What a bonkers good week for television this past week. And I have watched almost none of it.
With the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood out in cinemas this week in Australia, I chose to spend much of my week watching through most of his films. I remain firm in my belief that his best film is Jackie Brown.
I did catch the season 2 return of Succession, which had the show returning in fine form. After a slow start to the series, the show has become must-watch TV. Ignore most of the chatter about the show and how wild/funny the characters are - the show isn’t that at all and it seems like some culture writers are desperately working to make the show into something it isn’t. Succession is a dark character drama about a family who are tenuously held together not by love, but rather by a deep desire by every family member to run the family business - an international media conglomerate. It is about the corruption of personal relationships in the face of immense power and wealth. But, it’s also a bit funny with great turns of phrase.
The BIG show of the week, tho, is Mindhunter. Given practically zero publicity by Netflix, Mindhunter is a serial killer procedural drama by David Fincher. The show is an exploration into the mind of killers and the impact it has on the psyche of those who seek to understand them. If you have ever enjoyed a David Fincher film (Fight Club, Zodiac, The Game), you will love this just as much - it’s dark drama with a commercial approachability.
Also flying under the radar is the debut of Why Women Kill, a new dark comedy from Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives, The Golden Girls). It is firmly on my list of things to watch this weekend.
RETURNING SHOWS:
The Terror (s2), Succession (s2), Lodge 49 (s2), Mindhunter (s2)
NEW SHOWS:
Our Boys - HBO (US)
Stars: Ronit Elkabez, Michael Aloni, Lior Askenazi
On June 12, 2014, the disappearance of three Jewish boys in Israel sends shockwaves across the nation. Simon, a terrorism agent at the Jewish Division of Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and his team search for answers. Arab teen Mohammed lands in a dangerous environment while Jewish teen Avishai finds himself at a crossroads.
[ Watch Now - HBO ]
Why Women Kill - CBS All Access (US)
Creator: Marc Cherry
Stars: Lucy Liu, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kirby Howell-Baptiste
Three women living in three different decades: a housewife in the '60s, a socialite in the '80s and a lawyer in 2018, deal with infidelity in their marriages.
[ Watch Now - CBS All Access ]
[ Watch Now - 10 All Access ]
