What we’ve been watching

Winter often brings some terrific things to watch on television, and we’re caught up in a few shows currently rolling out. Here are some notes.

The Pitt, second season. We quite like the first series of the medical drama set in a single day in an overworked, highly stressed emergency department in Pittsburgh. The second season, featuring Noah Wyle and a remarkable ensemble cast, is now underway, and it is gripping. Each episode covers just an hour, so little details in an earlier show can become big plot points later.

Hijack, second season. The first Idris Elba series about a negotiator caught aboard a hijacked plane felt like a limited run; how could you do a sequel on that? Well, that sequel is now airing, and (spoilers!) Elba is the hijacker on a subway in Germany. Or is he? Each episode raises the stakes and reveals more about a complicated backstory. It’s all highly improbable, but the show is riveting. We actually made popcorn for one viewing.

Shrinking, third season. The ensemble comedy-drama centered around Jason Segal’s therapist continues to dig into grief (not the funniest source material, but they’ve pulled it off) and this year into Harrison Ford’s character’s Parkinson’s diagnosis.

Murder Before Evensong: We’re midway through the adaptation of Richard Coles’s novel about a crime-solving vicar in the 80s, who’s also contending with his intrusive mum and a church unsympathetic to the AIDS crisis.

Sean Combs: The Reckoning. The four-part documentary on the hip-hop mogul is gripping and often appalling. The final episode, particularly its interviews with two jurors who acquitted him of his most serious charges, was stunning.

Rewatched: Over the last few weeks, Martha and I went through every episode (again) of Ted Lasso. The rare comedy that has great depth, it holds up to another viewing. I’m looking forward to seeing the revived series later this year with a focus on the Richmond women’s team, which was suggested in the final montage of the last episode.