TV: 19-2
Cop cliches it seems are a global language. This Canadian series, set in Montréal’s Precinct 19, boasts all the tropes of post-Shield police dramas: antiheroes, mavericks, shaky verité camerawork. Yet what 19-2 lacks in originality it makes up for in action from the off, as hot-headed officer Nick loses his partner in a gunfight and then is forced to pair up with new recruit Ben. Crime, corruption and crash-bang wallop moments ensue.
TV: Yonderland
Huzzah! Series two of the fantasy comedy from the makers of Horrible Histories has been as delightfully unmoored from reality as the first, featuring, among other things, hybrid human-kangaroo babysitters and Mackenzie Crook. There’s also, to match its later timeslot, an ever-so-slight upping of its naughty elements, though it’s still family-friendly enough to watch alongside the kids. Catch the series so far on Sky On Demand.
Sky On Demand
TV: Galesa
One hundred and fifty years after the first Welsh pioneers set sail for Patagonia in Argentina, the region still boasts Welsh speakers. As part of Welsh-language channel S4C’s Patagonia season, this drama, told in Welsh and Spanish with English subtitles, explores the dual identity of those who hail from Patagonia, following an actor who reconnects with the region having spent her adult life in Cardiff. It continues a decent run for S4C, after excellent noir drama Y Gwyll (Hinterland), and makes for a refreshing change from the endless eisteddfods that once characterised the channel.
TV: Not Safe For Work
A vocal Twitter audience aside, scarcely anyone’s been watching Channel 4’s office saga. A shame, because they would have seen a mordantly funny dissection of post-uni existence, anchored by fine performances from Zawe Ashton, as beleaguered civil servant Katherine, and Sacha Dhawan, as her permanently mashed-up “boss” Danny. Still, this age of timeshifted viewing means that no show is truly “dead’, and there’s a chance Not Safe For Work will find a second life online.
Audio: The Beer O’Clock Show
Given the craft beer explosion, it’s only natural that hop heads should try to brew their own. The BOCS is three years old, and each season features an episode in which enthusiasts who’ve gone “full grain” bring in, say, their salted-pineapple wheat beer, for the hosts to sample. In other weeks, they simply pour a beer and talk about it. It’s the sort of niche interest that’s perfect for podcasting.
iTunes
