AFTER the longest month the year (January), and the always-surprising length of February – with or without its extra day – suddenly it’s almost the end of March and frankly downhill all the way to Christmas now. Most of these show have been on M-Net 101 for a couple of weeks but hands up who still watches linear and who prefers binging on Catch Up? That would be me, who obsessively counts episodes and makes notes, in a notebook, of when the finale will be available, and only then do I begin. Boy, was I mad with Apple TV (and myself) the other day when Masters Of The Air turned out to have nine episodes, not eight, and I had to wait almost a week to finish it, with other series in between.
Moving along, here are this month’s highlights on M-Net, to enjoy now or later.
- Elsbeth, season one, Mondays at 7pm
We loved her quirkiness in The Good Fight where her goofiness masked an astute legal mind. Can Elsbeth (Carrie Preston) carry a whole spinoff series of her own? I don’t know, I was waiting for May 6 to watch it then, but it turns out there will only be a new episode following the pilot (91% on Rotten Tomatoes) on April 4. “The reason the schedule is so wonky is because of the State of the Union and March Madness. I directed the next episode up on April 4. I think in the meantime they’re replaying the pilot a few times,” creator Robert King told the US Sun.
- The Regime, season one, Mondays at 8pm
The HBO limited series where an authoritarian European regime has jailed the Leader of the Opposition, and the Chancellor is under increasing pressure, trails with 60% on RT, which seems a bit disappointing. As domestic unrest grows, power at the palace is unravelling and the world is watching as the regime begins to fray at the edges. Kate Winslet stars. “She will make you love her,” said the New York Times. “Kate Winslet is commanding (and funny) in HBO’s screwball sendup of rising authoritarianism.”
- The Curse, season one, Mondays at 9pm
Newly minted Oscar winner Emma Stone stars with Nathan Fielder in Uncut Gems creator Benny Safdie’s new drama, which The Guardian calls “magnificently awkward. It’s tense, ambitious and utterly unique – viewers will either love or loathe it.” Marmite, then. The satirical black comedy – 94% on RT – is about how an alleged curse disturbs the relationship of a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show, Fliplanthropy.
- True Detective: Night Country, season four, Wednesdays at 9pm
Set In Ennis, Alaska, the men who operate a research station vanish. To solve the case, Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) will have to confront the darkness themselves and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice. The fourth season received initially positive reviews, the most acclaimed since the first season. It was also slated by many critics once all six episodes had been aired. Just saying. I’ll still watch it. After April 17. On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 92% based on 201 reviews with an average rating of 8.15/10. The website’s critics consensus reads, “Frighteningly atmospheric and anchored by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis’s superb performances, Night Country is a fresh and frosty variation on True Detective‘s existential themes.”
If procedurals are your thing, tune in for FBI Tuesdays for FBI, FBI International, and FBI Most Wanted back to back from 7pm. On Wednesdays, season two of Fire Country (above) is on at 7pm, followed by season 14 of Blue Bloods. The second season of Alert: Missing Persons Unit premieres on Friday, March 29 at 8pm.
