Viewers are spoilt for choice for action dramas. They seem to be headed our way fast and furious. Debashine Thangevelo looks at the return of old favourites and fresh shows that are on the bill…
Like her Will & Grace gay BFF half Eric McCormack, who has been praised for his performance in Perception, Debra Messing has been switching things up a bit in her career post the hit series. She lured the Desperate Housewives brigade to her pity party in The Starter Wife. And the slew of nominations spoke volumes for the reception of the series.
She then upped the ante once again in the chaotic world of Broadway musicals with Smash, where she played Julia Houston, one part of the writing team for a musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.
Now she returns to the small screen to play Laura Diamond, an NYPD homicide detective, in the comedy drama, The Mysteries of Laura.
The show, which is adapted from the Spanish TV series, Los misterios de Laura by Carlos Vila and Javier Holgado, centres on her daily dramas on the show as well as her struggles as a divorced woman with twin sons. Josh Lucas plays her ex-husband and new boss, Captain Jake Broderick. Seems like a Castle situation with a twist.
This is one for Messing and Lucas fans – don’t go expecting some mind-blowing storylines. It airs on M-Net (DStv channel 101) on Mondays at 8.30pm.
Right now, CSI: Cyber, which is coming to our screens soon, has got aficionados rather impatient. In the meantime, the 15th instalment of CSI debuted last night.
There are a few changes this time around. Show runner Carol Mendelsohn has passed the baton to her friend and partner, Don McGill. Actor Paul Guilfoyle, best known for his tough as nails character Captain Jim Brass, has left the show.
While viewers are grateful that Finley (Elisabeth Shue) survived the car bomb attack, the team have a major problem on their hands – a serial killer from the past resurfaces. He is better known in dual roles as The Gig Harbor Killer, Briscoe/Paul Winthrop in the show. The role is played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
Mark Valley returns for a guest appearance. But that trademark charm he wears conceals the fact that he is hiding something. Of course, this seems to be the overarching story amid another batch of gripping investigations for the team.
This airs on M-Net at 9.30pm every Wednesday.
The Reagan family are back on our screens for a fifth season from tonight. Anchored by the inimitable Tom Selleck as police commissioner Frank, Blue Bloods has proved to be a major hit with fans of procedural dramas.
Viewers seem to revel in how the family resolve their differences in situations of conflict, which is often attached to their job.
In this season, Nicky finds herself in a quandary over attending a college closer to home or away. And Danny, who can often be hot-headed but reasonably so, and his partner Detective Maria Baez find themselves in serious danger when they are tasked with escorting a shipment of impounded drugs.
Jamie and Officer Edie Jenko will be cooling things off on the relationship front and Cupid might be smiling on Erin this season. It looks like she has met her perfect match in the new interim District Attorney.
LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Samuel L Jackson’s better half) has a major role as one of the new faces this season. Catch all the drama, action and intrigue on M-Net at 8.30pm tonight.
The list of shows continues with Major Crimes (M-Net Edge, Tuesdays at 7pm), DCI Banks (BBC Entertainment, Fridays at 8pm) and Criminal Minds (M-Net Edge, Thursdays at 6pm).
Talk about being spoilt for choice for whodunit fans.