Copyright news
THE WITCHER The biggest question coming into the penultimate season of the fantasy action drama was how well Aussie Liam Hemsworth would step into the thigh-boots and britches of title character Geralt Of Rivia following the departure of Henry Cavill. And the answer is – he’s just fine. To be fair, neither one was given a whole lot to work with given the mostly monosyllabic nature of the monster-hunting hero, but Hemsworth can swing a sword with the best of them and more than ably pulls of the action sequences that have always been the show’s greatest strength. The bigger problem remains the plot and dialogue, both of which continue to be somewhat preposterous and difficult to follow and go to show why the infinitely superior Game Of Thrones was the gold standard for fantasy TV. All you really need to know for now is that the three main characters are all on different quests – Geralt with a new band of companions including a faintly embarrassed looking Laurence Fishburne as a mysterious man of medicine, love interest Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) trying to unite the mages against the dastardly Vilgefortz, and their adopted daughter Ciri (Freya Allan) renouncing her powers and falling in with group of thieves known as The Rats. JAMES WIGNEY When it comes to Dr Who and James Bond, audiences not only readily accept but even look forward to the baton being passed between actors in the titular role. And debate about who played it best becomes one of the more enjoyable aspects of fandom (for the record it’s Tom Baker and Roger Moore for the wins). In other franchises, cast shake-ups are met with resistance. With good reason. Sometimes, a newcomer simply can’t match what the OG brought to the table. Case in point: Tonpei Hidari’s lacklustre reboot of Pigsy in the 1980s fantasy series Monkey Magic and the 1969 switch up of Bewitched (which saw Dick Sargent taking over from Dick York as the harried Darren). And so, in the case of The Witcher, our very own Liam Hemsworth had a big task ahead of him when he inherited Henry Cavill’s silver wig heading into season four of this popular epic. Thankfully, Hunger Games veteran Hemsworth is no stranger to this sort of storytelling and from the moment he enters the frame as Geralt atop a giant spider, he looks completely at ease as a monster-hunter. SIOBHAN DUCK CRIME NIGHT WITH JULIA ZEMIRO WEDNESDAY, 8.30PM, ABC Tuning into the seemingly unquenchable thirst for true crime comes this new panel show hosted by Julia Zemiro that promises to unearth the science and psychology of why people break the law and what happens when they do. Helping her do it are regular criminologist panellists Professor Danielle Reynald and Dr David Bartlett as well as two guest comedians each week. This week’s first episode investigates eyewitness testimony – how it’s used with varying degrees of success in the legal process and our why our brains let us down more often that we think. Celia Pacquola and Mel Buttle bring the laughs and have their own memories tested to prove the point. DOWN CEMETERY ROAD NEW EPISODES FRIDAYS, APPLE TV Slow Horses has been one of the most reliably brilliant shows on TV for the last five years, so anything adapted from its author Mick Herron is worth checking out. This new eight-part series doesn’t disappoint, in no small part thanks to the always-reliable Emma Thompson as acerbic but determined private detective Zoe Boehm, who has shades of Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb with her attitude to authority, but much better personal hygiene. She’s hired by Ruth Wilson’s art restorer Sarah Trafford when a young girl goes missing after a house explosion in a suburban Oxford street. The unlikely pair make for a formidable team as their ever more dangerous digging takes them deep into the corridors of power. BIG BROTHER SUNDAY, 7PM, CHANNEL 10 Nearly a quarter of century after it first aired here, the trailblazing reality TV show that gave us the bum dance, the dancing doona and the turkey slap is heading back home to the Gold Coast and back to Channel 10 after stints on the two other commercial channels. More than 20,000 people applied to take part in the social experiment that will have them under scrutiny 24/7 thanks to social media and a live stream on the station’s website, but just how many will enter the house remains a closely guarded secret. Radio host and The Cheap Seats’ cultural correspondent Mel Tracina will take over hosting duties, wrangling the housemates and delivering the bad news when “it’s time to go”. BILL BAILEY’S VIETNAM ADVENTURE MONDAY, 7.30PM, SBS There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking about beloved British comedian Bill Bailey’s six-part jaunt around Vietnam on the 50th anniversary of the withdrawal of the last US forces from Saigon, but it’s never less than hugely watchable. Bailey’s genuine curiosity for the local culture, cuisine and history – and his wariness of obvious tourist traps – is infectious from the metropolises of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to rural Da Lat and Sa Pa. First stop is he historical port of Hoi An, where he hits the markets with a local food legend, tries his hand a traditional fishing and rustles up the natty, bespoke threads the city is famous for. ANNABEL CRABB’S CIVIC DUTY MONDAY, 8.30PM, ABC It might be a national sport to complain about our elected leaders, but it’s well worth remembering that regardless of who is in charge we’re pretty well served by the system that put them there. Journalist and presenter Annabel Crabb’s new documentary celebrates just that with an entertaining and informative deep dive featuring politicians and commentators of all political persuasions into how the proverbial democracy sausage is made. This week’s first episode – made in the run-up to the last federal election – is all about fairness, delving into the history of our preferential voting system as well as the importance of having an independent and transparent electoral commission. NEW EPISODES MONDAY, HBO MAX Comedian Rachel Sennott’s semi-autobiographical new series has already drawn comparisons to revered comedies such as Girls and Sex and the City and – for better or worse – if feels like a sporadically funny, often annoying evolution of both those shows for the Instagram age. Sennott stars as New Yorker Maia, who moves to Los Angeles to pursue her career as a talent manager, but like so many others before, finds that the streets are not exactly paved with gold. She negotiates the messy challenges of young adulthood surrounded by her squad including rock-solid teacher boyfriend Dylan, gay, social-climbing celebrity stylist Charlie and indulged, nepo baby Alani, but her life gets a whole lot more complicated when she rekindles her toxic friendship with chaotic influencer Tallulah. TUESDAY, BINGE Anyone who has spent a long, boring stint in a joyless office trying to get their driver’s licence renewed might understandably wonder how the experience can be played for laughs. But the creators of this middling new workplace comedy lean into the soul-destroying nature of the bureaucratic black hole, presenting the desperate clients as something resembling a zombie horde and the staff as dispirited drones all too aware of the dead-end nature of their jobs. Aussie Harriet Dyer (Colin From Accounts) is likeable enough as driving tester Colette, just trying to get through her days with the help of ex-teacher Gregg (SNL’s Tim Meadows) and shredded former bouncer Vic (Anthony Cavalero from The Righteous Gemstones), but the show’s pretty forgettable. THE MURDAUGH MURDERS STREAMING, TUBI Now serving time for the 2021 murder of his wife and son, the downward spiral of powerful South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh has become one of the most talked about true crime stories in recent history. The shocking tale has already played out in podcasts, documentaries and the recent biopic starring Australian actor Jason Clarke as the murderous Alex and Patricia Arquette as his long-suffering wife, Maggie. In this 2023 dramatisation, Chris McGarry takes on the role of Murdaugh as he attempts to explain his side of the story to an investigative reporter. Unlike other portrayals, this one delves more deeply into Murdaugh’s drug addiction. Click here for more entertainment news and celebrity interviews.
