeable characters entertaining. The fact is that no one here is very nice. But they're perhaps doing the best they can.

Will

This sassy take on the early career of William Shakespeare (fresh-faced Laurie Davidson) in London has a wealth of possibilities, but the scripts play everything safe, finding the most obvious gags while peppering the dialog with references to anything and everything. It's also unnecessarily violent, complete with a snarling, sadistic villain (Ewen Bremner), which kind of undermines the otherwise jaunty comical tone. The Luhrmann-esque excesses are actually a lot of fun (the characters sing along with pop tunes), and the cast is seriously engaging. But it really should have been much more lusty than this, and far less grisly. When it's playing with the relationship chaos, the show is a lot of fun, even if it's shamelessly misusing Shakespeare's work.

BACK FOR MORE

Victoria: Series 2

Basically Downton Abbey in Buckingham Palace, this soapy history drama is effortlessly watchable, thanks to scripts that weave downmarket trashiness with true events. And lead actors Jemma Coleman and Tom Hughes are excellent at making Victoria and Albert realistic people in a surreal situation. If only the plotting was less melodramatically ridiculous, especially as Victoria finds herself pregnant again so soon after giving birth. The low point was the episode in which the Queen and Prince Albert develop a contrived mutual jealousy and lash out at each other with frightfully bad behaviour. This only makes the series feel like it's stretching to fill out its episode count rather than tell a proper story.

Master of None: Series 2

Kicking off with a witty black and white homage to De Sica's classic Bicycle Thieves, each episode of Aziz Ansari's anthology series is a mini-masterpiece. Some episodes are funnier than others, but all are involving and engaging, packed with hilariously detailed and very messy characters. Through-lines include the offbeat trajectory of Dev's career from Italy to hosting a riotously awful cupcake competition show to working with a celebrity chef (Bobby Cannavale). And there's also a quirky running romance with his engaged Italian friend (Alessandra Mastronardi) that keeps us guessing right to the end. Worth waiting for two years between series.

Insecure: Series 2

Issa Rae is terrific at the centre of this comedy, which is only marred by its relentless undermining of her character. Like some sort of self-fulfilling prophesy, the title hints at all manner of bad luck and crippling self-sabotage. But there's terrific material scattered throughout each episode, and the characters are deepening in intriguing directions, beautifully played by Rae, Jay Ellis, Yvonne Orji, et al. It's also refreshing to see a show that's so honest about sex without ever sniggering about it. So why are the plots so flimsy? And why do the characters do things that feel oddly implausible? It's as if Rae is trying to make her points rather than tell believable stories, which is a problem.

The Carmichael Show: Series 3

It's astonishing how clever this show is, as it uses all of the most obvious elements of a standard sitcom, from the family dynamic to the sets themselves, then subverts everything with sharply topical comedy. Enormous issues rear their heads in each episode, and yet the writers somehow manage to write hysterically funny punchlines even in the middle of a wrenchingly serious scene. The show's heart and soul is Loretta Devine as the outspoken matriarch who has big feelings about everything. And it's refreshing that actor-creator Jerrod Carmichael doesn't try to make his character remotely saintly.

Younger: Series 4

After giving up and skipping the third season, I returned simply because there were so few comedies on over the summer. It's still weak, but the cast is strong enough to hold the interest, especially Debi Mazar and Nico Tortorella. This season opens in a more enjoyable state of conflict, with best pals Liza and Kelsey (Sutton Foster and Hilary Duff) having fallen out. So while the sexuality is painfully simplistic and the publishing world setting utterly fantastical, at least there was scope for some enjoyably barbed dialog. If only the relationships were more adult-oriented; this feels like a high-school soap opera performed by 30-year-olds.

JUST GETTING STARTED

Gypsy

I'm a huge fan of Naomi Watts, but I could only make it through three episodes of this mopey series about a therapist who gets too involved in her patients' lives, while her husband (Billy Crudup) suspects nothing. It just felt indulgent and pointless from the start. Maybe it got better as it went along, but I ran out of patience. I'm not surprised it wasn't renewed for another season.

The Orville

I'm not a Seth McFarlane fan, but a review caught my eye. This sci-fi adventure comedy is so like Star Trek that I suspect at the end McFarlane will have to admit that it's an official franchise show. Never satirical, it's played dead straight, with only the odd snap of comedic dialog between the characters. Everything from the look of the ship and the music to the costumes and plotlines feels straight from the Star Trek universe. Including the moral certainty. I'm not sure how long I'll stick with it.

Star Trek: Discovery

Speaking of which, this new authorised Trek series has a strong cast, anchored by the superbly nuanced Sonequa Martin-Green. Her character's story is the clear through-line here, which is fascinating. But the first three episodes are very talky, establishing a rather too-serious tone that centres on the threat of war and violence rather than the interplay between the crew members or any sense of, yes, discovery. It feels a little like all work and no play, even with the odd humorous touch. The third episode at least has a blast of personality as it establishes the series' premise, so I'll stick with it for now.

