Tara Ward: Mobland, Etoile, Ransom Canyon

Mobland  

Power is up for grabs as two warring crime families clash in a battle that threatens to topple empires and ruin lives. In the crossfire stands Harry Da Souza, a street-smart 'fixer' who knows too well where loyalties lie when opposing forces collide (Prime Video). 

  

Etoile  

In an ambitious gambit to save their storied institutions, two world-renowned ballet companies in New York City and Paris swap their most talented stars. From the Executive Producers of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel comes a bold new series celebrating the beauty, humor, and unpredictability of a life devoted to the arts, both on stage and off (Prime Video). 

  

Ransom Canyon  

Passions run deep in a small Texas town, as three ranching dynasties fight for their land, their legacies and the people they love (Netflix). 

 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast
from News Talks atb.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
It is twenty five minutes past ten on your Saturday morning.
If you're feeling like one of those weekends where you
just go blow on the couch. Good news. Tara Reward,
our screen time expert, has three shows to watch your
stream at home that she's going to recommend for us
this morning. Hey Tara, good morning. Okay, let's kick things
off with the show streaming on Prime Video. Tell us

(00:34):
about Mobland.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
Yeah, last week I talked about a Guy Ritchie documentary
series about a group of London gangsters, and this week
we've got a Guy Ritchie drama series about some London gangsters.
This is Mobland. It stars Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and
Helen and Merren and it's pretty much what it says
on the tin. This is a crime series about two
warring mob crime families in London, the Harrigans and the Stevensons.

(01:00):
And it's about the power struggle between the two families
which is escalating as they try to control crime and
profits in the city. And in the middle of it
all is Harry, who's played by Tom Hardy. Who's great
in this. Harry is a fixer. He does all the
dirty work. He knows everyone, and he has to do
some pretty questionable things to keep his employers, the Hurricans happy.

(01:20):
And this is a great little watch. It's gritty, it's smart,
it's a little bit violent, but brilliant cast. Helen Mirren
and Pierce Brosn play the mob boss married couple. They're
quite scary together. Patty Considine and Joined Froggeder in this too.
It feels a bit like the show Gangs of London,
but it's not as heavy or as slow. It's exactly
what you would expect from a guy Ritchie Tom Hardy

(01:41):
crime drama and nothing more. You know, big energy, lots
of dodgy blokes and just a very entertaining series.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
Nice okay, cool, that's mob Land. So that's on Prime video.
Also on Prime video.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Ittoi, Yeah, this is a new comedy drama that's just
landed this week. It's made by Amy Sherman Palladino and
Daniel Palladino, who are probably most famous for making shows
like The Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Missus Masel And
the new show was something little different. It's set in
the world of ballet, and it's about two prestigious dance
companies in New York and Paris who both struggling to

(02:14):
survive financially. And so the artistic directors come up with
this idea to swap the major dance stars in each
company between Paris and New York and the hope that
will revitalize things and be a draw card for new audiences.
And so it becomes your classic fish out of water scenario.
Lots of egos, lots of personalities, and a little bit
of dance as well. And if you've watched Gilmore Girls

(02:37):
or Marvelous Missus masl you know those dramas have that
fast dialogue, that witty banter, lots of humor, and that
show has the same kind of feeling to it. It's
not quite as strong here, not quite as quirky, to
be fair, I think the first episode is fleshing out
a lot of things, so hopefully it will find it
stride as it goes on. But if you are a
fan of Gilmore Girls, or if you love a bit

(02:57):
of dance, this is light and easy to watch and
something not too serious for the weekend, right.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Okay, cool and on Netflix. Ransom Canyon.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
Yeah, this is the number one TV show on Netflix
and New Zealand at the moment, so lots of us
are watching Ransom Canyon. And it's an American family drama
that's kind of a cross between Virgin River and Friday
Night Lights. It's set in Texas. It stars Josh Jumel,
and it's about three families who farm on these massive
ranches across the sweeping Texan countryside, and it's about how

(03:30):
their lives cross over, their relationships and their friendships and
their feelings. And there are a lot of feelings in
the show. There's a lot of grief and lost loves,
lots of sad cowboys. It's a Western soap opera effectively.
But I can see you why lots of people are
watching it. It's escapism. It's soft and romantic and a
little bit cheesy, or a lot cheesy, but it's comfort TV,

(03:52):
and I think lots of us are turning to that
at the moment. There's lots to be said for a
show that is predictable and safe, and you know it
might not be perfect, but you can just step into
it for a couple of hours and forget the realm.

Speaker 2 (04:03):
There's a bit of escapeism, isn't it a thing wrong
that from time to time? So that's Ransom Canyon. Hey,
this one you've left off the list this week, so
I'm just gonna have to edit. New season of Grand
Designs New Zealand.

Speaker 3 (04:16):
I just go wrong.

Speaker 2 (04:17):
I love Grand Designs. I don't know what it is.
I just well, yeah, I just yeah. It's fantastic. So
a new season of that kicks off tomorrow evening on
TV and Z one I think seven thirty. It'll be
on TV and Z plus as well, So can't wait
for that. Hey, thank you so much. You have a
great weekend, and we will put those recommendations online. Of course,
those shows once again on Prime Video mob Land, That's

(04:38):
the Guy Ritchie drama Ittol is the one about the
dancers from the from What Paris and New York was
it going? And swapping around it? And Ransom Canyon is
the show streaming on Netflix.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talk z' B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.