Catch Up: Top TV to watch this April
When a nasty dictator praises your TV show, could it be time for a rethink? In her monthly round-up, Claire Sawers considers this and other questions, such as: who is the queen of sequined maneaters and can the small screen do a decent stab at horror?
.jpg)
With the dubious claim to fame of Trump immediately reposting a clip from the brand new Saturday Night Live UK (Now) on his Truth (sic) Social platform, roasting Keir Starmer for his stance on the Iran war, this British remake of the iconic US sketch show has finally arrived. Unwanted fans aside, like the original it’s a patchy mix, including both cringe and funny online-shareable moments. Several promising highs are hit, particularly by showcasing early career comedians rather than mainstream telly faces. Great to see Edinburgh’s Ayo Adenekan among the writers, while Jack Shep’s coy Lady Di impression, Paddy Young’s suggestive eyebrows and George Fouracres’ song about Irish grandads keeps the opening salvo fresh and surreal.
Biting Starmer satire, a cute Michael Cera gag and a pre-recorded ‘Undérage’ face cream ad get big laughs, but material aimed squarely at crossing over to US audiences (a rubbish Paddington skit, a dig at Larry Dean’s beautiful Scottish accent, a Shakespeare parody) doesn’t always land. This urge to please both sides of the Atlantic dilutes the appeal; hopefully later episodes will lean harder into strange, dark, sharp British humour. And, pretty please, can we see more Chris Cantrill?
Patricia Cornwell’s bestselling serial killer fiction franchise (29 novels and counting) gets a TV adaptation with Nicole Kidman as brilliant chief medical examiner Dr Kay Scarpetta. A power struggle between genres, Scarpetta (Prime Video) is part forensic crime whodunnit and part dysfunctional Italian family drama with feminist themes. There are excellent acting turns, particularly from the ever-likeable Bobby Cannavale as Pete Marino, the chippy brother-in-law who doubles as Scarpetta’s insightful work partner (cute sidenote: Cannavale’s son Jacob plays the young Pete).
Jamie Lee Curtis takes on the bumped-up role of Scarpetta’s sister Dorothy, a background character in the books but live-in comedy antagonist here (Lee Curtis appears to be having immense fun in the sequined maneater role). Is the plot far-fetched? Depends how you feel about the story of a space programme, an AI avatar dead wife, bio-synthetic organs, and spies, but the dual timelines work well in showing how Scarpetta’s neuroses develop.
In a deeply creepy pastiche of horror classics, with nods to The Shining and The Blair Witch Project, the creators of Stranger Things present Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen (Netflix). The first episodes are drenched in stylish dread, featuring many jump scares and dramatic stings as we meet Nicky and Rachel, a couple driving through snowy woods to their wedding. Among the Lynchian strangeness, the plot plays with supernatural ideas of bad omens and generational curses, wrapping them around everyday themes of marriage, soulmates and in-law tensions. Camila Morrone is radiantly dark as the loved-up, emotionally open yet angst-ridden bride-to-be, smoking pot as a coping mechanism for dealing with her stunningly odd new family. Jennifer Jason Leigh is the chilling matriarch, determined to ambush her son’s big day with her own agenda.
The excellent albeit harrowing documentary Dunblane: How Britain Banned Handguns (BBC iPlayer) follows the aftermath of the 1996 massacre of 16 pupils and one teacher at Dunblane Primary School, when the Snowdrop campaign petitioned for the ban of handguns in the UK and won. Some of the town’s residents, including injured PE teacher Eileen Harrild and parents Kenny and Pam Ross, threw themselves into the limelight and in front of politicians, indignantly asking for change. Revisiting their campaign 30 years later (after more than a thousand American school shootings have taken place), it’s reassuring to witness their steadfast refusal to accept the status quo. The gun lobby fought hard, with strong Conservative opposition to Snowdrop’s efforts, but a bipartisan approach from politicians (significantly, in the run up to 1997’s general election) brought lasting change. Stubborn determination, fueled by grief and outrage, is the focus of Liz Mermin’s powerful and poignant hour-long film.
Sawers also saw…
Is Mise Loretta (I Am Loretta) on BBC iPlayer: ‘Gaelic documentary on a black trans woman’s warm welcome in São Paulo’; Imperfect Women on Apple TV: ‘Gossipy, tangled murder mystery about four female friends’; Inside The Rage Machine on BBC iPlayer: ‘Troubling documentary about online divide-and-conquer algorithms’.