This week Seven is revisiting Fantasy Island, but more about that later.
The Back Side of Television (Monday on SBS Viceland) is a savagely funny takedown of TV that should be watched by everyone who works in the industry. Writer and host Mitch McTaggart knows his history and how to hit a nerve with his outrageous observations.
The Back Side of Television
McTaggart hosted a one-off special in 2020 called The Last Year of Television (SBS On Demand). Now he is back for three sharp episodes and he even does the music too. Everything he says about tasteless true crime series, the cloning shows and the lack of gay is spot on. More please. Lots more.
Dopesick (Friday on Disney+ Star) is a shattering true story from acclaimed director Barry Levinson. Starring Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard and Rosario Dawson, it is based on the book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America.
Alex Keaton in Dopesick
This mini-series is set in a dirt poor town which becomes the target market of a new drug from a morally corrupt pharmaceutical company. Michael Keaton plays the unsuspecting doctor who falls for the sales pitch that OxyContin is not addictive and then he watches on in horror as his community descends into crime and tragedy.
The Shrink Next Door (Apple TV+) is a new 10-part series based on a podcast of the same name. It’s about a struggling New York factory owner Martin Markowitz (Will Ferrell) whose sister (Kathryn Hahn) recommends he start seeing a psychiatrist.
Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell in The Shrink Next Door
Dr Isaac Herschkopf (Paul Rudd) seems like a friendly guy but he does seem to have a slightly unhealthy obsession with celebrities. Sure enough, a flash-forward to a ritzy party he throws includes a cameo from Lisa Rinna who is trying hard to guest star on every show on television.
Fantasy Island (Monday on Seven) is so underwhelming that Seven demoted it from 9pm to 10pm before the first episode even aired. This is now the fourth version, and you might wonder why everyone is getting it so wrong all the time.
The original Fantasy Island (1977) was an Aaron Spelling cheese-fest, but you must hand it to the guy for creating a concept with a licence to tell the most outrageous stories possible. Then again, how outrageous can you really be on FTA television?
Spooky island guardian Mr Roarke was originally played by Ricardo Montalban, but he and his white suits were ditched when Malcolm McDowell took over the role for a reboot in 1998. He wore black and the tone of the show was much darker.
Now, after a bizarre horror movie prequel (2020), it’s a sequel series featuring Roarke’s niece Elena (Roselyn Sanchez) dressed back in white. At least the cast isn’t all white anymore, but it still plays it too safe. Maybe it’s time for cable or a streamer to explore the original vision about an island that could fulfil every sexual fantasy.