From the creator of Desperate Housewives, comes Why Women Kill. Desperate Housewives never really appealed to me, and the reviews I’d seen of Why Women Kill were lukewarm at best, so I wasn’t too keen on watching this show. I can confirm that I was pleasantly surprised.

What’s it about?

Why Women Kill is a dramady. There are three separate stories set in three different timelines; the 1960’s, 1980’s and 2019; all connected by the same house. The viewer ventures between these periods numerous times in the course of each episode. You would think the transitions would be jarring, but it works extremely well.

Why Women Kill has an assemble cast of not quite A-List actors, but not far off. In the 1960’s timeline, we meet Beth Ann, played extremely well by Ginnifer Goodwin. After a horrific tragedy, docile housewife Beth Ann and her husband Rob, played by Sam Jaeger move into a new home. Beth Ann soon learns that Rob is not as doting a husband as she had originally thought. He is having an affair. Aided by her new neighbour Sheila, played by the scene stealing Alicia Coppola, Beth Ann begins to plot her revenge.

In the 1980’s, Lucy Lui plays the superficial socialite Simone Groves, whose happy third marriage is torn apart upon discovering that her husband played by Jack Davenport is gay. Desperate not avoid embarrassment, Simone tries to find a quiet solution to this problem.

Finally in 2019, couple Taylor (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) and Eli (Reid Scott) have an open marriage. And it works well for them, until Taylor starts developing feelings for her latest ‘hook-up’ Jade (Alexandra Doddario) and welcomes her into their home. The complications increase when Eli also starts developing feelings for Jade. But that’s not the end of the conflict, as everything comes to a crescendo when we learn that Jade is not exactly who she appears to be.

The show is brilliantly written, with many laugh out loud moments punctuated with some serious heartbreaking moments of drama. I absolutely loved it.

Season 2 is currently being flighted and stars Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) and Allison Tolman (Fargo). This too, looks like it will be a great season.  

4/5

Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling are two deities in the pantheon of crime and psychological fiction. In the television series, we are shown the time period immediately after Clarice Starling kills Jame Gumb. Chronologically, it is set between the events of Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal.

What’s it about?

In Clarice, we follow Clarice Starling as a new FBI agent. She has achieved a level of fame due to her killing Jame Gumb (no, it’s not a typo. The characters Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs real name is Jame, not James) as well as her interaction with the escaped Dr Hannibal Lector is fodder for tabloid newspapers. In the FBI though, she is a victim of jealousy from her colleagues who seem eager to watch her star burn itself out.

When I heard about this show, I was excited to watch it. As a writer, I view the cannon of Thomas Harris as the pinnacle of dark, psychological crime fiction. I must say though, that I’ve been greatly disappointed by the series. It does not have the dark, gritty realism of the source subject, nor the mood and atmosphere of other adaptions of Harris’s work.

One of the greatest travesties of modern television was the cancellation of the television series Hannibal. Stylistically it took the Hannibal universe into new territory both narratively and cinematically. It was brave and it took risks, and they mostly paid off. Clarice though, could well be a spin off of CSI. For a lack of a better term, I find the subject matter to be diluted and weak. Perhaps it was done to appeal to a more mainstream audience, I’m not sure. And perhaps it does. Perhaps, because I’m such a fan of Thomas Harris and could practically write a Phd on Hannibal Lector universe that I’m being more critical….Perhaps… But should a census take try to test me on whether I would recommend this show, I’d give it a hard pass.  

2/5

What We Do In The Shadows rose from the minds of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit). The series is an spin-off from the 2014 movie by the same name staring the Clement and Waititi themselves, and it is ridiculously funny. It is, without exaggeration, one of the funniest shows we’ve seen in a long, long time.

What’s it about

Filmed like a mockumentary, What We Do In The Shadows follows a mini coven of Vampires who live in Staten Island. The first vampire we met is Nandor the Relentless, the oldest of the vampires who once ruthlessly ruled a Kingdom that has been absorbed into modern day Iran. As per his own words, they called Nandor the Relentless because he did not relent.

Nandor has been served by his familiar Guillermo, whose sole desire is for his master to turn him into a vampire so he can be like his idol, Armand from Interview with a Vampire (Antonio Banderas’ character). Unfortunately for Guillermo, it becomes increasingly likely that Nandor has no intentions of ever turning him into a vampire. And in addition, Guillermo start exhibiting an unusual skill of killing vampires.

Also in the house are Nadja and her husband Lazlo. Nadja, who has an unwavering hatred of witches and believe they are the course of all her problems, craves to rise within the social hierarchy of vampiredom by, amongst other things, throwing the best bi-annual orgy that any vampire has ever seen. Her desire though is often hampered by the moronic activities of the men in her life, especially her husband Lazlo.

Lazlo was the most handsome man in his village of lepers before Nadja turned him into a vampire. Driven by an insatiable libido, Lazlo has a level of confidence in everything he does, which is not in proportion to his intelligence.

