Catching up on... BANSHEE, season three

It's not often that I binge thirty hours of scripted television in less than a few weeks, but I gorged myself on three seasons of Cinemax's Banshee ahead of 2016's fourth and final run. It will feel very strange to watch this show with seven days between episodes, that's for sure. I'd been led to believe from a few friends that it was a case of third time's the charm with this latest season, and I'm in full agreement. It often felt like someone else had taken over running the show, using the potential of the concept and its actors to craft a better version of itself. It's too late to try and make this show more "realistic" (if Breaking Bad is Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull, Banshee is Jean-Claude Van Damme in Kickboxer), so it instead just had a lot of fun with its ludicrousness and sometimes transcended its scabrous nature.

Catching up on... BANSHEE, season two

After last weekend's binge of Banshee's first season, it seems only fair to report on the following weekend's binge of the second. Most TV shows have better sophomore years, because the writers know what worked and the best showrunners fix things based on constructive criticism. You also have something tangible that you've made, so it's simply easier to develop an existing world and write material that plays to various actor's strengths. However, some shows struggle in year two because they've exhausted their core concept and it can be difficult to retool things for a longer haul now it's successful. Banshee season 2 was, on the whole, an improvement on the first year—although I wasn't in favour of some of its key storytelling choices, and it often lacked the addictive viciousness of season 1.

Catching up on... BANSHEE, season one

I almost pine for the days when American television effectively shut up shop over summer, because it at least gave you a chance to catchup with the good TV you missed from across the pond. Nowadays there are dozens of great shows airing all year round, many during the only slightly quieter summer, so it's a real struggle to find time to watch everything. Or even 50% of the best stuff. Still, the last few weeks of of August is the closest thing to a TV drought we still have, so it's the only time I can consider watching any overlooked recommendations. And this past weekend, that's been Cinemax's Banshee.

Review: Cinemax's THE KNICK, 1.1 & 1.2 - 'Method and Madness' & 'Mr. Paris Shoes'

There have been many turn-of-the-century dramas recently, with some likewise focused on medical professions, but Cinemax's THE KNICK is far and away the best. Set in the New York City of 1900, this period piece concerns Dr John W. Thackery (Clive Owen); a cocaine-addicted physician at the Knickerbocker Hospital ("the Knick"), who becomes chief surgeon after the suicide of his esteemed mentor (Matt Frewer).

MSN TV reviews: Sky Atlantic's BANSHEE, ITV's THE JOB LOT and VICIOUS

Over at MSN TV today: it's a triple-bill of reviews, starting with Sky Atlantic's US import BANSHEE about a jewel thief posing as a small-town's sheriff; continuing with ITV's new sitcom VICIOUS about an ageing gay couple played by Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi; and concluding with ITV's other new sitcom THE JOB LOT, about the employees of a city job centre...

Banshee is executive-produced by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, True Blood) and airs on male-skewing Cinemax in the US, which sets up all kinds of contradictory expectations. Cinemax's existing hit Strike Back (a co-production with Sky, who originated the franchise) is arguably the best action series on-air, so I was interested to see what the channel could do with something with more substance and levels.

Continue reading 'Banshee' at MSN TV... (You can also listen to my audioboo.)

Vicious has already been given the accolade of a Christmas special by ITV, so expectations were perhaps unreasonably high. ITV isn't revered for its sitcoms (which have been stuck in the doldrums for the past few decades), so perhaps they just got overexcited by the fact Vicious isn't deplorable.

Continue reading 'Vicious' at MSN TV...

Airing immediately after 1970s-style sitcom Vicious on Monday evenings, I was amused to find The Job Lot's theme tune also evoking memories of that bygone era; Bring Me Sunshine will forever be synonymous with Morecambe & Wise. Similarly to Vicious, The Job Lot feels outmoded and creatively predictable, but my guess is ITV are trying to woo an older audience who don't have much time for modern sensibilities.

Continue reading 'The Job Lot' at MSN TV...

