John Byrne’s TV choices for the week ahead. Dates covered: Saturday September 20 to Friday, September 26.
Pick of the week
Connected, Monday-Thursday, RTÉ 2
This looks deadly, and far removed from the faux-reality shows that have cluttered up TV schedules in recent years. It's a self-shot, observational documentary series shown over four consecutive nights as six women capture their lives in an open and frank manner to time-capsule what life is like for women in Ireland 2014.
Each woman is their own director; they decide what and where to shoot. Thanks to this approach, viewers will get a whole lot more than just a glimpse inside six very different worlds.
The ladies involved are Nicole (20), who's studying law and lives in West Dublin with her boyfriend Noel; busy mother of three Venetia (40) , who juggles domestic duties with work; Elayne (26) aka rapper Temper-Mental Miss Elayneous, who is busy moving into her new home; Kate (35) who lives in Cork and is worried about how to tell her mother that she's a stripper; Alanna (20) from smalltown Ireland who is looking for a new home; Anna (32) from Dublin who is questioning the amount of time and commitment she gives to her job in advertising.
Enlightened, Fridays, Sky Atlantic
Laura Dern's been around a long time, but it's not difficult to argue that her best work has been on Enlightened, which finally gets a second season showing on this side of the Atlantic.
This comedy, created by stars Laura Dern and Mike White, works on a few levels and basically holds a mirror up to modern life. It's not just a show about a New Age, angsty woman who's recovering after a nervous breakdown – it looks at how people allow themselves to be manipulated by their workplace, and how big corporations are basically killing the planet in their rush for profit.
And while Dern won a Golden Globe for her lead performance in season one, this second run has rated even more highly with Stateside critics.
Season one saw Dern’s Amy Jellicoe finding a philosophical new outlook on life following a very public breakdown. Deposed from her executive job with Abbadon Industries, Amy was given a menial new role in the company, which led her to stumble on damaging evidence of corruption.
As the second season gets under way with a double bill of episodes, idealistic Amy decides that her calling is to bring Abbadon to justice and she twists the arm of timid colleague Tyler (writer and co-creator White) to help her cause.
The Graham Norton Show, Fridays, BBC One
Back again for another run, the two things you can be guaranteed of with this show is that the line-up will be stellar and that Graham Norton will put on a great show. Unmissable.
Ireland's Fittest Family, Sundays, RTÉ One
Back for a second run, the opener's coming from Spike Island prison in Cobh, Co. Cork episode one sees the first two of our four qualifying rounds where each coach’s three families compete.
The hugely opinionated TV viewers are back and it's often difficult to believe that these are real people and not actors in character.
Mad Men, Thursdays, RTÉ 2
The final season opens in 1969 as Don Draper visits the West Coast to salvage his marriage to Megan - while secretly feeding copy to Freddy in order to impress Peggy, who is at odds with her new boss, Lou Avery.
The Works, Fridays, RTÉ One
Features include the Tiger Dublin Fringe and Theatre festivals, the launch of a new nationwide poetry campaign, Jack White on his latest album and boxer Andy Lee tells what he’s watching, reading and listening to this weekend.
Rachel Allen: All Things Sweet, Wednesdays, RTÉ One
As the title suggests, the focus of this show is on the sweeter things. For starters: salted caramel crème brûlée, Meringues with pink grapefruit curd and cream and Apricot fool with cardamom shortbread fingers.
Strictly Come Dancing, Fridays, BBC One
The overture's over and now the real show begin with 15 sparkling new celebrities ready to shimmy, sashay, and cha-cha-cha through the weekend.
Our Girl, Sundays, BBC One
Medic Molly Dawes (Lacey Turner) is over the moon when she is sent to Afghanistan on one of the army’s final deployments. But when she arrives she quickly learns that she needs to prove herself to her new platoon.
Ending this week
Chasing Shadows, Thursday, UTV
The four-part drama about a missing persons field unit concludes as Sean homes in on a missing person who fits none of the five most common categories of missing people. The only thing more interesting than a pattern to Detective Sean Stone (Reece Shearsmith), is someone who fits no pattern. Stephen Eli - a lawyer and single father raising a teenage son - went missing without a trace a year ago. Looking into his last known movements, Sean spots a connection with two other deaths: both victims of an imprisoned serial killer, Leonard Vance. Stone believes Stephen Eli is Vance’s third victim.
Reece Shearsmith on 'intense' role in Chasing Shadows:
The Driver, Tuesdays, BBC One
Taxi driver Vince McKee (David Morrissey) finds his life taking an unexpected turn when he accepts an offer to drive for a criminal gang. It's been engineered by his old friend Colin (Ian Hart), who has resurfaced after a six-year stretch in prison. The Driver is the story of an ordinary man who - out of frustration with his job and his life - makes a terrible decision. Ever since their son Tim (Lewis Rainer) cut ties with the family, Vince and his wife Ros (Claudie Blakley) have drifted apart. They blame themselves for his departure and have become accustomed to living separate lives. The offer of becoming a driver for gang leader The Horse (Colm Meaney) at first seems like an exciting proposition to Vince, but as the gang prepares for a major job he soon starts to wish he could have his old life back.
Grey’s Anatomy, from Monday, Sky Living
Tons of awards and hundreds of millions of fans have made this Shonda Rhimes' vehicle a massive, global success. Here you can catch up with all ten previous seasons.
Documentary of the week
Drunk, Tuesday, RTÉ 2
Strictly speaking this is not a documentary, and more a scientific/social experiment. Presented by Eoghan McDermott. Drunk explores what happens when people drink alcohol. In a controlled studio environment volunteers will be invited to drink, and possibly get drunk, in front of the cameras. While under the influence of alcohol, these volunteers will take on a range of specially designed tasks and challenges which will help the programme explore, explain and illustrate the effect of drinking on the body and mind.
The programme will also observe ordinary people drinking in real-life situations where cameras will follow people in a social setting, filming them before, during and after drinking. In the opening episode, the focus is on alcohol as a social lubricant, the effects drinking has on brain function and how that relates to motor skills, reaction time and balance - with some surprising results.
Film of the Week
Inglourious Basterds, Saturday, RTÉ 2
Often hilarious WWII caper from Quentin Tarantino starring Brad Pitt. A group of Jewish US soldiers plan to assassinate Nazi top brass, plans which happily chime with those of a similarly-intentioned French Jewish cinema owner.
