John Byrne’s TV choices for the week ahead (Dates covered: Saturday Apr 25-Friday May 01)
In yet another busy week in Telly Land, The Good Wife returns, Peter Kay's back on the box, while it's cheerio to The Voice of Ireland and Poldark.
Pick of the week
The Good Wife, Tuesday, RTÉ One
The best TV show of recent times is back for a sixth season on RTÉ One. It's not just a court drama, it's a political drama, a workplace ensemble piece par excellence, and sometimes it's just ridiculously funny. But the one consistency about The Good Wife is that it's always great TV.
Former ER star Julianna Margulies returns as Alicia Florrick, and this time around she is adamant in her refusal to run for State’s Attorney despite Eli’s attempts to persuade her to launch a campaign - or is she? Meanwhile, as Diane (Christine Baranski) considers joining Florrick/Agos as a partner, an internal crisis threatens to destroy the firm.
And although Josh Charles is gone, the remainder of the great cast – including Archie Panjabi (Kalinda Sharma) Matt Czuchry (Cary Agos) Alan Cumming (Eli Gold) and Zach Grenier (David Lee) – are all back. Enjoy!
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Star of the week
Peter Kay
Peter Kay's Car Share, Wednesday, BBC One
It's been a while since Peter Kay last featured in a TV series. 2004's Phoenix Nights' spin-off Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere was his last one, so it's great to see the most successful stand-up comedian in history - his last tour was officially inaugurated into the Guinness World Records as the most successful of all time, playing to over 1.2 million people – back on the goggle box.
In this six-parter, John Redmond (Peter Kay) and Kayleigh Kitson (Sian Gibson) have been thrown together in a company car share scheme, forcing their paths to cross. Each trip brings fresh insight into John and Kayleigh's lives, with twists and turns in their unlikely relationship.
The set-up begins in this opening episode: when a supermarket issues a new car share scheme, assistant manager John Redmond and promotions rep Kayleigh Kitson are forced to commute together every day. But will they get along?
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Starting this week
Empire, Tuesday, E4
This promising new US drama is set in the music world - hip-hop, to be more precise - and follows the fictional life of a former street thug turned powerhouse music industry mogul. In the first episode, Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), a talented artist and CEO of Empire Entertainment, is diagnosed with a debilitating illness and realises that he must choose one of his three sons to become the heir to his successful music kingdom.
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Inspector George Gently, Wednesday, BBC One
Martin Shaw returns as the hardened detective George Gently, with 1960s' Northumberland once again the backdrop for feature-length crime drama. This time a woman is brutally murdered and Gently needs to catch the killer before there's another victim.
Ripper Street, Wednesday, RTÉ One
It's season two of this cracking Victorian crime drama. An investigation into the assault of a policeman leads DI Reid and the men of H-Division to the newly-emergent Chinatown, where Jackson discovers evidence of a new and powerful opiate.
Kirstie and Phil's Love It or List It, Tuesday, Channel 4
Phil Spencer and Kirstie Allsopp are back in a brand new show as they help couples who've fallen out of love - with their house. In each episode the property pair meet families whose house no longer fits their requirements. After listening to their issues, Phil and Kirstie go into battle, with Phil persuading the owners to sell, while Kirstie argues for investing in the home.
Anzac Girls, Friday, More4
Based on the historic diaries of five young women, and the letters and photographs they sent to loved ones, Anzac Girls follows the true story of a group of Australian and New Zealand nurses serving near the battlefields of Gallipoli and the Western Front in Europe.
Ending this Week
Poldark, Sunday, BBC One
Bit of a hit with the ladies, this show, thanks to the Aidan Turner effect. Ross (Turner) tries one last time to turn around the fortunes of Carnmore. Meanwhile, consumed with guilt over Keren’s death, Dwight (Luke Norris) throws himself into work, dealing with an outbreak of the putrid throat.
