Over at MSN today: I've reviewed ITV1's expensive new period drama MR SELFRIDGE, starring Entourage's Jeremy Piven as the eponymous US retail magnate; and Sky1's season 4 premiere of GLEE entitled "The New Rachel".
The BBC weren't pleased when their remake of Upstairs, Downstairs was outshone by ITV's Downton Abbey a few years ago, so they got revenge by forcing ITV to delay Mr Selfridge in the wake of their outwardly similar period drama The Paradise. Or that's the popular theory. I'm not sure it worked, because The Paradise was only a moderate hit and didn't capture the public's imagination; whereas Mr Selfridge feels like it has a better chance to soar because of the channel's association with Downton and perfect Sunday night scheduling.
Continue reading "Mr Selfridge" at MSN TV...
I liked Glee when it began, but it's weakened over time, so I came to season 4's premiere with low expectations. "The New Rachel" was better than anticipated, given the challenges of replacing old characters while maintaining a separate storyline in New York. Nevertheless, it's easy to imagine it falling back into a rut once the juice of new characters has been squeezed a few times.
Continue reading "Glee" at MSN TV...
