‘Mrs. Davis’, ‘The Diplomat’ debut
Strong women take on many forms. In the original Peacock series “Mrs. Davis,” Betty Gilpin (“Glow”) portrays Simone, or rather Sister Simone, a nun on a mission to save the world from technological overlords.
The pilot blends comicbook action with a contemplation of humanity’s relationship to a mystic algorithm that knows all, sees all and maintains global harmony by granting every individual’s desire.
But before we get there, “Davis” opens with a hyper-violent flashback to 14th-century France, where royal forces have burned members of the Knights Templar at the stake and where an order of swordwielding nuns hack, whack and decapitate to defend the Holy Grail.
Back in the 20th century, Simone belongs to an order just outside of Reno, which earns a meager living selling jams and honey. Look for Margo Martindale as the mother superior. But someone, or something, is in pursuit of Simone, and willing to destroy everyone and everything to get her attention.
This cosmic chase results in madcap scenes of motorcycle mayhem and destruction, giant donuts, silly Germanic gang members and even an exploding horse. A critic might quibble that the tone is a tad all over the place — or you might say that unevenness and unpredictability is what passes for “tone” here.
› Keri Russell, recently seen with her fellow “The Americans” star Margo Martindale in “Cocaine Bear,” returns to episodic television with the eightpart “The Diplomat” streaming on Netflix.
Here, she’s Kate Wyler, the new American ambassador to the United Kingdom. Better suited to crisis zones like Afghanistan or the Middle East, she’s not quite at home in the Court of St. James. While enmeshed in international intrigue, she’s also fighting battles on the domestic front with husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), a career diplomat and a political force in his own right.
Netflix became Netflix by giving its viewers what they want. This is both entertaining and a tad creepy, as if the platform was run by the kind of algorithm discussed in Peacock’s “Mrs. Davis.”
Produced by Deborah Cahn, a showrunner for “Homeland” and “The West Wing,” “The Diplomat” has some of the screwball comedy tone and rapid-fire dialogue of the latter series. The posh setting, decor and architecture have just enough to keep fans of “The Crown” patient between seasons, and there’s enough explosions and white-knuckle tension to satisfy fans of diplomatic/espionage thrillers.
And as a smart, professional woman of a certain age, dressed in dark, sober outfits and with unglamorous hair, Russell offers a nod to “Borgen,” the serious Danish political thriller series that has found a home on Netflix as well.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› Deep-fried ambitions on “Next Level Chef” (8 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› Not quite up to code on “Station 19” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
› Amelia vents at work on “Grey’s Anatomy” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-14).