TV tips: New Rooney series, `Angelyne'
Here are two new television series, one adapted from an in-demand novelist and the other inspired by a Los Angeles billboard icon.
“Conversations with Friends”: Another TV adaptation of a Sally Rooney novel is at hand. Hulu's “Conversations with Friends,” which debuted last weekend, is based on the popular Irish author's acclaimed 2017novel. The 12-episode series stars Alison Oliver and Sasha Lane as Dublin college students Frances and Bobbi, exes who remain close friends and spoken-word poetry collaborators. Their friendship is tested when the women meet an older couple, writer Melissa (Jemima Kirke) and her actor-husband Nick (Joe Alwyn). A flirtation for one pair and an affair for another follows — causing Frances to reevaluate her life and Bobbi's role in it.
The series follows “Normal People,” drawn from Rooney's 2018 novel of the same name, which has been a critically acclaimed hit for BBC and Hulu. Details: Both series available on Hulu.
“Angelyne”: The L.A. celebrity known as Angelyne didn't have or need the internet to make her a Los Angeles celebrity — billboards scattered around town starting in the 1980s did the trick. Her seductive image brought her surprisingly enduring fame. Peacock's limited series “Angelyne,” starring Emmy Rossum, is billed not as a traditional biography but, as showrunner Allison Miller describes it, a “magical story … about becoming the person you were meant to be” and about L.A. and the dreamers it attracts. Martin Freeman, Alex Karpovsky and Hamish Linklater are in the cast. Details: Available on Peacock.