And simply put, in terms of a premise this is about as close to my sweet spot as any show is going to get. From the real life Cambridge spies of Kim Philby, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean to the fictional characters James Bond and Jason Bourne, thrillers and dramas based around espionage, whether in film, television or book form are my preferred entertainment options.

Tom Hughes plays Joe Lambe an interrogator for MI5, Britain’s equivalent of the FBI. Both organizations have responsibilities based within the country rather than abroad. For reference the organization for which James Bond works is MI6, analogous to the function of the CIA, which is to deal with worldwide threats. So it’s a little peculiar when the series opens with Lambe in Poland in 1971 and offering to defect in a scene that two episodes in still doesn’t quite make sense.

However we move forward quickly to 1972 and the defection of Malinov. The KGB is activating dormant agents from around the UK as they start to move the pieces into place concerning Operation Glass. Cleverly creator and writer Toby Whithouse has anchored the six-part series on one new activated agent per episode in a mechanic that can easily be repeated should the show move to a second series – or hopefully more. Whithouse has some fine credits under his belt as well, not least the magnificent School Reunion episode of Doctor Who which remains my second favorite episode, behind Blink, of all the new Who.

Hughes is a relative unknown in this country and not massively experienced in the UK where his biggest claim to fame is appearing in six episodes of the legal drama Silk in 2011. Originally from Cheshire, south of Merseyside, Hughes’ accent seems to meander somewhere between Liverpool and Ireland in a pleasant manner that I suspect is actually an accurate portrayal of a local accent rather than an stereotypical representation of one or the other.

Veteran character actor Brian Cox, so wonderful in the Bourne Supremacy and a host of other movies, plays “Daddy” the head of MI5, who knows of Lambe’s Poland escapade and has covered up the details ensuring the personal loyalty of the officer. On hearing the news of the potential Soviet threat, a committee is formed to deal with the situation one that includes not only “Daddy” and Lambe, but also the deputy head of MI5 Sarah Montag, the head of counter-espionage Bobby Waterhouse, Sarah’s husband and technical boffin Alan, Special Branch detective Jim Fenchurch and secretary Wendy Straw.

Each of the characters are well defined quickly with enough nuance that you can already start to create dubious motives and possible treachery in each. Moreover Whithouse also takes the time to add some lovely layers, not least Judy Parfitt as the mother of Bobby Waterhouse.

The Game is nicely paced and these days I’m rather accustom to blitz watching numerous series. I was therefore genuinely disappointed to only have access to the first two shows and this is one that I plan on watching live each week when it is broadcast.

That said, what is fascinating about The Game is that in many ways it fails at portraying 1972. Or more accurately it really doesn’t succeed. The appropriate cars have been sprinkled around the outdoor scenes and the interiors and fashion are adequate. I’ve pointed this out before, but a show like Endeavor appears to pay homage to the era in which it is set with dozens of correct artifacts on display. Here there is no clear definition that the show is set during one of the more turbulent times in recent British history.

January and February of 1972 saw the initial showdown between the powerful trade unions and Conservative government of Edward Heath. A fact, which I presume, will be a plot point later in the series. The coal miners went on strike, picketing power stations in a move that ultimately saw the banning of many forms of commercial electrical use and wide spread planned power cuts across the country.

And yet in the first two episodes in which The Game is set, and the television news informs us that the industrial action is ongoing, the characters generally act as if nothing significant is going on. Moreover prior to one of the rather scary nuclear war public service announcements, the television show The Two Ronnies is shown wrapping up. While it is possible that the BBC at the time was running repeats of the 1971 series of that show, although I believe that unlikely, the 1972 series did not start until September of that year. Certainly it might be seen as a small thing, but when you see Joe’s apartment or Wendy’s room and there is nothing that is definitively from 1972, it is rather jarring.

Nor is there a musical sound track that might have helped ground the particular time frame although it has to be said that 1972 was something of a wasteland when it came to popular music.

I suppose the above can be construed as a criticism of the show, but in fact it is more of a lament. The Game is thoroughly entertaining and highly recommended. There’s just a sneaking suspicion that it could have been even more so.

