John Byrne's essential telly for the coming week includes the return of Red Rock, The Jonathan Ross Show, American Horror Story and Later . . . with Jools Holland.
Saturday September 10
The Jonathan Ross Show, UTV Ireland 10.15pm
Wossy is back on the box and he's got a pretty impressive line-up for his first show of the new season.
Promoting Bridget Jones's Baby are cast members Renée Zellweger and former Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey. Also on the sofa is John Malkovich, Irish actress and comedian Aisling Bea, some British Olympians and the music act is Tom Odell.
Here's the best of last season:
9/11: The Falling Man, More4 9pm
September 11, 2001 was a day that forever changed America. It was a day of many stories, but one simply disappeared: the story of the people who began to fall just minutes after the first plane hit.
One photograph stood for them all. Anyone who saw it never forgot it. It is one of the most unforgettable images from 9/11: a photograph of a falling man, frozen in mid-air, perfectly parallel with the lines of the World Trade Centre.
This documentary - repeated on the 15th anniversary of the hijacked plane attacks on the USA - goes behind that photograph to investigate the people who became known as the jumpers.
Monday September 12
Cold Feet, UTV Ireland, 9pm
Last week's opener was a fine reintroduction to the gang, but can the standard be maintained? Here goes.
As Pete (John Thomson) chauffeurs the ‘happy’ couple away from the wedding venue Adam (James Nesbitt) reveals that he’s changed his mind about starting a future together in Singapore. His son Matthew (Cel Spellman) needs him in Manchester.
The Giffords money worries have taken a toll on their marriage and sex life. In an attempt to lift Pete’s (John Thomson) spirits, Jen (Fay Ripley) reminds him of the bedroom fantasies they used to act out when they were younger, but it’s going to take more than a French maid’s costume to snap Pete out of this one.
Red Rock, TV3 9.30pm
Previously - and incorrectly IMHO - branded as a soap, Red Rock returns in a new, one-hour format more suited to its Bill-like police procedural set-up.
Anyway, the second season begins with Brian’s killer getting arrested and being brought into custody. With the evidence piled high Nikki and Rory are more confident than ever that they have their murderer.
A determined Nikki won’t back down until she has a confession and Brian’s killer is behind bars - but will Nikki crack under mounting pressure as she faces harsh criticism from Superintendent Dunne?
Tuesday September 13
Later Live . . . with Jools Holland, BBC Two, 10pm
Nashville's Kings of Leon return to Jools with their first album in three years, Walls, which apparently finds them re-energised.
Other guests include Jack White, who will make his solo acoustic debut, re-interpreting songs from his back catalogue; former Police front man Sting is in to promote his first straight-ahead rock 'n' roll album in many years; LA's Banks, and Antibes-grown LA based Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez's band M83.
Wednesday September 14
Lost Sitcoms: Steptoe and Son, BBC Four, 9pm
Another of Galton and Simpson's iconic shows gets a going-over as Jeff Rawle (Drop the Dead Donkey) and Ed Coleman (Pride) re-create one of the most successful double acts in the history of British television playing Albert Steptoe and his son, Harold respectively.
The episode, A Winter’s Tale, sees Harold desperate to go on a skiing holiday but he doesn’t want Albert there, under any circumstances.
Thursday September 15
Europa League: AZ Alkmaar v Dundalk, eir Sport 1, 8pm
Only the second Irish club to qualify for the group stages of the competition, Dundalk begin their Group D adventure in Holland, where Stephen Kenny's side face AZ Alkmaar, who are coached by Dutch legend Louis van Gaal. Kick-off is at 6pm.
Friday September 16
American Horror Story, Fox, 10pm
We're up to season six of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's often superb, self-contained series. But there's little information out there about it and the first episode only airs in the US on Wednesday and they've decided to keep things under wraps.
Series regulars Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Cathy Bates and Lily Rabe all return. Beyond that, things get a bit sketchy and only a series of teasers have provided any clue as to what lies ahead.
This season's theme will revolve around children, and according to Murphy it will be "more rogue" and "dark", in contrast to the previous season, Hotel, which featured Lady Gaga.
Aquarius, Sky Atlantic, 9pm
David Duchovny returns as Sam Hodiak in this frankly dull 1960s Los Angeles-based cop drama following the LAPD officer’s ongoing struggle against Charles Manson and his growing cult. This new second season will also be available to view all at once as it lands on Sky Box Sets this week.
The story resumes as Hodiak is put to work on a new case when he begins receiving packages containing images of missing girls, while Chairman goes undercover to bust a drug case.
Hooten and the Lady, Sky 1, 9pm
This new action adventure drama for the whole family looks like being great fun, like Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone. It follows the nail-biting escapades of maverick adventurer Hooten (Michael Landes), who teams up with fearless historical expert Lady Alex Lindo- Parker (Ophelia Lovibond) to travel the globe in search of hidden treasures.
In the opening episode, British Museum curator Lady Alex jets off to the Amazon in search of Victorian explorer Percy Fawcett’s lost camp, and gets thrown together with the silver-tongued Hooten.
Box Set of the week
Code Black, Sky Box Sets from Thursday
This heart-pounding medical drama is quite a contrast to the long-running Grey's Anatomy and is all the better for it, as it's more about hospital work than staff romance.
Code Black takes place in an overcrowded and understaffed emergency room in Los Angeles, where the staggering influx of patients regularly outweighs the limited resources available to the hardworking and brilliant medical team led by Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden.
Film of the Week
The Producers, Sunday, Film 4, 11am
Gene Wilder. Zero Mostel. Springtime for Hitler. Roger Debris. The blue blanket. 'Go to work.'
If you haven't seen The Producers, please close that yawning gap in your life asap. It's a superb introduction to the zany mind of the amazing Mel Brooks, who wrote and directed this hilarious comedy about an unscrupulous Broadway producer (Mostel) who teams up with an accountant (Wilder) to make a fortune out of a flop show. Truly magnificent.
