The Custard TV Podcast

# 518: Falling, Rivals, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Smoggie Queens S2

Matt and Dawn reunite with Dawn's Maid for TV co-host Sarah to review four shows available to watch this week. Firstly, the brilliantly camp Jilly Cooper-inspired show Rivals is back for its second series. Next, Jack Thorne of Adolescence fame is back on Channel  4 with the warm and sweet-natured series Falling, which follows Keeley Hawes as a nun who finds herslelf questioning her faith when she falls for a priest.  Next, Apple TV may have another hit on their hands in the intriguing comedy-drama series Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. Lastly, a surprise favourite sitcom returns to BBC Three as the trio chuckle their way through a review of Smoggie Queens. For the Quiz, Matt asks Dawn and Sarah to name Eurovision contestants.

# 517: Believe Me, Legends, Unconditional, This Not a Murder Mystery.

Matt and Dawn are joined by Doctor Who and Star Trek podcaster Suky to review four new shows available this week. Jeff Pope, king of adapting true stories into compelling drama series, is back with Believe Me. This four-parter, available now on ITVX, focuses on the horrific sex crimes of Black Cab driver John Warboys, who tricked female passengers into drinking champagne laced with pills so he could rape them. It's a deeply frustrating but important watch. Also, more loosely based on a true story, Netflix has Legends, a series about ordinary people who work for the security services during the 1980s. Next, Apple TV has a new Israeli drama, Unconditional, about a mother and daughter whose relationship is strained when one does something the other can't believe they'd do. It's a hard show to connect to. Finally, This is Not a Murder Mystery, a bonkers but vibrant murder mystery which features some scenery chewing performances, but is fun to watch.  Lastly, Dawn sets a quiz that proves difficult.

TV Time Machine # 30 - Messiah, Murder in Mind, Survivor and Ant & Dec's Slap Bang!

Matt and Luke fire up their TV Time Machine and set course for April 2001. Fresh off the huge success of SMTV Live, Ant & Dec get their first shot at a primetime Saturday night show on ITV. The result, isn't Takeaway, but Slap Bang, a mix of comedy sketches, game shows and Ant & Dec doing a lot of acting. Next, the BBC have Murder in Mind, an anthology drama series, which focues on stories of ordinary people pushed to their limits and commiting the ultimate crime. The episode we watch is called 'Neighbours' about how an idylic, quiet life is upenended when nightmare neighbours move in next door. Next, we revisit Ken Stott's grusome crime drama Messiah and also the first series of the Surivior. The reality series had a huge impact when it launched in the US and has been running for 50 seasons. We've now had two versions of the show, most recently in 2023. How does this version fare?

516: Half Man, The Cage, Secret Service, Prisoner

*The episode suffers from some audio issues*. Gary returns to the podcast alongside Matt and Dawn to review four brand new British dramas available this week. Fresh off the massive success of his Netflix series Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd is back with his first original idea for a series. Half Man, available on BBC One and iPlayer, and co-produced by HBO, is the story of toxic masicnility between two men who were brought together when their two mothers fall in love. In a lot of ways, it shares some DNA with the show that catapulted Gadd to stardom, but is that a good thing? Next, we loved the BBC drama The Responder, which starred Martin Freeman as a stressed out police responser struggling to keep his head above water. Writer Tony Shumacker is very good at writing ordinary people in increasingly stressful situations. His new show, The Cage, stars Sheridan Smith and Michael Socha as two employees of a casino who abuse their position to get ahead in their difficult lives. It's another show that feels a lot like the show that proceeded it. Somehow, though, despite strong lead performances, something doesn't click. Next, ITV have a new political thriller in Secret Service. It's a tropey show that feels very much like a show Gary should and would like, but is that the case? Finally, there's Prisoner, a propulsive new thriller on Sky Atlantic. The series puts Big Boys Izuka Hoyle in the spotlight as a prisoner officer who gets caught in the action when trying to transport a prisoner from one place to another.  *The episode suffers from some audio issues*.

# 515: Euphoria, Beef, Hacks, Mint

Luke is back with Matt and Dawn to review four new shows available on different platforms this week. First, HBO's teen drama Euphoria returns for its long-awaited third season. The series, which was once one of the most talked-about and provocative shows on television, now sees its characters outside of the high school setting. The third season still features a powerhouse performance from Zendaya as drug addict Rue, but it's the outer edges and the inclusion of other stars like Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney and their disjointed stories that work less well. Was the long wait really worth it? Next, one of the most beloved shows of the last ten years, Hacks, returns to Sky One for its fifth and final season. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbeinder are still fantastic together, and this season gets off to a strong start because it sees the pair on the same page and not at odds as they have been at the start of each previous season. It's a show full of confidence that knows what it wants to do, full of characters we care about, and we're not quite ready for its final bow. Also returning is Netflix's now-anthology series, Beef. The twisted comedy drama, which began as a series starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, as two people caught in a petty argument that takes over their lives. With the second season, the argument or 'beef' at the centre of the story comes when a young couple stumbles across a vicious domestic fight between their bosses. Helemed by strong performances from Calliee Spaney and Carey Mulligan, it's a show about power, and one that puts you in the same stressed place as its characters. The first season was focused solely on the two caught up in the 'beef', but season 2 has a lot going on outside of the battling couples.  Lastly, the BBC has a brand new drama, Mint, which is a romantic gangster show aimed at a younger audience. On one hand, it's another example of the BBC trying something new in prime time, but on the other, we have a lot of thoughts about why it just doesn't work. For our quiz, Dawn challenges the boys to name as many Friends guest stars as they can.