The last vampire in the house is Colin Robinson. Unlike the other vampires, Colin Robinson is an energy vampire which means that he doesn’t feed on blood, but on energy that he drains from people by telling them unbelievably boring stories.

The show has also managed to attract some unbelievable guests stars, such as Wesley Snipes, Tilda Swinton and Mark Hamill to name but a few. With genius lines like ‘did you steal my semen?’, ‘I don’t give a f*** what your surname is, I had to do my own laundry’ & ‘Vampire sex is like pizza; in that even when it’s bad, it’s good. And it’s designed to be enjoyed by 8 or more people.’

If you’re a fan of that dry sense of humor that has been popularized by shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation, then you would love this show.

4.5/5                                                      

The concept of Resident Alien is not unique. An alien crashes on Earth and pretends to be human until it can complete its mission or escape. Robin Williams did it in Mork and Mindy and John Lithgow did it in 3^rd Rock from the Sun. It is a tried and tested formula, but Resident Alien approaches it a little differently, by adding a healthy dose of drama and mystery to the folly.

What’s it about?

A UFO crashes in a small town in Colorado. The alien; a two legged and four armed monstrosity sneaks up to a cabin on the lake and kills the owner, before morphing into the owner himself as camouflage. The alien then learns how to speak by watching episodes of Law and Order and develops a rather unhealthy obsession with Jerry Orbach, star of the series. The alien is preparing to go out into the human world to firstly find the missing parts needed to repair his damaged spacecraft and secondly, to complete his mission. His plans though are hampered when the local doctor is murdered, and the Amazing Grace beatboxing, action craving, and sharp tongued Sheriff turns to him for help. You see, the person who the alien killed and whose likeness he stole is Harry Vanderspiegel, a doctor who vacations at the cabin. Unable to resist the excitement of living a real Law and Order case, ‘Harry’ agrees to assist with the investigation – dun dun. All seems to be going well, until he encounters the Mayor’s son who can see past his disguise. Now Harry has three missions – repair his space craft, murder the Mayor’s son and complete his mission…which is to destroy all of humankind.

The true strength of Resident Alien is the casting. There isn’t an actor who could have played the character of Harry Vanderspiegel better than Alan Tudyk. He approaches the role with a childlike innocence when he discovers pizza and whiskey for the first time, but he’s also able to portray a more menacing aspect of the alien when required. His relationship with nurse Asta Twelvetrees played by Sara Tomko is the one through which Harry learns the most about what it means to be human. The two actors for me though, that steal every scene they are in are Corey Reynolds who plays the eccentric sheriff, and Alice Wetterlund who plays the former Olympic hopeful turn bar worker.

What stands out is how the cast feed off of one another, giving the audience the perception of authentic relationships. This is the strength the binds the story together, and this is why this show works. So far, our favourite show of 2021.

Rating: 4/5

Criminal:UK is the most unique police procedural series that we’ve come across in a long time. It is a masterclass of how superb writing and incredible acting can create a suspenseful and intense drama. There are no guns and no high speed police chases. We do not see the crime taking place. Ninety-nine percent of the show takes place within a single room, and that is all this anthological series needs.

What’s it about

Criminal:UK is about a unit of the British Metropolitan Police who specialize in interviews and interrogation. The crime has already been committed. Now, it’s a psychological game of cat and mouse between the police and the suspects to get to the truth. Despite limitations in setting, we still get comprehensive character development and complications. Once again, this is a testament to the sheer brilliance of the performances.

Fans of British television will easily recognize some of the primary cast from other shows. Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street, Mr. Selfridge) for example heads the team as DCI Natalie Hobbs. Other familiar faces among the primary cast are Mark Stanley (Game of Thrones) and Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty)

But for me, it is the guest performances that steal show. Each episode is a new case with a new suspect. This means that these actors have slightly more than 40 minutes per season to produce a memorable performance, and that is exactly what they do. Guest stars include David Tennant (Broadchurch, Dr Who), Hayley Atwell (Captain America, Avengers) and Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones). However, there were two stand out performances for me. Sophie Okonedo (Ratched) is incredible as the wife of a serial killer and Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) sheds every trace of the comedy that made him famous to portray a terrifying psychopath. Both Okonedo and Nayyar deliver masterpiece performances in the power of simplicity. They convey a plethora of emotions through a simple raise of the eyebrow, a pause in speech or a nervous smile. It is the intimacy of their acting that causes the audience to shudder.

In addition to Criminal:UK, the production company behind the series have developed three other spin off shows: Criminal:France, Criminal:Spain and Criminal: Germany. We haven’t watched these shows and therefore can not review it.

This is a brilliant show with a unique format. If you strictly a fan of corpses, blood and fast paced pursuits, then this show might not be what you’re looking for. But it is a show we absolutely loved and would recommend for anyone interested in quality crime drama.

Rating: 3.5/5