Vienna Blood
BBC Two, 9pm
After a relatively formulaic first series full of fringe pleasures, the Viennese policier based on the novels of Frank Tallis returns in much the same spirit. Psychoanalyst Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard) and detective Oskar Reinhardt (Jürgen Maurer) once again pair up to solve the mysterious death of a Hungarian countess, found drowned in the bathtub in her opulent hotel suite. In spite of the countess suffering with melancholia it is, of course, not suicide; over 90 minutes, suspicions flit from gold-digging army officers to disgruntled staff to frequenters of the Viennese demi-monde of sado-masochistic erotica.
Although the goulash of Teutonic-inflected accents can be distracting and the tormented Countess’s visions teeter on the brink of camp, the odd-couple dynamic works well once again, enhanced by Liebermann’s personal and professional disgrace (as well as his involvement as the late countess’s analyst) that threaten to impede the case. The plotting runs smoothly enough, but it is perhaps the city itself that is the real star, helping to imbue it all with a gloriously immersive atmosphere and the sort of modernism-meets-fin-de-siècle settings that simply cannot be recreated in a studio. GT
The Expanse
Amazon Prime Video
The enduring and engaging sci-fi series begins its final run with Holden (Steven Strait) and his crew continuing their campaign to protect the Inner Planets from Keon Alexander’s rapacious insurgents, while monitoring ominous developments in the farther reaches of space. GT
Should You Trust the RSPCA? Dispatches
Channel 4, 7.30pm
Never one to shy away from a pugilistic documentary, director Richard Butchins (The Truth About Disability Hate Crime, Dwarfs in Art) and reporter Morland Sanders take on a charity whose governance has long been a cause for concern, even as it gears up to celebrate 200 years defending animal rights. GT
Gardeners’ World Winter Specials
BBC Two, 8pm
This first of three specials visits Cambridge University Botanic Garden, much of it tailored for the winter months, along with tips on how to care for wildlife in our gardens as the weather turns colder. GT
Grayson’s Art Club: an Exhibition for Britain
Channel 4, 8pm
One of lockdown’s unalloyed smash hits, Grayson’s Art Club brought together works from the public (and a few celebrity friends) created around themes loose enough to allow for interpretations running the gamut from hilarious to heartbreaking. Tonight marks the belated opening of the public exhibition at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery six days ago, with Perry and his wife, Philippa, unveiling the works to the artists themselves. GT
Johnny Cash: A Night to Remember Live 1973
Sky Arts, 8pm
Overseen by Jack White’s Third Man Records label, this previously unavailable set from the Man in Black features many of his best-loved songs (Big River, I Walk the Line, Folsom Prison Blues) and a roster of guests including Carl Perkins and, of course, June Carter. GT
Nick Cave: Idiot Prayer
BBC Four, 9pm
Always a mesmerising performer, whether with Grinderman, The Bad Seeds or The Birthday Party, Nick Cave goes solo in a concert recorded at London’s Alexandra Palace at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Alone at a piano, he is filmed by the great cinematographer Robbie Ryan as he draws on keynote albums and his recent trilogy exploring grief. Utterly gripping and affecting. GT
Encounter (2021)
Amazon Prime Video
Parlaying with PTSD and alien invasion tropes alike, Michael Pearce’s follow-up to his acclaimed Beast is a genre-bending slab of sci-fi. An excellent Riz Ahmed stars as ex-marine Malick Kahn who – he believes – is on a mission to save his two young boys from a microscopic, flesh-invading extraterrestrial threat. Or is he? The presence of his steely government handler (Octavia Spencer) and the shadowy troops on his tail suggest something else is going on.
Wrath of man (2021)
Amazon Prime Video
From the sublime to the, well, Statham, Guy Ritchie’s latest ‘ard-geezer action flick is blissfully uncomplicated fun. In a nigh-on straight up remake of The Transporter, Jason Statham plays a mysterious courier – called with laudable narrative economy “H” – who is hired by a shady cash removal company. The twist, though, is this G4S driver is actually out for revenge, cue much shooting, shouting and aggressive steering. Eddie Marsan co-stars.
The Unforgivable (2021)
Netflix
Always an impressively versatile actor, Sandra Bullock fronts this hard-hitting drama about a woman released from prison who tries to rebuild her life – and reconnect, two decades on, with her younger sister. Based on Sally Wainwright’s 2009 miniseries of the same name, Bullock is a haunted, haunting presence – all bruised eyes, hollow cheeks and crow’s nest of matted hair. There’s a heavy-lifting cast, too, with Viola Davis and Vincent D’Onofrio.
Television previewers
Gerard O’Donovan (GO), Vicki Power (VP), Gabriel Tate (GT) and Jack Taylor (JT)
