Do we have a new contender for worst TV show ever made this week?

This week on the TV Gold podcast the creator of Breaking Bad is back with a new sci-fi series, Pluribus, on AppleTV.
Andrew and James also review two sitcoms – a musical on HBO Max, Happiness, and an Australian version of the successful Ghosts franchise on Network 10
Plus more from Ryan Murphy – high priced actors playing high priced divorce lawyers in All’s Fair on Disney+.

Pluribus (AppleTV, 10 episodes)
What does a virus heading for planet Earth have to do with Carol Sturka, a fantasy romance author who has just completed a gruelling book tour? No spoilers here, but Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan delivers a gripping launch episode.

Happiness (HBO Max, 6 episodes)
Ex-Broadway director Charlie is forced by circumstances to return to his home town of Tauranga, New Zealand where his mum makes him join her amateur theatre society. Rebecca Gibney stars as Charlie’s mum in this adventurous musical comedy.

Ghosts Australia (Network 10, 8 episodes)
Young couple Kate and Sean are about to jump into the inner-city rental market, until Kate inherits a huge mansion in the country. Moving in together for the first time they are attempting domestic bliss, but unbeknown to them, the house is haunted by a collection of needy spirits who carked it in Ramshead Manor over the past 200 years.

All’s Fair (Disney+, 6 episodes)
A team of female divorce attorneys leave a male-dominated firm to open their own powerhouse practice from creator Ryan Murphy. They navigate high-stakes breakups, surprising secrets and shifting allegiances—both in the courtroom and within their own ranks.
The cast includes Kim Kardashian, Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson and Glenn Close. Is it really as bad as some of the international press reviews have indicated?

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All Her Fault (Binge, 8 episodes)
Sarah Snook stars in this thriller about a mother who is distraught after learning her son has disappeared from a supposed play date.

Down Cemetery Road (AppleTV, 8 episodes)
All the elements are here – Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson star in a story from the writers involved with Slow Horses. Both series are adaptations of novels by author Mick Herron and share creative personnel, including writer Morwenna Banks, who also serves as an executive producer for both shows.

I Love LA (HBO Max, 8 episodes)
A tight-knit friend group of young self-obsessed LA professionals gather after years apart, navigating the complexities of ambition, relationships, and how time has changed them.

*PLUS*

One More Shot (Stan, movie)
In One More Shot, Emily Browning is about a woman named Minnie who discovers a bottle of time-traveling tequila on New Year's Eve 1999. Each shot sends her back to the beginning of the night, giving her multiple chances to try and win back her ex-boyfriend before the new millennium begins.

Son of a Donkey (Netflix, 6 episodes)
Host Andrew and James couldn’t disagree more about the merits of this Netflix Australian comedy series. Andrew got plenty of laughs, James reckons he lost a few brain cells watching the first episode.

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This week on the TV Gold podcast four programs – three about different sorts of horror, and the other a romcom series.

• Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (Foxtel/Binge, 8 episodes)

A horror story about America’s most notorious serial killer. But a TV series made without exploiting the actual crimes. It instead focuses on the impact on the victims families and follows closely the police investigation and the court case.

• Film Club (Foxtel/Binge, 6 episodes)

A quirky comedy from actor/producer Aimee Lou Wood who stars as Evie who runs a film club in the garage at her mother’s house. Mum is played by Suranne Jones who is not really known for her comedy skills. But it’s an intriguing premise and there is a nice cameo from Emmy-winning star of Adolescence, Owen Cooper.

• A House of Dynamite (Netflix, movie)

The much anticipated new movie from director Kathryn Bigelow. The film repeatedly tracks the 18 minutes that follow a missile being launched at the United States — first from the perspective of the White House Situation Room, then from the perspective of United States Strategic Command, and finally from the perspective of the President himself.

• Andrew’s Halloween special - It: Welcome to Derry (HBO Max)

A terrifying prequel series that goes back to 1962 to trace the origins of the murderous, shape-shifting entity known as Pennywise the Clown. Based on the novel It by Stephen King.

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Audio update: The original episode upload had missing audio near the end of the podcast. A new complete version of the episode replaced the first upload late on Friday evening.