Filming begins on BBC/Cinemax co-production NEMESIS with Melissa George

Kudos (Life On Mars, Spooks) and Big Light Productions are teaming up for a new eight-part thriller called Nemesis, starring Melissa George as a spy who survives an assassination attempt by her own team and goes on the run.

The series—originally known as Morton and set to star Gillian Anderson until a scheduling conflict—has been written by Frank Spotnitz (The X Files, Strike Back) for BBC1 and HBO's Cinemax, echoing the arrangement Sky had with Strike Back.

Frank Spotnitz, writer:

"I'm incredibly excited about the ambition of this series. It's got action on a cinematic scale, huge story twists and turns, and intriguing characters who are both emotionally and morally complex."

Ben Stephenson, BBC Drama Commissioning Controller:

"Melissa George is a fantastic choice to play BBC1's new leading lady known as Sam, a complex and mysterious Bourne-style female spy unlike anyone we've seen on TV before."

Nemesis also stars Adam Rayner (Mistresses), Stephen Dillane (Game Of Thrones), Morven Christie (The Sinking Of The Laconia), Patrick Malahide (Game Of Thrones), Stephen Campbell Moore (Ashes To Ashes), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Lost), Lex Shrapnel (Captain America), Uriel Emil (Criminal Justice), and Oscar Kennedy (Toast).

Filming will take place on location in London, Scotland and Morocco.

Nemesis definitely has my full attention, given Kudos' success with Spooks and the example set by Strike Back when it comes to modern Anglo-American co-productions. It remains to be seen if Spotnitz will have to include as much nudity as Strike Back featured, in order to appeal to Cinemax's young male demographic, but perhaps the BBC's influence will dissuade that "boobs and blood" concession. Or the BBC will transmit a more sanitized edit.

I also find it very interesting that Spotnitz has chosen to work in British TV, even moving his family to London. Was he struggling to find work in the US, or did he just prefer the freedoms you get here? Here's great audio of Spotnitz talking about the pro's and con's of the US and UK systems, speaking as someone who's worked in both countries.

I'm also really excited by the beautiful Melissa George taking the lead, as she's a really great actress who deserves a headlining role. She may also draw fans of Alias to this show, which can't hurt.

Nemesis is scheduled for transmission sometime next year on BBC1/Cinemax.

STRIKE BACK renewed for third series

The Sky/Cinemax action-drama Strike Back has been renewed for a third series, to air in the second-half of 2012. The hit show (which originated in the UK as a six-part series in 2010, based on the novel by ex-SAS soldier Chris Ryan), has been attracting around a million viewers on both sides of the Atlantic. Perhaps unexpectedly, it's also received its fair share of critical praise for the quality of its production and sheer entertainment-value.

Series 3 will again be comprised of 10 episodes, filmed in South Africa and produced by Left Bank Pictures. It's also been confirmed that directors Bill Eagles and Paul Wilmhurst, together with writer Tony Saint, will be returning.

Anne Mensah, Sky's Head of Drama:

"Strike Back has proved to be an incredibly successful brand for Sky1 HD, and our collaboration with HBO/Cinemax made the scale and ambition of the second season even more exciting. The third season is shaping up to be even stronger. We want it to be the most high-octane, action packed drama on British Television."

Andy Harries, executive producer, Left Bank Pictures:

"We couldn’t be more excited to be sending our Strike Back operatives back out into the field for round three. The co-production with Sky and HBO/Cinemax has brought an outstanding scale to Strike Back which is rarely attempted on British television. It's an honour to be partnering with them again for the third series."

Kary Antholis, President of HBO Miniseries:

"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Left Bank and Sky on Strike Back. It has been an enormous success for us, as Cinemax's first primetime series, it has immediately established the network as a destination for cinematic high-octane entertainment. The next season promises much more action, suspense and compelling drama."

STRIKE BACK continues Fridays on Cinemax and Sundays on Sky1.