TONYA MOSLEY, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. It's only a month or so into the new year, and already our TV critic David Bianculli feels way behind. So today, he's going to attempt a TV-reviewing equivalent of speed dating and cover as much ground as quickly as possible. Here are his reviews.
DAVID BIANCULLI, BYLINE: "The Pitt" on HBO Max doesn't need much explanation. It just won an Emmy as outstanding drama series for its first season, and Noah Wyle just won best actor in his starring role of Dr. Robby. New episodes roll out Thursdays through April. I'm enjoying the second season just as much for the small moments as well as the big, intense ones. In one recent episode, a couple is being treated after being in a road accident, and the husband regains consciousness to learn from Dr. Robby that his wife is in critical condition.
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character, crying) Please don't - my God, please don't let her die. Please.
NOAH WYLE: (As Michael Robinavitch) I can assure you that she is in excellent hands.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) Is this how it works?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character) How what works?
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #1: (As character) You think things are important - that everything's so important - and then you end up here and see.
WYLE: (As Dr. Michael Robinavitch) Yeah, that is how it works.
BIANCULLI: Health - mental, as well as physical - also is at the heart of "Shrinking," which recently began its third season on Apple TV. One therapist, played by Harrison Ford, has developed Parkinson's and reluctantly visits a specialist. In the waiting room is another patient, who strikes up a conversation. The patient is played in what turns out to be a very moving guest spot by Michael J. Fox.
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MICHAEL J FOX: (As Gerry) What are you in for?
HARRISON FORD: (As Paul) Parkinson's. You?
FOX: (As Gerry) Just a haircut. (Laughter) I usually get more of a laugh than that.
FORD: (As Paul) Sorry. I'm just going through it today.
FOX: (As Gerry) You look good. Your voice is firm. Makes you sound wise.
FORD: (As Paul) Yeah, I am quite wise.
FOX: (As Gerry) How's your balance?
FORD: (As Paul) Not bad. The stupid exercises help.
FOX: (As Gerry) Me, I fall three times a day. I'm thinking of taking up stunt work.
FORD: (As Paul, laughing).
BIANCULLI: Another show rolling out weekly episodes, at least through the end of February, is the six-episode "Game Of Thrones" prequel, shown Sundays on HBO and HBO Max. It's called "A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms" and is set about a hundred years before "Game Of Thrones." I've seen the whole season and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Peter Claffey plays a wannabe knight - a towering hulk of a man named Ser Duncan the Tall. Dexter Sol Ansell plays his tiny, bald-headed squire - a kid nicknamed Egg. And the two of them are a very funny, charming, odd couple indeed.
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DEXTER SOL ANSELL: (As Egg) Do you think I'll ever make a knight one day?
PETER CLAFFEY: (As Ser Duncan The Tall) Sure. Why not? You're a likely lad.
DEXTER: (As Egg) I'm a bit puny...
CLAFFEY: (As Ser Duncan The Tall) You'll grow.
DEXTER: (As Egg) ...Even for my age. Everyone's always told me so.
CLAFFEY: (As Ser Duncan The Tall) Everyone's always told me I was stupid.
DEXTER: (As Egg) And?
CLAFFEY: (As Ser Duncan The Tall) Hmm?
DEXTER: (As Egg) Hmm? What?
CLAFFEY: (As Ser Duncan The Tall) What?
DEXTER: (As Egg) What did you do when people said you were stupid, Ser?
CLAFFEY: (As Ser Duncan The Tall) What business is that of yours? My problems are my own.
BIANCULLI: Other recent TV shows are out there in their entirety already, but deserve mention. All eight episodes of "Down Cemetery Road," an enjoyable and impressive mystery series starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, are available on Apple TV. And a second season is in the works, which is great news because Emma Thompson is playing one of the quirkiest, funniest TV detectives since Peter Falk starred as Columbo.
