Television

APPLES NEVER FALL

• By SAMANTHA COLWELL

Even in idyllic, suburban Palm Beach, nothing is ever as it seems. Or so suggests new Peacock miniseries Apples Never Fall, which premiered in its entirety on March 14, 2024.

The all-star cast follows Annette Bening (Nyad, Jerry and Marge Go Large, American Beauty), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, The Twelve, Memoirs of an Invisible Man), Jake Lacy (The Office, Carol, The White Lotus), and Alison Brie (GLOW, Community, Promising Young Woman). Each of these formidable names, along with newcomers Conor Merrigan Turner and Essie Randles, play a member of the Delaney family, a tight-knit group of parents Joy and Stan (Bening and Neill) and their four adult children. Ultimately, though, that family closeness turns on its head when Joy goes missing and each member of the family must prove their innocence to themselves and each other.

The miniseries is based on Liane Moriarty’s 2021 novel of the same name. Moriarty has written other hits such as Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, both of which fostered award-winning TV adaptations. Though the show is set in America, it was filmed in Moriarty’s home country of Australia.

Reviews have been mixed, with critics alternately calling it “soapy” and “brilliant”. If you’re a fan of family drama or of Moriarty’s other works, though, give it a watch! It may just surprise you.

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Ripley

• By Debbie Emery

Netflix’s latest period drama, Ripley, lures us back into the opulent world of Tom Ripley and Dickie Greenleaf that was last brought to life in the 1999 film The Talented Mr. Ripley, starring Matt Damon and Jude Law. The most recent adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel sees Andrew Scott (a.k.a. Fleabag’s Hot Priest) and Johnny Flynn in the main roles, while Dakota Fanning takes over from Gwyneth Paltrow as their love interest, Marge Sherwood.

For those not familiar with the tantalizing and twisting storyline, Tom Ripley is paid by shipping magnate Herbert Greenleaf to retrieve his wayward playboy son from Italy. (Greenleaf is mistakenly under the impression that the two were friends at Princeton.) Ripley soon becomes enamored by Dickie’s extravagant lifestyle, and attempts to both pretend to be him and become his best friend. Such obsession and deceit ultimately leads to fraud, murder and the downfall of them all. 

“Tom Ripley is a part of our consciousness,” the series creator Steven Zaillian told Vanity Fair. “Almost 70 years after Highsmith created him, contemporary figures are still being compared to him. He won’t go away.” In fact, the main character awards season darling Saltburn has repeatedly been compared to Tom Ripley.

Stream Ripley on Netflix from April 4, 2024.

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IRISH WISH

• By SAMANTHA COLWELL

Lindsay Lohan stars as awkward and shy book editor Maddie who falls in love with her client/writer Paul Kennedy (Alexander Vlahos), but ends up being a bridesmaid at his wedding to her best friend through an unfortunate twist of fate. When Maddie makes a wish for true love on a stone, she finds herself in an alternate universe where she’s the one marrying Paul. Vlahos (Merlin, Sanditon) and Ed Speleers (You, Star Trek: Picard, Downton Abbey) appear as the two male leads of Irish Wish. Speleers and Vlahos both starred on different seasons of Outlander playing villains–Speleers as pirate Stephen Bonnet and Vlahos as farmer Allan Christie–so this venture into rom-com leads is an interesting shift for fans of the Scottish adventure series that also largely centers around wishing on a magical rock.

Irish Wish was largely filmed on location in Wicklow, a town on the eastern coast of Ireland. This was a large draw for Lohan, who shared she was excited to get insight into her Irish heritage. Lohan has been making her reentry into romantic comedies of late, with 2022’s Falling for Christmas notable among them. For fans of her early work like Mean Girls, Just My Luck, The Parent Trap, and Freaky Friday, this return to ‘comfort’ movies is a satisfying arc to follow.

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DINNER PARTY DIARIES

• By NINA SVENTITSKY

Award-winning restauranteur José Andres is a driven chef and humanitarian, but he still finds time to entertain in the name of good food and good friends. His latest special is Dinner Party Diaries, which dropped last week on Amazon Prime. Andres is a whirlwind of energy and accomplishment. His World Central Kitchen non-profit feeds desperate people around the world. He owns over 30 restaurants. He stars in food and travel TV shows and the Longer Tables podcast and comes out with a cookbook every few years. His passion for spending time with friends around the table is infectious; he is a genius at gathering people together and letting the chemistry happen. This one-off special has José opening the front door of his home in LA to Jamie Lee Curtis, Bryan Cranston, and O’Shea Jackson, cooking Spanish-themed recipes together. He lets people do their thing; Curtis takes over the kitchen and gives us the secret to her Caesar Salad recipe (she hugs it) and comes to Andres rescue when he cuts his finger. Cranston and Jackson erupt in side-splitting giggles. Everyone tells their stories. Andres wants us to embrace warmth and joy when we spend time with friends. This show will leave you feeling the love and laughter. Please let this become more than just a special. Yes Chef!

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