Box-Eyed: The Week Ahead
By Dan OwenA little glimpse ahead at the next seven days, with some notable TV highlights to consider watching -- or perhaps avoid...
Torchwood: Children Of Earth (premiere)
BBC1, Monday, 9pm
It's the long-awaited return of Torchwood for a truncated third series of five episodes, airing daily this week until Friday. Creator Russell T. Davies is back in charge, writing and co-writing a story that begins with the children of the world stopping in unison and chanting "we are coming". Apparently, an alien race called the "456" are on their way, and it has something to do with a government deal made in the '60s. Early word has been very positive about this mini-series, so let's hope Torchwood has finally come of age and is going to deliver the adult, intelligent sci-fi it's only occasionally delivered over the past three years.
Krod Mandoon & The Flaming Sword Of Fire (finale)
BBC2, Monday, 9pm
Ignobly dumped from Thursday's comedy evening to make way for Mock The Week (because the Trades Descriptions Act were onto them?), this is the last episode of the fantasy spoof's brief existence. I can't see it returning, can you? It's a shame this Anglo-American production didn't have the quality of scripts to match its Hungarian sets and scenery, and even a valiant effort from Matt Lucas doesn't elicit many smiles. The title promised a silly and action-packed comedy poking fun at Lord Of The Rings, Dungeons & Dragons and Harry Potter, but all we got was Krull with knob gags. The only bight spark is that it's brought the stunning India de Beaufort to wider attention, and she'll hopefully go on to bigger and better things.
Chuck
Virgin1, Tuesday @9pm
Badly scheduled against Dollhouse, given the fact both shows appeal to the same target demographic, Chuck is now five weeks into its second season as Virgin1's big US summer series. This year is much improved on the first; funnier, faster, more focused. In this week's episode, Chuck discovers a link between terrorists and a work colleague's former brilliance at a particular video-game. Oh, and about that unfortunate clash with Dollhouse: both Virgin1 and Sci-Fi Channel have a time-shift +1 channel, remember...
Dollhouse
Sci-Fi Channel, Tuesday, 9pm
The numinous sixth episode has come and gone, so if you're still ambivalent about this Joss Whedon-created sci-fi... well, it's probably not for you. It's certainly a tricky show to get invested in, because its standalone Joe 90-style missions can be fairly tedious (not helped by the fact the lead character can only alternate between monotone cipher or a completely new personality.) Fortunately, the sci-fi that underpins the series lends itself well to tackling issues of identity, memory, the soul, and slavery. Interestingly for a show built around lead actress Eliza Dushku (she's even a producer), Dollhouse only really starts to impress when she's pushed into the background!
Mock The Week (premiere)
BBC2, Thursday, 9pm
Arriving to prop up the channel's Thursday night comedy triptych, it's the return of satirical panel show Mock The Week with host Dara O'Briain and comedians Frankie Boyle, Russell Howard, Andy Parsons and Hugh Dennis. It's a show that's suffered from near-constant repeats on Dave (a la QI and Top Gear), but it's always nice to hear some fresh, topical gags. I give it two-minutes before Boyle makes a bad-taste Michael Jackson joke. Earlier if Dara's introduction is short and sweet...
Psychoville
BBC2, Thursday, 10pm
The Half League Of Gentlemen continues and the mystery thickens. This is I Know What You Did Last Summer with giggles, essentially, featuring a misanthropic clown whose act was stolen by the surgeon that removed his hand, a nurse trying to turn her demonstration doll into a real baby by feeding it blood, a mother helping her son live out his serial-killer fantasies, a telekinetic dwarf trying to forget his porn star past, and a blind collector of beanie toys. Acquired taste, but if you love your comedy ghoulish and creepy then you can't go wrong.
8 Out Of 10 Cats
Channel 4, Fridays, 10pm
I'm not a big fan of this panel show, mainly because its format (basing questions on the results of statistics, polls and market research) isn't all that interesting to me. Still, it's mainly an excuse for the panelists to try and out-do each other with gags based on current events and showbiz news, so it's worth watching on that level. Sean Locke (a comedian I dislike doing his stand-up) is actually very funny here, although I hate it when they book non-comedians as guests, because the regulars never seem to give them a break if their handful of rehearsed gags fall flat.
Top Gear
BBC2, Sunday, 8pm
The motoring magazine has been revving away for the past few weeks, assuring viewers that the credit crunch won't affect its famously expensive, globe-trotting escapades. Then the first episode's highlight was a vintage train/motorbike/car race from London to Edinburgh! Oh well, the cutbacks aren't actually too obvious (if any do exist), although I'm becoming increasingly irritated by the three-way banter of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, as it's so obviously rehearsed and every witticism carefully planned. I've always know this, but only now am I starting to miss a bit of genuine wit -- which only really occurs during the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car segment, when Clarkson interviews that week's celebrity guest. In this week's episode, the army chase Clarkson with some deadly vehicles and a Porsche Panamera goes head-to-head with a letter sent through Royal Mail across the UK.
