Magic City hypnotizes
It seethes with menace and hidden danger, yet its sultry portrait of 1959 Miami is hypnotic, alluring and addictive. Magic City is just two weeks into its sophomore season, but already this rum-soaked, lime-tinged saga of gamblers, gangsters, crooked politicians, Cuban revolutionaries, hotel moguls and steely-eyed debutantes clawing their way up the social ladder is staking its claim as one of TV’s most sophisticated dramas this side of Boardwalk Empire.
The new season opened with Isaac (Ike) Evans (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the financially struggling owner of Miami’s glamorous Miramar Playa hotel, being fitted for a murder he didn’t commit. He’s in the crosshairs of scheming Miami Mob boss Ben Diamond (Danny Huston), who wants the Miramar for himself and will go to any length to get it.
Magic is gorgeous on the eyes, but that tropical light is an illusion. To tune into Magic at random is to be seduced by its pastel hues, sun-splashed beaches and turquoise seas. It’s only after a while that the shades of grey become apparent.
In tonight’s episode, Evans flies to revolutionary Cuba, hoping to restore the closed casinos to their former glory. Fidel Castro is looking for offshore investment and is actively courting the Yankees’ favour. (Super Channel — 8 p.m.) Shark Tank meets Duck Dynasty, as a would-be entrepreneur pitches a camouflage clothing line for duck hunters. (ABC, CTV — 9 p.m.) Cult, the short-lived thriller starring Matthew Davis as a reporter investigating the strange followers of a TV program, burns off its remaining hours, beginning tonight. (WGN, WPIX — 6 p.m., KTLA — 9 p.m.) Hawaii Five-0 features a repeat guest-starring Duane (Dog) Chapman of Dog the Bounty Hunter in a tale of murder and mayhem at a roller derby arena. (CBS, Global — 10 p.m.)