This week starts well, before trailing off first into institutional misogyny, and then into just a staggering lack of fucks given. But the first bunch of things look really good, honest. There’s an Irishman being excited about science and technology, a potentially awesome miniseries, and some kind of identity-crisis/amnesiac thriller thingy. Also, the week just cuts off after Wednesday. Which is odd.
First up this week is a new BBC One food thingy: Tomorrow’s Food. The show, hosted by everyone’s favourite bald Irishman, Dara O’Briain, will take a look at the future of food production, retail, and consumption. With Dara once again flexing the “science-y” part of his O’Briain (god that was a cheap joke), this will probably not be too comedy oriented – for those of you who only know him as the host of Mock the Week – but it could be an interesting watch. It airs on Monday at 9pm.
More BBC One this week, with a new drama miniseries coming our way. The show, Capital, is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by John Lanchester. It’s a mystery-thriller-drama-thing, which follows the residents of an upmarket street in London who all receive an unexplainable message from an anonymous source. Created by Peter Bowker (Occupation, Marvellous), and starring Lesley Sharp (Scott and Bailey), Wunmi Mosaku (In the Flesh), Adeel Akhtar (Four Lions), and Toby Jones (that short, funny looking guy who played a Nazi in Captain America). The show premieres at 9pm on Tuesday.
Another new show (aren’t we lucky?) is Blindspot. American made, the show originally aired on NBC and follows a mysterious tattooed woman who has lost her memory, with each of her tattoos offering a clue as to who she used to be (so like the Bourne films crossed with Memento, with a little The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo thrown in for good measure). The show did reasonably well in the US, garnering significant praise and being greenlit for a second season, so maybe give it a watch. It airs on Sky Living, at 9pm on Tuesday.
A fourth new show (you’re off the fucking chain), this time Younger, an American dramedy (worst. word. ever.) based on the novel of the same by Pamela Redmond Satran. The show, which stars Sutton Foster (of decent Broadway fame) and is created by Darren Star (who gave us 90210 and Sex in the City, please consider him with any and all prejudice needed), follows a 40 year-old recently divorced mother who tries to turn her life around by getting into publishing. But (and get this), the only way for her to do this is to get a makeover, and pass herself off as 26. What the fuck? Is this the 70s? Anywho, the show airs on Sony Entertainment Television at 9pm on a Wednesday.
We’re sticking with Sony Entertainment Television (just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?), this time for the return of Hot in Cleveland. The show, an American (duh, Cleveland) sitcom, follows three veteran entertainment professionals from L.A., who decide to live in Cleveland. Hilarity, presumably, ensues. Anyway, this will be the show’s sixth and final season. It has received largely favourable reviews, including positive comparisons with The Golden Girls, and even a few Emmy nominations. The show airs at 9:30pm on Wednesday.
Wrapping things up this week, we get the wonderful opportunity of visiting Channel 5 (that was sarcasm. You got that, right?), for the return of Suspects. It’s a police procedural. And it’s on Channel 5. Just…just turn back now. No? It only gets worse. The show isn’t scripted, instead the actors are given a loose story each episode, from which they ad lib all their lines. That’s not cutting edge entertainment, that’s not art, it’s fucking laziness. It’s people not giving even half a shit about their show, because it’s on Channel 5. The show airs at 10pm on Wednesday.
