What to watch this weekend December 1, 2023: TV awards contenders
As we enter December, you’ll find the television conveyor belt tends to slow down, if not stop completely. The good news is that, instead of simply circling back after the holidays, Apple TV+ is offering subscribers more worthwhile shows to keep them occupied in the evening hours after the sun has gone down and we’ve lost all track of time. This week, it’s the newest season of “Slow Horses,” a British spy drama based on a series of books by author Mick Herron. The darkly comedic series stars Oscar winner Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb, the clever but irascible leader of a group of MI5 agents who’ve all been professionally exiled for screwing up on the job but still manage to find themselves in the middle of missions that have real stakes.
In Season 3, the first two episodes of which are now streaming, Lamb and the misfits of Slough House must rush to save one of their own after she’s kidnapped by a rogue group seeking a highly classified file, the contents of which the upper echelon of MI5 will do anything to keep hidden. While this might not sound too thrilling on paper, the season’s charm lies in the dysfunction of Slough House and the clever twists and turns the story takes as the show digs deep into a conspiracy at the heart of the security service. Anchored by excellent performances from Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses” is a lot of fun and the awards contender to watch this weekend.
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But if you’re looking for something a bit more straightforward, other contenders include:
- “The Artful Dodger”: There’s nothing quite like a bit of Dickens at the holidays, though a riff on “Oliver Twist” is somewhat unexpected. In Hulu’s Australian original, Thomas Brodie-Sangster portrays Jack Dawkins, aka the Artful Dodger, the skilled thief of the novel who has since grown up and traded pickpocketing for performing surgery (he’s good with his hands?). Unfortunately, his new life down under is thrown into chaos when Fagin (Emmy nominee David Thewlis) returns and attempts to lead him back into a life of crime. All eight episodes are now streaming on Hulu.
- “Virgin River”: Apparently Netflix is taking its cues from the Brits these days and embracing the art of the Christmas special. The fifth season of the streaming platform’s hit romance concludes with two episodes that serve as a holiday special. There is plenty of festive cheer to go around as the small town prepares for its annual Christmas tree decorating contest. But as has become the norm, there is also plenty of interpersonal drama too. The episodes are now streaming on Netflix.
- “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”: And now for something completely different. This week, Apple’s epic monster drama, which is set after the events of “Godzilla” (2014), airs its exciting fourth episode, “Parallels and Interiors.” The hour finds Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) and the others stranded in the frozen tundra after encountering a Titan and barely escaping with their lives. The episode is now streaming on Apple TV+.
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