It’s “What have you been watching?”, your chance to recommend to fellow TMINE readers anything you’ve been watching this week
This week’s reviews
We’re entering week three of TMINE’s coverage of the Spring 2020 season and still the new shows keep coming, with a deluge set to hit in February. So far this week, I’ve covered the first episodes of 68 Whiskey (US: Paramount) and 9-1-1: Lone Star (US: Fox).
But there’s more to come after the jump as I look at the first episodes of Avenue 5 (US: HBO; UK: Sky Atlantic), Medical Police (Netflix), Little America (Apple TV+), and Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (US: Freeform). And although it’s not a new show, since it’s such a big change from the first season, I’ll also be considering season two of Miracle Workers (US: TBS; UK: Sky Comedy).
What’s coming next
Looking ahead, coming in the next week, I’ll be covering Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens (US: Comedy Central), Outmatched (US: Fox) and Star Trek: Picard (US: CBS All Access; UK: Amazon).
And tomorrow’s Orange Thursday will be reviewing Knives Out (2019) and Angel Has Fallen (2019).
The regulars
The regulars list remains small but is still growing. Joining Evil and Stumptown this week are new shows 9-1-1: Lone Star, Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector and The Outsider. Will any of them make it to week three?
Every Tuesday, TMINE flags up what new TV events BAFTA is holding around the UK
Unlike the RTS, BAFTA is moving forwards into February. First up is a preview and Q&A.
TV Preview: Last Tango in Halifax
Monday, 3 February 2020 – 7:00pm The May Fair Hotel, Stratton St, Mayfair, London W1J 8LT
A preview of the next instalment of the BAFTA-winning BBC One Drama followed by a Q&A with writer Sally Wainwright, actor Anne Reid, actor Nicola Walker and further cast TBA
Alan (Derek Jacobi) and Celia (Anne Reid) are now seven years into their marriage but, having moved into a desirable bungalow with stunning views across the Calder Valley, they aren’t quite seeing eye to eye. It isn’t just their differing politics that’s a source of tension; Alan’s new supermarket job brings an unexpected challenge in the form of a wild local lad, and at Far Slack Farm, Gillian (Nicola Walker) faces trouble with a giraffe.
Meanwhile John (Tony Gardner) is back on the scene, and Caroline (Sarah Lancashire) finds herself entangled in an emotional debacle with someone at work. Into all of this jets Alan’s brother Ted (Timothy West) on holiday from New Zealand. But it turns out he’s only bought a one-way ticket… and he hasn’t come alone.
Last Tango In Halifax (4×60’) is a Lookout Point (Gentleman Jack, Les Misérables, War And Peace) production for the BBC. The series is written by Sally Wainwright (Gentleman Jack, Happy Valley), directed by Gareth Bryn (Hidden, Hinterland) and produced by Ken Horn (Line of Duty, The Moorside). Executive producers are Faith Penhale and Laura Lankester for Lookout Point, Ben Irving for the BBC, and Sally Wainwright.
Public tickets will be on sale from Friday 24 January, 12.30.
We’re rewinding time back to January at the RTS, which has lined up for next week a new Brassic event hosted by Emma Bullimore (TMINE: I did a radio show with her once, trivia fans). But we’ve another event for February, too – a screening and Q&A for ITV’s forthcoming Flesh and Blood.
RTS and Sky present an evening with Brassic creators Joseph Gilgun, Danny Brocklehurst and David Livingstone
Date: Thursday 30 January Timings: 6.30pm for a 6.45pm start Venue: h Club London, 24 Endell Street, London WC2H 9HQ
In conversation with television journalist and broadcaster Emma Bullimore, Brassic co-creators, This is England star Joseph Gilgun and award-winning writer Danny Brocklehurst, will talk alongside executive producer David Livingstone about the hilarious Sky Original comedy that brings banter, friendship and mental health to the fore.
Recently named the highest-rated Sky comedy of the last seven years and with series two already in the pipeline, the show has gained a dedicated fanbase by exploring mental health in young men through a comic lens.
Based on Joseph’s childhood spent in rural Manchester, Brassic follows the antics of a group of working-class friends who find unconventional ways to win at life. Vinnie (Joseph Gilgun), a Lancashire lad with bipolar disorder, and Dylan (Damien Molony), his razor smart best mate, are inseparable and utterly co-dependent.
Alongside Cardi, Ash, Tommo and JJ, the lads have dealt, scammed, bribed and conned their way through adolescence. But now, on the brink of adulthood, their dealing and stealing is catching up with them. Like a carefully stacked house of cards, what happens if one of them is knocked down or, worse, removed from the pack entirely?
Veering between blistering comedy and raw, heartfelt emotion, this outrageous, funny and bold show is about irreplaceable lifelong friends, loyalty and the things that come between them.
In celebration of the series, Danny, Joseph and David will discuss how the show was made – from developing the initial idea and the writing process, to finding the perfect cast to bring the writing to life. It’s an evening not to be missed.
Booking details
Tickets for RTS Members are complimentary but must be booked in advance. Tickets for non RTS members are £15.
Date: Thursday 20 February Timings: 6.00pm for a 6.30pm start Venue: Curzon Soho, London W1D 5DY
Join the Royal Television Society at an exclusive screening of Silverprint Pictures’ new ITV new drama series Flesh and Blood on Thursday 20 February.
Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with the key creatives behind the series including writer and executive producer Sarah Williams, director Louise Hooper, executive producer Kate Bartlett and producer, Letitia Knight.
About the show
Flesh and Blood is a four-part drama, starring Imelda Staunton, Francesca Annis, Russell Tovey and Stephen Rea that follows three adult siblings – Helen (Claudie Blakley), Jake (Russell Tovey) and Natalie (Lydia Leonard), who are thrown into disarray when their recently widowed mother Vivien (Francesca Annis) declares she’s in love with a new man, Mark (Stephen Rea).
Then there’s Mary (Imelda Staunton), who has lived next door to Vivien for 40 years. Mary appears unhealthily attached to Vivien and her family’s unfolding drama. Flesh and Blood proves that we never really know what’s going on behind closed doors as years of secrets, rivalries and betrayals come to the surface.