The first week of November is hardly the best looking week of the season. Lots of shows returning that you probably don’t watch, and only one teeny tiny new show. Still, time waits for no man… or woman, or pineapple, or car. My point is, time trickles ceaselessly by, dragging away the days and weeks and months and years until we’re all old and wrinkled and fading away into dust and the buildings fall down and the Earth cracks and sky splits and the universe cools and dies. Fuck. I went too far. I need to sit down.
First up is the return of Sky’s original sitcom, Trollied. Set in a fictional supermarket (Valco) in Warrington, the show explores the lives of the supermarket workers, their interactions with each other and customers, and their relationships with rival stores and their Wigan branch. The show has received fairly okay-ish praise, but is far from being a flagship series. More something to have on in the background by the looks of things. Its fifth season starts at 9pm on Monday, on Sky1.
The only new show this week is After Hours. A comedy about a teenager living in da Norf, who deals with having recently broken up with his girlfriend by listening to a late-night radio show, the eponymous After Hours. Other than that, there isn’t much to say about the show, except that it premieres at 9:30 on Monday, on Sky1.
Next up is the return of Grimm, a show which, according to its Wikipedia page is a “police procedural fantasy television drama” (shudders). The show, made in the good ol’ US of A, is set in a world where the beasties and creatures from the Brothers Grimm Fairytales exist. These creatures are locked in some kind of eternal battle (because of course they are), and there’s one guy who can turn the odds to the good side’s favour (because of course there is). The show has received mixed criticism, the main gist of which is that it is very superficial, but still quite fun. It returns for its fifth season on Watch, at 9pm on Tuesday.
On to Wednesday, which sees the return of Fox (UK)’s Tyrant. The show follows Bassam “Barry” Al-Fayeed (that nickname, though), a pediatrician in America who is recalled to his home country after his father dies. Also, his father was the tyrannical dictator of said country. Barry the pediatrician is then forced to throw himself into Middle-Eastern politics, because.. you know…I have no idea why. The show has received mixed reviews, and frankly I’m shocked it’s done even half as well as it has, given that doozy of a premise. Tyrant’s second season starts at 9pm on Wednesday.
Also returning on Wednesday is dark, satirical, comedic, medical drama Nurse Jackie. The show, broadcast in the US by Showtime (of Dexter fame) has already reached its series finale, with this seventh season being its last. What I’m saying is, if this is the first time you’re hearing of it, you’re probably a little late. Despite its early seasons being very well received, the show has gotten consistently less and less praise with each season, and the seventh is no different (failing to actually warrant a score on Metacritic). The final season airs on Sky Atlantic at 10:10pm.
Wrapping things up this week is yet another season in Springfield, with everyone’s favourite yellow cartoon family. The writers of The Simpsons must surely be attempting to just write every conceivable joke now, if they haven’t done so already. As much as people may enjoy bemoaning the bloated length of the series, or the fact that it isn’t as good as it once was, it’s become a staple of TV, and even if we don’t watch it, even if we don’t like it, we’ll all be sad when it finally ends. The 27th season of The Simpsons airs on Sky1, at 6:30pm on Sunday.
