TALL TALES AND MURDER
Love / Hate creator Stuart Carolan returns with this darkly comedic crime drama set in Dublin, where a nurse at a nursing home and a car thief in debt to a crime boss team up to solve a twisty-turny case involving a comatose patient who reveals he is a gangster and claims to have buried Celtic gold. Based on the eight-book (!) Dublin Trilogy by Caimh McDonnell, the cast includes Ella Lily Hyland, Aidan Gillen, Philippa Dunne, and Packy Lee - a second series is already on the way! (Streaming via RTÉ Player)
WIDOW'S BAY
Deftly blancing chuckles and suspense, this horror-comedy about a small New England island that plays home to a centuries-old supernatural curse was big winner at this year's Emmy Awards, and its not hard to see why. Matthew Rhys is a delight as the mayor trying to turn the place into a tourist hotspot, and the ensemble is packed with scene-stealers aplenty, notably Kate O'Flynn and Stephen Root (Streaming via Apple TV)
YOUTH
The incomparable Sharon Horgan turns her attention to the messy realities of middle age in her new comedy about a 50-year-old divorcee trying to balance romance, family responsibilities and the complicated business of starting over. Horgan, who also penned the script, says the show completes a loose trilogy of sorts after her previous masterworks Pulling and Catastrophe. A special mention to star-in-the-making Aran Murphy, who posseses a touch of his dad Cillian's magnetic presence (Streaming via HBO Max)
MOBLAND
Filmmaker Guy Richie has been giving us choice gangster and geezer sagas for three decades now; his latest TV venture follows Harry Da Souza, a street-smart fixer for the Harrigan crime family, as he navigates escalating tensions with rival gang the Stevensons to prevent all-out mob war in London's criminal underworld. Featuring a powerhouse trio of leads - Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan (that accent!), and Helen Mirren - it's endlessly watchable, and goes down nicely alongside Richie's other gangster show, Netflix's The Gentleman, also in its second season (Streaming on Paramount +)
OUTSIDING
On form for something a little gentler? Each week, author Caitlin Moran and gardening expert Adam Frost rhapsodize over ature, gardens, and the joy that being outside brings, hanging with an eclectic mix of celebrity guests (see below), discussing their favourite outdoor places, memories and experiences, while Frost drops practical gardening advice. Moran brings her trademark wry sparkle; her enthusiasm for gardening and nature gives the whole enterprise a handmade feel. The show's catchphrase is 'Gardening comes to us all in the end'. We can definitely vibe with that (Streaming via YouTube)
Hear The Culture 5 every Friday on Aedín in the Afternoon on RTÉ lyric fm, from 1pm - listen back here
