John Byrne’s TV choices for the week ahead (Dates covered: Saturday Jul 4-Friday Jul 10)
New and returning shows over the coming days include The Americans, The Last Ship and new drama Crossing Lines, while it's cheerio to the likes of Exiles, Episodes, The Affair and Penny Dreadful.
Pick of the week
The Americans, Monday, RTÉ2
Very few dramas come with as much tension and paranoia as this compulsive period piece set in the 1980s, during the height of the cold war between the USA and the USSR.
Although it's ostensibly a gritty spy story about a couple of KGB agents living undercover in the US, it's really an exploration of a very unusual marriage. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys play Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two covert ops who live what seems an ordinary family life in the suburbs, but in reality they are two ruthless spies whose own children are unaware of their deadly double lives.
As season three opens, tensions simmer between Philip and Elizabeth when they disagree over handling orders from the Centre. When Elizabeth loses some key intel, Philip sends a female informant on a dangerous mission. Meanwhile, FBI counter-intelligence agent Stan Beeman tries a new approach in an attempt at mending his marriage while learning tough news about Nina, his former Soviet Embassy lover.
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Star of the week
Donal Skehan
Kitchen Hero: Donal's Irish Feast, Tuesday, RTÉ One
It's been a bit of a week or so for the young Irish celebrity chef, as Donal Skehan tied the knot with his Swedish girlfriend, Sofie Larsson, and headed off to a honeymoon in Ravello on Italy's Amalfi Coast.
In TV Land, the latest run of Skehan's Kitchen Hero comes to a close as he heads for Cork and meets Declan Ryan of Arbutus Bread. Ryan was the first chef to be awarded a Michelin Star in Ireland. Then, in Kanturk, Skehan checks out McCarthy’s Black Pudding, the company that won a gold medal from The Brotherhood of the Knights of the Black Pudding in 2013 for ‘International Creativity’.
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Starting this week
Crossing Lines, Tuesday, Alibi
This is an English, French and German language drama co-created by Edward Allen Bernero, whose CV includes exec-producing Criminal Minds and creating Third Watch. Here, a former New York Police Department officer's life has fallen apart after he was injured on the job and he's recruited to join the fictional International Criminal Court's special crime unit in The Hague. The unit includes an anti-organised crime covert specialist from Italy, a technical specialist from Germany, a crimes analyst from France, and a weapons specialist and tactical expert from Northern Ireland. The cast includes Donald Sutherland and Red Rock actor Tommy McConnell. Expect shooting guns and big explosions from the start.
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The Last Ship, Sunday, Sky 1
Michael Bay's gung-ho, post-apocalyptic drama returns for a second run. As Captain Tom Chandler (former Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane) and the crew attempt to distribute the cure to the virus that wiped out 80% of the world’s population, they face a group of naturally-immune megalomaniacs who want to stop them.
The Big C, RTÉ2, Tuesday
Laura Linney is back for a four-episode fourth season to bring this patchy but enjoyable black comedy to a close. Five months after nearly dying in Puerto Rico, Cathy (Linney) is at home in Minneapolis recovering from brain surgery and looking forward to celebrating son Adam's 16th birthday.
UnREAL, Tuesday, Lifetime
A behind-the-scenes look at the chaos surrounding the production of a dating competition programme, this dark comedy/drama stars Shiri Appleby as a young reality television producer pushed by her unscrupulous boss to do anything it takes to drum up salacious show content.
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Married at First Sight, Thursday, Channel 4
Some people will do anything to get on TV. Chosen from an initial pool of over 1500 applicants, individuals seeking long-term love are assessed by a panel of experts. Once matched, three highly-compatible couples prepare to enter into a legally-binding marriage with a complete stranger - meeting for the very first time at their own wedding.
King for a Term, Thursday, Sky Arts
Written and directed by Idris Elba, this drama was inspired by the actor’s own school days in Hackney, and tells the story of an asthmatic boy who is suddenly and unexpectedly moved to a school with kids who have learning difficulties.
Unforgettable, Friday, Sky Living
Poppy Montgomery returns as Carrie, the NYPD detective with the super memory, for a third season of procedural crime-solving with her partner and ex-boyfriend Al (Dylan Walsh). First up, they become embroiled in a Secret Service investigation into a counterfeiting ring.
