A modern mental health heroine
Lady Dynamite, Season 2
20 episodes IT was probably inevitable that the next great TV heroine would embody some of the conversation around mental health.
When Maria Bamford’s semi-autobiographical Lady Dynamite appeared last year she seemed like a more relatable version of mixed-up than Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City or even Lena Dunham in Girls.
The first season was based on the comedian protagonist’s recovery from a bout of severe depression, for which she was hospitalised three times in one year.
The fear of further spiralling led Maria to spurn golden opportunities and walk away from a promising relationship with a kind and comfortingly burly love interest.
Her friendships don’t bring her any joy and a Machiavellian manager pushes her to the brink of suicide — you’d have to see it to understand how they make this funny. The new series is a lot less heavy thematically — she still has her problems with friends and relationships but the overall arc isn’t as much about living and dying. And while at times you might wish it to push the envelope like the first series, mostly it is more relaxing and hilarious escapism.
Chelsea, Season 2 Weekly episodes Thursdays
THIS is going to be the last series of Chelsea Handler’s talk show. The comedienne put out a statement two weeks ago in which she seemed to imply that she’d be busy taking part in the anti-Trump Hollywood resistance. Whether you’ll miss her or not kind of depends on how you take her acerbic humour and scathing deadpan manner.
At times she seems to cut across more playful guests like Russell Brand, but she is wonderful at puncturing egos — witness her fabulous takedown of Piers Morgan on away turf, his own show. Handler has also always managed to get A-List guests, including Jennifer Aniston. This season’s guests promise to live up to that standard and Blake Lively and Cameron Diaz are among those she will chat to. After this series airs, Handler returns to drama — she currently has a film called I Hate the Internet in development.
Jerry Seinfeld, Comedian Available from Wednesday
SOMETIMES when a comedian becomes an institution it can be hard to remember exactly why they are so good. Nothing ages like comedy and, unlike rock stars, the biggest acts must generate new material all the time, or fade away into nostalgia.
For a while there, Seinfeld seemed to have mellowed into a cartoon franchise but here, riding the crest of Netflix’s suddenly enormous stand-up budget, he shows what he can really do live. The focus of his jokes may seem a little bland to some but he displays a gentle middle-aged introspection that never relies on profanity or meanness.
There’s also a blessed lack of politics — we really see enough of that from the late-night hosts in the US — and he’s good on the evermoving line of what is acceptable in terms of political correctness. The name of the special might seem a little literal but it does what it says on the tin.
Star Trek Discovery 12 episodes, Available from Monday
IT is interesting that in the same week Netflix announced that they will not be renewing House Of Cards in light of the recent allegations against Kevin Spacey, we also see the appearance of Star Trek Discovery — the show that stars his first accuser — on their schedule.
Anthony Rapp also plays Star Trek Discovery’s first gay character, a watershed moment.
You also know its good because it comes from Bryan Fuller, the TV mind behind Hannibal, American Gods, Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls and Pushing Daisies.
The characters are splendidly imagined — no mean feat when you think of the iconic original show — and, given the relatively modest budget, the special effects are actually fairly amazing.
Perhaps the ultimate accolade you could give this is that you don’t need to be a sci-fi geek or even to have seen any of the Star Trek movies to really enjoy this — it stands by itself.
And Kevin Spacey was right about one thing: Anthony Rapp is talented.