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Irish Pictorial Weekly, Sunday, RTÉ One
The six-part satirical sketch show ends its second season, so expect more of the shame from the likes of Barry Murphy, John Colleary, Tara Flynn, Colum McDonnell, Michael O’ Sullivan, Eleanor Tiernan, Paul Howard, Paul Woodful and Jay Stanbridge.
The Voice of Ireland, Sunday, RTÉ One
The final four contestants battle it out for the grand prize of a recording contract with Universal Music and the title of the Voice of Ireland. All four acts perform with a special guest of their choice with the top three acts being voted through on public vote only to a second performance on the night. After a second count of public vote only, one act will be crowned The Voice of Ireland.
Happy Valley, Thursday, RTÉ One
Here's the sixth and final episode of this superb drama starring Sarah Lancashire as a strong-willed police sergeant Catherine Cawood. Catherine's fears grow when she learns that Tommy has been spending time with her grandson Ryan.
Skint, Monday, Channel 4
Si and Nicola have a tent they pitch in the hills above Merthyr and they skip-dive for food. It's a tough life, but when the sun's shining there's skinny-dipping and wild horses to chase, and for free entertainment nothing beats the Prince of Wales' official visit to Merthyr.
Living the Wildlife, Tuesday, RTÉ One
Colin Stafford-Johnson signs off by showing how filming a range of animals in close-up requires an array of techniques and technologies.
Vera, Sunday, UTV Ireland
A web of lies follows the death of a dock worker, as Brenda Blethyn's DCI Vera examines his last moves and discovers some cryptic home truths.
Inside Harley Street, Monday, BBC Two
This third and final episode of Inside Harley Street introduces practitioners who offer complementary and alternative therapies.
Drama of the week
The Game, Thursday, BBC Two
Tom Hughes and Brian Cox head the cast in this Cold War thriller. In London, 1972, a defecting KGB officer reveals the existence of a devastating Soviet plot by the name of Operation Glass, so the charismatic head of MI5 assembles a secret committee to help protect Britain. As the Soviets awaken sleeper agents to carry out the plot, the new team are faced with an unidentified and invisible threat.
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Comedy of the week
Silicon Valley, Monday, Sky Atlantic
Until Veep returns, this is the finest comedy on TV. In the wake of Hooli’s bombshell, Richard and the guys struggle to find a backer for their Pied Piper app as they're swamped with legal and financial woes. Elsewhere, Monica attempts to balance her interest in Pied Piper with her day job, while a cash-strapped Dinesh tries to put an end to the Kickstarter campaign for his cousin’s new app, Bro. But with Pied Piper on the verge of going under, Richard gets a surprising offer.
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On Demand
Broadchurch, from Friday, Sky on Demand
If you've been unfortunate enough to have missed both seasons of this gloomy drama, here's your chance to catch up. Olivia Colman and David Tennant are outstanding and – just as a pointer – season one wasn't as good as the hype declared, while season two deserved much better than the thrashing it received. Both are well worth the effort.
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Documentary of the week
Discovering: James Stewart, Wednesday, Sky Arts 1
A fascinating profile of actor Jimmy Stewart, who made his film debut in The Murder Man in 1935 with Spencer Tracy before going on to star in two Frank Capra films that proved pivotal in his career. The first was Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939), which brought him his first Oscar nomination, and the second was It's A Wonderful Life (1946), which has become a Christmas classic. Sandwiched between them was The Philadelphia Story (1941), a smart and frantic romantic comedy in which Stewart gave an Oscar-winning performance.
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Film of the Week
Thelma & Louise, Thursday, Sky Movies Drama
One of the great films of the 1990s, this American buddy drama from 1991 was written by Callie Khouri and directed by Ridley Scott. It stars Geena Davis as Thelma and Susan Sarandon as Louise, two friends who take off on a road trip, with disastrous consequences. It also stars Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen and Brad Pitt, who was making his major motion picture debut. Great fun.
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