- Wallace Poulter

I am not, it has to be said, particularly a comic book fan. For me a show, or a movie for that matter, has to stand on its own merits rather than some homage to the source material. Currently a comic book adaptation is about the only guaranteed moneymaker in Hollywood with the success of Iron Man, The Avengers, Batman, Spider-man, Thor and a number of others.

Not surprisingly this has trickled down to television with Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Arrow the last couple of seasons and the premiere this year of Gotham, The Flash and now Constantine. Arrow I have a lot of time for, while Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. lost me early in its first year. Gotham and The Flash have not yet held my attention, but I’m giving each five episodes or so.

Added to this mix is Matt Ryan playing the titular character of John Constantine, a classic anti-hero from the DC Comics series Hellblazer and one of the more popular characters in the genre. The Welsh actor may be familiar to some from his role as Mick Rawson in the short-lived Criminal Minds spin-off Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. Ryan was rather good as a former sniper turned special agent particularly in the episode One Shot Kill. In retrospect it’s rather a shame that show wasn’t given more of an opportunity with a cast led by Forest Whitaker, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Kelly – who most recently played Doug Stamper in the US version of House of Cards and Ryan.

You can see some of what I suspect is Ryan’s natural laconic wit in Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and I wonder if show creators Daniel Cerone and David Goyer saw this when they cast the actor, because both the trailer and first look that are available on the web certainly showcase that as well.

“Everyone fights their demons. His fight back.” That’s a great tagline for a show about an occult detective and Ryan seems to have the attitude just right. The set up allows Constantine to travel the country as a demon hunter, fighting the good fight as it were, all with a slice of British humor.

Joining Ryan in the cast are former Lost and Oz star Harold Perrineau as a morally ambiguous guardian angel, Charles Halford as Constantine’s best friend Chris and Angelica Celaya in the role of Zed Martin who turns up in the second episode of the series. Lucy Griffiths plays Liv Aberdeen in the pilot and was originally slated to be a main character before the producers of the show decided to change gears.

Friday night is not normally the place for a breakout show, but with only Blue Bloods as competition in the 10pm time slot, NBC is no doubt hoping that there’s both an initial audience in place and the rest of us with our trust DVR or Internet set up.

 - Wallace Poulter

Elyes Gabel stars as Walter O’Brien, a real life Irish computer expert whose claims of genius and accomplishments have been questioned by a number of authors. The controversy is a shame, because as a base character Gabel works well as the stereotypical square peg in the round hole of life who, along with his band of equally impressive misfits, is capable of solving the impossible. Born in London, Gabel starred in a number of British productions including the medical drama Casualty before turning up as Rakharo in Game of Thrones – along with about every other employable actor it would seem in the UK. Brilliant and likable is sometimes a hard combination to pull off, but the actor has so far delivered a strong winnable performance.

The Scorpion team consists of Toby, a Harvard trained behaviorist who has a serious gambling habit, Sylvester a human calculator who always worries about what could go wrong and Happy the mechanical prodigy with personal relationship issues. It just screams lame and the lovely thing is, it isn’t even close. On the contrary Eddie Kaye Thomas, Ari Stidham and Jadyn Wong as Toby, Sylvester and Happy respectively present characters with nuance and quirks that immediately draw the audience in wanting to know more about their respective back stories. From an intellectual standpoint this really shouldn’t work, but that’s the beauty of entertainment. Sometimes when you put it all together you end up with a very watchable show.

Katharine McPhee is the waitress Paige, with the autistic son, who becomes a vital link between the team and the rest of society while film and television veteran Robert Patrick, well known for his roles in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the X-Files and numerous guest appearances in everything from NCIS to Psych, Burn Notice and Sons of Anarchy, is on board as Homeland Security Agent Cabe Gallo.

That it does indeed seem to just work is a credit not only to the actors, but Nick Santora who developed the show and directors Justin Lin and Bobby Roth who deliver a nice pacing to the first couple of episodes. Scorpion is clear proof that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make an entertaining show. Good actors, likable characters and a story that moves along at a reasonable clip can more than do the job. It’s a show that I plan to watch every week and there are only a few I can say that about.

