HD Heads-Up: January 16 – 22

TV1 will experiment with stripped programming of a new drama series in primetime ahead of TV2 doing likewise with its own multi-night local commission, Filthy Rich.

From January 17 – 21, TV1 will air back-to-back 8.30 episodes of the acclaimed UK thriller, Doctor Foster.

It stars Suranne Jones (above) as a GP who who discovers sexual and financial secrets about her property developer husband.

The Guardian dubbed it “a brilliant and gripping portrait of a marriage slowly being poisoned” and “visibly a modern version of the five-act theatrical genre of Jacobean dramas such as John Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi and Thomas Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy.”

Said The Telegraph of the premiere: “It turned out to be an edgy nail-biter that rather reminded me of the hit drama Happy Valley.

“Both contemporary thrillers with a deceptively cosy title and both star a former Coronation Street actress (Suranne Jones this time, rather than Sarah Lancashire). Doctor Foster wasn’t quite as good as that, but might yet get there.”

Quipped The Independent: “I hope anyone who made it through to the end of Mike Bartlett’s gripping psychological thriller Doctor Foster has a secure marriage, as this drama pushed the boundaries of plausibility with its plot, but in doing so, tapped into some all-too-common insecurities.”

Doctor Foster will premiere ahead of the new 9.30 Sunday night police drama, Cuffs.

The Guardian described the Brighton-set Cuffs as “The Bill-on-Sea” while The Telegraph was confused by its intentions: “What kind of cop show was this? Irreverent? Satirical? Gritty? Initially, it was hard to say …

“In truth, it’s a different kind of show: an ensemble piece with an pre-watershed time-slot (8pm) meaning grittiness and violence are kept to a minimum. Given the decent performances, it’s probably worth sticking with.”

Also new to TV1 that week is the latest British chat show host, John Bishop, while bowing on TV2 is the sitcom, Grandfathered (8.00 Monday).

The latter stars John Stamos as a bachelor who finds out he has an adult son with a young daughter.

“If there’s nothing particularly unconventional about Grandfathered, it carries off its conventions with considerable skill,” said USA Today.

The Washington Post thought it “a more flashy version of Raising Hope” while Variety said: “After one episode of Grandfathered, it’s easy to feel like you’ve seen the first three seasons.”

Preceding Grandfathered will be the hour-long season premiere of Shortland Street while returning are Supergirl, in a new slot after failing to fire on Sundays (TV2, 7.30 Friday), Castle (TV1, 9.35 Monday), The Good Wife (TV3, 11.00 Tuesday) and Unforgettable (TV1, 9.40 Wednesday).

TV3 also has the network movie premiere of G.I. Joe: Retaliation (8.30 Sunday) and TV2 will debut The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (11.00 Saturday), Scary Movie 5 (8.50 Sunday) and Seeking Justice (8.30 Friday).

Other coming attractions in HD include: Journey to the Centre of the Earth (TV2, 7.00 Saturday), Legally Blonde (TV3, 7.00 Saturday), Dark Shadows (TV2, 8.45 Saturday), Bandits (TV3, 9.00 Saturday), Tangled (TV2, 7.00 Sunday), The Exorcist (TV2, 10.35 Sunday), Just Heaven (TV2, 8.35 Monday), What Happens In Vegas (8.35 Monday), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (TV2, 7.30 Wednesday), The Five-Year Engagement (TV3, 8.30 Wednesday), Ghost Rider (TV2, 8.30 Thursday) and Safe House (TV3, 8.35 Thursday).