Overlooked spy drama returns
THE AMERICANS
RTÉ 2, TONIGHT, 11.45PM
HAVING arrived on Irish screens with a blare of fanfare a few years ago, The Americans (RTÉ 2, tonight, 11.45pm) seemed to wander aimlessly across the schedules until it eventually lost most of its viewers.
That’s a damn shame, because this drama about two deep-cover Russian spies pretending to be an all-American family is one of the best dramas of recent years.
As it gears up for its sixth, and final, season to premiere in the States this month, RTÉ is rolling out the fifth season from tonight.
Matthew Rhys and the great Keri Russell play the spooky operatives during the height of the Cold War and while he begins to be seduced by the American way of life, she remains loyal to the Motherland.
Oh, and an FBI guy who works in counterintelligence trying to expose deep cover spies just happens to be one of their neighbours.
While it may have lacked the budget of vaguely similar shows, such as Homeland, The Americans is fine drama in its own right and, now into its penultimate season, is still well worth a watch.
Starting on Sky Atlantic tonight (10pm), Smilf has proved to be a critical success in the States and hopes will be high over here...
Frankie Shaw plays young Boston-based single mother Bridgette as she struggles with holding down a job, trying to finish her studies and raise her child with the help of Rosie O’Donnell as her ferocious Boston-Irish mother, Tutu, who resents the gentrification of their Southie neighbourhood.
Boston has long proved fertile ground for filmmakers and TV shows and Smilf is a worthy addition to that pantheon...
After an understandably patchy start, Brendan O’Connor’s Cutting Edge (RTÉ One, tonight, 9.35pm) developed into probably the best piece of water-cooler TV on Irish screens.
Between a host who has visibly grown into the role, and regular guests who are well able to dish it out – although some of them aren’t quite as adept when it comes to dealing with incoming fire – this has more than capably morphed into a reliable format when it comes to bickering about the issues of the day.
In fact, you could say that Wednesday is now the best day of the week for such shows. Alongside O’Connor’s Cutting Edge, the Pat Kenny Show (TV3, tonight, 10pm), followed immediately by The Tonight Show (TV, tonight, 11pm) provide even more yakkety-yak.
The Young Offenders (RTÉ 2, Thursday, 9.30pm) comes to a conclusion this evening, but fear not, there can be no doubt that it will return.
An RTÉ sit-com that is actually funny, we await the second season with interest.