And "Wonder Man," the newest Disney+ entry in the Marvel Universe, recently dropped all eight episodes at once. It stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams, an actor who has some superhuman abilities he's trying to hide while auditioning for the movie role of a superhero. Helping him is Sir Ben Kingsley as Trevor, a veteran washed-up actor who was introduced in an "Iron Man" movie as an actor impersonating a villain. Kingsley is so much fun in this expanded look at Trevor, he won me over immediately. Here he is taking Simon on a tour of his souvenir-filled apartment, littered with old VHS tapes, scripts and even a prop skull from his stage days. Simon reacts admiringly to some of the memorabilia.
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YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN II: (As Simon Williams) "Coronation Street." You played Ron Jenkins, right?
BEN KINGSLEY: (As Trevor Slattery) Well done. A pint of bitter, please, and one for my friend.
MATEEN: (As Simon Williams, laughing).
KINGSLEY: (As Trevor Slattery) Every Brit did their stint. The producers were thrilled to get me after my run as Lear. Oh, careful with that.
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KINGSLEY: (As Trevor Slattery) There's a tradition in the theater of handing down your prop to the next generation. This particular skull's had quite the journey. It was used by David Garrick when he played Hamlet. He gave it to Kean, who passed it to Irvine, who passed it to Burton, who left it in a bar and I nicked it.
BIANCULLI: And I'll end with a shoutout to "Sunday Best," the Netflix documentary about Ed Sullivan that I think everyone should enjoy and be surprised by. I always knew that Sullivan, with his popular CBS variety show, was a longtime champion of minority artists, but until this documentary, I never fully understood why. I'll close with this story and performance by Harry Belafonte, who in 1950 was in danger of being blacklisted for his support of civil rights and certain communist causes.
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HARRY BELAFONTE: He wanted to talk to me personally, so he invited me to come to his hotel. He said, I'm told that I can't have you on my show because you are very favorable towards the communist ideology and that you're out there making mischief. That's not in the best interests of our country. And I said, oh, Mr. Sullivan, everything that you have suggested I'm guilty of having done is true, but tell me something. When the Irish did battle with the British, the rebel mood was considered quite heroic by all the Irish citizens in the world. Explain to me what the difference is when those of us of color also strike out against the same oppression. The Irish rebels who do that are heroic. Black rebels who do that are not patriotic. We thought this was not about loyalty to the nation, it's about loyalty to the human condition, and our humanity was being terribly brutalized.
I left the meeting with nothing really resolved. And I couldn't have been back in the office more than an hour or two, then I got a call from my agent, and he said, I don't know what you said to Ed Sullivan, but you're on the show.
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ED SULLIVAN: Now, ladies and gentlemen, here's the moment we've all been waiting for. Here's one of the great artists of our country and one of the greatest artists of the world. Here is Harry Belafonte.
(APPLAUSE)
BELAFONTE: (Singing) Good morning, Captain, good morning, sun. Oh, well, it's good morning, Captain, good morning sun. Don't you need another muleskinner out on your new mule run?
MOSLEY: David Bianculli is FRESH AIR's TV critic.
On tomorrow's show, actor Stellan Skarsgard. He's won a Golden Globe and earned an Oscar nomination for his performance in the film "Sentimental Value." He'll talk about his many roles over the years and recovering from a stroke that impaired his ability to memorize lines. I hope you can join us. To keep up with what's on the show and get highlights of our interviews, follow us on Instagram @NPRfreshair.
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MOSLEY: FRESH AIR's executive producer is Sam Briger. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Phyllis Myers, Ann Marie Baldonado, Lauren Krenzel, Therese Madden, Monique Nazareth, Thea Chaloner, Susan Nyakundi, Anna Bauman and Nico Gonzalez-Wisler. Our digital media producer is Molly Seavy-Nesper. Roberta Shorrock directs the show. With Terry Gross, I'm Tonya Mosley.
(SOUNDBITE OF KENNY SMITH'S "HALF STEP") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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