shipperx | Is There Anything to Watch? (Reply)

I've been looking forward to this one. The clips HBO has been airing have looked intriguing:

Mildred Pierce (HBO, starring Kate Winslet)
James M. Cain's 1941 novel gets a new adaptation, courtesy of filmmaker Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven) and HBO, which is airing the gripping five-part miniseries over three consecutive Sunday evenings. Kate Winslet plays the prideful title character over the course of 10 years, from her beginnings as a divorcee during the Great Depression to her career as a restaurateur, as she attempts to improve her own life and that of her supercilious daughter Veda (played by Morgan Turner and, later, by Evan Rachel Wood). Mildred is also looking for independence, including sexual liberation, but she discovers that she's trapped by society's expectations. The sumptuous and heartbreaking miniseries—which is a more faithful adaptation than the 1945 Joan Crawford film (there's no salacious murder plot here as in the film)—also stars Guy Pearce, Melissa Leo, James LeGros, Hope Davis, Mare Winningham, and Brian F. O'Bryne. (Launches March 27 at 9 p.m.)

***

Hey, I made it through the entire "The Tudors"...

The Borgias (Showtime, starring Jeremy Irons)
From writer/director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) comes the story of Italy's notorious Borgia crime family. Starring Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia, this racy period drama revolves around the Borgias, the cunning and cruel members of the ruling oligarchy of Renaissance-era Italy. As Rodrigo does everything in his power to ascend to the papacy, his alleged purity and the family's role as patrons of the arts and discovery are at brutal odds with the sinful deeds committed by both him and his power-mad family, including rape, incest, bribery, and murder. In addition to Irons, the cast includes Colm Feore, Derek Jacobi, Francois Arnuad, Holliday Grainger, Joanne Whalley, and David Oakes. (Launches April 3 at 9 p.m. with a special two-hour premiere

***

I'm really going to have to break down and pull that book out of the book case and actually read it.

Game of Thrones (HBO)
George R.R. Martin's bestselling novel series A Song of Ice and Fire is brought to vivid life by executive producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss. Set in the mythical world of Westeros, Game of Thrones recounts the uneasy peace of the Seven Kingdoms, united after many years of war. But old hostilities and ageless ambition lead to acts of treachery that threaten to bring down kingdoms' alliance, and several factions vie for control of the throne and Westeros itself. A hugely ambitious effort by the pay cabler to translate the books' sprawling cast and shifting perspective has resulted in a sweeping narrative that's at once huge in scale and yet hauntingly intimate as an epic battle gets under way. But as the eternal game of thrones unfolds once more, an ancient evil resurfaces and the last members of a vanquished royal line plot their return to power. This epic series stars Sean Bean, Emilia Clarke, Aidan Gillen, Harry Lloyd, Kit Harington, Mark Addy, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, and many others. Not one to be missed.

***

Doctor Who
The Doctor (Matt Smith) and companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) return in April with the first half of the sixth season of the relaunched Doctor Who (or Season 32 for those of you keeping track). Amy's husband, Rory (Arthur Darvill), will also stick around for the sixth season, which is airing, for the first time, the same day as the U.K. broadcasts. While details are being kept under wraps, Season 6 will launch with a two-part episode—written by head writer/executive producer Steven Moffat—that finds the trio on an adventure that takes them from the Utah desert to the Oval Office in 1969. Filmed on location in Utah, it's the first of what promises to be many intense adventures facing the Time Lord and his companions this season. Also on tap: a guest appearance by Mark Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica) and the return of Alex Kingston's enigmatic River Song. Seven episodes of Doctor Who are slated to run this spring, with the remainder of the 13-episode season kicking off in the fall. (Launches April 23 at 9 p.m.)

***