This week's mixed bag include a new US drama starring Téa Leoni, a returning BBC mockumentary, and a couple of chat shows
Reviewed: Madam Secretary (Thursdays, Sky Living); W1A (Thursdays, BBC 2); The Late Late Show (Fridays, RTÉ One); The Graham Norton Show (Fridays, BBC One)
It's been a long time coming, but women are definitely getting better and more interesting roles on TV. Way back when the likes of Lucille Ball, then Mary Tyler Moore, were pioneers. And when Cagney & Lacey came along in the 1980s it was the first time we had two female leads in a drama - Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless as New York City police detectives, one single and career-orientated, while the other was a working mother.
That was more than 30 years ago, but strong roles for women – especially anyone over 40 – have been few and far between since then, but there has been progress. Recently, Glenn Close and Madeleine Stowe chewed the scenery in Damages and Revenge, while Julianna Margulies is the star of mainstream TV's greatest currently-running show, The Good Wife. And, of course, who could forget Helen Mirren as detective Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect, which ran from 1991 to 2006.
The latest strong woman of a certain age to hit the small screen is Téa Leoni, who plays Dr Elizabeth Faulkner McCord, United States Secretary of State, prior CIA analyst and college professor and the eponymous Madam Secretary (Thursday, Sky Living).
Madam Secretary - First Look:
The scene is set in the pilot as McCord teaches history and relaxes with her horses, when an old CIA pal – Keith Carradine as US President Conrad Dalton – turns up at her door, offering her the key job as Secretary of State, as the incumbent has just died in a plane crash.
Swapping her university lecturer-standard elbow-padded tweed jacket for personal stylists, she takes on diplomatic and corruption issues, while still having time for her family, which includes a theology professor husband who quotes Thomas Aquinas. Far-fetched? Certainly. But it's well done, the cast is strong and there's enough going between family and current affairs to appeal to a broad potential fanbase.
Good also to see Tim Daly, formerly Pete Wilder on Private Practice, here as Madam Secretary's other half. Funnily enough, Tim's sister Tyne Daly played Mary Beth Lacey in Cagney & Lacey. Which is where we came in . . .
Satire works best when you can appreciate who or what's been ridiculed. So it's hardly surprising that W1A (Thursday, BBC 2) is quite a niche piece of television, and that it's had almost no exposure on this side of the Irish Sea. It's basically irrelevant if you don't live in London and/or work in the media.
Trailer:
A sequel of sorts to the excellent Twenty Twelve, this mockumentary's in its second season, although - in fairness - the first one was only four parts long. But whereas Twenty Twelve dealt with the goings-on behind the scenes ahead of the recent London Olympics, W1A is even more niche, and alien to an Irish audience, as it deals specifically with the inner workings of the BBC.
Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville), formerly the Head of the Olympic Deliverance Commission in Twenty Twelve, moved on to become Head of Values at the Beeb. His task is to clarify, define, or re-define the core purpose of the BBC across all its functions and to position it confidently for the future. *shudders*
It's pretty topical, as the season two opener dealt with a visit from Prince Charles and issues surrounding Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. But what this show does best is the collective head-melt you get by adding modern management styles, increasingly daft brainstorming gimmicks, and good old bureaucratic obfuscation.
For example, staff played a game of table tennis that involved ideas being lobbed around with a ball for a 'brand mash-up' between the BBC and Wimbledon, while an aspiring TV writer present a new show to the head of BBC Comedy, whose only response is a series of kick-to-touch comments. Imagine: people get paid for doing this kind of stuff all day, every day, without any sense of irony. They must hate themselves. Or at least they ought to. Still, it's funnier when it's nothing to do with your life.
With Shamrock Rovers not playing last Friday night, I decided to spend the night skipping between The Late Late Show on RTÉ One and BBC One's The Graham Norton Show.
And while you're guaranteed a laugh with the latter, the Late Late remains much more of a mixed bag and very Irish as it – almost by definition – can go from the lightest piece of celebrity fluff to something genuinely important or touching; it's like a lucky bag. You never know what you'll get. That's something that makes the show quite unique.
What's also great is when the likes of Gabriel Byrne turns up and he just speaks his mind, as he did last Friday. It was riveting telly, especially when Richard E grant appeared. And while the former was on primarily to talk about hospices and the latter had a perfume to flog, the conversation flowed and it was great fun. These guys clearly get on.
The highlight on Graham Norton was the dynamic between American actor Mark Ruffalo and British comedian Josh Widdicombe, but as ever, this show is truly about Norton's uncanny ability to get the best out of a sofa full of celebs.
This one may have been a bit easier for him as it was Avengers-centric with Ruffalo joined by co-stars Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen, with the latter's bendy thumbs being particularly impressive.
Ok, you had to be there. But that's the point. Watch or miss, but always move on. It's nearly Friday again . . .
John Byrne
