Chatterbox - still talking nonsense

 My favourite tv of the year,  following my rules which may not make sense to anyone else... Best Drama A lot of female led drama this year which is good news.   The Morning Show:  This show, produced and led by Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, but with plenty of other women in leading roles, now in its fourth season.  It has been interesting from the start, taking on different real life topics from the perspective of a US news organisation, starting with Me Too, but also looking at the January 6 riots and the political state of the US nation alongside corporate intrigue.  This season was particularly interested in AI and technology, although there were multiple other subplots and sub-Succession style wheeling and dealing wrapped into this, which made the end result a bit messy as they tried to cram everything in.  This was the weakest season so far, but I will still be watching season 5. (AppleTV+) Film Club: This drama focuses on mental healt...

Adolescence  ( Series, streaming on Netflix ).  This one made a huge splash but luckily I saw it early on so didn’t know what to expect.  I wanted to watch because of Stephen Graham’s involvement and it definitely delivered.  Each episode was one take, following the arrest of Jamie, a 13 year old boy accused of the murder of Katie, a girl at his school.  The young actor playing Jamie (Owen Cooper) is amazing, particularly in the long scene in episode 3 with the psychologist (Erin Doherty - who is also stunning).  But every actor in this is bringing their A-game.  Over four episodes we see the arrest, then the investigation which shows a pretty depressing but what felt realistic depiction of teenage lives lived half on line, and with uncomprehending adults missing what is under their noses.  It’s particularly focusing on misogyny and toxic masculinity, alongside a clear eyed look at the gulf between parents and children, failures of parenting, fath...

I am spotting a bit of a theme in my January telly. Fellow Travellers:  this lush and steamy romance between two men over decades from the 50's to the 90s, is hidden away a bit at the moment on Paramount+ and I watched this on a free trial (which I then forgot to cancel of course!).  Whilst the romance creates the heart of the story, it is a vehicle for looking at civil rights abuses and battles over the years.  Hawk (Matt Bomer) is a war hero and a State department official, whilst Tim (Jonathan Bailey) is a congressional staffer working for Senator McCarthy.  The story spends a fair chunk of its time on the McCarthy years, focusing on the persecution of LGBTQ+ people alongside anyone with slightly leftish tendencies as 'fellow travelers' of communism. The accompanying racism and sexism and bigotry of the time in general is brought to life through the secondary characters - what must it have been like to be gay and Black, and maybe also a woman?  The kafkaesque...