What's on TV this week: Murphy Brown, On the Ropes, 1983 and more

When I was a kid, I looked forward to the summer non-ratings period all year.

Back then, the three commercial free-to-air channels would “dump” all the new American shows they were too scared to program over summer. Goodbye, Home and Away, hello, Buffy!

That was a trade-off I could definitely get behind.

Now we don’t have to wait 10 months for the best (or even the worst) imports from overseas, thanks to the all-year-round programming of dozens of channels and streaming platforms.

On the other hand, it means, there’s never a reprieve. But at least it’s nice to know that we won’t be bombarded with endless promos for cooking, building and dating competitions. Oh wait, hang on a minute — “After the tennis …”

Anyway, this week we’re watching:

MURPHY BROWN

(Channel 10 and 10 Play — Monday, November 26 at 8.30pm)

It takes about 90 seconds for the first episode of the Murphy Brown revival to wear out its welcome. After the “aww, that’s nice, there’s Cookie!” moments, it’s clear why Murphy Brown would’ve been left in the past.

It has a distinctly overripe feel — the laugh track, sitcom set-up and telegraphed punchlines makes it seem like the new batch of episodes were filmed back in its 1990s heyday. Modern audiences, at least those with the good sense to avoid Big Bang Theory, will have a hard time coping with the mannered approach of an older-style comedy.

The other aspect that lets Murphy Brown down is its political focus. Of course it was going to be political — that’s what it used to do — and the American political environment being what it is seems like a natural fit.

But it’s about a season too late and many of the jokes it’s making has already been covered off by Will & Grace and (more brilliantly by) The Good Wife in the scripted space while US late night shows are skewering Trump with much more venom than a broadcast sitcom could do.

Which leaves Murphy Brown where exactly, besides undermining its formerly impressive legacy.

ROOM 104

(Fox Showcase and Foxtel Now — Monday, November 26 at 11.30pm)

Mark and Jay Duplass may have come out of the low-budget mumblecore movement but the brothers have been playing in the big leagues for a while. Room 104 is their third collaboration with HBO after Togetherness and producing Animals.

Room 104 is an anthology series with each 20- to 30-minute episode taking place inside one motel room somewhere in New York, across different eras and in different genres.

Some stories are funny, some are terrifying and some are tender and sweet. Sometimes there’s a cult leader, or an alcoholic tennis player or a would-be assassin. The players in the Room 104 repertory include Melonie Diaz, James van der Beek, Mae Whitman while season two will feature Mahershala Ali, Michael Shannon, Rainn Wilson and Brian Tyree Henry.

The second season starts tonight, and you can dive right in before fitting in the first 12 episodes (because, anthology) with an episode about a woman celebrating her birthday with two friends before sister arrives.

ON THE ROPES

(SBS and SBS on Demand — Wednesday, November 28 at 8.30pm)

On the Ropes is like if Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby was set in Australia. The story centres on an Iraqi-Australian aspiring boxer (Nicole Chamoun) who has grown up admiring her world champion father. When she arranges to take on an established and tough fighter (Keisha Castle-Hughes), her father is furious and threatens to disown her. Now she must choose between her passion and her family.

It’s an age-old conflict and, to be honest, it’s not really like Million Dollar Baby. The story of being up against expectations because of your gender or cultural background, striving to prove yourself in the face of personal sacrifice is nothing new but Chamoun has proven to be an exciting star after strong performances in Safe Harbour and Romper Stomper.

On the Ropes also features Jack Thompson.

1983

(Netflix — Friday, November 30 from 7pm AEDT)

The first Polish original Netflix series imagines an alternative version of history in which the Iron Curtain never falls and Poland continues to live under a repressive police state — think Man in the High Castle, but without the parallel universe-jumping (I hope).

In 1983, Poland suffers a devastating terrorist act that halts the momentum to end the Soviet regime, closing in out of fear. Twenty years later in 2003, a law student and a police investigator find evidence of a conspiracy between unlikely allies that have kept their country under the thumb of authoritarian leaders.

The discovery has the potential to spark a revolution and the powerful will do anything they can to keep it secret.

DESTINATION FLAVOUR CHINA

(SBS and SBS on Demand — Wednesday, November 28 at 7.30pm)

The very likeable Adam Liaw is embarking on a culinary journey through China in this new food series from SBS. Liaw will take viewers through the Middle Kingdom, delighting in eats that are hearty, delicate and delectable, while learning a thing or two about himself, his heritage and the “eight great regional cuisines”.

The first episode, which debuts this week, sees Liaw visiting Beijing, his mother’s hometown. A bustling metropolis he’s been to many times before, but one that promises new experiences each time. If nothing else, the salivating food envy will have you reaching for that Deliveroo app.

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