Episodes

  • Dune Prophecy, Nugget is Dead, Bad Sisters S2, Television Event, Countdown50
    Nov 21 2024

    special guest in the TV Gold studio this week as TV Tonight’s David Knox joins the episode.

    Programs we review this week below. What will be the Show of the Week?

    • Dune Prophecy (Binge, 6 episodes) A prequel to the two Dune movies. An ambitious storyline that has a flavour of Games of Thrones about it. The cast features five Australian actors including Travis Fimmel.
    • Nuggett Is Dead (Stan) The latest Christmas movie from the streamer and two very different reviews from Andrew and James.
    • Bad Sisters S2 (Apple TV+) A great cast tries to recapture the magic that was Season 1. And you haven’t seen that, forget Season 2 until you’ve enjoyed those episodes.
    • Television Event (SBS On Demand) A documentary about the 1983 US telemovie The Day After which pulled a huge audience of people worried about the nuclear arms race.
    • Countdown50 (iview) All three commentators this week agree this was a brilliant special. David Knox was in the audience and the TV Gold commentary was unanimous – more please ABC.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    35 mins
  • The Day of the Jackal, The Jury, Matlock, A Remarkable Place to Die, Yellowstone
    Nov 18 2024

    We power through five shows this week – four new series plus the return of Yellowstone.

    • The Day of the Jackal (Binge/Foxtel, 10 episodes) is the big show of the week with a stunning performance in the lead role from Eddie Redmayne.
    • The Jury: Death on the Staircase (SBS ON Demand, 5 episodes) A re-enactment of a real manslaughter case, presented word-for-word with actors taking on the roles of the jury.
    • Matlock (Paramount+/10) Kathy Bates is a lawyer in her 70s who rejoins the work force at a prestigious law firm, where she uses her wily tactics to win cases and expose wrongdoing. One of our critics got the plot twist, the other one…well, not so much!
    • A Remarkable Place to Die (Seven, 4 episodes) Rebecca Gibney features in this, but despite the publicity, she’s not the star. This murder mystery feels a little like Return to Paradise and it stars Chelsea Preston Crayford.
    • Yellowstone (Return of S5, 6 episodes) At last Taylor Sheridan’s biggest hit is back. But without its biggest star. Just how do they tidy up that plotline?

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    32 mins
  • Woman of the Hour, Doctor Odyssey, The Diplomat S2, Lioness S2
    Nov 7 2024

    Andrew and James have seen five new series and a movie between them this week.

    They have both watched just the same two though – the Netflix movie Woman of the Hour and the Disney+ series, Doctor Odyssey.

    Meanwhile, Andrew has also seen Rescue High Surf (Binge) and It's Florida Man (Binge).

    James has returned to the second seasons of two shows he loved the first time around – The Diplomat (Netflix) and Lioness (Paramount+).

    Listen to what they both have to say including their Show of the Week.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    27 mins
  • Territory, Before, Nautilus, So Long Marianne
    Oct 31 2024

    Four new series reviewed this week, three of them featuring Anna Torv!

    • Territory (Netflix) is the series currently sitting at the top of the Netflix chart. Tells the story of a struggle to control the biggest cattle farm in Australia. Great cast and impressive photography.
    • Before (AppleTV+) is a thriller starring Billy Crystal as a child psychiatrist with a patient who has a spooky relationship to the doctor.
    • Nautilus (Stan) was shelved by Disney after they spent a fortune on filming it in Australia. Stan then picked it up. The fantasy tells the story of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
    • So Long, Marianne (SBS On Demand) This Norwegian drama covers the years Leonard Cohen spent on the Greek Island of Hydra. The cast includes Noah Taylor and Anna Torv as Australian writers George Johnston and Charmian Clift.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    26 mins
  • Rivals, Passenger, Four Years Later
    Oct 25 2024

    This week our search for the best dramas on TV looks at three new series:

    • Rivals (Disney+) – The fascinating world of TV starring David Tennant and Aidan Turner in this bonkfest based on a Jilly Cooper novel. Plenty of posh people that can't keep their pant on!
    • Four Years Later (SBS) – The latest drama from the TV hit factory (Easy Tiger). The series charts the lives of an Indian couple who relocate to Australia.
    • Passenger (BritBox) – A British crime drama that investigates unnatural incidents in a close-knit community.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    25 mins
  • Though Shalt Not Steal, The Office, Plum
    Oct 17 2024

    Three Australian TV series this week.

    Though Shall Not Steal (Stan) An amazing road trip across the Northern Territory in the 1980 starring Noah Taylor and Miranda Otto. Yet the series really belongs to the young road trippers Will McDonald and Sherry-Lee Watson.

    The Office (Prime Video) The much-anticipated remake of the format that has proven to be such a hit in first the UK, and then later in the US. Get past the first episode and you might find the laughs come along with some very awkward situations.

    Plum (ABC) It’s got Brendan Cowell and Asher Keddie and has been made by John and Dan Edwards. Also a great supporting cast and a storyline that is very contemporary.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    25 mins
  • Disclaimer, Last Days of the Space Age, Teacup
    Oct 10 2024

    Major drama releases from Australia, the US and the US via the UK this episode.

    • Disclaimer (AppleTV+, 7 episodes) drama set in the UK and Italy. Few major reasons to watch – Cate Blanchett stars, series created by five-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón and Leila George is a major scene-stealer.
    • Last Days of the Space Age (Disney+, 8 episodes) Two very different views on this series from Andrew and James. The ambitious period drama is set in Perth 1979 and features the return to Australia of Jesse Spencer. Don’t let the title mislead you, this tells the story of three families in the Perth suburbs dealing with a number of different challenges.
    • Teacup (Binge/Foxtel, 8 episodes) Bit hard to talk too much about this horror show without hinting at what happens. Try this from the press kit: Humans like to think they're in control. But when something comes along and disrupts our carefully maintained sense of fabricated order, then the real terror begins. From Australian horror guru James Wan.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    39 mins
  • Joan, Will & Harper, Nobody Wants This, The Franchise, Salem’s Lot
    Oct 3 2024

    Three series, one movie and a doco are reviewed this week.

    Joan (Stan) is a major new UK drama with Sophie Turner in a real life story about London’s infamous diamond thief Joan Hannington.

    Will & Harper (Netflix) is a very moving and very funny doco about Will Ferrell driving across the USA with longtime friend Harper Steele who came out as a trans woman recently aged 61.

    Nobody Wants This (Netflix) is a comedy about the relationship that develops between Kristen Bell as an outspoken podcaster and Adam Brody as an unconventional rabbi.

    The Franchise (Binge/Foxtel) follows the crew of an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe.

    Salem’s Lot (Binge/Foxtel) is an adaptation of Stephen King's 1975 bestselling novel that reunites the producing teams behind the record-breaking horror franchises The Conjuring universe and the It films.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    34 mins