This is TV awards season, so I've had more series than usual to keep up with, trying to make a fair assessment on my ballot for the Dorian Awards (Golden Globes TV voting will be in November). But it's a lot, especially as so many shows have unnecessarily long episodes. But there have been some very good shows lately - I'll start with my favourites of the last couple of months...The Bear: series 3
Bold and riveting, this intense drama continues to be classified as a comedy, perhaps due to its snappy characters. These are often outrageously messy people who struggle to communicate as they work together to run a fine-dining restaurant in Chicago. Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bacharach are as bracing as always, surrounded by an ace ensemble. It's a rare show that continually catches us off guard with surprising details. Episode 6, directed by Edebiri and starring Liza Colon-Zayas, might be one of my favourite half-hours of TV ever. (Hulu)
One Day
Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod are excellent in this complex adaptation of the beloved novel, with each episode set on the same day in the following year. Their characters Dexter and Emma are an oddball couple, but they have a strong connection that creates a vivid friendship. The highs are light and funny, and the lows are powerfully emotional, sometimes downright devastating. Yes, there are quite a few tear-inducing moments, largely because the writing, acting and direction are so astute. It's a properly involving show with strong underlying resonance. (Netflix)
ShÅgun
Lavishly produced on an epic scale, this is a beautiful adaptation of James Clavell's novel about an Englishman in 1600 Japan. The storytelling may sometimes feel dense, but it is packed with riveting details about the inner workings of the culture. Cosmo Jarvis is excellent in the focal role, holding his own opposite magnetic stars like Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano and Anna Sawai. The quality of the sets, costumes and historical detail is astounding, and the story is utterly riveting as it builds to a series of astonishingly grotesque battle sequences. This is exceptional television. (Hulu)
The Sympathizer
With director Park Chan-wook's visual flair, this story has both a large scale of geography and history and quirk-filled characters who are massively entertaining to watch. Hoa Xuande is terrific in the lead role as the Captain, a communist spy during the Vietnam War who is hiding as a refugee in California. His reality is incredibly nuanced, from his on-off girlfriend Sofia (a fantastic Sandra Oh) to the various Americans (all played by a scene-stealing Robert Downey Jr) wh keep an eye on him. When he ends up on a film set shooting a Vietnam War movie, the film's expert meta-storytelling really soars. (Max)
Sugar
With sleek and stylish direction from Fernando Meirelles, this centres around a strikingly cinematic performance from Colin Farrell in the title role as a private eye looking for a missing heiress. The snaky and splintered storytelling weaves in classic movies that flicker through Sugar's mind. So while the case itself is the usual twisty, nasty messiness, there are surprising character layers. And several set-pieces are thrillingly well staged and played, even if it's sometimes over-heightened. First-rate support from Amy Ryan, Nate Corddry, Alex Hernandez and others. Earns extra points for short episodes. (Apple)
C R O W D - P L E A S E R S
The Boys: series 4
Continuing the outrageousness, this show doubles down on its razor-sharp political satire, as the vicious patriots leave a trail of destruction behind them but have never been more beloved by the public, whom they manipulate with the media. Meanwhile, the scrappy "boys" trying to take them down struggle to stay together while facing mind-boggling setbacks. Stakes get steadily higher as the action unfolds, adding strong subtext to lively characters played by Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Erin Moriarty and especially Anthony Starr, even more unapologetic this season as the absolutely vile Homelander. (Prime)
The Acolyte
Breaking free from the main Star Wars narrative, this prequel is set a century before The Phantom Menace, a fascinating female-based story from the Jedi heyday. It's an intriguing premise, but characters are written so specifically that there's little room for actors to add personal tweaks, so it feels a bit concocted. It's entertaining thanks to lead actors Amandla Stenberg and Lee Jung-jae, while Dafne Keen and especially Manny Jacinto stand out in complex roles. But the structure feels indulgent, especially with extended repetitive flashbacks that overstate plot points and mythology. (Disney)
FalloutBased on a videogame, this action fantasy is packed with outrageous effects and nutty details. Set in an alternate reality two centuries after nukes destroyed a wacky 1960s-style America, the show follows three figures across a desert that used to be Los Angeles: a plucky but naive young woman (Ella Purnell) who grew up in an underground bunker, a nervous young soldier (Aaron Moten) who works for a warmonger and a vicious 200-year-old mutant cowboy (Walton Goggins) with shadowy motivations. There's enough going on here to keep pretty much everyone entertained. (Prime)
