John Byrne’s TV choices for the week ahead (Dates covered: Saturday May 30-Friday Jun 05)
Newcomers include the Anna Friel-starring American Odyssey, Fright Club and A Sporting Chance, while it's goodbye to Scandal, Britain's Got Talent and The Saturday Night Show.
Pick of the week
American Odyssey, Friday, RTÉ2
Have to say I never fully recovered from seeing the Anna Friel-starring fantasy show Pushing Daisies disappear after just two seasons. The former Brookside star is back in this drama that sounds like another Homeland, and far removed from her last hit TV show.
In North Africa, Sgt Odelle Ballard (Friel) stumbles upon computer files that show a major US corporation is secretly funding terrorists. She is able to download the files, but her unit is attacked before she can tell anyone. While the world is told that her entire team was tragically wiped out by enemy militants, Ballard is the sole survivor and someone who knows the truth: they were attacked by private American military contractors.
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Star of the week
Kerry Washington
Scandal, Thursday, Sky Living
After a series of film supporting roles that included Ray Charles' wife in Ray (2004), Idi Amin's wife Kay in The Last King of Scotland (2006), the love interest of Ben Grimm/The Thing in the Fantastic Four films, and Django's wife in Django Unchained (2012), Kerry Washington finally landed a starring role Scandal, where she plays PR guru/fixer Olivia Pope.
Season four of Shonda Rhimes’ fast-paced and utterly bonkers political thriller concludes with everything coming to a head, as usual. Olivia and the team finally make some big moves to take down Command, and some of them learn that when you dance with the devil you really will get burned. At the White House, meanwhile, Mellie's political fate is sealed when the election results are announced.
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Starting this week
A Sporting Chance, Wednesday, RTÉ2
This three-parter is set in Limerick and tells the story of a group of educationally-disadvantaged folk who are brought together and given an opportunity to change their lives through sport. In this wek's opening episode, former rugby player and Irish Times columnist Liam Toland and former Irish rugby international Rosie Foley challenge a group of early school leavers to form a tag rugby time while undertaking a number of educational and life skill challenges.
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Fright Club, Wednesday, Sky 1
The first rule of Fright Club is: be afraid, be very afraid. This new series helps people with severe phobias confront their fears. Starting with the anti-avian brigade, ten terrified contributors have agreed to take part in an extreme form of exposure therapy.
Strike Back: Legacy, Wednesday, Sky 1
The fifth run of the white-knuckle drama gets under way as Sgt Michael Stonebridge (Philip Winchester), Sgt Damien Scott (Sullivan Stapleton) and Lt Col Philip Locke (Robson Green) sign up for another do-or-die trying adventure.
Whiskey Business, Friday, TV3
Jack and Stephen Teeling have €10 million and 50 staff to invest in a new, independent whiskey still in Dublin. Are they crazy? Here's where you can find out.
The John Bishop Show, Saturday, BBC One
Liverpool comic John Bishop hosts at London's Hackney Empire and introduces some of his favourite comics on the planet. For starters he's got the up-and-coming James Acaster, Australian Felicity Ward, and Trevor Noah, the South African replacing Jon Stewart on the Daily Show.
Man Down, Monday, Channel 4
Comedy with Greg Davis – and now without the late Rik Mayall – as a man trapped in a teaching job he despises.
An Hour to Save Your Life, Tuesday, BBC Two
This documentary series looks at life-or-death decisions facing doctors in the 60 minutes following a traumatic injury, when a patient's life is most in danger.
The Syndicate, Tuesday, BBC One
A new drama from Kay Mellor (Band of Gold, Fat Friends) about the staff at crumbling mansion Hazelwood Manor form a syndicate – and promptly win a pile of money.
The Cube, Wednesday, UTV Ireland
Phillip Schofield returns as a new batch of contestants chance their arms with nine lives and seven tasks, in the hope of landing the big cash prize of £250,000 – which must be worth about €5m these days.
Banshee, Thursday, Sky Atlantic
The voyeuristic sex 'n' violence drama is inexplicably back for a third season.
True Blood, Friday, TG4
It's the final season of this once fun vampire drama. Expect plenty of blood and flesh from the start.
