Film
Theatre
Music
British TV
US TV
Doctor Who
Film
British TV
US TV
In the UK: Mondays, 4.35pm, BBC1
In the US: The SciFi Channel again, probably
Last series of The Sarah Jane Adventures posed something of a dilemma. Obviously, being a spin-off of Doctor Who featuring a former Doctor Who companion, comparisons with the mother ship were inevitable. Thing was, the comparison invariably became "Don’t you think The Sarah Jane Adventures is more entertaining, more adult and more consistently higher quality than Doctor Who?" – even though ostensibly it was aimed at six year olds.
Now it’s back, packed with action, continuity references and Sarah Jane fun. So again we have to ask, which one’s better? We also have to ask, can we bear the shame of watching CBBC at our ages?
Doctor Who
Film
British TV
US TV
In the US: Sundays, 10/9c, CBS
In the UK: Bravo and Virgin One at some point, probably the New Year
When you get to the fourth year of a long-running show, you have a choice. Do you continue with the same old formula (cf House), or be a bit brave and mix things up (cf Lost)? The Unit might be forgiven for going for the easy option, given it was on the cusp of being cancelled at the end of last year.
But this is a manly show of the first order, in which brave special forces soldiers (who definitely aren’t Delta, honest guv’nor) risk their lives tackling threats foreign and domestic while their wives go through equal hells at home. Easy option?
The Unit spits in the face of the easy option
© 2022 The Medium is Not Enough
