The problem is the dominance of the leads, who are so much more developed and interesting than the other characters that they warp everything around them, two stars surrounded by little planets. Grainger and Burke have grown elegantly into the roles.
There are a few weird touches, too: at various points she, Adama and Shaw are all depicted in their underwear. It’s not clear why. Matthews is a fatso cop of a sort I thought had gone out of style. He is never more than five seconds away from a Rolo. They are minor points, but they are reflective of a general feeling that this is a dodgy-cop investigation by-numbers. The Tower could have aimed a bit higher.
The Lancashire scenery is shot to show the odd moment of gruff beauty, with the soundtrack adding to the general sense of anxiety. None of it is enough to redeem the police-drama tropes. The Bay has texture, but the machinery is knackered. When a child washes up on the beach our reaction ought to be more than boredom.
Those who’ve stuck with Billions throughout will no doubt find more of the things they have enjoyed. But it heads towards the finish as a wan and diluted version of what it was.
Our Planet is spectacular to look at and conveys its vital message with telling examples, however depressing. I would sooner re-watch Planet Earth, but Attenborough is still Attenborough: one of the most vital forces on TV.
There’s lots going on. If you are looking for a calm, measured drama, High Desert is not for you. But Arquette is well cast, and her charisma propels the series through its changes of tone.
We are no closer to knowing who will inherit the firm than we were at the start. With the end in sight, however, Succession is free to aim for the landing, and those of us who have been wishing the Roys would get a move on will not be disappointed – at least on the evidence of the first four episodes given to reviewers.
Grace grows into something a cut above the average detective drama. That’s mainly thanks to its pacing, which plaits two time frames towards a tight, only intermittently preposterous climax.
