New to SoHo in July

Billions fans seeking compensation for when their favourite drama ends next month could do worse than SoHo’s newest financial conspiracy thriller, Devils.

The 10-part series was produced for Sky Italia, where it launched two months ago, and will screen 9.30 Tuesdays from July 7.

Sky Italia’s executive vice president of programming Nicola Maccanico argues it is more relevant than ever because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What we did not expect, and we are not happy about this, is how contemporary the series is considering the crisis that we are in today.

“The connection between the economy, finance, political institutions and all the different cultures is something we are living today. This is becoming a global economic crisis.”

Devils stars Alessandro Borghi (Suburra) as a fearless banker whose ambitions, after a stellar winning streak on the London trading floor, are thwarted by a scandal involving his drug-addicted wife. Patrick Dempsey co-stars.

In the US, The CW will use Devils to plug gaps in its fall season schedule because of COVID-19 disruptions to the productions it has in the pipeline.

Presumably that also explains why Sky has picked up for SoHo the two-year-old Lethal Weapon-style action-drama, Bulletproof (9.30 Thursdays from July 9), which, coincidentally, also aired on The CW.

It stars Noel Clarke (Star Trek: Into Darkness) and Ashley Walters (Hustle) as undercover cops chasing hardened criminals in London’s East End. 

“The action scenes have the intensity of a video game, but the show hangs together on the chemistry of the two leads,” London’s Evening Standard said while The Hollywood Reporter summed it up as “not especially fresh, but some solid action beats”.

Nonetheless, it proved popular enough to be renewed for eight more episodes (which earlier this year screened in 4K-UHD on Sky One in the UK).

Also new to SoHo will be Gangs of London (9.30 Mondays from July 20), season two of spy thriller Condor (8.30 Sundays from July 19) and Save Me Too (8.30 Thursdays from July 23).

The last is series two of the south London drama starring Lennie James as a man whose daughter has been abducted by a paedophile ring.

“Seventeen months on, Jody remains abducted. The whole show seems stuck on this plot device, fighting to find its feet for a new opening,” said The Times. “It’s good, watchable television, if a bit repetitive.”

But the Independent thought James was “electrifying in this clever, gripping thriller”.