TV: Critic's Choice for July 19
The Feed Story LineCredit:
THE FEED
★★★½
Tuesday, July 21, 8.30pm, SBS
When the pandemic was declared, SBS set up a dedicated phone line and invited people – whoever they were – to call in and talk about COVID-19 – in any manner they chose. Framed by news clips to provide context and illustrated with footage of some of the participants, this is a curated chronological selection of those calls. As diverse and multi-faceted as you’d hope from SBS, it’s a wonderful time capsule of the last six months.
Shaun Micallef's On The SauceCredit:
SHAUN MICALLEF’S ON THE SAUCE
New series ★★★½
Tuesday, July 21, 8.30pm, ABC
Do we drink too much? By any objective measure, yes. In this new factual series, though, Shaun Micallef is more interested in the vexed and complex question of why. All the information here is already around elsewhere but there’s undoubtedly value in packaging it all up in a way that’s both intelligent and accessible. Hopefully it’ll help at least some people to have a look at their own behaviour. And this first episode has a bit of a sting in its tail, too.
MotherFatherSonCredit:
MOTHERFATHERSON
New series ★★★½
Friday, July 24, 8.30pm, ABC
Richard Gere has never exactly had a mobile face. Which makes him perfect for the role of the austere and implacable media mogul who gives nothing away. It also makes him the perfect foil for the mother (Helen McCrory) and the son (Billy Howell). This rip-roaring melodrama pretends to be about politics and journalism but it’s really about the struggle for power – and salvation – with a compellingly dysfunctional family. Strap yourself in.
The SinnerCredit:
THE SINNER
★★★★
Netflix
The third season of this terrifically twisty crime/psychological thriller returned recently, this time featuring the always-watchable Matt Bomer as (perhaps) the sinner in question. Bill Pullman’s performance as the ageing detective who refuses to retire is becoming increasingly idiosyncratic but The Sinner remains expertly made and if we’re pretty well across whodunit by the end of episode one, the gradual teasing out of why is gripping.