Catch-22 is Major Major Major Major this week.
You'll only get that reference if you watch Catch-22 itself, in a newsletter featuring shows that aren’t out yet. What a Catch-22.
Hello,
Hope you are well.
Back after a week off, welcome to the Worth Watching Newsletter, the newsletter that tells you what shows are worth having a look at in the next week.
Here’s a few shows worth your time:
Catch-22 (Channel 4, Thursday at 9pm) - When you hear a huge Hollywood movie star name is executive producing a TV show you might think of it as a bit of a distraction from how good the show actually is, yet this drama starring and executive produced by George Clooney is an absolute delight from start to finish.
Part of that is the pacing. Joseph Heller’s book about Captain John Yossarian (Christopher Abbott) desperately trying to get out of combat is too complicated to twist and turn into the space of a film. Here it has adequate room to breathe. It also manages to satirise without playing down the sheer horrors of war - the scenes from the cockpit are some of the most claustrophobic moments of TV I have seen in ages.
Black Mirror’s Smithereens (Netflix) - The latest batch of Black Mirror episodes has split viewers a bit. I mean, this happens with every series, but the latest episodes especially do. Personally, I didn’t think that much of the episode starring Miley Cyrus (although she is very good in her role). The episode just felt like it was missing something. On the other hand, Andrew Scott in Smithereens is unmissable. Do not read anything about this episode before jumping in. Its minimalist style and feel and your thoughts of ‘where the hell are they going to take this?’ are the real draws. I’m not sure I’ll watch a better standalone episode of anything this month.
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction… with David Letterman (Netflix) - A ludicrously long title for the David Letterman show, which has returned for a second season. An episode I particularly liked is the Ellen DeGeneres episode, where she talks candidly about how she was snubbed by the entertainment industry after she came out in the sitcom Ellen in the mid-90s. There are other episodes with Tiffany Haddish, Kanye West, Lewis Hamilton and Melinda Gates also available to watch (last time you had to wait for each episode to drop).
Killer Ratings (Netflix) - This documentary is absolutely wild. Wallace Souza was a host of a news programme called Canal Livre in Brazil (a bit of a Crimewatch style show, looking at murders and street crime.) The twist: Souza himself was then accused of hiring hitmen to carry out the crimes the show would then feature on his show to drive up ratings. I know. I’m just getting stuck into this series, but it’s engrossing.
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Renewal O’Clock… In an article for The Guardian today I’ve written about why sequels to mini-series can undermine what made it successful in the first place (I’m looking at you, Killing Eve). Quote: “Perhaps what Russian Doll’s second season needs to take a note from its own premise: just repeat the first season again, without any changes.”
“Get Obsessed with Killing Eve”… I was also a guest on the BBC Sounds Killing Eve podcast talking about the fifth episode of the second series and what I think about it so far. In short: the show is in a Catch-22 of its own, stuck in a cat-and-mouse game that has run out of steam whilst not being able to transition away from the formula that made it successful in the first place.
Oh and an FYI… I now do a weekly podcast newsletter as well as the TV one. This one is called Great British Podcasts and you can subscribe on this website.
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And a reader suggestion… Dead to Me on Netflix - “I'm probably late to the party as I've only just signed up, but Dead To Me on Netflix was ace” says Alexandra. “Both Linda Cardellini and Christina Applegate were so good, playing completely contrasting characters but absolutely nailing them.”
If there are any shows that you are loving at the moment, please do tell me know and it might feature in an upcoming newsletter. Have a splendid week.
Scotty x