One result of spending 72 hours, jet-lagged and fuzzy-headed, in New Yawk City, is that you find yourself staring blankly at a flickering television screen for hours on end, pleading with your wired mind and bleeding eyes to finally fall asleep. The only slither of joy I take from the experience is in treating myself to a few brand-new shows which, fingers crossed, will be on Hong Kong screens in the near-ish future.
From the producers of Breaking Bad comes compelling drama series Rectify. The first original series on new channel Sundance, it follows the struggles of former death-row convict Daniel Holden as he reunites with his family after serving 19 years for the rape and murder of his high school girlfriend. New DNA evidence casts doubt on Holden's conviction and his release on a technicality causes a flood of painful emotions for the inhabitants of a small town in rural Georgia. The pace is slow and steady but that only serves to accentuate the powerful script and mesmerising cast performances as Holden struggles to reconnect with the outside world. The beauty is in the show's finer details and it is stirring stuff.
As with all of Guest's understated "mockumentary" satires, Family Tree brims with a warm empathy for its collection of eccentric losers and oddballs. It's a subtle comedy and the laughs are smart and poignant.