.....
If you enjoyed Box-Eyed, why not head over to Dan's Media Digest for more entertainment-related news, reviews and musings?
BBC2, Monday, 9pm
Ignobly dumped from Thursday's comedy evening to make way for Mock The Week (because the Trades Descriptions Act were onto them?), this is the last episode of the fantasy spoof's brief existence. I can't see it returning, can you? It's a shame this Anglo-American production didn't have the quality of scripts to match its Hungarian sets and scenery, and even a valiant effort from Matt Lucas doesn't elicit many smiles. The title promised a silly and action-packed comedy poking fun at Lord Of The Rings, Dungeons & Dragons and Harry Potter, but all we got was Krull with knob gags. The only bight spark is that it's brought the stunning India de Beaufort to wider attention, and she'll hopefully go on to bigger and better things.
Chuck
Virgin1, Tuesday @9pm
Badly scheduled against Dollhouse, given the fact both shows appeal to the same target demographic, Chuck is now five weeks into its second season as Virgin1's big US summer series. This year is much improved on the first; funnier, faster, more focused. In this week's episode, Chuck discovers a link between terrorists and a work colleague's former brilliance at a particular video-game. Oh, and about that unfortunate clash with Dollhouse: both Virgin1 and Sci-Fi Channel have a time-shift +1 channel, remember...
Dollhouse
Sci-Fi Channel, Tuesday, 9pm
The numinous sixth episode has come and gone, so if you're still ambivalent about this Joss Whedon-created sci-fi... well, it's probably not for you. It's certainly a tricky show to get invested in, because its standalone Joe 90-style missions can be fairly tedious (not helped by the fact the lead character can only alternate between monotone cipher or a completely new personality.) Fortunately, the sci-fi that underpins the series lends itself well to tackling issues of identity, memory, the soul, and slavery. Interestingly for a show built around lead actress Eliza Dushku (she's even a producer), Dollhouse only really starts to impress when she's pushed into the background!
Mock The Week (premiere)
BBC2, Thursday, 9pm
Arriving to prop up the channel's Thursday night comedy triptych, it's the return of satirical panel show Mock The Week with host Dara O'Briain and comedians Frankie Boyle, Russell Howard, Andy Parsons and Hugh Dennis. It's a show that's suffered from near-constant repeats on Dave (a la QI and Top Gear), but it's always nice to hear some fresh, topical gags. I give it two-minutes before Boyle makes a bad-taste Michael Jackson joke. Earlier if Dara's introduction is short and sweet...
Psychoville
BBC2, Thursday, 10pm
The Half League Of Gentlemen continues and the mystery thickens. This is I Know What You Did Last Summer with giggles, essentially, featuring a misanthropic clown whose act was stolen by the surgeon that removed his hand, a nurse trying to turn her demonstration doll into a real baby by feeding it blood, a mother helping her son live out his serial-killer fantasies, a telekinetic dwarf trying to forget his porn star past, and a blind collector of beanie toys. Acquired taste, but if you love your comedy ghoulish and creepy then you can't go wrong.
8 Out Of 10 CatsChannel 4, Fridays, 10pm
I'm not a big fan of this panel show, mainly because its format (basing questions on the results of statistics, polls and market research) isn't all that interesting to me. Still, it's mainly an excuse for the panelists to try and out-do each other with gags based on current events and showbiz news, so it's worth watching on that level. Sean Locke (a comedian I dislike doing his stand-up) is actually very funny here, although I hate it when they book non-comedians as guests, because the regulars never seem to give them a break if their handful of rehearsed gags fall flat.
Top Gear
BBC2, Sunday, 8pm
The motoring magazine has been revving away for the past few weeks, assuring viewers that the credit crunch won't affect its famously expensive, globe-trotting escapades. Then the first episode's highlight was a vintage train/motorbike/car race from London to Edinburgh! Oh well, the cutbacks aren't actually too obvious (if any do exist), although I'm becoming increasingly irritated by the three-way banter of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, as it's so obviously rehearsed and every witticism carefully planned. I've always know this, but only now am I starting to miss a bit of genuine wit -- which only really occurs during the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car segment, when Clarkson interviews that week's celebrity guest. In this week's episode, the army chase Clarkson with some deadly vehicles and a Porsche Panamera goes head-to-head with a letter sent through Royal Mail across the UK.
.....
If you enjoyed Box-Eyed, why not head over to Dan's Media Digest for more entertainment-related news, reviews and musings?
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