This week Andrew and James review Lady in the Lake (AppleTV+, 7 episodes) and Those About to Die (Prime Video).

Andrew also reviews Brats (Disney+) and James has been watching Omnivore (AppleTV+).

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• The biggest series reviewed this week is the second season of The Twelve (Foxtel/Binge). Sam Neill is back as one of the defence team in the court case this season. He is joined by Frances O’Connor while the prosecution is headed by Fayssal Bazzi.
• Let the Canary Sing (Paramount+, documentary) tells the story of Cyndi Lauper in her own words with loads of her hits and insights from Cyndi, her first manager and a number of musical colleagues including Boy George and Patti Labelle.
• Fam Times (7Plus, 6 episodes) is a fascinating study of how a sitcom can go wrong. Made by Seven in 2019, the series has only now popped up on 7Plus. It’s not all bad though and listen to our viewing guide about how to get to the good stuff.

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Four new releases reviewed this week – two dramas, a documentary and a movie.

• Fake – (Paramount+, 8 episodes) Asher Keddie and David Wenham star in this drama about liars, cheats, fantasists and phonies.
• Faye – (Binge/Foxtel documentary) Academy Award-winning actress and multi-decade movie star, Faye Dunaway, recounts the triumphs and challenges of her movie career. The star of Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, and Network, plus the controversial Mommie Dearest, speaks honestly about Hollywood and reflects on criticism she has faced along the journey.
• The Bear – (Disney+, 10 episodes) Season three of The Bear follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and Richard “Richie” Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as they do what it takes to elevate The Bear, their beef stand turned fine dining establishment, to the next level.
• A Family Affair (Netflix, movie) Don’t miss what Andrew and James make of this zinger! When Zara (Joey King) quits her job as the personal assistant to Hollywood heartthrob Chris Cole (Zac Efron), she unwittingly sets the stage for a chance encounter between Chris and her famous writer mum, Brooke (Nicole Kidman). And guess what happens next!

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Men Up (Britbox, movie) tells the story of the first clinical trial of the drug Viagra and the impact it had on the men and their partners.

Land of Women (AppleTV+, 6 episodes) stars Eva Longoria who suddenly flees New York for Spain with her mother and daughter.

My Lady Jane (Prime Video, 6 episodes) mixes period drama and fantasy in this story about Lady Jane Grey who was Queen of England for just 9 days.

The Responder (S2, SBS On Demand, 6 episodes) continues the story of corrupt Liverpool policeman Chris Carson as played brilliantly by Martin Freeman.

Otto by Otto (Stan documentary) is written and directed by Gracie Otto, celebrating her father, Australian theatre and film icon Barry Otto.

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The first of some TV Gold bonus episodes: TV Icons with Andrew Mercado. The first episode features Gaynor Wheatley.
Listen to the audio only version here.
Or watch Andrew on YouTube here
https://www.youtube.com/@TVSoaps-pv9su
Before marrying promoter Glenn Wheatley, Gaynor Martin was a huge TV star. She was first seen in 1979 on Crawfords' airport drama Skyways before then being relocated to Holiday Island. When that show bit the dust, Gaynor was snapped up by Sons and Daughters to play another rich bitch who locked horns with Pat the Rat. Her TV career was put on hold so she could raise three children with Wheatley, but when he died in 2022, Gaynor stepped up to complete a long cherished project of his. The documentary film John Farnham: Finding The Voice is now the highest grossing Aussie doco of all time as well as winning the AACTA Award for Best Documentary. A generation of soap fans, however, will never forget that amazing run on TV and here she finally talks about how that all happened.

00:00 - Start
01:30 - Skyways debut
05:05 - Carmen Duncan plays mum
09:00 - inspired by Universal's Airport movies?
12:30 - Bill Stalker
14:00 - NASA
15:25 - working with chroma key
18:20 - Skyways cast
21:08 - Holiday Island
30:22 - using her own wardrobe
31:45 - Bunney Brooke
32:38 - Crawfords crossover
34:30 - Hector Crawford
38:10 - Sons and Daughters
39:19 - Rowena Wallace
41:08 - those changing hairstyles!
42:18 - Glenn Wheatley
49:13 - John Farnham

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Two Stan dramas this week and an AppleTV+ remake.

Presumed Innocent (AppleTV+, 8 episodes) is a remake of the 1990 court-room drama movie of the same name starring Harrison Ford. In this TV version, Jake Gyllenhaal takes the lead role as he investigates the murder of a colleague.

Exposure (Stan, 6 episodes) tells the story of Jacs Gould (played by Alice Englert), a photographer, who is coming to terms with the death by suicide of her closest friend. While searching for answers her own buried trauma percolates to the surface.

Lost Boys and Fairies (Stan, 3 episodes) is about Welsh gay couple Gabriel and his partner Andy and the challenges they face trying to adopt a child.

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This week on TV Gold, a US docudrama with two Australian lead actors, a quirky UK comedy and a much-anticipated Australian drama.

Clipped (Disney+, 6 episodes) tells the story of the owner of the LA Clippers NBA team and the trouble he got into over secretly recorded racist comments. Playing the wife and the mistress of the Clippers owner are Aussies Jackie Weaver and Cleopatra Coleman.

The Cleaner (ABC/iview and BritBox) stars Greg Davies as a cleaner working on murder scenes after the police finish with the scene. The two series feature some notable guest stars including Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Lewis Jones, Harriet Walter and Zoe Wanamaker.

Ladies in Black (ABC/iview, 6 episodes) continues some of the storylines from the 2018 movie of the same name. The key cast is Debi Mazar, Miranda Otto, Jessica De Gouw and they are joined by newcomer Clare Hughes who has an impressive screen presence in her first professional role. A huge supporting cast includes Sascha Horler, Carlos Sanson Jr, Ngali Shaw, Todd McKenny, Krew Boylan, Gemma Ward, Hazem Shammas, and scene stealer Peter O’Brien as a flamboyant fashion photographer.

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As the second series of the now iconic Australian comedy Colin From Accounts drops on Binge and Foxtel, TV Gold meets the makers. TV Gold hosts Andrew Mercado and James Manning talk with Easy Tiger producers Ian Collie and Rob Gibson about their first meeting with Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall and how together they turned their idea into a global hit. In addition to Colin From Accounts, we also get an update on their production house that is also home to other TV hits including One Night, Scrublands and The Twelve.

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