January Shows I'm Watching: The Funny, the Messy, and the Criminal
Four shows I've breezed through this year. Spoiler free.
Thank you to all Best of TV & Film 2024 Awards participants. The results, in case you missed them, were tallied and featured in a video, which can viewed in the link below.
The Show You’ve Never Heard Of…Until Now! (aka “The Funny”)
The Sticky [Trailer] on Prime | Description: Very loosely based on the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist of 2011-2012 in which nearly 3,000 tonnes (3,000 long tons; 3,300 short tons) of maple syrup, valued at C$18.7 million (equivalent to C$24.1 million in 2023) was stolen from a storage facility in Quebec. It’s the most valuable heist in Canadian history* (thanks, Wikipedia: [Link])🔗
Is there anyone in it that I care about? This series is led by TV legend Margo Martindale (Justified, The Americans, BoJack Horseman), cast to type here as a no-nonsense, tough maple BOSS lady farmer being pressured to sell her property under market value by the corrupt Maple Syrup Association. Rounding out the trio of stars are seasoned funnyman Chris Diamantopoulos (Russ Hanneman, Silicon Valley)👇 and Quebecois newcomer Guillaume Cyr as Remy, seen above. On that note, there are several Quebecois actors, and French is interspersed with English, though not enough!
Who's it for: People who can appreciate short episodes and seasons (🙌) and gravitate to capers that mesh the best elements of Ocean’s 11, Fargo (the series), and Johnny English (the one with Rowan Atkinson)
Status: Finished S1 | Verdict: Highly Bingeable. Well done. Tight cast and storytelling. The bonus Anglo song classics like These Boots Are Made for Walkin' by Nancy Sinatra, translated into French, are incredible. I believe every episode has one, which is worth the admission price. Plus, Jamie Lee Curtis guest stars as a crime boss, and exec produces the show. Oh, and the REALLY bad people are from Boston. I can attest to that, too. (jk) That’s also not a spoiler, really.
*when adjusted for inflation
The Messy
Laid [Trailer] on Peacock | Description: A 30-something-year-old event planner (Stephanie Hsu) notices that all the men she’s had sex with are dying mysteriously of unrelated causes. She seeks to figure out why and cope with their losses, while finding new love.
Who's it for? TBD. When I started the show, it was clear to me that Girls and The Flight Attendant fans would be the target audience. It’s not just because Mamet is in both, or maybe it is. When she’s in a show, her Shoshanna essence (Girls’ reference) reigns supreme and dominates. In other words, if you appreciate Mamet, you will vibe with this show.
Is there anyone in it that I care about? I just mentioned Mamet and, of course, Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Joy Ride) as Ruby. She’s funny. I’m a fan of a former child actor and now adult actor, Michael Angarano, and he’s in this too. I’m not the only one either.
Side Note: Angarano formerly dated Kristen Stewart (Twilight), then dated English actress Juno Temple (Ted Lasso’s Keely), and is now married to Maya Erskine (Mr. & Mrs. Smith).
Status: Watching S1 | Verdict: Ruby’s “Main character syndrome” personality is grating, rendering the relatability factor low, but the “where will this show go?” keeps you engaged. The Aussie show on which this show is based has a much different ending, though I’m unclear (mum’s the word) on what it is.
The Criminal
Miss Scarlet & The Duke [Trailer] on PBS | Description: A female PI in Victorian England solves crimes alongside the Detective Inspector of Scotland Yard. Without a husband or income, Eliza Scarlet must choose between poverty and the unthinkable path of running her father's detective agency—an entirely unsuitable for a proper woman of her time.
Who's it for? Fans of period/historical dramas (Pride & Prejudice, 1995), Victorian crime stories (Sherlock Holmes) and Agatha Christie.
Is there anyone in it that I care about? Kate Philips (Peaky Blinders) as Eliza is poised and tenacious, ready to take on anyone who tells her “no.” Eliza’s ability to live by her wits is fun to watch; she always gets her perp.
Status: Finished S5 (in 2 days) | Verdict: Stuart Martin, the titular “Duke,” aka Detective Inspector William Wellington, a fan favorite, announced he was leaving the show after Season 4, around the time he was working on Rebel Moon. Truthfully, his bristly attitude with Eliza grew tiresome last season, but like most watchers of this show, I held some reservations about the changing of the guard.
However, there’s good news.
This season breathes new life into the show with William’s replacement, Inspector Blake, an attractive and more mature presence in Eliza’s life. Blake’s a former army man, thus instead, a worldly man and a single father, which reads caring and empathetic. He’s also supportive of Eliza’s career, unlike the Duke, who is now decidedly living in NYC, where he transferred at the end of last season when he gave her an ultimatum to leave her PI days behind so she could settle down with him.
Side Note: The explosive intros in this show are a masterclass in exposition. The theme song doesn’t hurt either. They are an instant mood-setter, getting you primed for each and every episode.
Vienna Blood [Trailer] on PBS | Description: In early 20th-century Vienna, Dr. Max Liebermann, a brilliant young psychoanalyst and disciple of Sigmund Freud, teams up with the tenacious Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt to unravel the city's most perplexing and gruesome murders. The show tackles the cultural history of Austria, which at the time was part of the Habsburg monarchy and the Austro-Hungarian empire, as well as Max’s Jewish identity.
Who's it for? If you watch Miss Scarlet, you’ll likely watch this, but I’d also add the element of continental European history, which makes it a more unique or niche choice. Mindhunter fans will find this one appealing because of the behavioralist focus.
Is there anyone in it that I care about? Matthew Beard as Max Liebermann also had a small role in Moonflower Murders and Magpie Murders. Many of the leads, including Juergen Maurer (Oskar), are Austrian, and I was less familiar with their prior work. The show is in English.
Status: Finished S4 (in 1.5 days) | Verdict: This season’s crime is four episodes long, and it’s probably the most ambitious, not necessarily the most personal, but the most historically interesting. It centers on Mephisto, a dark character with power and privilege who threatens the security of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Information wars are a key theme in this season, making it a timely watch. The casting coup is the understated performance of German actress Leonie Benesch, who I recognized immediately from her compelling work in The Teachers’ Lounge, which is a film you should see.
Currently Watching & Enjoying:
The Agency [Trailer] on Paramount+ / Showtime
Wiki Description: A covert CIA agent is ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites.
NOT Enjoying as Much as I’d Like To, But Still Watching:
A Solid Crime Show That Finished Its Season Properly:
The Show I Watched & Instantly Regretted It But Also Kinda Didn’t:
After all, I rediscovered this earworm and bop [John Waite]🔗
Other Show Recommendations
For my list of late Fall/early Winter show recommendations (and flops), [see here]🔗
For additional show recommendations [see here]
What shows are you watching? What’s on your watch list?
Twin Films - MUSIC Themed Fun
Join me on Sunday for January’s Film Chat. We’ll discuss Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (2022) as part of our Twin Films January Film Club chat.
Anne with an E - Paid Subscriber Series
Starting this month and released in bi-weekly installments, I will review each episode of the critically acclaimed, most recent retelling of L.M. Montgomery’s classic Anne of Green Gables, Anne With An E. I was so impressed by this series and struck by the gap (and opportunity) in covering its three seasons in a “Vulture”-esque episodic breakdown commentary that I decided it had to be done. Read more here »
Am liking this format Beth - so many shows that I hadn't heard of. You know I've been watching The Agency still and I think I got to the final episode, but can't even remember the ending (not a good sign).
Lol not enjoying as much as I want to but still watching is me and the new Dexter show as well