John Byrne’s TV choices for the week ahead (Dates covered: Saturday Mar 21-Friday Mar 27)
It's hello to Home of the Year, Happy Valley and Bloodline, and goodbye to Girls, The Comeback and The Musketeers . . .
Pick of the week
Home of the Year, Thursday, RTÉ One
Let's face it: the Irish are obsessed with property and we have one of the highest percentages of home ownership on the planet. So this brand new series makes a lot of sense.
Promising to champion individuality, flair and a commitment to design, Home of the Year features home-owners around Ireland who have done something extraordinary to their place of residence.
Over the course of eight weeks, 21 homes will compete for the Home of the Year title, with three very different properties featuring each week.
Making the tough decisions as to who goes through to the final are three expert judges: interior designer Hugh Wallace, award-winning architect Declan O'Donnell and textiles and home ware designer Helen James. Each week the judges individually score the homes out of ten, and the one with the highest combined score gets a shot at the title.
In this week's opening episode the judges travel to three very different homes, from an extended cottage in Tipperary, to an architectural gem in Kildare, and finally to a city-based, terraced home crammed with personality.
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Star of the week
Sarah Lancashire
Happy Valley, Thursday, RTÉ One
Soap fans will always see her as barmaid Raquel in Coronation Street, but Sarah Lancashire has enjoyed a prosperous post-Corrie career. TV shows such as Where the Heart is, The Glass, The Paradise, Last Tango in Halifax, a range of one-offs such as Oliver Twist and Wuthering Heights, played the West End and took up directing. Rumour has it she's even taken the odd day off.
Last year she won two awards for her portrayal of a policewoman in the acclaimed BBC drama Happy Valley, which begins this Thursday on RTÉ One. It's a crime thriller written by Sally Wainwright, revolving around the personal and professional life of a hard-working, dedicated police woman, Catherine Cawood.
She's a sergeant in a beautiful small town that's unfortunately full of drunks and drug addicts, and where teenage pregnancies are a way of life. Cawood's world is turned upside down when the man she believes is responsible for her daughter’s death is released from prison. She is convinced he's dangerous and it’s only a matter of time before he hurts someone else.
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Starting this week
Irish Pictorial Weekly, Sunday, RTÉ One
The six-part satirical sketch show returns for a second season of shenanigans and will include sketches and media manipulation featuring caricatures of Angela Merkel, Enda Kenny, Michael Noonan, Anne Doyle, Gerry Adams, civil servant committees, court reporters and RTÉ presenters.
There’ll also be an array of new characters including cavemen, Phil Hogan, and people who press buttons. Once again, the show features the writing and performing talents of Barry Murphy, John Colleary, Tara Flynn, Colum McDonnell, Michael O'Sullivan, Eleanor Tiernan, Paul Howard, Paul Woodful and Jay Stanbridge.
Here's a best bits clip from season two:
Would You Believe, Sunday, RTÉ One
Breda Larkin is a struggling stand-up comedian - but her struggles are not with her routine, but with her faith. Yet a lot of what she holds dear from growing up in a rural catholic household makes it difficult to leave the church.
Living the Wildlife, Tuesday, RTÉ One
Colin Stafford-Johnson heads to Inishark Island in Connemara to film a pair of nesting great skuas for the first time. Despite the aggressive dive-bombing of the parents, he manages to capture some extraordinary footage of the new-born chicks.
Second Captains Live, Wednesday, RTÉ2
Eoin McDevitt, Ken Early and Ciaran Murphy will again be joined by the most insightful names in sport, who will continue to frustrate the nation with their Good Wall choices for the top ten Irish sports people of all-time. The lads will unearth more wondrous Irish television archive, continue to embarrass themselves by competing in farcical quizzes and showcase ridiculous features such as Boring Irish Sporting Tweets, Behind The Blackboard and Skills of Hurling.
Caribbean with Simon Reeve, Sunday, BBC Two
On the travel show that looks beyond the nice hotels and looks at real life and local issues, adventurer Simon Reeve begins his journey on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. He travels from the Dominican Republic, with its idyllic scenery, to Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, before reaching Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island on the cusp of becoming America’s 51st State.
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Relatively Clever, Friday, Sky 1
Mel Giedroyc sets out to find the UK's smartest family. Teams of mums, dads, children and grandparents go head-to- head in this cheeky new quiz show designed to test their general knowledge and intelligence, starting with the Emmersons from Kent and Hertfordshire brood the Ferros.
