TV Diary: everything I watched on 28/3/05
Huff: An overnight gap from Help, but here’s another show centred on a psychologist. Hank Azaria, the great Simpsons voice actor, plays a shrink with troubles of one sort and another with wife, son, parents, patients and friends. The support cast is excellent, especially mother Blythe Danner, and it’s written with strength and maturity – it’s a fine comedy drama.
Homicide: Life On The Street: a rerun from lateish in the show’s run. Smallville‘s Lionel Luthor is in it, and Lana Lang was in Earthsea yesterday. This is one of my all-time favourite shows, but this one is low on Pembleton, Munch and Lewis, who are my favourites, though there are some quite good Giardello scenes.
Culture Show: the one from ages ago with a segment on graphic novels, which was deeply irritating and full of wrongness, despite contributions from my old friend Paul Gravett.
Legend of Earthsea: The second and concluding part. I’ve enjoyed this – there was the odd moment of low-budget CGI, but mostly it’s looked good, sometimes terrific. The acting was mostly second-rate, but I guess it’s hard to imagine anyone doing too much with the parts. It’s a very strong story, and that carried it all through very well.
A Mighty Wind: This is the people behind Spinal Tap taking on folk music. If you crossed ST with their later Best In Show, this is what you’d get. Lots of the same cast, same kinds of jokes and mode. I didn’t find it as funny as either, to be honest, but I liked it well enough.