This week’s podcast features reviews of:
Mr Scorsese (Apple TV, 5 episodes)
Chad Powers (Disney+, 6 episodes)
Boots (Netflix, 8 episodes)
Watching You (Stan, 6 episodes)

Plus James on the new movie Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, and Andrew on the Hollyoaks 30th anniversary specials and its Brookside crossover episode.

Mr Scorsese (Apple TV, 5 episodes)

Mr. Scorsese is a film portrait of America’s greatest living director through the lens of his work, exploring the many facets of a a man who redefined filmmaking, including his extraordinary career and unique personal history. With exclusive, unrestricted access to Martin Scorsese’s private archives, the documentary series is anchored by extensive conversations with the filmmaker himself and never-before-seen interviews with friends, family and creative collaborators including Robert De Niro, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mick Jagger, Robbie Robertson, Thelma Schoonmaker, Steven Spielberg, Sharon Stone, Jodie Foster, Paul Schrader, Margot Robbie, Cate Blanchett, Jay Cocks and Rodrigo Prieto, along with his children, wife Helen Morris and close childhood friends.

Chad Powers (Disney+, 6 episodes)

Eight years after an unforgivable mistake nukes his promising college football career, hotshot quarterback Russ Holliday tries to resurrect his dreams by disguising himself as Chad Powers — a talented oddball who walks onto the struggling South Georgia Catfish. The football star is played by Glen Powell. The series is being labelled as an American Ted Lasso by some.

Boots (Netflix, 8 episodes)

Inspired by former US Marine Greg Cope White’s memoir The Pink Marine, the eight-episode series is an irreverent, off-beat take on the coming-of-age story. Set in the tough, unpredictable world of the 1990s US Marine Corps—when being gay in the military was still illegal—the series follows directionless, closeted Cameron Cope (Miles Heizer) and his best friend Ray McAffey (Liam Oh), the son of a decorated Marine, as they join a diverse group of recruits.

Watching You (Stan, 6 episodes)

Watching You centres on thrill-seeking paramedic Lina (Aisha Dee) and the fallout of a single decision which threatens to upend her life. Though apparently happily engaged to Cain (Chai Hansen), a chance encounter with mysterious stranger Dan (Josh Helman) triggers Lina’s desire and culminates in a passionate one-night stand in a WeStay property. In the aftermath, Lina discovers that the affair has been captured by a hidden camera and is blackmailed with the footage.

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This week on the TV Gold podcast with Andrew Mercado and James Manning there are reviews of:
King and Conquerer (SBS)
The Chair Company (HBO Max)
The Woman in Cabin 10 (Netflix movie)
Victoria Beckham (Netflix)

King and Conquerer (SBS On Demand, 8 episodes, two on launch and then weekly)
King & Conqueror epic eight-part series was filmed in Iceland and features James Norton (Happy Valley) as Harold, Earl of Wessex, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game of Thrones) as William, Duke of Normandy, two allies with no designs on the British throne who find themselves forced by circumstance to take up arms against each other.

The Chair Company (HBO Max, 8 episodes)
Cringe comedy – not a genre we enjoy a lot.
After an embarrassing incident at work, a man (Tim Robinson) finds himself investigating a far-reaching conspiracy.
The embarrassing incident is a chair collapsing on him while onstage at a work function in front of a handful of people.

The Woman in Cabin 10 (Netflix movie)
While on a luxury yacht for a travel assignment, a journalist (Keira Knightly) witnesses a passenger tossed overboard late one night, only to be told that she must have dreamed it, as all passengers are accounted for. Despite not being believed by anyone onboard, she continues to look for answers, putting her own life in danger. Also co-stars Guy Pearce and Hannah Waddingham.
No show has caused so much debate this year about the merits of this movie. Andrew and James both enjoyed it because it was all over in 90 minutes, but there’s not much else they agree on about this shipboard thriller.

