Five shows people should be watching
THE temptation of writing about culture is always to find something to pan. Critical reviews flow easily from the fingertips, while applause involves the hard labour of finding 16 synonyms for “good”. But I ate my Wheaties this morning, and I’m looking for a challenge. So let’s talk about good shows – great shows, even. Shows that more people should be watching. People like you.
(Starz)
It’s a Cold War thriller, only not about the Cold War. Counterpart is set in a universe that twinned at some point, yielding two timelines that eye each other uneasily across their single point of contact: a Checkpoint Charlie that happens to be in a Berlin basement.
There is much to love about this show, beginning with the scripting. The popularity of science fiction shows has far outstripped the supply of writers who can juggle three complex tasks at once: building the world, exploring that world’s implications and delivering a satisfying plot. Somehow, Counterpart manages to flesh out a fascinating world, exploring one of the most obvious ramifications of a split universe: the existence of twins who could, in theory, take each other’s place, and what a spy network could do with that ability. And here’s the really special thing: It also has a plot.
That’s not even the best part. The best part is JK Simmons, who is astounding. Many other actors have played twins, but none I am aware of has managed to so fully characterise two different people without ever resorting to flamboyant mannerism.
(Netflix)
I have a special reason for loving this one: My normal job is writing about economics, and the writers of this show managed not only to dramatise the fascinating process of laundering money, but also to do it in a basically accurate fashion. On top of that, Jason Bateman’s monologue explaining what money laundering is and why it’s necessary is the finest explanation of its kind.
The plotting is brisk and full of unexpected twists. Even if you don’t think you’re interested in money laundering, you owe it to yourself to give this one a try.
(Showtime)
This is high-finance as revenge-drama. The first three Ozark.
seasons portray a long-running cat-and-mouse game between hedge-fund titan Bobby Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis, and US Attorney Chuck Rhoades, played by Paul Giamatti. But the showrunners haven’t given into the temptation to make Axelrod the bad guy and Rhoades the hero. Instead, we have twin protagonists – both badly flawed, but also deeply appealing.
The cast is terrific, the writing reminiscent of Aaron Sorkin, and thanks to a different Sorkin (Andrew Ross, longtime finance reporter for The New York Times, and no relation to the creator of The West Wing), Billions is even a reasonably realistic portrayal of both finance and securities law.
(Amazon)
I keep running into people who don’t watch Patriot, though they clearly should. I blame poor marketing. Neither the show’s icon nor its description in Amazon’s browser conveys the quirky charms of this show, a wag-the-dog plot centred on a reluctant spy who would really rather be playing folk guitar. But no, that doesn’t convey it either. I’m afraid I’ll just have to urge you to watch a few episodes.
(Starz)
American Gods is the least plot-heavy of all the shows I’ve recommended, but it’s so visually interesting that you won’t care. The core premise of Neil Gaiman’s bestselling book obviously offers a lot of opportunities for neat tricks. But the calibre of the performances elevates this far above CGI spectacle or amateur magic hour.