June 29 is a Last Tango/Endeavour/Vicious kind of night on PBS
Saturday, 21 June, marked the ‘official’ beginning of Summer. The Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year if you reside in the Northern hemisphere. That may very well be, but every day this week will seem like the longest day of the year given what PBS has in store for fans of great British telly on Sunday. Six long days away, but well worth it. This coming Sunday, 29 June, will see the return of two long-awaited series and the premiere of a new one that features two ‘Sirs” and one ‘Misfit’.
Last Tango in Halifax, starring Sir Derek Jacobi and Anne Reid
At 8pm ET/7pm CT, Sir Derek Jacobi (Alan) and Anne Reid (Celia) return for the second series of Last Tango in Halifax. Also starring Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley) and Nicola Walker (Spooks) star as Caroline and Gillian, the respective daughters of Celia and Alan, Last Tango in Halifax gives new meaning to the phrase “family baggage”. Written by Sally Wainwright, who also penned Scott and Bailey, Last Tango… has already been commissioned for a third series, which is great news to fans on both side of the pond.
Endeavour, starring Shaun Evans and Roger Allam
A 9pm ET/8pm CT, Shaun Evans returns in the lead role as young Endeavour Morse, with Roger Allam (The Thick of It, Parade’s End) as his senior Detective Inspector Fred Thursday, in the second series of Endeavour, the successful crime drama prequel to Inspector Morse. In Sunday’s first episode, “Trove”, Morse returns from sick leave to investigate a suspicious suicide, a missing girl, and the theft of a Trove (ancient artifacts)…and, that’s only the first of four episodes.
Vicious, starring Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir Ian McKellen and Iwan Rheon
At 10:30pm ET/9:30pm CT, Vicious tells the story of long-time partners, Freddie (McKellen) and Stuart (Jacobi). Their 50+ year relationship underscores a deep love for each other even though it is many times masked by vicious, co-dependent fighting and nitpicking.
Freddie (McKellen) was a budding actor and Stuart (Jacobi) a barman when they first met but their careers are now pretty much over and their lives now consist of reading books, walking their dog and bickering. Today, Freddie is an over-the-hill actor whose career consisted mainly of bit parts. Although his career never really took off, he insists on behaving as if it did and still does. Stuart is a former bar manager with an aged mother named Mildred who remains clueless as to her son’s relationship with Freddie.
Look up Must See TV in the dictionary and you’ll see all three of these series listed.
In: Comedy,Drama,Uncategorized