Coming up, there's the return of most American network shows, a new season of Transparent, the last season of Episodes, the Pegg-Mitchell comedy Back, and lots of things I haven't heard of yet...

Shadows on the Screen: Summer TV roundup

So many shows, new and returning, converged this spring that it was a relief that this year's season of Game of Thrones was delayed. It's been intriguing to see the convergence of so many political shows tackling the same themes: Homeland, Veep, Scandal and House of Cards at times felt like the same show, struggling to be more outrageous than what was actually happening in Washington. And then The Handmaid's Tale (ahem!) trumped all of them. 

SOMETHING NEW

Twin Peaks

To get ready for this, I binged the 1990-91 series, plus the 1992 movie Fire Walk With Me, chilled each time "25 years later" was mentioned. And now here we are. The new shows have a different tone, more fragmented and much drier. But David Lynch is cleverly maintaining the open-ended mystery, dropping clues everywhere without explaining anything, giving just enough plot to make it riveting. Most of the returning cast members are appearing in cameos, but Kyle McLachlan has even more work to do as Dale Cooper tries to, well, put himself back together after a quarter century in red-curtained limbo (although his duality is beginning to feel draggy). The show is also still very funny, although not quite as silly as the original shows were. It's also just as magnetic, impossible to look away. This season continues until September, and Lynch says there's more to come after that.

The Handmaid's Tale

Margaret Atwood's novel is more than 30 years old, and yet its premise feels chillingly relevant in this creepy series set in a very near future ("When they blamed terrorists and suspended freedom temporarily, we let them") ruled by a theocratic government that brutally enforces "traditional" values. Produced with artistry and anchored by yet another riveting performance from Elisabeth Moss, this is a punchy exploration of human nature and the dangers of subverting it for whatever reason. It's somehow shocking to hear Offred's fiery internal thoughts as she plays such a passive role on the outside, a rare fertile woman in a polluted world, assigned to bear children for a wealthy commander (Joseph Fiennes) and yearning for her stolen daughter (Jordana Blake). What this says about fanaticism and resilience is astonishing. And it's emotionally riveting. A second season is coming, praised be.

Santa Clarita Diet

A witty, original approach to the zombie genre, this sitcom is thoroughly engaging thanks to the likeable central performances of Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant as estate agents in suburbia dealing with her sudden appetite for human flesh. The carnage is played for laughs, and since this is Netflix the grisliness and language are pretty full-on. It's all rather broad, and the short episodes never really go anywhere. Indeed, the 10-episode first season feels very slight. But there are hilarious moments dotted throughout every episode, and the side roles are pretty fabulous, from teens Liv Hewson and Skyler Gisondo to the likes of Portia De Rossi, Patton Oswalt, Nathan Fillion, Ricardo Chavira, Thomas Lennon and the great Grace Zabriskie.

Thirteen Reasons Why

There's a loose realism to this series that continually takes the viewer by surprise. Corny but involving, it holds the interest with dramatic intensity and the seriousness of the teen-suicide theme. Dylan Minette is excellent as a highschooler trying to understand why one of his classmates killed herself then left him a set of old-fashioned cassette tapes to explain herself and to lead him on a kind of scavenger hunt. It's all a bit gimmicky, contriving to drag things out over the 13 stretched-out episodes that turn every character (including the dead girl) into someone who isn't remotely likeable. There are some important points, but it's not as truthful as it pretends to be.

THE DRAMA CONTINUES

Sense8: Series 2

After nearly two years, this ground-breaking, earth-shattering series returns, and it kicks off with a fierce attack on endemic bigotry in society - a seriously complex, thoughtful and provocative exploration of sexism, misogyny and homophobia. This is a show about what binds humanity together in the face of various man-made divisions. And it's staggeringly well written, acted and assembled as a ripping thriller this time, with stronger characters and a punchy momentum that grabs hold and doesn't let up. Sadly, after this enormous set-up, Netflix has decided not to continue the story. Although it definitely needs some kind of conclusion, please.

House of Cards: Series 5

It seems impossible that this show could get any darker, but here we are. This season is so bleak and nasty that it's not easy to watch, but we're kind of afraid that the Underwoods might hunt us down and kill us if we stop. Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright are astounding as always, offering a terrifying portrayal of a couple clinging relentlessly to power through sheer force of will. And as they subtly begin turning on each other, this becomes must-see drama. The nastier gyrations of the plot may feel exaggerated and contrived until we remember what's happened in the so-called civilised world over the past year. Our political landscape might not be quite this violent, but it's not as far removed as we'd like to think. And where this is going for future seasons is more than a little scary.

