Anobject lesson in the art of murder

SHARP OBJECTS (SKY ATLANTIC)

Slow-burning doesn’t do this eight-part miniseries justice – it’s deadly slow, yet gripping at the same time.

It’s edited so cleverly that you daren’t take your eyes off the screen for a second, as director Jean-Marc Vallee (who gave us the brilliant Big Little Lies last year) shows the constant swirl of emotions going through the troubled mind of Amy Adams’ character, the self-harming reporter Camille Preaker, and what she may or may not be seeing.

Camille has been sent back to her hometown to write a piece about the murder of a young girl which has left the community pointing fingers at each other. A second murder soon after she arrives ratchets up the tension.

The cast, particularly Adams,

her estranged mother Patricia Clarkson and her half-sister, young Australian actress Eliza Scanlen, is excellent.

Eliza plays Amma, a Laura Palmer-type figure who appears to be a sweeter-thansweet model student but is actually self-destructive and dangerous.

That isn’t the only nod to Twin Peaks. The picturesque small town with a wealth of secrets under the surface is also reminiscent of David Lynch’s ’90s classic, but Sharp Objects has its own style.

Information is drip-fed to the viewer and, with episode six taking us further into the dark recesses of the characters’ minds, there’s a sense of dread around every corner.

This might just be the TV show of the year.

NASHVILLE (SKY WITNESS)

There’s probably a joke to be had about a show based on country music becoming repetitive, but we stuck it out to the end all the same.

Even though it had long become fairly ridiculous, quite a few of the characters will be missed in our household.