Victoria Beckham (Netflix, 3 episodes)
A three-part documentary that follows Victoria Beckham's career, from her rise to fame as Posh Spice to her current status as a fashion designer and businesswoman.
The docuseries was produced by Studio 99, the production company founded by her husband, David Beckham. It was made following the success of his own 2023 Netflix documentary, Beckham, which featured some of Victoria's own viral moments.
Not a lot of insights about the Spice Girls, but a fascinating glimpse inside Victoria’s business empire.

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A monster trio of shows from Netflix this week plus a disaster movie and the return of an Aussie classic.
Andrew Mercado and James Manning choose different Shows of the Week but are pretty united on one of the others.

Reviewed this week:
Monster: The Ed Gein Story
The House of Guinness
Wayward
plus
The Lost Bus
RFDS

Monster: The Ed Gein Story (Netflix, 8 episodes)
First Jeffrey Dahmer. Then The Menendez Brothers. And now, Ed Gein. Could Ryan Murphy’s Netflix universe get any sicker?
Murphy’s latest monster instalment certainly lives up to the franchise title. The Ed Gein instalment of Monster is set in the 1950s, and Ed Gein (played by Charlie Hunnam) is haunting the frozen fields of rural Wisconsin, killing and desecrating the bodies of multiple women. His crimes went on to inspire multiple classic horror films, including The Silence of the Lambs, Psycho, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. If you watch it with someone else make sure they are broadminded. And be prepared to see a TV Gold favourite, Lesley Manville, as you’ve never seen her before!

The House of Guinness (Netflix, 8 episodes)

A historical drama created by Steven Knight, inspired by the true story of the powerful Guinness brewing family in 19th-century Dublin, following their four adult children after their patriarch, Sir Benjamin Guinness, dies in 1868. The series explores the family's struggles to maintain their brewing empire, their relationships with each other, and their involvement in the politics and social dynamics of the time. Brilliant cast led by James Norton, Louis Partridge and the wonderful Emily Fairn who we loved in The Responder alongside Martin Freeman.

Wayward (Netflix, 8 episodes)

A small-town cop Alex (Mae Martin) and two teenage girls, Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind), uncover the dark secrets of a mysterious "troubled teen" academy in the picturesque town of Tall Pines. As Alex investigates the unsettling school, he works with the girls to expose its leader, Evelyn (Toni Collette).

Plus

The Lost Bus (AppleTV+, movie)

RFDS (7plus, 8 episodes)

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This week on the TV Gold podcast, Andrew Mercado and James Manning review two very different crime dramas and a documentary screening on SBS On Demand.

Black Rabbit (Netflix, 8 episodes)

Jude Law and Jason Bateman play brothers Jake and Vince Friedken. Vince returns to the New York restaurant they launched together, but his presence triggers an endless succession of bad decisions that plunge the brothers and the business into trouble. The brothers’ family, friends and employees are also caught in the whirlpool.

Death Valley (BritBox, 7 episodes)

A Welsh cosy crime mystery series that follows the unlikely crime-solving partnership between an eccentric national treasure John Chapel (Timothy Spall), a retired actor and star of hit fictional detective television show Caesar, and socially obtuse Detective Sergeant Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth).

The People Vs Robodebt (SBS, 3 episodes)

The series from Michael Cordell and CJZ follows the extraordinarily brave people who fought against the system after almost half a million Australians were hounded to pay back debts they did not owe. The documentary hears from Robodebt victims and their angry families, the crusading social media activists, the whistleblowers and investigative journalists, the tenacious lawyers, as well as the forgotten victims of Robodebt: the Centrelink workers who battled the system from within – their complaints falling on deaf ears.

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The Hack (Stan, 7 episodes)
Mystery Road: Origin (ABC, 6 episodes)
Outrageous (BritBox, 6 episodes)

In this episode, James Manning and Andrew Mercado review three television series: 'The Hack' on Stan, 'Mystery Road Origin' on ABC, and 'Outrageous' on BritBox.

They discuss the at times confusing dual narrative structure of 'The Hack', the challenges faced by the makers of 'Mystery Road: Origin' in maintaining its franchise quality, and the captivating real-life story of the Mitford sisters in 'Outrageous'. The conversation highlights the expectations, disappointments, and successes of the different series.

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