Ending this Week
Episodes, Monday, BBC 2
Matt LeBlanc and company wrap up the fourth season of this surprisingly limp Hollywood satire. As the shoot day for The Box arrives, Matt unenthusiastically takes on the role of game show host as tensions remain high between him and the show's producer.
Here's a taster:
Penny Dreadful, Tuesday, Sky Atlantic
Season two of the horror drama concludes as Vanessa aims to defeat the Demon, Ethan leaves a tragic trail of blood in his wake, while Sir Malcolm and Frankenstein confront ghosts from their past.
The Affair, Wednesday, Sky Atlantic
The first season of this multi-perspective drama comes to a close as Dominic West's Noah tries to get on with his single life, but then finds himself back in Montauk.
Exiles, Thursday, RTÉ2
In the final episode of the reality show about six Irish emigrants in Canada, Jade exhibits her work and George feels the strain before show time at the theatre.
Gallipoli, Thursday, RTÉ One
The WWI drama ends as Tolly volunteers to stay behind and man the trenches as the British commanders begin evacuating soldiers from Gallipoli.
Drama of the week
A Song for Jenny, Sunday, BBC One
Ten years after the terrorist attack, this factual drama explores one woman's response to her daughter's murder in the July 7th London bombings. Starring Emily Watson (The Book Thief, Appropriate Adult) as Julie Nicholson, A Song For Jenny was written by Donegal playwright Frank McGuinness (A Short Stay In Switzerland, Talk Of Angels and Dancing At Lughnasa), and directed by Brian Percival (The Book Thief, Downton Abbey, North And South).
Given the quality of the talent on board here, it would be a surprise if this isn't a riveting piece of television.
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Comedy of the week
Doll & Em, Wednesday, Sky Atlantic
It's been a pretty decent second season for this mockumentary about (and written by) best friends Emily Mortimer and Dolly Wells. As this sixth episode wraps up the sophomore run, it's an exciting time for the girls as the opening night of their off-Broadway play arrives.
But behind the scenes, tensions are running high as the play's stars - Olivia Wilde and Evan Rachel Wood playing fictional versions of themselves – finally crack. Fed up with constant script changes, they decide to abandon the production just moments before curtain-up.
With a full house waiting on the other side of the curtain, Emily and Dolly have little choice but to take to the stage and perform their play.
Here are Olivia Wilde & Evan Rachel Wood rehearsing the play:
On Demand
Sons of Anarchy, from Thursday, Sky Atlantic
This gritty biker drama has been on RTÉ2 for years but if you missed out or fancy watching again from the start, here's the place to do it, as the first three seasons of Kurt Sutter’s award-winning show will be available on demand from July 9.
A great cast features Charlie Hunnam as Jax Teller, a member of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club, led by Ron Perlman's Clay Morrow, who co-founded the club with Teller's late father. Former Married . . . with Children and Futurama star Katey Segal is outstanding as Teller's mother and biker gang matriarch, Gemma Teller Morrow. She's also married to show-runner Sutter.
Even better news for fans is that seasons 4-7 will be available on Sky Demand later in the month.
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Documentary of the week
Stop at Nothing, Monday, RTÉ One
Professional cycling has long been a tarnished sport thanks to several drug scandals, and this was the biggest of them all. This documentary film is about the man behind the greatest fraud in recent sporting history - someone who stopped at nothing in his pursuit of money, fame and success.
It explores how Lance Armstrong charmed the world with his story of a miraculous recovery from cancer to become an icon for millions but ultimately became a sporting and social pariah.
Director Alex Holmes tracks down some of Armstrong's former friends and team members who reveal how his cheating was the centre of a grand conspiracy in which he and his backers set about him winning the Tour de France by any means, fair or foul.
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Film of the Week
To Rome with Love, Wednesday, RTÉ One
Okay, it's not nearly as good as his previous film Midnight in Paris, but there's plenty to enjoy in Woody Allen's homage to the Eternal City. As ever, Rome itself is extremely seductive, and although not all four tales really work, the cast is pretty good – and includes Allen as a retired opera director who discovers a great singer who can only perform in the shower.
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