Watchable March 14-20, 2022

SHOW OF THE WEEK: Sanditon (March 20, 9 p.m., PBS)

It’s a good time to be a fan of period drama. “The Gilded Age” is still releasing weekly episodes. “Outlander” just came back. “Bridgerton” debuts its second season next week and, this week, we have the second season of “Sanditon.”

(If you’d like to read more on the current period drama renaissance, here’s the feature I wrote about it for the Toronto Star.)

I confess I was slow to appreciate “Sanditon.” As a devoted Jane Austen fan, I was put off by the idea of a show taking liberties with her last, unfinished novel. Turns out I was as wrongheaded as Mr. Darcy underestimating the charms of Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

Set in a beautiful seaside location, “Sanditon” had it all: drama, comedy, tragedy, rich people, villainous people, kind-hearted people, ridiculous people and, of course, romance. Make that thwarted romance since the season ended with smouldering hero Sidney Parker (Theo James) having to give up heroine Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) to marry a rich former flame and save brother Tom Parker (Kris Marshall) from ruin.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that James chose not to return to “Sanditon.” That means Sidney isn’t returning either. I don’t want to spoil things by telling you exactly how the show addresses his exit in Season 2. Let’s just say there is absolutely no chance of Sidney ever coming back, that this is made clear in the opening minutes of the new season and that the manner of his exit will be a plot thread thoughout.

The good news is that Charlotte herself is back in Sanditon, along with the other characters you remember and a few new ones to keep the drama humming along.

Tom Parker’s resort has been rebuilt after the Season 1 fire and spendthrift Tom appears to have turned over a new leaf when it comes to financial responsibility.

Heiress Georgiana Lambe (Crystal Clarke) is still rejecting all efforts to get her married off, organizing a sugar boycott to protest slavery, and secretly mourning the paramour whose gambling debts got her kidnapped and sold to a brute in Season 1.

Esther (Charlotte Spencer), now Lady Babington, has returned to spend the summer with her aunt Lady Denham (Anne Reid) and, though happily married to the absent Lord Babington (Mark Stanley was unable to rejoin the cast this season), is deeply unhappy about her inability to have a child.

Another absent actor is Alexandra Roach, who played the hypochondriac Diana Parker. This is good news because it means her brother Arthur (Turlough Convery) gets to play a much bigger and less ridiculous role.

If you’re worried about the romance this season, don’t be. Charlotte, though still mourning Sidney and leaning toward spinsterhood, has two new suitors: Colonel Lennox (Tom Weston-Jones), leader of the regiment of redcoats who have taken up residence in town; and Alexander Colbourne (Ben Lloyd-Hughes), the stand-offish rich man for whom she works, having taken a job as governess to his troubled daughter and niece.

There’s also a potential romantic interest for Georgiana: artist Charles Lockhart (Alexander Vlahos), a bohemian sort with no interest in society’s boundaries. And Charlotte has brought her sister Alison (Rosie Graham) to Sanditon, who’s smitten with redcoat Captain Carter (Maxim Ays), although we can all see that Captain Fraser (Frank Blake) is the better man for her.

It’s a lot and I haven’t even touched on the return of villains Edward Denham (Jack Fox) and Clara Brereton (Lily Sacofsky), or the enmity between Colonel Lennox and Alexander Colbourne, one of whom may turn out to be a villain.

While it’s been said that period dramas provide an escape to a simpler time, I’m not entirely sure that’s true. Certainly there’s nothing simple about the gender restrictions that Charlotte, Alison and Georgiana have to navigate, something of which Austen would have been all too aware, nor the emotional pain of Esther’s infertility, something any modern want-to-be mother could relate to. The series even touches on gender identity through the character of Leonora Colbourne (Flora Mitchell), a young girl who’s more comfortable dressing as a boy and playing pirate.

But, obviously, the characters’ imperfect humanity is what makes “Sanditon” such a treat to watch.

