MIKE WARD’S SMALL SCREEN
AMERICAN GODS (15) THIS sweeping, ambitious new fantasy adventure begins when drifting ex-con Shadow Moon (played by Ricky Whittle – yep, the ex-Hollyoaks and Strictly bloke) takes a job as bodyguard to a curious character by the name of Mr Wednesday (Ian McShane). Unbeknown to him, Wednesday is in fact the ancient Norse god Odin (but of course), on a mission to round up other deities who have fallen out of favour and to take on the “Gods” who seem to hold the true power today – such as celebrity, drugs and technology. THE REPLACEMENT (15) ALL she needs is maternity cover. But it seems Morven Christie’s Ellen may have made a somewhat unwise choice in picking Paula (Vicky McClure) because it starts to look as if this woman is a right barmpot, intent on taking over every part of Ellen’s life. An intense if rather far-fetched thriller. WHY HIM? (15) STRAIGHT-laced businessman Ned (Bryan Cranston) wants only the best for his daughter Stephanie (Zoey Deutch). And her new hipster boyfriend Laird (James Franco) doesn’t exactly tick all the boxes. He’s a tech billionaire but he’s also brash, foul-mouthed and discusses his and Stephanie’s sex life in front of her mum and dad. Oh, and now he’d like to marry her, if Ned’s OK with that… I.T. (15) BE careful who you hire to fix your wi-fi. That’s what tycoon Mike Regan (Pierce Brosnan) should have told himself before inviting his firms’s new tech guy to sort out an internet issue in his high-tech home. This guy takes a shine to Mike’s daughter – which is bad news all round when he and Mike then fall out. FORTITUDE: COMPLETE SEASON 2 (18) SEASON one’s horrors have left a permanent scar on this remote Arctic community. And events get darker still in the second run of Sky Atlantic’s icy psychological thriller. Dennis Quaid is among the new cast.