- Wallace Poulter

Looking ironically less like Ames and more like the real life legendary CIA counter intelligence chief James Jesus Angleton, Paul Rhys carries the production as the CIA officer who worked for the Russians from 1985 to 1994 before being arrested and ultimately sentence to life imprisonment in federal prison. The talented welsh actor has had a varied career in the theater, film and television turning up in such shows as Being Human, Luther and New Tricks and also starring in the movie Eliminate: Archie Cookson – which is a quirky spy thriller that is on my list of things I’d like to watch should it turn up on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon.

While espionage and such thrillers are generally my favorite kind of movie or show, I’ve always found the British spies, such as Kim Philby, Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess, more interesting than those that spy purely for financial reward. It’s pure semantics from a practical sense, but spying for some misguided and romanticized version of a world view rather than the run of the mill treachery for money of Aldrich, Robert Hanssen, John Walker and others, is much more fascinating. In the end of course it’s all the same, but still the journey of how they got there is often a curious one.

The Assets is based on the book Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed by Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille. The two CIA officers, who initially did not get on, were involved in tracking down the source of the internal leak within the organization and are portrayed by Jodie Whittaker and Harriet Walter respectively. Whittaker appears to be a rising talent after a number of excellent performances including that of Beth Latimer in the well-received Broadchurch with the actress scheduled to return in the second season of that show. As Grimes she first raises the issue of the leaks within the CIA, tenaciously pushing and getting the attention of her colleagues and superiors.

Vertefeuille is brought in as an outside officer to run the investigation and not tainted by the Washington office. Apparently a stereotypical loaner, driven and focused in real life, Vertefeuille passed away at the end of 2012. Walter, one of the greats of English stage and screen, conveys this and the characters innate intelligence very well.

Told through numerous flashbacks as the main story unfolds, The Assets is at its best when it is dealing with all the chaos that Ames’ caused with his betrayal. It takes some poetic license with the sequence of events and some of the characters involved, but essentially tells the overall story well.

In addition to the principals John Lynch, most recently known for a useful turn in The Fall, has some scenery chewing scenes as defector Vitaly Yurchenko and Peter Guinness turns in his standard solid performance. That The Assets failed to find its audience is undeniable. So too is the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed this series.

- Wallace Poulter

The latest update from Netflix at the end of last month came with the news that Hinterland would start streaming on the service on this month. A police procedural set in an around the welsh town of Aberystwyth Hinterland, which stars Richard Harrington, Mali Harries, Alex Harries, Hannah Daniel and Aneirin Hughes, strongly resembles the recent Nordic Noir output of the Scandinavian countries and it should come as no surprise that this is a show that I have been looking forward to since hearing of its strong performance on the Welsh language channel S4C and BBC One Wales.

Filmed in both Welsh and English the version currently available on Netflix is the latter. That’s both good and bad as it is certainly easier to watch a show without subtitles, but there is something truly magical and lyrical about the native language. And I’ll admit to a slight personal bias on this one as my late grandmother grew up in the town where her father owned a bike shop. I’ve never been to Aberystwyth (pronounced as near as an English tongue can manage it as Abba-wrist-worth), but as with the numerous Nordic Noir style shows the bleak and wind wrapped landscape is a character all by itself.

Harrington will be familiar to those who have previously watched Hustle, MI-5 (known as Spooks in the UK), Dalziel and Pascoe, New Tricks or Midsomer Murders. He was also the lead in a previous drama on S4C entitled Pen Talar that also starred Mali Harries and Aneirin Hughes. The latter is more on the periphery in Hinterland as Chief Inspector Prosser, but by the end of the first season there are hints that the character will be more involved. A second season has already been announced with filming taking place this month with a 2015 air date.

As Detective Chief Inspector Tom Mathias, Harrington runs his small, dedicated team as they deal with stereotypically involved crimes all the while as his own personal backstory is patiently filled in with snippets here and there. There’s a determined, methodical manner to the character that the actor portrays well along with a hint of a tortured soul. The layering that is added over the four episodes is quite superb and what starts out as almost a standard procedural in the opening episode has given way to all kinds of nuance by the end of the fourth.

