The focus is on Lucy (Jessica Raine), an over-burdened social worker with an increasingly distant and troubled young son. Instead, this is a mix of murder mystery and thriller, topped off with a dash of the supernatural. That’s about as close as this gritty six-part drama gets to Doctor Who, though. When Peter Capaldi, here playing mysterious criminal Gideon Shepherd, says “my perception of time is better than anyone’s,” it’s clear that The Devil’s Hour creator Tom Moran is having a little fourth-wall-breaking fun with his former Time Lord leading man. With its quasi-Victoriana aesthetic and a preference for ornate character makeup and prosthetics, Carnival Row is also one of the most distinctive-looking series in recent years-just make sure your TV can handle deep, dark contrast levels, as it’s also one of the most literally dark shows. In the second, tensions erupt as the oppressed fae make a stand for their freedom-putting Philo and Vini on opposing sides. The first season introduces human police inspector Rycroft “Philo” Philostrate (Orlando Bloom) and his former lover, fae Vignette “Vini” Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne), as a string of murders rocks the gaslit city of The Burgue. But there’s still a neat package of 18 beautifully produced episodes to enjoy for a relatively concise binge. Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic massively delayed its second-and ultimately final-season. Its strong first season showed huge potential, framing deeper themes of class, immigration, and race within a fantasy world where dominant humans and refugee fae live in uneasy lockstep. There’s an element of “what might have been” about Carnival Row. An overdue but incredibly welcome return. With plenty of flashbacks showing more of Aziraphale and Crowley’s history-and more than a bit of fanservice playing to the nature of their millennia-long relationship-Sheen and Tennant’s chemistry gets to shine so bright it dazzles. When the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) goes missing from Heaven, only to show up amnesiac (and naked) at Aziraphale’s homely bookshop in London, it kicks off a battle between “upstairs” and “downstairs.” But while Gabriel’s half-remembered warnings of something terrible looming frame the season, it’s the exploration of the central duo’s past that really delights. Thankfully, the hotly anticipated second season doesn’t disappoint, with the dastardly divine odd couple weaving their magic once again as they attempt to stave off yet another apocalypse. Four years is a long wait between seasons, but the dynamic between angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) in 2019’s original Good Omens (also on this list) was so perfectly charming that barely a day has gone by without fans clamoring for more.
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