Hello,
Welcome to Worth Watching. Hope you’re doing well.
I always find that January is the perfect time of year to start watching a show you have been meaning to watch for ages, but have put off until now. And this idea doesn’t just apply to shows you missed in 2022. You can also catch up with an all-time classic as well, such as Breaking Bad (Netflix), The West Wing (Amazon Freevee), or The Wire (Sky Q / NOW).
If you work your way through three to four episodes a week, not only will you be watching some of the best television ever made, but by the time you finish the whole thing, we will firmly be in the Spring. And that can only be a good thing.
THE SHOW YOU NEED TO WATCH FROM THE START
Happy Valley (BBC iPlayer) - A faultless crime drama written by Sally Wainwright, all about a dedicated and passionate police officer called Catherine (Sarah Lancashire) trying to do the best for the local community. Yet, Happy Valley is so much more than a crime drama. At the heart of this series is a heartfelt and intimate exploration of the theme of grief and loss; all about a mother who lost her daughter and is hoping that her grandson will make the right decisions for himself as he reaches adolescence.
The first series came out in 2014 and the second followed in 2016. There hasn’t been a third series until now, creating a gap of seven years. Yet, this gap was always intended. The third series follows grandson Ryan (Rhys Connah) at the age of 16. They literally waited the whole time for him to grow up to play this role for the third and final time.
You have to watch the very first episode of Happy Valley before watching this new series, but I envy you if you do. You’re in for fantastic dialogue, unpredictable plots, fantastic and flawed characters, and proper heart-in-mouth twists. A bonafide classic.
THE PERFECT SUNDAY TELEVISION WATCH
The Great Pottery Throwdown (Channel 4 - new episodes out Sundays) - The most wholesome hour (and a bit) of television every week. Think Bake Off, but with pottery. Like Bake Off, it features some delightful and compelling characters. But unlike Bake Off (at the moment), it contains none of the unnecessarily harsh comments by the show’s judges, Keith Brymer Jones and Rich Miller. In fact, half the time you’re just left wondering when Keith is going to cry with happiness.
Siobhán McSweeney is a delight as the show’s host. If you haven’t watched it yet you’ve only missed an episode. It is also scheduled at the perfect time every Sunday evening (7:45 pm), helping to subside the Monday ‘fear.’
Welcome to Chippendales (Disney+) - Another podcast series that has been spun into an eight-part television series, looking at the rise of The Chippendales. It stars Kumail Nanjiani [above] stars as the founder of the male striptease troupe in the 1970s, with the group soon becoming embroiled in scandal and controversy.
Whilst the soundtrack is phenomenal and the plot is intriguing, I think the series could have worked better as a film rather than yet another limited series. But seeing that we’re in January, what else are we going to be doing?
MORE REALITY TELEVISION FOR JANUARY
The Traitors US (BBC iPlayer - all episodes out today) - The BBC have announced that they have acquired the US version of The Traitors. The British series, an elaborate wink murder set at a castle in Scotland, was an absolute sensation when it debuted on BBC One in November. And personally speaking, I’m still not over that turtleneck Claudia Winkleman once wore.
The US series, which is hosted by Alan Cumming, features a lot of the same challenges and is set at the same location (they filmed both series back-to-back.) Yet in my opinion, the US version isn’t as good as the UK. It’s still perfectly watchable, but they cast ten reality show contestants to participate. And their reality show personalities just get in the way of the format.
Yep, I know. Reality show contestants have made a reality show somehow feel fake.
BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE
Next Level Chef (ITV1 and ITVX - one new episode a week) - Yet another Gordon Ramsay competition this show debuted on ITV1 earlier this week, featuring teams competing in kitchens that are stacked on top of each other. Weirdly, it works. I think it is the fact that some of the twists within the show, such as the fact that they only have seconds to grab all of their ingredients and think up a recipe on the fly, make the whole thing high camp.
It’s also the fact that this isn’t another show like MasterChef, which is on so often on the BBC it can end up feeling a bit bland.
FOUR SHOWS TO WATCH IN 2023
Nolly (ITVX - February) - Starring Helena Bonham Carter, this Russell T Davies drama looks at how the iconic ITV soap Crossroads was thrown into disarray when Noele Gordon, one of the show’s stars, was unexpectedly sacked from the show. Airing on the very same network as the scandal took place, expect it all to feel a bit meta.
Pamela, A Love Story (Netflix - 31st Jan) - Last year Disney+ released Pam and Tommy, a drama looking at the consequences of an intimate tape between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. A strength of that drama was how it explored something we now take for granted; once something has been uploaded to the internet, it is virtually impossible to take it down again. Yet, in a drama that was all about the importance of consent, it was let down by the fact that this drama did not have Pamela Anderson’s blessing to be made in the first place. Pamela, A Love Story, an upcoming documentary on Netflix, has got her heavy involvement, so it will be interesting to see what she has to say.
Race Across The World (BBC One - March) - Finally! After two years of delays because of Covid, the third series of the much-loved reality show where teams face from one part of the world to another is set to return in March. The upcoming series will feature contestants racing 16,000 kilometers across North America.
Fifteen Love (Amazon Prime Video - later this year) - Made by World Productions, behind Line of Duty and Bodyguard, this upcoming series throws you into the high-stakes world of professional tennis. It also looks at the serious issue of abuse between professional coaches and their stars.
That’s all for now. I leave you with this.
WHERE TO FIND ME THIS WEEK:
I interviewed Alan Cumming and the team behind The Traitors US in a feature for The New York Times.
On Must Watch this week, Hayley and I reviewed Welcome to Chippendales, Next Level Chef and The Rig (which is out on Amazon Prime Video)
I was a guest on Jake Yapp’s Unwinding on BBC Radio 4 Extra this week.
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Thanks so much for reading and have a great weekend,
Scotty / @scottygb