Visually and narratively Hinterland takes its time with shots of the sunset and twirling clouds of birds and yet somehow it doesn’t feel like filler. There’s a sense of flow to the episodes, well directed by Marc Evans, Gareth Bryn, Rhys Powys and Ed Thomas, the latter of whom was the Executive Producer and co-wrote a couple of the episodes. Overall the pacing is quite beautifully done; never too slow to lose interest and yet without the hectic rush that so many shows seem to embrace today.

Certainly the show is not perfect. I’m giving nothing away from a plot standpoint when noting that the victim in the fourth episode had previously had an affair with her professor – that’s a cliché that really should be retired, but there are some standout performances along the way. What’s missing is a supporting cast in and around Aberystwyth to add a little depth to the location of the show, which at the moment revolves around the five main actors and the breathtaking scenery. That’s more than enough to highly recommend the series and hope that we see even more when the second season arrives next year.

- Wallace Poulter

At first blush everything about The Blacklist suggested it would be the breakout show of the season. The trailer was delightful with James Spader chewing the scenery wonderfully well as the former government agent Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington returning to the fold after 20 years as a criminal fixer. The base premise had intriguing merit suggesting the potential for longevity and Megan Boone displayed a nice level of steel in her character, FBI Special Agent Elizabeth Keen, to go with her obvious beauty. I’m a sucker for such a combination and make no apologies for it. Each of us has our bias, that’s mine.

Spader of course really should need no introduction having being a major star of both film and television for almost three decades. Excellent performances in Sex, Lies and Videotape, Stargate (a personal favorite of mine), The Watcher and Secretary were a prelude to success on the small screen in The Practice and Boston Legal for which the actor won numerous awards. Boone has significantly less experience, but appeared in seven episodes of Law & Order: Los Angeles.

And really rather surprisingly I got bored. Three or four episodes into the show, it was doing absolutely nothing for me and with a limited number of series that I watch for fun, The Blacklist came off my own personal watch list. However as anticipated the NBC show was indeed a breakout hit and a second season was quickly commissioned. Netflix aggressively went after the streaming rights for the show and all 22 episodes are available currently via the service. So this week, my pick of the week is to go back and watch The Blacklist. I’ve got until the 22^nd of the month when the second season starts at 10pm to get caught up!

Watching the first couple of episodes again I’m struck by three factors which derailed my interest early last season. The first is that the whole adoption side story was weird. I mean, who schedules such a thing on your first day of work? Certainly I understand that life can throw up such challenges, but still it didn’t ring true. Second the animosity of agent Donald Ressler rang false as poor characterization and third, and I think most crucial, the villain in the second episode was thoroughly lame and helped to lose a lot of the momentum that had been generated by the pilot.

Add to the mix that at no point did I care about the characters, and what they were going through, and that was a recipe for ambivalence. Such things can be overcome, and binge watching a show is one way to achieve that. Now some six episodes back into the series, I’m curious to see whether my initial reaction to the show was correct or The Blacklist was just a slow starter.

- Wallace Poulter

Gruffudd sets up the basic premise in a nice voice over to start the episode. It’s well done, imparts all of the necessary data and really draws the viewer into the show. Forever is proof that you can take an old premise and breathe life into it just by executing well. Regular viewers of the Doctor Who spinoff Torchwood will no doubt draw comparisons to Captain Jack Harkness, a character who of course shows more than a passing resemblance to the venerable Captain Scarlet, one of Gerry Anderson’s classic supermarionation creations of the 60’s.

Now 40 years of age, Gruffudd first came to widespread attention as the title character Horatio Hornblower in the series shown on A&E. Based on the books by C.S. Forester, Hornblower was an international hit and it was something of a surprise when the actor’s career arc didn’t continue to accelerate. Certainly there were interesting parts in substantial movies such as Black Hawk Down and King Arthur but the Welshman seemed horribly miscast as Reed Richards in the Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. It wasn’t that Gruffudd was bad, although his performance was a matter of debate by fans, but rather the actor seemed completely at odds with the portrayal of the character in the comics.

