ELECTRIC DREAMS
Channel 4 (available on 4OD)
Everyone knows Philip K. Dick. Even if you think you don’t, you do. His haunting dystopian tales have been translated into films and television shows, including Blade Runner, Total Recall and The Man in the High Castle. Quite some pedigree. So it’s perhaps surprising that it’s taken till now for more of his short stories to get made into hour-long one-off shows. Brian Cranston, Steve Buscemi and Richard Madden are just some of the huge names taking roles in what is one of the most interesting and arresting series this year. ****MH
JAMES & JUPP
BBC Wales (available on BBC iPlayer)
Inspired, no doubt, by the improbable success of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon’s The Trip, James & Jupp sees comedians Elis James and Miles Jupp teaming up to travel the length and breadth of Wales. The premise is flimsy (Jupp, almost quintessentially English, lives in Monmouth and James is his tour guide), the laughs are sporadic, the bonhomie is a little forced at times and it’s cheap TV unlikely to win any BAFTAs – but the pair’s jaunts are mildly amusing and a great tourist advert.***BW
MOTHERLAND
BBC (available on BBC iPlayer)
From a dream-team of writers including Graham Linehan (Father Ted, The IT Crowd), Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe) and Holly Walsh comes a sitcom for which the ‘sit’ is horribly familiar to many: the traumas of parenthood – kids’ party politics, parents/in-laws who themselves need babysitting, mum cliques, the continual stress of childcare arrangements. Anna Maxwell Martin’s Julia – who both appals and attracts sympathy – is the main protagonist, but many of the best lines go to Diane Morgan’s Liz. Not as funny as last year’s pilot, but often painfully true to life.***BW
MINDHUNTER
Netflix (available on Netflix)
A candid and chilling insight into the first study of the mind of a serial killer (before the term ‘serial killer’ was even introduced). Set in the 70s, two FBI agents take on the task of interviewing the likes of Ed Kemper and Jerry Brudos. David Fincher’s involvement guarantees psychological torment, here subdued by the comforting (yet complex) buddy-cop relationship at the core. Ultimately thrilling throughout and a particular scene with tuna card is truly disturbing. *****CP
