TV Gold special: Ryan Murphy

This week’s episode of TV Gold is devoted to the prolific TV creator Ryan Murphy.
The podcast has regularly reviewed his prodigious output. TV Gold hosts Andrew Mercado and James Manning don’t always love everything Murphy delivers, but it always gives the podcast plenty of talking points.
Over recent years Murphy’s creations have lived on Netflix and a recent deal has seen him find a new home at Disney which means in Australia his new series will be seen on their streaming platform Disney+.
The new Disney deal sees Murphy return to FX which is where he created many series including American Horror Story, Feud, and six seasons of Nip/Tuck.

The special TV Gold episode starts off with a look at the series The Beauty which is on FX.
In FX’s The Beauty, the world of high fashion turns dark when international supermodels begin dying in spectacularly gruesome and mysterious ways.
FBI Agents Cooper Madsen and Jordan Bennett (played by Evan Peters and Rebecca Hall) are sent to Paris to uncover the truth. As they delve deeper into the case, they uncover a sexually transmitted virus that transforms ordinary people into visions of physical perfection, but with terrifying consequences.

The Best of Ryan Murphy

Andrew Mercado’s Top 5
Feud: Bette and Joan
Pose
Nip/Tuck
American Crime Story: Gianni Versace
Monster

James Manning Top 5*
Halston
The Watcher
Feud: Bette and Joan
The Andy Warhol Diaries
Glee
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Mendez Story
*It’s actually a top six!

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Andrew Mercado and James Manning this episode review more TV Gold.

Listen to the episode on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/3CbytnyTdiQD0fEIauNJ09

Dog Park (ABC) 6 episodes
When Roland(Leon Ford) and wife Emma (Brooke Satchel) separate, she leaves him with their teenage daughter Mia (Florence Gladwin) who barely notices him, and Beattie the dog he never wanted in the first place. Beattie disappears and turns up at the local dog park where he meets the unbearably optimistic Samantha (Celia Pacquola). More of a good relationship drama than a comedy.

Memory of a Killer (Stan) 10 episodes
Angelo Ledda (Patrick Dempsey) lives two totally separate lives — a fearsome NYC hitman and sleepy upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father. Both of them are threatened when he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a disease he already lost his older brother to. Angelo lives a hard-to-believe Batman-like existence although he’s certainly not saving Gotham.

Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (HBO Max) 6 episodes
A century before the events of “Game of Thrones,” two unlikely heroes meet in Westeros… a young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne, and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable friends.

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This week on the TV Gold podcast:

The Guest (4 episodes on BritBox)
Eve Myles and Gabrielle Creevy star in this series about a cleaner taking a job in what seems to be a normal family home. Albeit in a very posh family home for a family with no children and a husband who rarely seems to be home. Although the cleaner is slowly welcomed in, tensions rise and boundaries blur. When one defining moment shatters the balance, the consequences ripple through the home.

Steal (6 episodes on Prime)
James’ Show of the Week
A high-octane, heart-pounding thriller about the heist of the century. A typical day at London’s Lochmill Capital is upended when armed thieves burst in and force Zara (Sophie Turner) and her best friend Luke (Archie Madekwe) to execute their demands.

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man (2 episodes on HBO Max)
*Andrew’s Show of the Week.
Anchored by Judd Apatow’s candid conversations with Mel Brooks, the two-part documentary explores the life, career, friendships, and loves of legendary writer, director, producer, and performer. One of Hollywood’s most daring satirists from the early years of television sketch comedy through to his film and stage hits.

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Summer TV viewing

So much TV and so little time. The new year kicks off with this big first episode from TV Gold hosts Andrew Mercado and James Manning. Number of episodes of each show is in brackets.

Run - Binge (6)
Sunny Nights - Stan (8)
Imposter - Paramount+ (4)
Dear Life - Stan (6)
His & Hers - Netflix (6)
Red Eye S2 - Stan (6)
The Night Manager - Prime (6)
Goolagong - iview (3)
Run Away - Netflix (8)
Plus Andrew on Home & Away cliffhanger and Corriedale

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In the annual Best of the Year podcast, Andrew Mercado and James Manning list their highlights.

