We deserve good TV in February and for once the schedulers have responded. First off is the series that gets more office airwave play thanany other. Going strong in its fifth season in the US, Breaking Bad is now an established Emmy contender and critics’ favourite (its Metacritic scores have increased every season – the fifth got 99!). It took a couple of years, but this badass drama about a chemistry teacher who decides to start producing crystal meth has broken into the big time. And it’s fitting that Zulu, the channel that really gets the download generation, has stumped up the cash to show season one (just seven episodes long). While it starts off rusty – it initially had a small budget – stay with it, as it will reward you in a way that few shows ever have.
On the other hand, Revenge, a small town series about a new arrival who has come to destroy the community that ruined her life, will reward a certain type. According to the Wall Street Journal, it’s a “beguiling and entirely chilling study in revenge lust”. Sound like you? Some viewers have learnt to love the central character ‘path (think Dexter), which might explain the high 8.3 rating on IMDB, but some critics are evidently getting weary (66 on Metacritic), although Madeleine Stowe, as the arch nemesis, has garnered lavish praise for a role that saw her land a Golden Globe.
Also worth catching this week is the long overdue return of The Walking Dead (DR3, Tue 21:20), back for a second season, and Occupation (BBC Ent, Sat 22:00), a modern day miniseries about a trio of British soldiers. James Nesbit and the always excellent Stephen Graham shine in a series universally praised by the British media.
Elsewhere, if the weather’s bad this Saturday, why not stay in and watch feature length drama Mrs Mandela (DRK, Sat 13:50), which stars Sophie Okonedo (the black Nancy in Oliver Twist) and David Harewood (the CIA honcho in Homeland); there’s another chance to see the very first episode of Hung (SV2, Tue 23:15); and given how much we’ve been seeing his work of late, isn’t it time you caught up on Andy Warhol (DRK, Wed 21:45), even if it is just to have a valid reason to hate his work.
Read this week's full selection of English-language TV listings
