Hello,
Welcome to Worth Watching. Hope you’re staying warm in the cold weather.
It’s very easy to slip into superlatives when reviewing TV shows, or start jumping the gun and saying that a show will be one of the best of the year when we’re only in January. Yet, two of the shows I’m mentioning this week (Criminal Record and Big Boys series two) I really do reckon will be in the end-of-year best lists; added to Mr Bates vs The Post Office, simply because of the sheer impact the show has had in such little time.
Also, the ratings from these last two weeks are quite something. Mr Bates had nearly four million viewers in ‘overnight’ figures (that’s people who watch it on the day of broadcast), before rising to nearly 10 million when you account for ITVX. Then, last weekend, Gladiators had six million. Also… The Traitors, the word-of-mouth series of 2022, has just experienced its highest overnight ratings ever. Thank you Diane!
Here are my picks for this week.
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A DRAMA THAT WILL HAVE YOU HOOKED
Criminal Record (Apple TV+, new episodes Wednesdays) - Just weeks after the end of Slow Horses — one of the best shows of 2023 — Apple TV+ has launched a new, completely engrossing and riveting crime thriller that will keep you glued for the rest of winter.
Starring Peter Capaldi [above] and Cush Jumbo, the series follows DS June Lenker (Jumbo) receiving a tip-off that an innocent person may have gone to jail for murder. She informs the more experienced DCI Daniel Hegarty (Capaldi) — whom originally convicted the (now apparently) innocent man — of the information, only to realise that Hegarty is surprisingly reluctant to follow up the enquiries. Just what is Hegarty hiding?
The performances by Cush and Capaldi are electric, the plot twists unpredictable, and the series touches on so many issues in depth, from racism to institutional coverup and miscarriages of justice. And the London it depicts feels raw and authentic.
There are two new episodes to start with and new episodes every week. And yes, I would recommend subscribing to AppleTV+ over the likes of Netflix at the moment.
THE MUCH LOVED SITCOM IS BACK
Big Boys (Channel 4, all episodes available) - Jack Rooke’s semi-autobiographical series is back for a second run on Channel 4. The first series was acclaimed for the way it weaved in mid-2010’s nostalgia and jokes (Jack himself has described the comedy as being similar to the @LoveofHuns Instagram account, which is true) with a thoughtful exploration of serious issues affecting many young people: from absent parenting to depression, working out your sexuality, and feeling like a burden.
A second series is always difficult, especially if the first has been as well acclaimed as this one, because expectations are always so high. And yet Big Boys succeeds. The focus of the series has widened slightly too from just following the friendship of Jack (Dylan Llewellyn) and Danny (Jon Pointing), to Jack and his mates and family, allowing for a fresh exploration of new stories with a vibe not dissimilar to Derry Girls.
And series two, episode six? I reckon it will be regarded as one of the best standalone episodes of the year. Existing storylines weave together to an almighty crescendo. I’ve rewatched the final moments multiple times.
GLADIATORS REEEEEAAAADDDDYYYYY…
Gladiators (BBC One, new episode every Saturday) - Waves of nostalgia will come flooding back from watching Gladiators — a gameshow where members of the public compete against people who are built like tanks over a number of physical challenges.
Familiar challenges such as The Eliminator (competitors race up the ‘travelator’ and then fly through the air by hanging on to a rope) is back. There’s also plenty of people in the audience wearing giant felt hands or holding handmade signs again. They’ve even hired a referee with a Scottish accent (Mark Clattenburg) so you can hear someone yell “GLADDIATORRRS REAAAADDDDDYYYY!” at the start of every challenge.
Thankfully, despite being a near carbon copy of the original show, it completely works. I think a lot of that is down to the sharpness of the editing. This show is also probably going to be a gay awakening to a new generation of younger viewers.
TWO TELEVISION SHOWS WORTH WATCHING:
The Lazarus Project (Sky Max and NOW - all episodes) - A ridiculously fun sci-fi series starring Paapa Essiedu [above], about a team of people who can change the future to ensure that the apocalypse doesn’t happen. The second series — which you can jump into even if you missed the first — starts with everyone in a Groundhog Day style loop, experiencing the last three weeks of humanity over and over. I promise that the series is more lighthearted and fun than that previous sentence sounds.
True Detective: Night Country (Sky and NOW - new episodes on Mondays) - The fourth series of the crime anthology, with nods to sci-fi, has debuted in the last week with Jodie Foster as the detective trying to solve a mysterious disappearance. The drama’s setting — this time in north Alaska where the sun doesn’t rise for months at a time — is beautifully suited too for something engrossing and deep.
WHERE TO FIND ME THIS WEEK:
Recent episodes of Must Watch include reviews of The Great Pottery Throwdown, After The Flood and The Artful Dodger. Subscribe on BBC Sounds.
I was on BBC Radio 1’s Screen Time with Ali Plumb with my tips for what shows you should be watching in 2024.
I also quote tweeted Jennifer Coolidge saying “evil gays” on BBC News. See below:
Thank you so much for reading.
Scotty / @scottygb on Threads and Twitter.
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