With Henry Morgan being a man of mystery and keen observation, the good doctor needs a modern foil to help form a partnership. Enter Alana de la Garza as Detective Jo Martinez. Best known as Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa on NBC’s Law & Order show de la Garza also had a memorable role as Marisol Caine on CSI Miami. I loved that the show introduced the character with the background song of Do I Wanna Know by the Arctic Monkeys, one of my favorite alternative music tracks of the past year.

Fans of ABC’s Castle will notice an immediate attempt to foster the same kind of woman detective/regular guy chemistry that has made that show a huge ratings hit. That’s a tall order as Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic probably have the best on-screen chemistry of any duo currently on television. Still there were flashes in the opening episode that said such a relationship is not out of the question for Gruffudd and de la Garza.

Veteran actor Judd Hirsch is Abe, the only person that knows Morgan’s secret and the former Taxi and Numb3rs actor adds a layer of class with those knowing nods, smiles and looks.

From the opening scene I was intrigued and charmed by a show that did not flag once over the 43 minutes. The first surprise of the new television season, and a highly positive one at that, Forever has a chance to be another success for ABC.

- Wallace Poulter

One of my personal favorites, the series initially starred Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Lola Glaudini, Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler and AJ Cook as the members of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. Called in by local authorities when cases escalate, it’s an excellent base concept that allows the show to move to multiple locations, at least from a fictional standpoint, to keep the series fresh. NCIS and numerous other shows have followed this template to great success over the years.

Patinkin plays Agent Jason Gideon who is returning to the field for the first time in six months since capturing a high profile suspect. That success however had come at the cost of six members of the rescue team. That Gideon is ultimately a broken man is a theme that runs throughout the show as the FBI profiler grapples with the cases.

Best known for playing Inigo Montoya in the classic film The Princess Bride, and a doctor in Chicago Hope, Patinkin was, and still is, a well-respected stage, television and movie actor, whose association with the show gave the series a high profile jump in the early ratings.

Going back and watching the first season it is fascinating to see how well Criminal Minds got out of the blocks. Part of that of course is down to Patinkin and his stereotypical strong performance, but even in the opening episode you have Hotchner (Gibson) the family man, Reid (Gray Gubler) the awkward genius, Morgan (Shemar Moore) as the smooth operator with a sense of urgency, Elle (Glaudini) as the impatient one and Garcia’s repartee with Morgan. This before Garcia, wonderfully played by Kirsten Vangsness, was a series regular. One episode and yet the groundwork is set for the long success of the show even as we now know that Patinkin would leave in the third season.

Indeed one of the hallmarks of the show has been the ability to replace actors that decide to leave for a variety of reasons. Paget Brewster replaced Glaudini in what ultimately was seen as an upgrade by fans of the show, and Patinkin by Joe Mantegna, each with a minimum of fuss. Meanwhile the central characters of Hotchner, Reid and Morgan have remained the solid core of the show. But be forewarned, Criminal Minds is thoroughly addicting and it’s very easy to get sucked into a marathon session.

- Wallace Poulter

The worldwide cultural phenomena that is Doctor Who continues on Saturday when Peter Capaldi makes his debut as the 12^th Doctor at 8:15pm on BBC America. Technically we saw the new incarnation at the end of the last season, but that was more about the departure of Matt Smith as the 11^th Doctor. This weekend it’s all about Capaldi, a 56-year old actor originally from Glasgow, Scotland who in many ways returns the show to the traditional era of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker when the Doctor was perceived as being older. Certainly Pertwee was, being 51 when he took the part, but Baker was only 40 compared to David Tennant’s 35 and yet the impression lingers that Baker was much older.

Be that as it may, the casting of the Capaldi who is well known for the role of spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, is a huge departure from the three previous actors who inhabited the role; and a risky one. Whovians, the fans of Doctor Who, can generally be classified into two camps. There are those that grew up with Doctor Who and particularly revere the interpretation of Pertwee and Baker and then there are the newer fans that have embraced the show since it returned in 2005. It is this latter group that has fueled the spectacular success of the show over the past nine years with first Christopher Eccleston and then Tennant and Smith in the role.

