This week in culture sees the return of one hugely successful show, and the permanent departure of another.
via Huffington Post
Chicago Fire returns to Sky Living for its fourth season. This American action-drama series is reminiscent of the great ER, but focuses on a fire station rather than an emergency room – following the lives of firefighters and paramedics working in Chicago. It’s prompted the creation of two ongoing spin-offs, 2014’s Chicago P.D., and 2015’s Chicago Med. Season Four comes to Sky Living this week, with the premiere episode following lead firefighter Casey (Jesse Spencer) after he is placed in danger while working undercover to expose a trafficking ring. Chicago Fire airs at 9pm on 9th June, on Sky Living.
via PBS
In sadder culture news, Wallander airs its final episode this Sunday. Subtitled ‘The Troubled Man’, this is promised to be a dramatic exit for the well-loved British adaptations of the Swedish Wallander novels. Starring Kenneth Branagh in the titular role, Wallander faces ‘his most challenging missing person’s case yet’, and ends up with his daughter’s future on the line. The show has had four very successful series since 2008, so the finale of Wallander is not one to miss; it airs at 9pm on 5th June, on BBC One.
Moving to the world of video games, this week sees the arrival of the long awaited Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. A reboot of 2008’s Mirror’s Edge, it is a first-person action-adventure game, focusing on Faith Connors as she attempts to overthrow the totalitarian conglomerate of corporations ruling the futuristic city of Glass. Like many recent games, such as Fallout 4, it is an open world game, so gameplay is practically endless. It is released on Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC, on 9th June.
via Amazon
Book lovers can look forward to This Savage Song‘s arrival this week – a futuristic thriller novel from Victoria Schwab. “There is no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. [..] a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains – friends or enemies – with the future of their home at sake.” It has topped the most anticipated book of the month polls for Goodreads.com, so it’s definitely worth a read. It is released on 7th June.
In some records-based television, the BBC will air highlights of the recent performance of Duran Duran at the BBC’s Music Day this Monday. They perform in the Eden Project’s iconic domes, and are sure to bring out some of their oldest hits, alongside music from their new album, which includes ‘Pressure Off’. This catchy 2015 single features Janelle Monae and Nile Rodgers, and was performed last weekend, at Southampton’s very own Common People Festival (see Xavier’s review here). Duran Duran at Eden airs on 5th June at 11pm, on BBC One. Listen to Duran Duran’s ‘Pressure Off’ below.
