Hunted (10) explodes onto screens this Sunday and is a wild ride alternative up against the return of Beauty and the Geek (Nine), and the never-ending and ridiculously titled The Very Best of the Best and Worst of Red Faces (Seven).
Hunted, which began in the UK in 2015, is a fresh concept for Aussie viewers and learning about how authorities trace fugitives is fascinating. Hunted is well cast too, particularly the hairdresser who changes into a wig, and his shit-stirring partner who deliberately throws out fake clues to piss off the police. Thumbs up.
Some series struggle moving into their second seasons, but Aftertaste (Wednesday on ABC) is not one of them. Kicking off with a wedding, which quickly degenerates into a disaster, this sitcom is still hilariously dysfunctional, thanks to Erik Thomson, Natalie Abbott, Wayne Blair, Susan Prior and Rachel Griffiths.
Aftertaste
It’s a little bit trickier though for The Secrets She Keeps (Paramount+), a potboiler that is stretching credibility for its second serve. Meghan (Jessica De Gouw) is being hassled into doing a podcast, while Agatha (Laura Carmichael) is locked up in jail but having affairs with two prison guards. Oh dear.
Miriam Margolyes will make you laugh and cry
Miriam Margolyes is on another road trip in Australia Unmasked (Tuesday on ABC), and her first episode in Tasmania is a cracker. From Jacqui Lambie’s wallaby roadkill dinner, to riding in her first gay pride march, Margolyes will make you laugh and cry in equal measures. Wonderful.
Australia Unmasked
For an American remake of a British sitcom, Ghosts (Wednesday on 10) is a very good adaptation. A young couple move to a country mansion, but only the wife can see and hear all the ghosts who live there. Check it out.
Shaun Micallef’s Brain Eisteddfod (Wednesday on 10) is from the same network that turned Talkin’ ’Bout Your Generation into a hit over a decade ago. Now the comedian is quizzing Year 11 students, but it’s missing the broad appeal that Talkin’ ’Bout once had.
Shaun Micallef
With a one-hour running time, this reboot of It’s Academic is way too long. It might work better if it was shorter, just like Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, not to mention every show in 10’s Pilot Showcase (reviewed last week). Whatever happened to commercial networks pairing two half-hour shows for a one-hour timeslot?
Any true fan of Coronation Street (7TWO) is already watching the show on Foxtel, Binge or Britbox, so why is the world’s longest-running soap back on free-to-air? Nobody wants to re-watch episodes from just three years ago, but they would be interested in re-watching Classic Corrie from three decades ago, just like they do on ITV3 in the UK.