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Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, and Ron Cephas Jones. It is about the family lives and connections of several people who share the same birthday and the ways in which they are similar and different. On the back of the numerous award nominations – one of which was Best Tearjerker Moment in 2017 at the recent MTV Movie & TV Awards, so consider yourselves warned – the series has been renewed for second and third seasons.
The Good Fight (M-Net 101, Monday at 8.30pm): With some familiar faces and many new ones, this is the sequel to The Good Wife. The series follows Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart, as she is forced out of her law firm. The show has been renewed for a second season. Executive produced by The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King,
Characters returning from The Good Wife are Gary Cole as Diane’s husband Kurt McVeigh, Cush Jumbo as Lucca Quinn, Zach Grenier as David Lee, and Sarah Steel as Marissa Gold. New cast members include Game of Thrones alumnus Rose Leslie and Delroy Lindo as Adrian Boseman, an attorney who offers Diane a job at his law firm.
American Gods (M-Net 101, Monday at 10pm): Clocking in with the full house age restriction (18VSNL) and the additional warning to exercise parental control on top of that, comes the fantasy drama based on Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name. Gaiman is an executive producer. Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), who is serving three years in prison, is given an unexpected early release. He meets a man named Mr Wednesday (the superb Ian McShane) who offers him a job as a bodyguard, but nothing is as it seems. The cast includes Emily Browning, Bruce Langley, Pablo Schreiber, Yetide Badaki, Gillian Anderson, Peter Stormare, Crispin Glover, Kristin Chenoweth and Orlando Jones.
Shades Of Blue (M-Net 101, Tuesday at 8.30pm): This brilliant dirty cop drama starring Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta returns for its second season (the first is on Showmax). We find Detective Harlee Santos (Lopez) as committed as ever to raising her teenage daughter while continuing to defend her tightknit squad of corrupt cops, who never hesitate to bypass the law to safeguard their precinct and each other. Having killed her daughter’s father, Harlee must go to great lengths to cover her tracks. The series also stars Drea de Matteo as Detective Tess Nazario, Warren Kole as Special Agent Robert Stahl, Dayo Okeniyi as Detective Michael Loman, Hampton Flukeras Detective Marcus Tufo, Vincent Laresca as Detective Carlos Espada.
Doubt (Vuzu AMP, Tuesday at 8.30pm): Just a quick mention of this one, which was the first official cancellation of the fall season in the US, airing only two episodes. This is the second consecutive television series starring Katherine Heigl which has been binned. In next week’s column we’ll take a more in-depth look at the shows which made it to air another year, those that didn’t, and those which shouldn’t have.
Naked And Afraid (Discovery, Tuesday at 10pm): Being left stranded in the jungle is bad enough, but doing it naked is even worse. Kaila and Trevor are strangers who are tasked with surviving in the wild with no food, no water and no clothes for 21 days. Not only is it freezing, but Florida’s remote, alligator-filled Seminole Forest is also filled with constant rain and a lack of resources. And the “cherry” on the top? They don’t even get a cash prize, just their pride and sense of accomplishment. Madness, I tell you.
Lira: Dreamchaser (Fox Life, Wednesday at 8pm): Follow the South African singer as she develops her latest album, Born Free, and get an insight into the production, song writing process and the touring that comes with being one of Africa’s biggest stars. Lira opens her heart and explains each song of the album – from her inspirations, to the moment a song is born. This is a rare glimpse into the daily life of a musician and how stressful it can be to launch a new album. “Defining freedom for myself was the reason behind pursuing this body of work. I am beyond excited to share this story with viewers – the joys, the challenges, the effort and experiences and ultimately chasing the dream,” says Lira.