Set in the gritty and crime-torn city of the Batman franchise, Gotham (71 on Metacritic) follows Detective Jim Gordon (the Gary Oldman role in the films, played here by Ben McKenzie) during his early days on the Gotham City police force before he became Batman’s man on the inside.
While creator Bruno Heller has promised that the caped crusader will never appear, a barely-out-of-diapers Bruce Wayne makes an appearance as a witness to his parents’ murder. And on the way, we encounter younger versions of Catwoman, Poison Ivy and the Riddler.
This origins story has the makings of a good show. It has a gritty tone and is just on the right side of fantastical. And there’s plenty of action to ensure it hums along at a good pace.
“Its comic book pulpiness is balanced with brooding film noir menace, interspersed with just the right amount of dark humour," writes The Oregonian.
But ultimately, your experience might depend on your relationship with the source material. Love it and you might hate it; hate it and you might love it!
ALSO NEW:
SVT2, Dec 29, Jan 1 & Jan 4, 20:00 Mapp & Lucia
While the film section is overflowing with goodies, it was hard work accessing the January line-ups – so there’s a good chance our first edition of 2015 will include new series already an episode into their runs.
The three-part 2014 miniseries Mapp & Lucia is an un-necessary remake of a brilliant ‘80s adaptation of EF Benson’s take on the cultural snobbery and one-upmanship among the British upper middle class in the 1920s.
Doesn’t sound too dissimilar to Game of Thrones (S4; SVT2, Jan 7, 22:15), but if that isn’t scary enough for you, how about Ryan Giggs’ Last Season (SVT2, Dec 20, 21:45).
Elsewhere, we have entire seasons of Dads (S1; 3+, Dec 27, 08:00), About a Boy (S1; 3+, Dec 24, 08:00), Modern Family (S4; Zulu, Jan 4, 09:05), House of Lies (S1 & 2; Dec 28, 08:30) and Top of the Lake (DRK, Dec 20, 13:00); two 2014 Xmas specials: Dr Who, Last Christmas (DR3, Dec 26, 20:00) and Downton Abbey (SVT1, Dec 27, 21:00); and nostalgia by the bucketload: a new doc about the life of Steve McQueen (SVT2, Dec 31, 20:00), the miniseries Ben Hur (DR1, Dec 20-21, 13:55) and TV movie Burton & Taylor (DRK, Dec 27, 00:40). (BH)
COMMING SOON: The Librarians
“You returned your book late … again"
The Librarians is a new adventure series by TNT centering on Flynn Carsen, the Indiana Jones of librarians.
Along with a team of gifted individuals, he must track down historical and mythical artefacts to prevent them from falling into the hands of an evil cult by the name of the Serpent Brotherhood.
It won’t win any Emmys, but The Librarians might just become a welcoming break from a medium that these days feels saturated with gloomy dramas. (MR)
SPORT OF THE WEEK
K6 & 3+, Dec 20-22, Dec 26, Dec 28-29 & Jan 1 English Premier League
Winter breaks make sense, but given the dearth of sport at Xmas, could we really survive without the English Premier League? For leaders Chelsea, it’s a critical period as they face away trips to Stoke (Dec 22, 21:00), Southampton (Dec 28, 14:30) and Tottenham (Jan 1, 18:30). And don’t forget the NFL playoffs and the NBA. (BH)
FILMS OF THE WEEK
TV3, Jan 4, 21:00 Prometheus
Premieres include Prometheus, Skyfall, We bought a zoo (DR1, Dec 28, 21:20), The Three Musketeers (TV2, Dec 26, 21:15), The Three Stooges (3+, Jan 1, 21:00), Lars and the real girl (SVT2, Dec 22, 22:45) and Arthur (SVT4, Dec 20, 21:30). And just for Xmas, we’ve got It’s a Wonderful Life. (BH)
