Craith
US TV

What have you been watching? Including 9-1-1, grown-ish, Alone Together, Craith and The Chi

10 January 2018 Rob Buckley 16 Comments

It’s “What have you been watching?”, your chance to recommend anything you’ve been watching this week

Be careful what you wish for! Last week, I hoped for new TV to watch. Then it arrived en masse and I suddenly didn’t have the time to write about it all. Gah! That means I’m going to have to do it all now. Oh well.

Elsewhere, at least, I’ve reviewed both the first episode of LA to Vegas (US: Fox) and the whole of season two of The Crown (Netflix), as well as previewed Counterpart (US: Starz). But as you recall from last week’s rundown of forthcoming reviews, there was a whole lot more due. I haven’t yet managed to find a way to watch Stan’s reboot of old Russell Crowe movie Romper Stomper (I can remember Mariella Frostrup getting the horn over Crowe while reviewing it on Video View, it’s so old) without forking out money and I’m saving up Britannia (UK: Sky Atlantic) for next week’s Boxset Monday, but otherwise we’re pretty much there with the lot of them.

Sadly, no Happy! last week, but after the jump, I’ll be looking at the usual regulars: Engrenages (Spiral), Great News and Marvel’s Runaways. A bunch of old regulars are back, too, so I’ll also be having words to say about The Brave, Cardinal, Falling Water, SEAL Team, Star Trek: Discovery, The X-Files and Will & Grace. And on top of that, I’ll be reviewing new shows Along Together, Grown-ish and 9-1-1, as well casting a brief glance at fellow new arrivals Craith and The Chi.

See you in a mo!

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Hulu's Chance
News

Chance cancelled; Krypton, Trust, The Tick trailers; Les Mis casting; + more

10 January 2018 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Internet TV

  • Trailer for part 2 of season 1 of Amazon’s The Tick

UK TV

  • David Oyelowo, Dominic West, Lily Collins et al to star in BBC One’s Les Misérables

US TV

New US TV shows

Waris Hussein with Peter Capaldi
BFI events

What TV’s on at the BFI in February 2018? Including Waris Hussein and Ingmar Bergman seasons

9 January 2018 Rob Buckley Post a comment

Every month, TMINE lets you know what TV the BFI will be presenting at the South Bank in London

February’s a pretty full month by the looks of it at the BFI, with a couple of impressive seasons, as well as two TV previews. The main attraction is a season of programmes directed by Waris Hussein – best known as the first ever director of Doctor Who, but who’s built up an impressive portfolio of shows from both sides of the Atlantic over the years, including a rare acting foray by Barry Manilow in Copacabana. There are also showings of Ingmar Bergman’s original versions of Face to Face and Scenes from a Marriage from Swedish TV.

The two previews? The sequel to Kenneth Clark’s original Civilisation, Civilisations, and the return to British TV of John Cleese and Alison Steadman in Hold the Sunset. All that after the jump, where we can merengue and do the cha-cha.

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The Crown - season two
Streaming TV

Boxset Monday: The Crown (season two) (Netflix)

8 January 2018 Rob Buckley 5 Comments

In the UK: Available on Netflix

Season 1 of The Crown could have been better. Written by perennial Queen fictionaliser Peter Morgan (The Queen, The Audience), The Crown is Netflix’s big attempt to outdo the BBC at what it does best, being a multi-decade, multi-season, semi-factual prestige project about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, starting in the 1950s with her ascent to the throne after the death of her father and following her through to the present day.

Beautifully made, wonderfully acted, frequently funny, frequently tear-jerking, often romantic, and sometimes eye-opening, season 1 was nevertheless an occasionally turgid affair. Too often focused on husband Philip (Matt Smith) or Prime Minister Winston Churchill (John Lithgow) and not her maj, when Elizabeth (Claire Foy) herself did get a look-in, she was something of a wet blanket of a monarch, constantly unhappy, personality-less and tossed from situation to situation like a corgi being taken for a walk. Whether it was the 1950s themselves being a bit dull, the writers trying to avoid saying anything too ‘interesting’ about the Royal Family or simply the choice of stories told – Churchill having his portrait painted or the Pea-Soupers don’t seem like the most obvious choices of plot for a show called The Crown – you got the feeling that everything was wrapped in plastic and a more lively show was lurking underneath it all.

Season 1 finally concluded with the departure of Churchill, replaced by Anthony Eden (Jeremy Northam), and the arrival of the Suez Crisis – the event that marked the true death knell for the British Empire and its status as a top-tier world power.

But with Claire Foy and Matt Smith signed up for only one more season, the question was whether the show would carry on in the 50s, leap to the 60s or do something completely different in season two.

Oddly, it chooses to carry on exactly where it left off. Fortunately, this season the gloves are off and we get a more warts-and-all portrayal of our constitutional monarchy – and of other similar relationships, including JFK and Jackie’s.

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