These lighter series are as diverting as summer beach reads
A reader asked for some lighter series suggestions — she’s looking for summer “beach read” TV viewing and wants no part of “prestige TV” for a month or two. The first thing that jumped to mind was “Anatomy of a Scandal” on Netflix.
One of the prolific David E. Kelley’s lesser shows, it’s definitely not prestige, and you may want to binge so you don’t have time to think about plot logic. But the six-parter isn’t a bad diversion, and it fits the idea of easy, page-turning viewing. It’s set in London, where a member of Parliament played by Rupert Friend is accused of raping an employee with whom he was having an affair. Sienna Miller is his wife, who stands by him, and Michelle Dockery is the barrister prosecuting him.
I think “The Offer” on Paramount+ also fits under the summer fare heading. Written by Michael Tolkin of “The Player,” it’s a fictional account of the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather.” It stars Miles Teller, Juno Temple, Colin Hanks, Giovanni Ribisi, and, in a broad and entertaining turn, Matthew Goode as a drug-fueled Robert Evans. A lot of critics didn’t like the 10-episode miniseries, finding it too untethered to the true story, not least of all the business about the Mafia trying to shut down production. But I enjoyed it, nonetheless, as a piece of whimsy.
Summer fare also applies to “Slow Horses,” the Apple TV+ series starring Gary Oldman. It’s a thriller, taking its cues from John le Carré, but then it’s also quite funny. It’s not quite as breezy as “Anatomy of a Scandal”; the plotting requires some attention. Ultimately, Oldman is the reason to watch. He’s not capital-A acting so much as having a good time as the hard-drinking, sour-tempered, slovenly, and brilliant leader of a group of demoted, sidelined MI5 agents. There are two six-episode seasons available.
Other TV beach reads: Amazon’s “Daisy and the Six,” Max’s “The Tourist,” Hulu’s “Nine Perfect Strangers,” and Hulu’s “Wedding Season.”