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This Week On TV: Noir Thrillers 'Ripley' And 'Sugar.' Plus, Is 'Curb' Finally Saying Goodbye? Why Critics Are Suspicious
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Sugar, set in Los Angeles and starring Kirby and Colin Farrell, premieres Friday, April 5 on Apple TV+.
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Got a hankering for a good TV show this weekend?
Each week on AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show, we're joined by television critics who help parse through the biggest releases and tell us what's worth a binge.
Vulture’s Jen Chaney and Consequence's Liz Shannon Miller joined to discuss their top picks. Out in front this week — two noir thrillers that are getting extra points for their cinematic beauty. Plus, one of them is set right here in L.A.
Ripley
Based on Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, Andrew Scott stars as a con man who begins a life of deceit. Several movies have adapted the book, opting for colorful scenes off the Italian coast. This adaptation takes a different approach: all black and white, shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit. The series also stars Dakota Fanning.
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“This is really a role that Andrew Scott was born to play, and the show looks incredible...it's just this beautiful, stark cinematography...you don't miss color, honestly. The story itself is a little slow to get started but very compelling in its period details.” — Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
“[Andrew Scott] plays Tom Ripley with a creepiness that Matt Damon brought to the part when he played it in the movie in the 90s to some extent, but I think it's even deeper here. And the fact that it is episodic television allows you to sort of sit in the discomfort of him running this con job and people slowly figuring out what he's done. So I actually like that it's a little more slow paced.” — Jen Chaney, Vulture
When and where: All eight episodes are available on Netflix.
Read Liz’s review of Ripley here.
Sugar
An L.A. noir starring Colin Farrell as private detective John Sugar. He’s hired by a revered Hollywood filmmaker whose granddaughter has gone missing. No spoilers, obviously, but it comes with a huge twist.
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“A colleague of mine spoiled the twist… and in retrospect, I'm kind of grateful because if I hadn't known what was coming, I would have had a full brain aneurysm watching this. It is the most out of left field twist I've seen on television in a long, long time. And it completely changes your perspective on what exactly it is that you're watching.” — Jen Chaney, Vulture
“The other thing to really mention about this show is that it looks great. And most episodes are 30 minutes long, which every time I mention that to people, they get really excited. Thirty-minute drama is just really fun.” — Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
When and where: The first two episodes premiere on Apple TV+ Friday, April 5 . Episodes release weekly.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The long-running comedy starring Larry David as an over-the-top version of himself comes to an end this Sunday. Supposedly, anyway. The show has “ended” many times only to be resurrected. The jury is still out on whether this is really the end, critics say. The series finale is poised to pay homage to the final episode of Seinfeld, another series David helped create. Jen and Liz weighed in on the finale of Curb.
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“I'm just really curious to see how he's approaching it because the building blocks have been very clear for many episodes that that's what we're gearing up for, and whether it's going to be a complete reversal on that or it's going to play out in some unexpected way.. it's going to be really exciting.” — Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
“This show premiered in 2000 and the reason it's been on for so long is because Larry took several years off in between some seasons, but this is the last of the golden era HBO shows — Sopranos, Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, The Wire.. so it feels like the end of an era in that respect too.” — Jen Chaney, Vulture
When and where: The Season 12 and series finale episode releases on HBO and Max on Sunday, April 7.
Read more about Curb Your Enthusiasm season 12 from Jen Chaney here
Listen to the conversation
Check out all of the picks from our critics this week, including Mary & George on Starz, Loot (Season 2) on Apple TV+, Dinosaur on Hulu and more.
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TV-Talk: ‘Sugar,’ ‘Ripley,’ ‘George & Mary’ And More Shows To Watch
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