TV shouldn’t ignore the working class. This acclaimed U.K. series shows why
Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone who wants class to be part of the diversity they see on TV.
That’s one of the factors that led James Graham’s “Sherwood,†set in a mining community in England’s East Midlands, to receive widespread acclaim in its first season. Now, as Season 2 arrives on BritBox, the playwright and screenwriter sits down for this week’s Guest Spot to describe his approach to the region where he grew up.
Also in Screen Gab No. 157, we catch up on “The Penguin†and offer streaming recommendations for your weekend.
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Turn on
Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
“Arcane†(Netflix)
As someone who’s never played “League of Legends,†I was a bit late in checking out “Arcane.†The one silver lining is I did not have to endure the three-year wait between the cliffhanger conclusion of the first season and the launch of Season 2. Steampunk fantasy action set in the world of Riot’s videogame, the animated series primarily follows sisters Vi and Jinx. The pair grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in the neglected, seedy undercity of a prosperous utopia called Piltover. Without giving too much away, certain childhood events put them on opposite sides of a conflict. The show touches on weighty topics like class division, privilege and the ethics of progress as well as trauma and the cyclical nature of violence. But it’s the push and pull between Vi and Jinx and those in their orbit that drives the show. The gorgeous animation and fun needle drops are a bonus. — Tracy Brown
“Vigil†(Peacock)
For fans of Scottish police dramas — “Shetland,†“Annika,†“Dalgliesh†— with a dash of international tension, have a look at “Vigil.†The first season involves a submarine, the second, a Middle Eastern military base, but there’s plenty of Scottish countryside on view (not to mention the accents). And the cast is first rate: Suranne Jones (“Gentleman Jackâ€) and Rose Leslie (“Game of Thronesâ€) play detectival, and romantic, partners, and their Season 1 co-stars include Shaun Evans (“Endeavorâ€), Connor Swindells (“Sex Educationâ€), Gary Lewis (“Outlanderâ€) and Adam James (“I May Destroy Youâ€). With twists and turns, and loads of the terrific Jones, this “Vigil†flies by. — Mary McNamara
Catch up
Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone’s talking about
I’m not ready to proclaim “The Penguin†(Max) the greatest superhero TV show of them all — “WandaVision†and its spinoff “Agatha All Along†remain the leaders in the clubhouse on that front — but Lauren LeFranc’s Oz Cobb origin story, starring an unrecognizable Colin Farrell as the titular mob lieutenant and a mesmerizing Cristin Milioti as his ally/adversary Sofia Falcone, doesn’t need its Gotham City gloss to shine.
After all, if the series’ pastel sunsets over streets gone to seed suggest comic-book panels, its tone, and sprawling construction, owes much more to the prestige drama. As Sofia, fresh off an eye-opening stint in Arkham Asylum and the deaths of her father and brother, seizes the family business, and Oz, saddled with a sundowning mother and a stuttering sidekick, attempts to pry control of the city’s underworld from her grasp, the pair amass a body count that would make Tony Soprano wince. Yet it’s the more delicate touches — mixed-flavor Slushies drunk to the tune of “9 to 5,†for instance, or the sight of a killer in an evening gown and gas mask — that signify LeFranc’s seriousness about crafting a compelling TV show first, and an entry in the DC Comics universe second.
The comparison cuts both ways, of course; “The Penguin,†like many of its “prestigious†brethren, is as prone to bloat as Oz’s double-chinned face, and not every flashback or sudden death conjures emotional weight equal to its narrative one. And yet, buoyed by the remarkable chemistry between Farrell and Milioti, the series manages to explore themes reminiscent of more traditional superhero stories without straying from its gangland inspiration. In its tale of two overlooked, underestimated eccentrics battling it out on their way to the top, “The Penguin†is a reminder that Gotham’s main characters are all outcasts to start with, whether they wear club feet, cat eyes or capes. — Matt Brennan
READ MORE: In ‘The Penguin’ finale, Cristin Milioti finds a glimmer of hope for Sofia
Guest spot
A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching
Playwright and screenwriter James Graham has made a career of chronicling British history, warts and all, in such projects as “The Crown,†“Brexit: Uncivil War†and “Quiz.†Which makes his first ongoing series, “Sherwood,†the next logical evolution: The acclaimed crime drama, which returned to BritBox on Thursday for its second season, is fiction, but it draws inspiration from two real-life murders that shocked the Nottinghamshire mining community where Graham grew up, as well as the long-standing political and economic tensions that have shaped the region. Graham stopped by Screen Gab recently to talk about portraying working-class people with care, what he’s watching and more. — Matt Brennan
What have you watched recently that you’re recommending to everyone you know?
I’m a huge fan of “Curb Your Enthusiasm†[Max], so I’m very sad that’s ended, but it’s a good excuse to go back to the beginning and start the whole thing again. I thought this final season was very strong.
I also always recommend British dramas that have come out in recent years. Shows like “Happy Valley†[AMC+] and “Blue Lights†[BritBox]. And “Black Mirror†[Netflix] is always inventive, invigorating and unsettling (even if it did beat me at the Emmy’s a few years back, grr).
And I still think “Mare of Easttown†[Max] is one of the dramas of the decade.
What’s your go-to “comfort watch,†the film or TV show you return to again and again?
“The Great British Baking Show†[Netflix] is the definition of the comfort watch (and comfort eating). A sharp contrast to competition shows that try to humiliate and torture.
Great comedies too, which you watch so often you can begin to recite, like “Veep†[Max]. And gentle, uplifting travel shows like “The Reluctant Traveler†[Apple TV+] with Eugene Levy.
Your previous work as a TV creator has been all self-contained narratives — TV movies and miniseries. Did you always intend that “Sherwood†would be ongoing? What was the biggest challenge about getting a second season off the ground?
“Sherwood†is my first ever “return†to an existing world, and existing stories. The joy for me of the format, though, is that it has an anthology element to it as well — brand new, self-contained stories or crimes that begin and end each season, with new characters coming and going. I hope that keeps it fresh and the reason why such a show can return.
You grew up in the Nottinghamshire coalfield where the series is set. What do you hope to convey about that part of the country that has traditionally been overlooked or misrepresented about it?
That there is hope, but that hope comes from the people who live there. It won’t come from the outside (or, at least, it hasn’t yet). There is a gallows humor that is used as a survival mechanism and a way to unite around the unfairness imposed when their industries and jobs were taken away. And also, in such blue-collar towns, these working-class people — often maligned as ignorant or less worldly by the media — have great wit, intelligence, and a way of articulating the world. And I love to try and capture that in “Sherwood.â€
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