Short Takes

Phoenix Rising (March 15, 9 p.m., HBO/Crave)

If you pay attention to the news, you’re no doubt already familiar with actor Evan Rachel Wood’s accusations of torture, rape and abuse against musician Marilyn Manson. But this two-part documentary makes those allegations feel visceral in a way that merely reading about them cannot. It follows Wood in 2019 as she and other activists campaign for the Phoenix Act, which changed the statute of limitations on domestic violence crimes in California from three to five years (the activists had asked for 10), and culminates on Feb. 1, 2020, the day Wood named Manson as her abuser. Bolstered by video, photos, Wood’s journal entries and the testimony of other survivors, the doc traces the trajectory of the actor’s terrorization from grooming and love-bombing (Wood was just 18 when she met the 37-year-old Manson) to isolation from family and friends, physical and sexual assault, death threats, starvation, sleep deprivation and complete psychological subjugation. But her abuser is not the only one implicated. The doc, directed by Amy Berg (“Deliver Us From Evil,” “The Case Against Adnan Syed”), touches on Wood’s dysfunctional upbringing, during which she was taught that romantic love was sometimes expressed through violence; her sexualization by the media after the teenage-girls-behaving-badly movie “Thirteen”; and a culture in which the abusive acts of famous men are enabled and excused. Wood would have been within her rights to keep her pain and fear to herself; she seems to genuinely want to help other victims by speaking out. It must be noted that Manson denies all allegations of abuse, has not been charged with any crimes and has sued Wood for defamation of character.

Evil by Design: Surviving Nygard (March 17, 9 p.m., CBC and CBC Gem)

The idea of a rich, powerful man having young women and girls procured for his sexual gratification no doubt sounds very familiar to anyone who followed the Jeffrey Epstein case, but this three-part docuseries is about a case that’s much closer to home, that of former Finnish-Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard. He is currently in jail in Toronto awaiting trial on six counts of sexual assault and three counts of forcible confinement, although he denies all allegations. He also faces nine counts in New York City. The doc gives voice to victims, former employees, whistleblowers and journalists who covered the case, going as far back as 1996 when the Winnipeg Free Press published a front-page story alleging sexual harassment by Nygard. The question that comes up in the first episode, the only one I was given access to, is why this was allowed to go on for so long, considering there were allegations dating back to the 1970s. Power and money are at least two of the answers. “Evil” may seem like a strong word, but it also seems an apt one when you consider the decades of trauma described by the victims.

CBC Gem also has the docuseries “Real Blackity Talk” (March 18), in which Burundian-Canadian sisters Aiza and Kamana Ntibarikure try to empower other Black women and non-binary people with the help of “Blaxperts” and a lot of positive talk.

Minx (March 17, 10 p.m., Crave)

Sometimes you just want the TV you watch to be fun, perhaps even a little naughty. “Minx” fits that description. It’s the story of a fictional erotic magazine for women founded in the 1970s in the San Fernando Valley. Think a faux Playgirl, except instead of being created by a man, “Minx” is the pet project of Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond, “Feel Good”), a devoted young feminist who dreams of winning a Pulitzer and being feted by her heroine, Gloria Steinem. But when publishers run the other way from her opus, humourlessly titled “The Matriarchy Awakens,” Joyce throws in her lot with porn publisher Doug (Jake Johnson, “New Girl”), who convinces her she needs to “hide the medicine” of her feminist dogma in some peanut butter — and by peanut butter, he means penises. As Joyce tells the holier than thou councilwoman who’s trying to shut Doug’s entire operation down, “It’s just penises. It’s silly and fun” and the same could be said of “Minx.” Sure, the show touches on serious topics like feminism, misogyny and women taking charge of their own sexuality, but the medicine goes down smoothly and entertainingly. Lovibond and Johnson make earnest Joyce and laidback Doug likeable and multi-dimensional, and the supporting cast is terrific too, including Lennon Parham as Joyce’s open-minded housewife sister Shelly, Jessica Lowe as bimbo with a brain Bambi, Oscar Montoya as photographer Richie, Taylor Zakhar Perez as centrefold Shane and Idara Victor as Doug’s right-hand woman Tina.

