Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in Sherlock. Photo / Supplied
Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in Sherlock. Photo / Supplied
Got some time to spend in front of the telly? Here are five shows you need to watch over the next seven days.
Pick of the week:Sherlock
It's been a year since viewers were swept into the mysterious and charming world of the modern-day Sherlock Holmes with the BBC's contemporary updates on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's timeless stories.
The first three feature-length episodes were greeted with resounding applause, and left us hanging with both Sherlock (played by the marvellously high-cheekboned Benedict Cumberbatch) and his dutiful sidekick Dr John Watson (a pitch-perfect dry and weary Martin Freeman), with laser sights pointed at their heads in a swimming pool showdown with arch enemy Moriarty.
Despite the clamouring demand for a second series, filming had to be delayed until both Freeman and Cumberbatch were free of filming commitments for The Hobbit.
But the wait is worth it, as the next three episodes present three more equally eccentric and clever cases, and introduce Irene Adler or "The Woman" - the only woman to ever give Holmes a run for his money - while also delving further into the relationship between the crime-solving pair, and unravels Holmes' personality a little further.
A Scandal In Belgravia picks up where season one left off, with Holmes and Watson saved by a phone call - but from whom? And why would Moriarty let them go?
While waiting to answer these questions, Watson has set up a blog to detail their adventures and drum up some business for the pair because he's had enough of their tight economic circumstances.
Before long they're receiving all sorts of odd characters in their living room who have odd or perplexing problems to solve: Like "The Geek Interpreter", "The Speckled Blonde", "The Naval Treatment"... none of whom interest Holmes in the slightest. And he's not impressed with Watson's PR initiatives either, saying: "I'm a private detective. The last thing I need is a public image."
It's not long before Irene Adler is causing havoc though, with her whips, riding crops, and royal clients.
And she's teamed up with Moriarty to try to put one over the powers that be, and soon Holmes and Watson are summoned to Buckingham Palace.
Adler is great at playing games with Holmes - she intrigues him, baffles him, insults him, and toys with his emotions. "Brainy is the new sexy," she intones.
But as Watson blithely points out: "Sherlock is Mr Punchline. He will outlive God trying to have the last word."
It's all done with relish - the stylish wardrobe (everyone in Britain now wants a Sherlock Holmes coat), the noir sets (the famous Battersea Powerstation makes an appearance), the sparkling dialogue, the banter between Holmes and Watson, their growing tender affection for landlady Mrs Hudson (who comes into her own in this series), and the many twists which even Holmes doesn't see coming.
You'll be a fan in no time if you weren't already and hanging out to see the following two episodes: The Hounds of Baskerville, and The Reichenbach Fall.
When: Friday, 8.30pm Where: TV One What: Return to Baker St
Miniseries pick:Wuthering Heights
Before actor Tom Hardy had a film career leading to his role as the villain Bane in the upcoming Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, he starred as the brooding tormented Heathcliff in this two-part miniseries.
His Heathcliffe certainly is a menacing and obsessive sort when he first makes an appearance in this stylish gothic retelling of Emily Bronte's classic novel of doomed love, betrayal, and family feuding.
As with past screen adaptations, this one takes some liberties with Bronte's narrative, starting on the anniversary of the death of Cathy, Heathcliff's one true love, before flashing back to when Heathcliff was rescued from the streets of Liverpool by Cathy's father then taken to the Moors.
When: Wednesday, 8.35pm Where: Prime What: Retelling of classic tale of tormented love
Dramedy pick:GCB
When Amanda Vaughn's high-flying hubby gets busted for stealing billions of dollars, and then dies in a car crash with his mistress (who just happens to be Amanda's best friend), she is forced to leave California and return to her hometown of Dallas.
Amanda (Leslie Bibb) may have been Queen Bee in high school, but those whose lives she made hell back then have not forgotten and still live in well-to-do suburb Highland Park.
But she and her teenage kids resolve to adjust to their new way of life. This is where the Desperate Housewives connection can be made, her old school mates, like new Queen Bee Carlene Cockburn and business mogul Cricket Caruth alternate between being sympathisers and schemers.
When: Tuesday, 8.30pm Where: TV2 What:Desperate Housewives do Dallas
Comedy pick:Veep
This HBO show about United States presidential politics sure ain't The West Wing. This one is from Armando Iannucci, acclaimed for his satirical portrayals of British political life through In the Loop and its television predecessor The Thick of It, and stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as vice-president Selina Meyer.
Meyer might be seen as a Sarah Palin what-if, especially as the show was developed in 2010 in the aftermath of the Palin campaign.
But her party is never named and Meyer is keen on liberal causes such as clean energy. That's when she's not hoping her boss has a sick day so she can try out the Oval Office for size. And like Iannucci's In the Loop, Veep has its share of swearing - the F-word is used 250 times in the first eight episodes.
When: Tonight, 9pm Where: SoHo What: Elaine, deputy leader of the free world?
This is Miami so there must be vice. This series captures the Miami of the late-1950s, era of the Rat Pack, the mob, and the CIA and their new bogeyman, Fidel Castro.
Down at the Miramar Playa Hotel owner Ike Evans (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is having a few problems. It's New Year's Eve 1958, the hotel is booked solid and Francis Albert Sinatra is the star attraction.
Evans has plenty of challenges to face in the coming season. He must balance his hotel life while maintaining family harmony between his beautiful former showgirl wife, his two grown sons - one bad, one virtuous - and his precocious little girl. As well, there's his mob guy silent partner Ben Diamond (Danny Huston).
When: Sunday, 8.30pm Where: SoHo What: Tropical Mad Men meet the mob