Interview With the Vampire: series 1-2
Gothic and almost painfully theatrical, this show is both overwrought and camp, merrily indulging in ghastly violence while shying away from the sexuality that oozes through the characters. This is the epic tale of three vampires, starting in early 20th century New Orleans as the snaky Lestat (Sam Reid) creates companion Louis (Jacob Anderson) and then teen Claudia (Bailey Bass/Delainey Hayles). And it shifts up a gear in the second season set in 1950s Paris. The push and pull between these three makes this compelling viewing, even with so much absurd melodrama. (AMC)
My Lady Jane
Playfully revising history, this fizzy comedy tells the story of Jane Grey, Britain's queen for only nine days before Bloody Mary deposed (and beheaded) her. In this fantasy version, conflicts emerge due do opposing opinions about people who can transform into animals. King Edward (Jordan Peters) seemingly dies, Jane (Emily Bader) is crowned, and Mary (Kate O'Flynn) plots against her with her advisor/sex slave Seymour (Dominic Cooper). Anna Chancellor steals the show as Jane's manipulative mother, and the romantic plotlines are engaging. But it's very silly, and is set up for more. (Prime)
That 90s Show: series 2a
As goofy and genuinely hilarious as ever, this next-generation show continues to maintain its high energy levels even as it observes a group of teens just sitting around and coming up with ways they can get into trouble. And grandparents Kitty and Red (Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith) are still moaning about their own issues. But all of this is very funny indeed, refreshingly willing to take on some edgier ideas about sex and drugs without needing to get deliberately rude. It's a thoroughly enjoyable mix of witty dialog and rousing nostalgia. (Netflix)
Single, Out: series 2
From Australia, this snappy show continues the escapades of Adam (Will Hutchins) as he navigates his new life as an out gay man in Melbourne, including his relationships with boyfriend Gabe (Jake Hyde) and various friends and family members. Adam is a likeable guy whose highs and lows are easy to identify with. And everyone around him is hilariously ridiculous, with their own antics at work and a variety of inter-connections. The show's still loose and breezy, but it's also a lot sexier this season, playing energetically with the lustiness these young people are learning to express. (Cinephobia)
S T A R P O W E R
The Curse
This story about a couple (Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder) trying to change their community for the better is squirm-inducing, because it challenges viewers about what's correct. Transgressions come in all sizes, from throwaway comments to deliberate deception, as this duo creates eco-homes and jobs for the unemployed while making a reality show with a producer (Benny Safdie) whose morals are rather slippery. The many observations are fascinating, although the episodes are too long, which makes them feel indulgent. Still, the sheer originality and daring make this worth a look. (Showtime)
The Regime
This is a camp, bonkers satire about political manoeuvring in a fictional middle-European nation. Kate Winslet is fabulous as the self-centred leader, with ace support from Mathias Schoenaerts and Andrea Riseborough (plus a fabulous Hugh Grant). At its core, this is a pointed depiction of how people who think they're smart can be so easily manipulated. It's rather absurd that Winslet's Elena maintains power when literally everyone is against her. But the coup episodes are genuinely heart-stopping. And the show says clever things about political wrangling and the reach of history. (Max)
ExpatsThoughtful and intriguing, this swirling series spins between three intertwined foreigners in Hong Kong after a young child goes missing. Nicole Kidman leads a fine cast, bringing understated steeliness to the frazzled mother, although like all of the characters she becomes difficult to sympathise with. Only a few people on-screen are remotely kind. It's impressive that the writers properly go for it, revealing dark insecurities and entitlement of wealthy migrants as well as the vulnerabilities of less well-off people caught in their orbits. But the show feels drawn-out and somewhat indulgent. (Prime)
FantasmasJulio Torres' boundless imagination is on full display in this fanciful show in which he plays a goofy variation on himself in fantastical settings that are packed with wildly inventive supporting characters. A steady stream of great cameos includes producer Emma Stone, Tilda Swinton, Bowen Yang, Paul Dano, Steve Buscemi and Dylan O'Brien. The way Torres tells stories is endearing, funny and constantly surprising. So while the central plot about a missing earring is a bit absurd, the hand-made approach to sumptuous visual effects makes this well worth watching. (Max)
GUILTY PLEASURES: Drag Race All Stars (9), The Boyfriend, Don't Hate the Player.
NOW WATCHING: Time Bandits, Lady in the Lake, Decameron, Snowpiercer (4), Sausage Party: Foodtopia.
COMING SOON: Only Murders in the Building (4), Heartstopper (3), The Umbrella Academy (4), Kaos, Agatha All Along.
Previous roundup: JUNE 2024 >