Crave also has the graphic novel adaptation “DMZ” (March 17, Crave), executive-produced by Ava DuVernay, which unfortunately I was not able to get to. It stars Rosario Dawson as a medic searching for her son in a future Manhattan, a dangerous demilitarized zone in an America engulfed in civil war.

Also, if you didn’t catch the Oscar-nominated “Dune” by Canadian director Denis Villeneuve in the theatre, it makes its Crave debut on March 18.

Call the Midwife (March 20, 8 p.m., PBS)

If you haven’t already been following this sentimental drama about midwives in a poor London neighbourhood in the 1950s and ’60s, then this post isn’t for you. If you have, you’ll be relieved to know that Season 11 follows the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” principle, by which I mean it has the usual mix of gentle humour, beloved characters and medical situations that are sure to cause at least one bout of tears before each episode is through. The season opens at Easter 1967. The dramas range from the inconsequential — in the season premiere, ceiling rot at Nonnatus House drives Nurse Corrigan (Megan Cusack) into Trixie’s room (Helen George) — to the deadly serious: the remains of two newborn babies are found in the building that landlord Matthew (Olly Rix) is having renovated. As always, whether it’s making us laugh or cry, the series’ deep humanity shines through.

PBS also has the thriller “Before We Die” (March 20, 10 p.m.), starring Lesley Sharp (“Scott & Bailey”) as a police detective for whom a murder investigation is particularly personal.

Odds and Ends

It’s often said that people on different sides of an issue don’t know how to talk to each other. Conversation between political opponents is the raison d’être of “Political Blind Date,” which launches its fifth and final season on TVO March 15 at 9 p.m. (also on tvo.org and YouTube). This season, it’s not just politicians batting around issues. For instance, Conservative MPP Monte McNaughton and UNIFOR president Jerry Dias discuss the future of unionism in one episode. Other topics include anti-Black racism, the treatment of military veterans, how Canadian history marginalizes Indigenous people, homelessness and the opioid crisis.

If I’d had a chance to preview anything coming to Netflix this week, “Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives” (March 16) would have been it. It tells the strange but true story of former vegan restaurateur Sarma Melngailis and her downfall after she married a man who claimed he could make her dog immortal. Also on Netflix, the animated “Big Mouth” spinoff “Human Resources” (March 18) and the reality series “Is It Cake?” (March 18), in which cake artists try to fool celebrity judges with baked goods that look like everyday objects.

Apple TV Plus has a show featuring not one, but two Oscar winners, “WeCrashed” (March 18). Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway portray former WeWork CEO Adam Neumann and his wife Rebekah. It’s the latest in a string of TV series about dodgy entrepreneurs, including “The Dropout” and “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber.” To be honest, I was underwhelmed by what I saw, but since I only watched three of the nine episodes, I didn’t feel I could give it a full and fair review.

Disney Plus has the new series “Life & Beth” (March 18), which stars Amy Schumer (who also created the show, wrote and directed) as a seemingly successful woman who has to come to terms with her past after she gets earth-shattering news.

Global TV has the new reality show “Beyond the Edge” (March 16, 9 p.m., also on StackTV), in which celebrities like former “Bachelor” Colton Underwood, “American Idol” runner-up Lauren Alaina, Real Housewife of New York Eboni K. Williams and former supermodel Paulina Porizkova spend two weeks in the Panamanian jungle to raise money for charity.

CTV and CTV.ca have the concert special “An Audience With Adele,” filmed at London’s Palladium, on March 20 at 9 p.m.

NOTE: The listings here are in Eastern Standard Time and I’ve verified the times where possible, but it’s always best to check listings for your own area. The selection of programs reviewed reflects what I’m given access to by networks and streamers, whether reviews are embargoed, how many shows I have time to watch and my own personal taste. The Odds and Ends section includes shows that I have not watched.