Ten TV shows worth revisiting
Up-to-date with Game of Thrones? All done with Breaking Bad and tired of a diet of reality TV? James Croot has some suggestions from the past decade.
The Affair
A deceptively simple drama about a writer who embarks on a series of illicit liaisons with a waitress is elevated by the masterstroke of telling the story from different perspectives.
While that might be nothing new, it’s never been as sustained nor focused on the small details, or how we each remember conversations and scenarios differently, to such devastating and dramatic effect.
Billions
Fast-paced, fabulously shot and a terrific showcase for some impressive acting, this sees Damian Lewis’ hedge fund billionaire in an ongoing power struggle against Paul Giamatti’s US Attorney.
The whip-smart dialogue, magnificent metaphors and one-liners draw the viewer into this opulent yet dirty-dealing world, while the escalating game of cat-and-mouse makes for gripping viewing.
Dexter
It might have ended with a whimper in 2013, but the first few seasons of this serial-killer drama packed a powerful dramatic punch.
Michael C Hall is a charismatic presence as the Miami Police blood spatter analyst who moonlights as a vigilante driven by his own internal ‘‘dark passenger’’. Excellent because of its ensemble cast, shocking twists and a cadre of creepy nemeses played wonderfully by the likes of John Lithgow and Jimmy Smits.
The Good Wife
The last vestige of appointment-viewing in my household. For seven seasons, we were entranced by the cases, catastrophes and general chaos that seems to follow Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) her fractured family and her fellow Chicago-based lawyers around.
But, in truth, the show was always about the ensemble, a cadre of regulars and an extended family of bit players, all of whom have made their contribution to moments of high drama, black humour and delicious tension.
The Great British Bake Off
Other cooking shows might have drawn larger audiences, but for sheer entertainment and education value nothing beats this appealing mix of competition and cooking class. Prior to its recent shift away from the BBC, it also helped that they had two charismatic judges, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, and two hilarious hosts, Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc.
Luther
Penned by Wellington-based writer Neil Cross, this BBC drama packs both genuine thrills and a powerful emotional punch.
Idris Elba plays the eponymous detective chief inspector who not only has to face the worst of humanity (some of the monsters he encounters are truly frightening) but also multiple demons of his own.
Masters Of Sex
A kind of Mad Men-meets-Kinsey, this drama about the pioneers of the science of human sexuality was compulsive viewing throughout its four seasons.
While for once on an American cable show the nudity was relevant to the plot, it’s the quality of acting (Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan are outstanding in the two leading roles) and gripping drama that keeps you watching.
Modern Family
You can keep your Big Bang Theories and Moms, this is the most consistently funny US sitcom on TV.
It features a terrific cast of multigenerational characters, spearheaded by Ty Burrell’s hapless Phil, Ed O’Neill’s grouchy Jay and his madcap Colombian wife Gloria (Sofia Vergara).
The Newsroom
A show that divided audiences, particularly in America, but Aaron Sorkin’s audacious TV current affairs-set screwball romantic comedy hits all the right emotional notes.
Jeff Daniels, Sam Waterston and Emily Mortimer head the fabulous ensemble cast who seemed to revel in Sorkin’s metaphor, analogy and allusory heavy dialogue.
Taskmaster
This Greg Davies-hosted ‘‘panel’’ show consists of expertly edited sequences of the five ‘‘challengers’’ performing their various tasks (mostly set around ‘‘the Taskmaster house’’ in London’s Chiswick) while a live studio audience watches on and Davies pithily dismisses their ‘‘pathetic efforts’’.
The Taskmaster provided 2017’s biggest televisual laughs (that is, once TVNZ finally got around to showing it).