Just three shows made the list of both hosts:

Adolescence - Netflix
Outrageous - Britbox
Reckless - SBS

Shows that also featured on either one of the Best of the Year were:

Aussie Drama
Top End Bub - Prime
Invisible Boys - Stan
The Newsreader S3 - ABC
RFDS S3 - Seven
Apple Cider Vinegar - Netflix
Reckless - SBS On Demand
Mix Tape - Foxtel/Binge
The Family Next Door – ABC

International
Dying For Sex - Disney
Train Dreams – Netflix
All Her Fault - Binge
Paradise - Disney
Good American Family - Disney
Toxic Town - Netflix
Mr Loverman - Binge
Hostage - Netflix
Mobland - Paramount+
Etoile - Prime
Brian & Magie - HBO Max
Your Friends & Neighbours - Apple TV
Patience - ABC iview
(and … yes really …)
Monster: The Ed Gains Story - Netflix

Comedies
Smoggie Queens - Binge
Mandy - Britbox
Amandaland - Stan
Such Brave Girls - Stan
South Park - Paramount+

Worst Shows of the Year
Stranded on Honeymoon Island - Seven
Chad Powers - Disney
All’s Fair - Disney

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The penultimate episode of the TV Gold podcast this week features reviews and previews of:

• Jay Kelly (Netflix movie)
George Clooney plays Jay Kelly, a famous movie star who, along with his manager Ron (Adam Sandler), travels through Europe and is forced to confront his life choices, work and family relationships, and legacy. The film is a study of a man facing an identity crisis, grappling with the difference between his public persona and his private self.

• The Abandons (Netflix, 7 episodes)
The Abandons is a gritty Western series on Netflix set in 1850s Oregon, focusing on a bloody feud between two powerful matriarchs: the devout, found-family leader Fiona Nolan (Lena Headey) and the ruthless mining heiress Constance Van Ness (Gillian Anderson).

• Amadeus (Binge/Foxtel, 5 episodes)
The drama examines the rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Will Sharpe) and court composer Antonio Salieri (Paul Bettany) when Mozart arrives in 18th-century Vienna, focusing on his volatile genius, his romance with Constanze Weber, and Salieri's growing torment and jealousy as Mozart's talent overshadows his own.

Next week: Andrew and James present their Best and Worst of 2025

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In this episode of TV Gold, James Manning and Andrew Mercado review four new shows: Wild Cherry and Heated Rivalry both on HBO Max, plus Train Dreams and The Diplomat (S3) both on Netflix.

• Wild Cherry starts strong but soon reveals its trashy nature. Standout performance from Eve Best and it proves creator/writer/actor Nicôle Lecky is quite a talent. The show explores the toxic effects of social media on youth.

• Train Dreams offers a haunting portrayal of early 20th-century life and features Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier whose life unfolds during an era of unprecedented change in early 20th-century America. Orphaned at a young age, Robert grows into adulthood and finds work among the towering forests of the Pacific Northwest.

• Heated Rivalry is a slow-burn romance set in the world of ice hockey. The series chronicles the story of rival hockey players Shane and Ilya. Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) are two of the biggest stars in Major League Hockey, bound by ambition, rivalry, and a relationship neither of them fully understands.

• The Diplomat Season 3 raises the stakes for Keri Russell as diplomat Kate Wyler and Rufus Sewell as diplomat Hal Wyler with political intrigue that starts with a plot twist you won’t see coming. Joining the cast this season are Bradley Whitford and Aidan Turner. Ride the series until the end with a plot twist as surprising as the one the series starts with.

TV Gold Chapters

00:00 Exploring Wild Cherry: A Trashy Delight

10:51 Train Dreams: A Haunting Journey

19:00 Heated Rivalry: A Slow-Burning Romance

24:58 The Diplomat Season 3: Political Intrigue and Cliffhangers

30:45 Wrap-Up: Show of the Week and Final Thoughts

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This week on TV Gold a father and son relationship goes right off the rails in The Death of Bunny Munro. A chase around Italy is related to cracking the code for top secret tech in The Iris Affair, and
David Duchovny is a very rich man whose perfect life is threatened by someone seeking revenge in Malice.
In addition to those reviews Andrew Mercado has thoughts about future of TV and the longest-running Australian drama.

• The Death of Bunny Munro (Foxtel/Binge, 6 episodes)

Following the death of his wife Libby (Bibi from Bad Sisters), sex addicted door-to-door beauty salesman and self-professed lothario Bunny Munro (Matt Smith), finds himself saddled with his young son, Bunny Junior, and only a very loose concept of parenting. A series based on Nick Cave’s novel with a guest appearance from Cave.

• The Iris Affair (Stan, 8 episodes)

When enigmatic genius Iris Nixon (Niamh Algar) cracks a string of complex online puzzles, she’s led to a piazza in Florence where she meets charismatic entrepreneur Cameron Beck (Tom Hollander). He invites her to come and work for him to unlock a powerful and top-secret piece of technology. Don’t miss Andrew Mercado’s thoughts on this series!!

• Malice (Prime, 6 episodes)

Adam (Jack Whitehall) is a charismatic tutor who charms his way into the life of the wealthy Tanner family while they’re on holiday in Greece. When the family’s nanny falls dangerously ill, Adam orchestrates his way in to their London home and his true vengeful nature begins to emerge…but will Jamie Tanner (David Duchovny) and his wife Nat (Carice Van Houten) wake up to what is happening?

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