Reviews

ANIMATED COMEDY AMERICAN DAD 8802, Sat 22 Oct, 10.25pm 00

This new series comes from the pen of Seth McFarlane, the man

who devised Family Guy

(AKA ‘the new Simpsons'). a show about a hilariously dysfunctional family (sound familiar?) that‘s little known over here but is huge in the US. It trades similar comic punches as Springfield's finest and is funny in its own right (judge for

yourself at 10.05pm) but i

American Dad is a flat-

The Thick of It BBC4, Thu 20 Oct, 70.30pm Series two of Armando Iannucci's political romp. But why only three episodes? Harry Hill’s Shark Infested Custard Scottish, Fri 27 Oct, 4.30pm The comedian who never grew up is allowed to inject his ideas into the nation’s kids.

30 Days More4, Thu 27 Oct, 9pm Morgan Spurlock launches a new series in which he does something alien to him for a whole month. In the opener, he and his lady try to live on the minimum wage for, well, 30 days.

Pumpkin Moon Sky One, Sun 30 Oct, 6pm From the people who brought you The Snowman, this charming animation features the unlikely palship between a cat and a pumpkin.

Six Feet Under E4, Tue 1 Nov, 10pm Prepare to mourn as Alan Ball's show meets its maker tonight.

footed step too far. Right-wing, gun-loving CIA man Stan Smith lives with his cute wife. two teenage kids. an alien called Roger and a goldfish crossed with a German ski jumper who he rescued from CIA limbo. The formula seems newish but the situations are not. Think The lncredib/es meets ALF meets The Simpsons meets That 703 Show, if not as funny as any of them. There's nothing here you haven't seen before. Come back, Futurama. all is forgiven. (Mark Robertson)

FILM DOCUMENTARY THE PERFECT SCARY MOVIE Channel 4, Sun 30 Oct, time tbc no

It's hardly the most original idea to mainline a bunch of talking heads into a selection of horror film clips but at least this overlong dissection of scary movies has credentials and insight. Taking a route from Psycho to Blair Witch, this marathon genre lesson stops off to look at the sub-genres of zombie cinema, science fiction and docudrama horror.

Employing the services '

of Wes Craven, John Carpenter, Joe Dante. Roger Corman and Robert Englund and a composite number of bleating hacks and comedians. The Perfect Scary Movie sets itself apart from its contemporaries through its willingness to investigate the historical and thematic concerns of successful horror flicks. The intelligent, balanced narration does, however, leave room for some quite surprising omissions in its chronicling drive. Why is there no reference to Jess Franco, Maria Bava or Tinto Brass? Horror, if this programme is to be believed, is the preserve

of the English speaker. (Paul Dale)

SOCIAL DRAMA FUNLAND BBC3, Sun 23 Oct, 10pm eeee

Gosh o'blood, this drama series is gripping. It‘s a vile and stinking brew of Freudian nightmare. Twin Peaks and The League of Gentlemen (inevitable. really, as it‘s co-written by Jeremy Dyson), set in Blackpool’s sleazy. violent underbelly. An innocent young couple (Kris Marshall and an excellently frigid Sarah Smart) come to the resort to try and revive their stagnant bedroom life. and become caught up in a ruthless underworld of the sex

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trade and a gangland fired by revolting Oedipal destructiveness. Meanwhile. a young man (Daniel Mays) has arrived in town with a single clue regarding the murder of his mother. With a cracking cast that includes the League's Mark Gatiss as a sinister taxidermist (is there any other kind?). Frances Barber as a hard as nails gangster's wife. and a script that prevents steady breathing, Fun/and will surely be an award- winner. (Ashley Davies)

POLICE DRAMA KOJAK

IW4, Tue 1 Nov, 10pm 0.

Another week, another new digital channel. And while More4 launched with Bernard Hill‘s scratchin effective performance as David Blunkett, ITV4 kicks off with Ving Rharnes sucking cherry red lollies as the heavyweight cop made all—too famous by Telly Savalas in the 708. With an opening credits sequence which owes rather a lot to The Ali G Show accompanied by a drab soul soundtrack, Kojak is the cop who just don't give a damn,

DRAMA SERIAL BLEAK HOUSE 8801, Thu 27 Oct, 8pm 0000

It’s often been said that had Charles Dickens been alive today he would be creating cliffhangers and improbable plotlines (maybe the odd siege) for either EastEnders or Coronation Street. His work on Bleak House was initially released in 19 monthly parts in 1852 and his reputation as a serial writer has remained unparalleled.

So, with this new ambitious project from Andrew Davies, it seemed right that it should work in the same way, being broadcast twice a week straight after ’Enders. And while it has the disadvantage of being viewed by an audience that could well know upfront how the story ends, you could just as easily argue that in an age of spoiler alerts, modern soaps rarely have surprises up their sleeves.

What is astonishing with these ‘costume’ affairs is just how they manage to assemble their glittering casts. Gillian Anderson is making her first major TV appearance since she quit looking at the skies as Dana Scully.

She plays the aristocratic Lady Dedlock while Charles Dance has stepped back from behind the camera to do his austere Wctorian thing as the

faithful lawyer to Timothy West’s Sir Leicester Dedlock. Matthew Kelly and Alistair McGowan also get to scrub up nice while more down at heel are Johnny Vegas (the gin-addled Krook), Liza Tarbuck (the philanthrope with a stinky home) and John Lynch (the former gentleman fallen on hard times). I A genuinely pacy thriller which puts much of modern TV drama to shame, ! Bleak House may not make fans of contemporary soap dodge their chosen E addiction but it should make Dickens a relevant alternative. (Brian Donaldson)

wandering into danger's way when everyone

eventually resulting in him being beaten up

advises him to do the opposite. In the opener, he

allows himself to

become a bargaining chip in a hostage scenario which leads to Theo protecting a criminal's wife from an assassin's bullet.

and thrown through a window (closed) by a girl. This new effort is scarcely a tribute to the original and is unlikely to rise above the current rash of cop shows. So. who will love this, baby? Who knows?

(Brian Donaldson)

20 Oct-3 Nov 2005 THE LIST 9‘!