TV SERIES NOTEBOOK: “Peaky Blinders.” “Kath & Kim.”

“Peaky Blinders.” (Netflix) British period crime drama. Six Seasons. Set in Birmingham, England, the series follows the exploits of the Shelby crime family in the direct aftermath of the First World War. The fictional family is loosely based on a real urban youth gang of the same name, who were active in the city from the 1890s to the early 20th century.

       Cillian Murphy is the kind of a slight and pale dude who can be really scary, depends on a role. As Tommy Shelby, he is scary-cool; the kind of easy wickedness that’d convince a victim to sing and dance "Never Gonna Give You Up" before he gets the bullet. I mean, not even the guest-presence of the always-superb Tom Hardy, as Jewish gang boss Alfie Solomons, could out-scary Tommy. Yes, Paul Anderson as eldest bro Arthur channels textbook-anger and another guest Adrien Brody as mafioso don Luca Changretta also gives us “scary,” but nope. Perhaps the only character that sort of shudders Tommy a bit is Aunt Polly Gray (the late Helen McCrory, superb).

       The Finale Season 6 is a predictable denouement. Expected. But I won’t be a spoiler if you haven’t seen it yet though it concluded in spring last year, 2022. 

       Anyhow, I dig period films and “Peaky…” captures the delectable albeit unglamorous episodes of U.K.’s past. Grey, chilly, dangerous. The production is it. Editing is crisp, and the ensemble acting is so entertaining. Not screamy dramatic but contained and restrained. And we get to watch the lovable Anya Taylor-Joy as well. And right on target: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ “Red Right Hand” theme song. 🎥📺📽

“Kath & Kim.” (Netflix) Australian comedy. Four Seasons (2002 to 2007). Although I struggled a bit to keep pace with the accent a.k.a. Strine or Strayan twang, this show is so visually accessible and audibly hilarious (?!?) that I end up mostly laughing first before I ask/ed my TV-watching BFF, “What did she say?” LOL! (Note: We have since resorted to subtitles in all series that we watch. Getting old, I guess.)

       Created by Jane Turner and Gina Riley, who also portray the title characters of Kath and Kim, the cocktail mash-up of a goofy suburban mom and self-indulgent daughter sound ho-hum stereotypical at first. But not really. Add Kath’s metrosexual partner Kel, Kim’s nervous husband Brett and her "second-best friend" Sharon, and we got a show that works. 

       I dig comedy that is straightforward comical, no political correctness pretensions or whatever. “Kath & Kim” is it. And yes thank God, there’s no more annoying canned laughter in comedies these days. If it’s funny, it’s funny—period.

       As proof of the series’ popularity, the franchise also includes a television film, “Da Kath & Kim Code” (2005), and a feature film, “Kath & Kimderella” (2012). I didn’t’ see those though. There was actually a U.S. remake in 2008-2009, starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, which ran for 17 episodes or 1 Season. It wasn’t renewed. Didn’t work. It’s not that Molly and Selma are less talented than the Aussie originals. Truth is, there’s only one “Kath & Kim” pair: Jane Turner and Gina Riley. 🎥📺📽