Ending this Week
The Saturday Night Show, Saturday, RTÉ One
Brendan O'Connor presents the final episode of his fifth and last season hosting this hugely popular Show. Fear not, BOC fans, he'll be back in the autumn with a new, week night show. In this finale, guests include Blur bassist Alex James, funny man Oliver Callan, celebrity chef Dylan McGrath, as well as Labour TD John Lyons and his mother Josie. Music comes from The Willis Clan from Nashville Tennessee, and 16-year-old Derry singer-songwriter Soak.
Here's a famous recent interview with George Hook:
Britain's Got Talent, Sunday, TV3 & UTV
It's the final of the ninth run of this show, and as ever Ant and Dec will present. Everything else is up for grabs, if you could be bothered.
Person of Interest, Monday, RTÉ2
The team takes desperate actions in its race to prevent the malevolent AI program Samaritan from coming online and making them its first targets
Red Rock, Wednesday & Thursday, TV3
TV3's latest dip into drama has been quite a good soap-cum-procedural. Regulars can expect a gripping end to this first run, and a tantalising cliff-hanger ahead of season two.
Have I Got News for You, Friday, BBC One
James Acaster pops up again – he's on John Bishop the previous Saturday – but otherwise it's the usual comic look at current affairs from Paul Merton and Ian Hislop.
The Game, Thursday, BBC Two
The spy thriller reaches its conclusion as the team is reeling from the KGB bombing and Alan's confession.
The Speech, Sunday, RTÉ One
Despite being shy and quiet, 26-year-old Jenni Houghton from Drogheda has decided to face one of her biggest fears on one of the biggest days of her life. She’s going to make a speech at her wedding. Helping her is Rory O’Neill, aka Panti Bliss.
Criminal Minds, Monday, Sky Living
This show has a tradition of sensational season endings, and this shouldn't be any different. Kate’s niece Meg is kidnapped by a gang of traffickers who sell young women to serial killers. Capitalism, eh?
Drama of the week
Elementary, Tuesday, Sky Living
The entertaining third season of the Jonny Lee Miller-starring sleuthing drama ends with another case that’s deeply personal to Holmes and Watson. Sherlock’s recovery sponsor and friend Alfredo is in desperate need of the detective duo’s help. The expert lock picker has seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving Sherlock and Joan worrying whether he has relapsed into drug addiction or is the victim of foul play. Captain Gregson and Detective Bell hand over NYPD resources to help track him down. But can they find him before it's too late?
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Comedy of the week
Doll & Em, Wednesday, Sky Atlantic
Real-life best friends Emily Mortimer and Dolly Wells return for a second run of their bittersweet mockumentary about the joy and pain of female friendship with a Hollywood backdrop. Following the experiences in season one when Hollywood actress Em hired BFF Doll as her PA, the duo's relationship is now back on an even keel as they embark on a writing project together. Bolted away in a lighthouse retreat, they work on a Broadway play in which they'll also star. But on returning to New York, they’re soon dealt a reality check when a meeting with a big-name producer doesn't quite go as planned.
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On Demand
Veep, Sky Atlantic, from Thursday
Before season four of Veep arrives on Sky Atlantic in July, you can catch up on the first three as vice president Selina Meyer (played by an Emmy Award-winning Julia Louis-Dreyfus) has her sights set on the top job, POTUS. This is the funniest TV show since Seinfeld, which is quite ironic given that Louis-Dreyfus became a star in that seminal sitcom as Jerry's assertive ex, Elaine Bennis. As she was then, JLD remains - a comic genius. She's in top form here and I want to have her babies.
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Documentary of the week
Dementiaville, Thursday, Channel 4
As people live longer, it's predicted that increasing numbers will be affected by dementia. This complex disease, with no known cure, can destroy recent memories but leave some older ones intact, often causing individuals to retreat into their past. Dementiaville is a three-part series that uses archive footage to illustrate and explore memory. The first episode visits Poppy Lodge, a care home that pioneers a controversial approach to dementia.
Film of the Week
The Social Network, Thursday, RTÉ2
This is a pulsating drama about the founding of Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg impresses as Harvard University student Mark Zuckerberg, who grew up to create a social network giant that's made him a billionaire more than 30 times over. But the real stars here are behind the scenes, as director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin form a stunning combination. This film sums up the Noughties in a nutshell.
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