Drive To Survive falls behind, Shōgun soars, and more from this week in TV

The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin review: Our Flag Means Death’s long-lost twin

If you’re anything like us, you’re still flying the Jolly Roger at half-mast for the untimely cancellation of Our Flag Means Death, David Jenkins’ singular period comedy about the not-so-real-lives of real-life pirates. But take heart: Apple TV+ is here to salve your wounds with The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin, which premieres March 1, a show that shares so much DNA with Our Flag that it may as well be its long-lost twin. Read More

The Tourist season 2 review: Jamie Dornan’s thriller returns with a bang

It’s easy to assume the Jamie Dornan-led British drama The Tourist, which debuted in January 2022, was a one-and-only season affair. Its tale of an amnesiac Irishman who finds himself hunted by a litany of strangers in the Australian outback had reached a pretty conclusive ending: Dornan’s Elliot was, much to the dismay of lover Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald), an unapologetically shades-of-grey character. Dark grey, even. Charcoal, basically. The would-be hero was being hunted for stealing from a gangster for whom he commanded a drug trafficking ring that saw him slice and dice up human mules to stuff bags of heroin inside them. Great guy, that Elliot. A real prince. Read More

Shōgun premiere: FX’s historical drama kicks off with two brutal, skillfully woven episodes

At long last, a full six years after this project was announced, two years since it wrapped filming, and a couple of weeks since its big Super Bowl ad, Shōgun has finally made it to our screens with a generous two-episode premiere. Based on James Clavell’s Shōgun, his 1975 tome of a dad book (not to diminish it—it’s apparently really good), and following the Richard Chamberlain-led NBC miniseries that aired in 1980, this new version of the classic tale boasts a cast of high caliber Japanese actors actually speaking Japanese. With one of these actors (the great Hiroyuki Sanada, who captivates as Lord Yoshii Toranaga) serving as a producer on the show, Clavell’s daughter Michaela signing on as an executive producer, and a seemingly massive budget to get the historical and cultural details right, authenticity is the name of the game. And it shows. Read More

Netflix’s Drive To Survive is getting lapped by Formula 1 itself

For six seasons now, Netflix’s Drive To Survive has brought the behind-the-scenes stories of Formula 1 racing to new and old fans alike, coming out each year and covering The Story of the previous season of F1 racing. This caused some issues with the show’s previous season, which struggled to find a lot of interesting stuff to talk about after a year of racing where very few interesting things happened, and that problem is even more pronounced in the show’s newest season, which dropped February 23, but not because nothing interesting happened in 2023. It’s because too many interesting things have happened since filming ended last year, meaning the show itself can’t really acknowledge them. Read More

Curb Your Enthusiasm recap: Larry is as “Disgruntled” as ever

You know, an alternative title for Curb Your Enthusiasm could very well be Disgruntled: Larry so often is. And, as always, he has a few different reasons to be. We get a few little plots to follow. Most of them are revealed during an early golf club restaurant scene featuring Larry, Irma, Jeff, and Susie. Read More

March 2024 TV preview: The Regime, Palm Royale, X-Men ‘97, and 26 other big shows

TV sure feels like it’s officially back—and no, it’s not just because Grey’s Anatomy is about to launch its landmark 20th season. March is jam-packed with plenty of exciting television, including Kate Winslet’s return to HBO, Apple TV+’s star-studded ’60s dramedy Palm Royale, and the highly anticipated X-Men ’97. We’re also being treated to new episodes of Invincible and Girls5eva, another Liane Moriarty thriller, Noel Fielding’s turn as a 19th-century thief, and Ewan McGregor’s Showtime series, among other goodies. Behold: The A.V. Club’s guide to 29 TV show to put on your radar for March. Read More

Elsbeth review: Carrie Preston shines in a kooky twist on the network procedural

Spinoffs are tricky. But if there’s a pair of creators with experience doing them within the landscape of 21st century American television, it’s Robert and Michelle King. The two, after all, successfully ushered the world of the ambitious network drama The Good Wife into the form-defying streaming spinoff The Good Fight. And now the Good-verse is further branching out with arguably one of broadcast television’s most intriguing prospects: Elsbeth, which premieres February 29, a show that has all the trappings of a weekly CBS procedural wrapped in a kooky sensibility that feels in short supply in the post-Peak TV era. Read More

Hiroyuki Sanada can’t stop being awesome

When stuntman Terry Richards died in 2014, his son noted that he had fought Indiana Jones, James Bond, Luke Skywalker, and Rambo over the course of his career. Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada hasn’t faced all of those guys, but since he gained recognition in the West, he’s built an impressive résumé of his own: He’s fought—and been killed by—Wolverine, Sub-Zero, and Hawkeye, and he recently battled alongside John Wick. He even got obliterated by the sun once, an enemy few people have defeated, and by famous videotape ghost Sadako, who even fewer people have defeated. Read More

Kate Winslet talks about the bravery needed to play a despot for HBO’s The Regime

Kate Winslet is ready to conquer HBO’s Sunday night lineup again, but her latest TV show is a far cry from 2021's Mare Of Easttown. Gone is the broody Philadelphia detective Mare Sheehan. Winslet is all set to play a wicked, sultry chancellor in The Regime, which premieres in March. Read More

6 things you have to watch on TV this weekend

Welcome to the weekend edition of What’s On. Here are the big things happening on TV from Friday, March 1 to Sunday, March 3. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekly edition of What’s On publishes on Sundays.] Read More