All three also had something in common with Pertwee and Baker in their relative anonymity prior to being cast as the Doctor. My suspicion is that this is important in the suspension of reality when it comes to the character. Capladi on the other hand is a known entity somewhat like Peter Davison was when he took over from Baker. Liked by many, including Tennant, Davison was however the start of the slow decline of the show that would see Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy ultimately drive the series into the ground.

Davison, the fifth Doctor, was in some ways a peculiar choice being well known to the British audience as Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. Subsequent roles in Campion, Law and Order: UK and in particular the superb The Last Detective have allowed Davison to avoid the fate of all that went before and after him, but his career trajectory is instructive. Tennant, as I noted in my recent coverage of A Politician’s Husband, has been making bold strides to avoid the stereotyping that befell Pertwee and Baker, but Doctor Who is still the first thing that comes to mind when the actor is on the screen.

Enter Capaldi and I’m unsure as to whether he will be a hit. Part of that is to do with the uneven nature of the show since Steven Moffat took over creatively from Russell T. Davies. I loved Moffat the episode writer who with Blink, The Girl in the Fireplace, Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead set a standard that I doubt any other scribe will meet. But somewhere in taking the leap from writer to show runner, Moffat has lost his magic. Hence my apprehension that this may not be the casting choice that the series needed. But I’m happy to be wrong and like many others I’ll be glued to the set on Saturday for the start of the latest season. Prove me wrong; please prove me wrong.

- Wallace Poulter

Kelsey Grammer and Martin Lawrence make a welcome return to the small screen in the new sitcom Partners which premiers Monday on FX at 9pm with a second episode following immediately afterwards at 9.30. The two play Chicago lawyers Allen Braddock (Grammer) and Marcus Jackson (Lawrence) who through a set of circumstances are thrown together to form a new legal team that attempts to balance financial success with ethical action. There’s no surprise that Grammer plays the high-end elitist attorney that has been dismissed from his father’s firm while Lawrence is the more down-to-home man of the people. Blatant stereotyping it may be, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be funny and the two certainly have impressive track records.

Grammer, of course, is well regarded for his 20-year role as Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers and Frasier. I must admit to have never being much of a fan of the show or the character on Cheers, but it grew on me immensely when paired with David Hyde Pierce as his brother Niles for the spin-off. A lot of that had to do with the brilliance of not only Grammer and Hyde Pierce, but also John Mahoney, Jane Leeves and Peri Gilpin as Martin Crane, Daphne Moon and Roz Doyle respectively.

Moreover Grammer was the star of Down Periscope, one of the more underrated comedies of the 90’s that remains a firm favorite of mine when I want to watch a light, but highly enjoyable film. Rob Schneider, Lauren Holly, Harry Dean Stanton, Bruce Dern, William H. Macy and Rip Torn co-starred in the movie that was notable for each and every actor in the production all hitting their marks superbly. Ken Hudson Campbell, Toby Huss, Harland Williams and Bradford Tatum in particular stood out and I still find it peculiar that the Naval comedy isn’t more widely appreciated.

Lawrence has not been a regular on television since the highly successful Fox sitcom Martin that ran from 1992-97. The actor transitioned into the movies with some notable hits including Bad Boys and its sequel which were both commercial and critical hits while the Big Momma franchise is a classic example of the dichotomy that can occur between the movie-going public and the critics. Here the recently divorced character of Jackson has to deal with both his mother and daughter, played by Telma Hopkins and Daniele Watts respectively while working to have his good ways rub off on the ethically challenged Braddock.

Partners has received a 10 episode order and the show will be broadcast in two episode blocks over the next five weeks with the promise of a 90 show commitment from the network should the ratings justify the extension. Given the current climate where viewers have a tendency to want to blitz watch shows the presenting of episodes back to back seems to make sense when grabbing a quick early audience is paramount.

Two quality performers and a nice set-up that gives the characters the opportunity to play off of each other is an excellent start. The question now will be whether the writing and charisma between the two leads strikes a chord to grab enough attention over the initial five-week run. It would be nice to have both Kelsey Grammer and Martin Lawrence back on the box.

- Wallace Poulter