Masterpiece: The Durrells in Corfu
Sunday at 8 p.m., WGBH 2
On one level, this is a bit of location porn, a spectacular trip to the Greek island of Corfu, with sunshine-brightened views of the bluer-than-blue Ionian Sea. On another level, the 1930s-set series is a warm family portrait of widowed mother Louisa Durrell (Keeley Hawes) and her four idiosyncratic children. Based on the somewhat autobiographical Corfu trilogy by naturalist Gerald Durrell, the drama finds the depressed Louisa deciding to uproot her gang for a big adventure. It all holds together nicely, as we watch the Durrells heal and the kids’ identities emerge away from home. The series was a hit in the UK, and it has already been renewed for a second season.
The Affair
Showtime
Here’s yet another show you need to catch up on. “The Affair’’ returns for a third season on Nov. 20, which gives you two months to watch the first two 10-episode seasons. It may not be your cup of coffee. You need to like melodrama and soap opera. The show is about pretty people dealing with marital discomfort and extramarital pleasure, and there is a lot of sighing and a lot of sexing, too. But the pluses are many. 1) Dominic West, from “The Wire’’ and “The Hour,’’ is a strong lead, managing to be both unbearably selfish and relatively sympathetic. 2) The show was created by two people from the magnificent “In Treatment,’’ and it features some of the same extraordinary psychological layering. 3) The narrative is somewhat experimental, so that we see events — sometimes the same events — from different characters’ perspectives. 4) Maura Tierney. She’s good in season one, and stupendous in season two, as the cheated-on wife.
Speechless
Wednesday at 8:30 p.m., ABC
There are a few breakout performers this season, including Issa Rae on HBO’s “Insecure’’ and Lakeith Stanfield on FX’s “Atlanta.’’ But I want to point out Micah Fowler, who steals this show, and that’s saying a lot when you realize that he’s often onscreen with the mighty Minnie Driver. “Speechless’’ is yet another ABC post-“Modern Family’’ family sitcom, this one revolving around a teenager named JJ who has cerebral palsy. JJ is nonverbal, in a wheelchair, and able to communicate using a computer device that’s read aloud by his aide. Fowler, who has cerebral palsy (but can speak), is remarkable as JJ. He communicates JJ’s feelings and his great sense of humor solely through facial movements, shifts in body language, and a pair of extremely expressive eyes. Fowler makes everything that passes through JJ’s mind clear and specific. Along with the writers, Fowler never reduces JJ to an object of pity or the impetus for easy “awww’’ sitcom moments. He delivers a complex, dimensional, sweet, and lovely performance.
Black Mirror
Netflix
I’m warning you. If you like “The Twilight Zone,’’ or sci-fi that foreshadows a frightening technological future, or dramas that mine moral decay and the darkest of our human fears and desires, or black comedies that ruthlessly but intelligently satirize contemporary society, then you owe it to yourself to catch up on “Black Mirror.’’ The British anthology series has released two seasons of only three episodes each, as well as one holiday special. Those are the ones you need to watch before the show returns with six new episodes on Oct. 21. OK, in all honesty, since “Black Mirror’’ is an anthology series, technically you don’t really need to have seen the old episodes in order to jump into the new ones. They’re all self-standing. But since “Black Mirror’’ is so powerful and excellent, you kind of do really need to see them.
MATTHEW GILBERT
Matthew Gilbert can be reached at gilbert@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGilbert.