Fargo: Series 3

The almost freakishly talented Noah Hawley (see also Legion) continues this anthology series with a new scenario in snowy 2010 Minnesota, quickly spinning events out of control over the first few episodes, then deepening characters and intrigue in fiendishly inventive ways. Some of the flourishes are a bit gimmicky (and one episode seems to have snuck in here from Twin Peaks), but there's a snaky underlying attitude that keeps it riveting. And the cast is simply wonderful, anchored by the superb Carrie Coon and a double dose of Ewan McGregor. Produced to a very high standard, it's also a rare show that allows for unnerving complexity in its themes, including the moral questions about who's good and evil. Fiendishly clever.

The Get Down: Series 1b

The second half of Baz Luhrmann's groovy and stylish 11-episode dramatisation of the birth of hip-hop in 1978 continues in the same exhilarating style, anchored by the engaging central performance from Justice Smith. This is bold television, exploring a range of issues with intelligence, humour and real insight, plus a terrific use of old and new songs that makes Empire look feeble by comparison. Some of the excesses are a bit overused (there's far too much animation, oddly including key plot moments). But the impressionistic approach is fascinating, even if it's perhaps too artful for purists who want to see the gritty details of this period of history, both for New York and for music. 

JUST A LAUGH

Veep: Series 6

The writing is as good as ever in this sixth season, even though the characters are spread out in a variety of places around the political world. Which just proves the resilience of the characters and the actors playing them. No one's anywhere near the White House this time, which somehow makes everything even funnier. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has the best comedic timing on television, period. And what makes this show so unmissable is that she's happily playing such a self-absorbed buffoon, while everyone around her is even more appalling. We really should hate all of these idiots, and the chaos they bring to US government, but their relentless cynicism makes them likeable. And also frighteningly authentic.

Grace and Frankie: Series 3

It was impressive to see the cast and writers push these characters in some bold directions during this season. Instead of the gentle holding pattern of Series 2, this year was packed with challenges, and the writing was sharply funny as well as more intelligent and introspective, which drew superbly textured performances from Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston and others. Some elements felt a bit farcical, in a sitcom sort of way (namely Bud's hypochondriac girlfriend), but there were plenty of clever surprises along the way. And everything touched on much bigger themes about various forms of bigotry, along with the general indignities of getting older.

The Trip to Spain:
Series 3

This hilarious improvised comedy directed by Michael Winterbottom sends Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon on another wacky road trip, taking in the sights and tastes while engaging in stream-of-consciousness repartee. Once again, these six half-hour episodes are engaging and packed with witty gags, delicious food and lovely landscapes. This time it also feels rather grumpy and deliberately self-indulgent, overdoing the starry impersonations to the point of exhaustion (they seem to notice this as well). As before, there are a few side characters to add some narrative continuity, and of course a string of smart running jokes. Plus a nice wave of Cervantes-style surrealism popping up now and again. But if they travel somewhere else, it would be nice to freshen up their banter.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Series 3

Because of the breakneck pace and relentless goofiness, this third season takes awhile to find its feet. But once it sets up the story arcs for its central characters, the series takes off into a series of riotous, astute directions. The rapid-fire dialog is flat-out hilarious, played broadly by gifted actors who are able to turn their dim-witted, oblivious characters into people who are surprisingly loveable. And along the way, there are some serious issues that gurgle quietly in the background, cleverly remaining fodder for jokes rather than preachy messaging (such as racist sports franchise names or the gentrification of quirky neighbourhoods). So even if everything is utterly bonkers, there's an edge to this show that makes it irresistible.

I GIVE UP

There were three shows that I just couldn't stick with. Generally I try to give a show at least three episodes before I tune out... 

• American Gods: A bewildering melange of fantasy, mythology, comedy and thrills, this hyper-violent series is so smug that it never lets the viewer into what's going on. I struggled through three episodes. 
• Dear White People: Justin Simien cleverly adapts his provocative film for TV, using an inventive structure that focusses on different perspectives. I love the complex, witty exploration of race issues, but it feels oddly ingrown, and far too pleased with itself.
• I Love Dick: Jill Soloway brings the brilliant Kathryn Hahn with her from Transparent to this cynical comedy about a bunch of unlikeable artists. Even with the terrific cast and some surprising storytelling, I didn't make it past episode 5.

Coming up: Game of Thrones, Master of None, The Carmichael Show, something new?

Critical Week: What's the point

London critics caught up with the next tentpole this week, namely Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (aka Salazar's Revenge), the fifth in the swashbuckling franchise starring Johnny Depp. While I enjoyed the previous four romps, this one felt overstuffed in every way (too many people, too many rambling plotlines, too many digital effects). I was happy when it finally ended.