Burger Bar to Gourmet Star, Monday, Channel 4
In this new series, a selection of fast food cooks, with no formal training, are given the opportunity of a lifetime: to be taught by some of the UK's most refined chefs, and fast-tracked through years of tough training in just weeks.
Ending this Week
Girls, Monday, Sky Atlantic
Labour pains supersede the growing ones as Lena Dunham wraps up the fourth season of her superb dramedy. The crowning moment comes when Hannah, Jessa and Adam try to dissuade unconventional parents-to-be Caroline and Laird from having a home birth. Shoshanna, meanwhile, is presented with a unique job opportunity, and b- most promising of all – the permanently uptight Ray lets rip at Desi.
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The Comeback, Thursday, Sky Atlantic
Lisa Kudrow’s awkwardly hilarious comedy concludes. It’s Emmy weekend and fame-seeker Valerie finally gets the sweet smell of success thanks to her popular performance in Seeing Red. But just as her career is getting back on track, her personal life seems to be crumbling. When Val turns heads at a swanky Hollywood party, including that of her hunky former Room and Bored co-star who’s now a big action movie star, it does little to distract from her problems at home. As the biggest night of Valerie’s life arrives, will Mark be there to support her?
The Musketeers, Friday, BBC One
On guard! The Musketeers must risk everything to save France from Rochefort’s treacherous plan. While Porthos seeks to lure the Spanish spy-master to Paris to prove Rochefort’s betrayal to the King, Athos and d’Artagnan must save Constance from certain death. But will they be able to protect Aramis and the Queen before Rochefort gets to them? The fate of France and their closest comrades lies in the Musketeers’ hands.
Drama of the week
1992, Tuesday, Sky Arts 1
The subtitles just keep on comin' as Sky Arts presents this ten-part Italian thriller, following in the blood-stained footsteps of Romanzo Criminale and Gomorrah. The series is set in the early 1990s against the backdrop of mani pulite (Italian for ‘clean hands’), which was a nationwide Italian judicial investigation into political corruption. Mani pulite led to the collapse of Italy’s post-WWII political system, the so-called First Republic, resulting in the dissolution of many political parties as well as the arrest and conviction of some high-profile political figures.
1992 follows six ordinary people whose lives are intertwined with the rapidly changing political landscape and exposes the far-reaching impact of greed, corruption and brinkmanship. Intriguing, to say the least.
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Comedy of the week
Modern Family, Monday, Sky 1
This show puts the fun back in to Monday. Fresh from their mid-season break, the gang are back, and with a double bill. While driving back from breakfast at the pancake house, the Dunphys and Manny have to swerve out of the way of an oncoming truck. It’s a close call that prompts them to re-evaluate their lives. Claire, for instance, decides to be more fun, and Haley and Alex make a pact not to fight any more. Understandably, Manny is hesitant about getting in a car again, and driver Phil tries his hand at being a no-bull kinda guy, starting with reading arch-nemesis Rob Riggle the riot act.
All-out war, meanwhile, is declared in this week’s second helping when a furious Claire confronts neighbours-from-hell Ronnie and Amber about the eyesore of a boat on their front lawn. Pushed to the limit, Phil has no alternative but to call in the ‘big guns’ – dad Frank (returning guest star Fred Willard) and a few of his retired pals.
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On Demand
Bloodline, Netflix
The gang at Netflix have gone and done it again. Following on from other original shows such as House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Better Call Saul, all 13 episodes of Bloodline are available after being launched on March 20.
From the creators of Damages – the dense and addictive legal drama featuring Glenn Close and Rose Byrne – Bloodline is a family drama, described as a psychological thriller that 'will make you question whether your family is really as dysfunctional as you think'.
It has a tremendous cast including Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), Ben Mendelsohn, Sam Shepard, Sissy Spacek, Jamie McShane (Sons of Anarchy) and Jacinda Barrett (Suits).
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Documentary of the week
John Joe: Reality Bites, Wednesday, RTÉ2
Olympic silver-medallist turned pro boxer John Joe Nevin faced the biggest challenge of his life when both his legs were broken in an altercation. This is the story of his comeback against all the odds as captured by award-winning film-maker Kim Bartley.
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Film of the Week
Guardians of the Galaxy, Friday, Sky Movies Premiere
This hugely overrated but still enjoyable superhero yarn stars Parks and Recreation's Chris Pratt as the leader of an unlikely bunch of misfits that includes a gun-crazy raccoon and a walking tree. Pratt does a fine job as the cocky Quill and has gone from cult hero to box office gold.
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