LOCKDOWN TV

BINGE WATCH BINGE WATCH

Catch up on these great series before the emergence from lockdown means sitting at home watching TV all day is no longer an option

Your Honor

One series, Now TV / Amazon

Having wowed as Walter White in Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston went on to forge a steady career in films, but he makes a welcome return to the small screen in this drama about a prominent New Orleans judge whose son accidentally causes the death of another teenager. Tied to the law, he urges his son to report it to the police, until he discovers the dead boy is the son of a local Mafia boss, and instead uses his legal knowledge to try to cover up all of the evidence. Easier said than done, obviously, and as with Breaking Bad, watching becomes more and more tense the deeper Cranston gets himself into a mess that may or may not turn out so well in the end.

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

One series, Disney Plus

Many Marvel Universe fans may have found the excellent WandaVision just a bit too weird, but this six-part series brings a welcome return to the thrill-a-minute escapades of the Avengers. Half the population of Earth was removed from existence by arch-villain Thanos in Avengers Infinity War, but his defeat meant these people have returned, and now millions have been displaced and face life in refugee camps across the globe. With this backdrop, Falcon, the best ally of the now-departed Captain America, takes centre stage to tackle a new threat from a group determined to create a world without borders, but who use extraordinary and dangerous powers to do so. Aided by the Winter Soldier, who has backstory troubles of his own, this series supplies the fights and explosions of any good superhero movie, but it is also underlined with a thought-provoking theme of what it’s like to stand for and represent a country that doesn’t represent or support your identity. Watch this series to see Marvel grow up.

FRANK OF IRELAND One series, All4

You can tell that the Gleeson Brothers Domhnall and Brian enjoyed making this very watchable sitcom about selfish but ultimately harmless idiot Frank (Brian) and his even stupider best friend Doofus (Domhnall). Set in Malahide and with all the recognisable landmarks in place, it’s a darkly funny series in which aspiring musician Frank tries his best to get through life while making everything worse for everybody else – his mother who he lives with, his loyal best friend, and his long-suffering ex-girlfriend (played by Sarah Greene). While it’s not the most sophisticated programme on TV, it is crude and silly enough to bring out the laughs, and the guest stars (Brendan Gleeson, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Pom Boyd and Pat Shortt) look to be enjoying it just as much as its creators. If you want childish humour with adult language, look no further.

ER 15 series, All4

For a bit of 90s nostalgia, this long-running medical drama that brought gritty and uncompromising scenes of surgery gore and emergency room mayhem to your living room is hard to beat. With 331 episodes spanning 15 series, it’s a commitment, but an enjoyable one. Though it tails off after leading man George Clooney (Dr Ross) and then best character Dr Green (played by Anthony Edwards) left, it still packed a punch until it finally wound down when viewer ratings dropped. The best bit about watching from start to end is to note just how many well-known faces cut their teeth in the ER, including Zac Efron, Eva Mendes, Chris Pine, Shia LaBeouf, Lucy Liu, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain… the list goes on. Not nearly as sentimental as Grey’s Anatomy, and far more entertaining than House, it’s well worth going back to.

THE KILLING 3 series, Amazon / Netflix

Much imitated but rarely bettered, this work of Scandi noir brought the crime drama genre in new directions and set the tone for unconventional and troubled female detectives struggling to find their way to the bottom of increasingly murky cases. Sofie Grabol excels as the Faroese woollen jumper-wearing Sarah Lund who is led down several wrong turns to unearth many a red herring, making many mistakes on the way to finding the truth. With each series tackling a crime (the series is called ‘The Crime’ in its native Denmark) on a long, drawn out day to day basis, it expands to bring in the anguish of victims’ families and political repercussions to make this much richer than your average thriller. If you don’t fancy the subtitles, there’s a US remake, but it’s not half as good, so if you have never seen it, now’s the time.

Mare of Easttown

One series, Now TV / Amazon

Critics have been raving about Kate Winslet in this gritty crime thriller set in a small suburban town in Philadelphia, and rightly so. She puts in the performance of a lifetime as Mare Sheehan, a former high school hero and now homicide detective struggling to solve two high-profile cases and the many issues and tragedies in her own personal life that is threatening to spiral out of control. Flawed heroines are commonplace in detective dramas, but Mare takes it several steps further with questionable and sometimes ruthless actions in this atmospheric and uncompromising series.

Taskmaster

11 series, All4

Now in its 11th series and still going strong, the comedy challenge series cooked up by musician Alex Horne and co-hosted by him and Greg Davies is incredibly easy and enjoyable viewing. With a different cast of mostly comedians and the occasional celebrity facing the sometimesridiculous challenges that test physical and mental agility every series, the energy and enthusiasm is always kept fresh, with former teacher Davies’ withering assessments the highlight of each round. The two series featuring Bob Mortimer are best, but it is worth watching from the start to see how this good idea turned into a great show.

Black Books

3 series All4 / Netflix

Another series well worth going back a couple of decades for is this well-written BAFTA-winning comedy from Dylan Moran and Arthur Matthews. Featuring Moran as a bookshop owner who despises people, Bill Bailey as his hapless assistant, and Tamsin Greig as the owner of the shop next door, the sitcom set-up is played out very well with enough laughs to keep you going and a touch of the surreal thrown in. It’s probably the best thing any of these people have been in, so if you haven’t seen it before, or even if you have, it is light and entertaining enough to view all three series over the course of a weekend.