Some TV prequels are a waste of time. Remember Bonanza prequel Ponderosa? How about Young Hercules starring a young Ryan Gosling? This one, however, is well worth our attention.
Prime Suspect: Tennison debuts from 9 to 10:30 p.m. today on AETN and PBS. The three-part miniseries continues at the same time July 2 and 9.
Adapted from the novel Tennison by Lynda La Plante, the series relates the early career of iconic TV detective Jane Tennison, the role that earned Helen Mirren an Emmy and made her a household name beginning in 1992 on Masterpiece.
In a PBS news release, Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton said, "Jane Tennison was adored by Masterpiece audiences, who cheered her on as she tried to make it in a man's world. Prime Suspect: Tennison will imagine the events that made Jane the tenacious, difficult and brilliant detective she became."
Set in 1973 with a background of the pop tunes of the day, the series opens with Tennison as a freshly minted police constable, performing her probationary stint at Hackney Police Station in East London.
Relegated to traffic incidents and other mundane police chores (including being the rookie designated to fetch tea and biscuits and other menial tasks), Tennison gets her big break when the murder of a young prostitute and drug addict from a respectable middle-class family causes the entire force to be called in on the case.
Playing the 22-year-old Tennison is 26-year-old Stefanie Martini (Doctor Thorne). Martini is no Mirren but, then, nobody is.
We quickly see the savvy Tennison as an ambitious, single-minded officer with a dedicated, instinctive approach to solving crime. In her first case, we see how she witnesses the devastating effects of violent crime and experiences its tragic ramifications.
The series is lushly photographed and immersed in the music, fashion and politics of the '70s. But the best aspect is how Tennison establishes herself in the workplace dominated by good ol' boy chauvinists.
Speaking of men, the series also stars Sam Reid (The Astronaut Wives Club) as Jane's mentor, Detective Chief Inspector Len Bradfield, and Blake Harrison (Houdini and Doyle) as headstrong Detective Sgt. Spencer Gibbs.
Jessica Gunning (Law & Order UK) portrays Jane's police constable colleague and friend, Kath Morgan; and Alun Armstrong (Little Dorrit, Bleak House) plays crime family boss Clifford Bentley.
The Bentleys are involved in murder, gambling, narcotics, prostitution and high-stakes burglary. Clifford gives Tennison an immediate dose of the grim realities of police work beyond fetching tea.
By the way, Bradfield finds the fetching Jane irresistibly attractive. Of course he does.
• Preacher, 9 p.m. today, AMC. This will be a two-night premiere for Season 2. Tonight's first episode will encore at 7 p.m. Monday, followed by Part 2 of the premiere at 8.
Talking Preacher, a live after-show hosted by Chris Hardwick, follows at 9 p.m. Monday. You may have to watch it just to figure out what the heck is going on.
A co-worker once asked me to sum up Preacher in one word. I paused a moment and said, "Weird." That about covers it.
AMC labels it "a paranormal, dark comedy/drama" that, if not weird (which is subjective), is certainly unconventional.
The series follows the adventures of one-time bad guy Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper, Captain America: The First Avenger) who returns home to West Texas to fulfill a promise to his dead father to take over his church.
Here's where it gets weird.
Jesse's body is taken over by a mysterious force that gives him the unconventional power where he can command anyone to do his bidding.
This season, along with his ex-girlfriend, Tulip O'Hare (Ruth Negga), and his Irish vampire buddy, Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), Jesse embarks on a road trip to find God "in a world inhabited by holy, hellish and everything-in-between characters."
What? Yes, Custer's best friend is a junkie Irish vampire and, yes, very, very strange things happen.
The series is based on the 1990s comic book franchise of the same name by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. It is executive produced by Sam Catlin (Breaking Bad), along with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Superbad, Neighbors).
There will be 13 episodes in the second season. That's three more than Season 1.
Here's the requisite caveat. Preacher is a confusing, macabre, mayhem-filled show that will baffle many viewers -- those who stick around. But in a TV universe full of retreads and copycats, innovation is to be encouraged. The first season may have been uneven, but I'm anxious to see where this road takes us.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 06/25/2017