Everything else was a bit smaller. Chris Evans is excellent in the sharply well-made drama Gifted, which manages to remain emotionally resonant without tipping into sentimentality. Tommy's Honour is a terrific story of the Scottish father and son who created the modern game of golf, nicely played by Peter Mullan and rising star Jack Lowden. Although the film is a bit uneven. The soapy Spanish comedy Wild Awakenings wins us over with its ridiculous tale of lust on a horse ranch. And the documentary Dying Laughing is a fascinating look at the life of a stand-up comic, as told by rather a lot of people who became very successful at it.

And finally, I revisited the early 1990s cult series Twin Peaks and rewatched the 1992 movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me before diving into the two-hour pilot episode for this 25-years-later sequel series. It's all rather bonkers, but sublimely so. And I look forward to the next 16 episodes.

Coming up this week is a very late press screening of Wonder Woman (buzz has been good but for some reason they are holding this one close to their chest), plus a number of films that will be screened at the forthcoming Sundance Film Festival London - watch this space. Meanwhile in France, the Cannes Film Festival winds up with its awards over the weekend. Expect controversy as usual.

A visit to Twin Peaks

Extended until 21st November, The Owls Are Not What They Seem is a Twin Peaks fan experience in Central London that plays on the 25-year-old TV series' now iconic imagery and characters. It's interactive and immersive, with a terrific cast of characters and a range of food and drink inspired by the show.

On arrival, you're given an identity. I had come as my Twin Peaks alter-ego One-eyed Jack, and there I was told I was a "self-medicating divorcee" with a small task to carry out. Ushered into a diner, we were given what looked like a cup of coffee but what actually a coffee cocktail, followed by three courses of rather witty food - from another coffee-themed bowl of soup (with savoury dipping donuts) to a breakfast-style main course and of course cherry pie with a caraway twist at the end.

The inventive food is provided by Blanch & Shock, while the entire experience is created by Lemonade and Laughing Gas. Actors playing variations on the series' characters continually appear to improvise some riotously funny drama, leading us into other areas of the sprawling site, including a cocktail bar with some rather seedy rooms off to the side, and a road house with a live show (including a fire eater). Along the way I was arrested by a thug who had been deputised. And I had several hand-made cocktails courtesy of the sponsor Wild Turkey Bourbon.

While this installation isn't officially linked to Twin Peaks or David Lynch, it's packed with references that will send chills up fans' spines. I particularly enjoyed the long red-curtained corridor, in which I of course had to do a little dwarf dance of joy.

In the interests of full disclosure, I must confess that I was a huge fan of the show in 1990-1991. I first saw the pilot as a movie projected in a vast cinema at the Miami Film Festival, and was glued to the series as it unfolded. In the summer of 1991, I visited relatives in Seattle and took a drive to Snoqualmie, where the show was filmed, seeing that sinister waterfall first hand and having some damn fine pie and coffee at the real Double-R diner. I was also a card-carrying member of Operation Pine Weasel, writing letters and campaigning to save the show from cancellation. We were successful after the first season, but when the show became more obtuse in the second year, nothing we could do would save it.

And now David Lynch is reassembling the cast for a new season that is scheduled to be broadcast in 2017. To prepare for this evening, I binge watched 15 of the 30 shows that were made - and I had forgotten that the red curtained room scenes were set "25 years later", which is now. 

For details: THE OWLS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM 

Critical Week: A cry for help

Jennifer Connelly gives a storming performance in Shelter, written and directed by her husband Paul Bettany and costarring the excellent Anthony Mackie. The film tries to say too much about homelessness, but the drama is involving and the themes important. I've tried to keep this week a bit slow screening-wise, but caught the British comedy A Christmas Star, a goofy romp in the vein of the Nativity! movies - in other words, almost charming enough to make up for its silliness. And The Hallow is an Irish horror about a family that finds sludgy demons living in the woods. It's enjoyably yucky, but not very scary.

But of course the big film of the week was Spectre, the 24th James Bond movie, which I thoroughly enjoyed because it combines the darkly personal elements of Skyfall with old-style 007 storytelling. And for sheer wonder, I have binge-watched the entire first series of David Lynch and Mark Frost's 25-year-old classic gonzo mystery Twin Peaks and am now diving into the second, which I know will remember was more troublingly surreal. I hadn't seen the show since it originally aired 1990-1992, when I participated in Operation Pine Weasel to save the show from cancellation! On Wednesday evening I'm attending the London diner/bar experience The Owls Are Not What They Seem - and I'll cover it here later this week.

I'm preparing for a break in November, so have a few films to catch up with over the next week, including awards-season contenders like Steven Spielberg's Bridge of Spies and Tom McCarthy's Spotlight, as well as the horror comedy Scouts Guide to the Apocalypse, the South African heist movie Momentum and the drag-queen doc Queen of Ireland.