Andrew Mercado and James Manning pick the best shows of 2020 for you to catch up on over the summer holidays.

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Andrew Mercado and James Manning pick the best shows of 2020 for you to catch up on over the summer holidays.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to the TV Gold podcast from Andrew Mercado and James Manning. A podcast for people who love great television.

Hear the latest from the world of TV, radio, entertainment publishing and more in the Mediaweek podcast. This series features regular interviews with the stars, movers and shakers of Australian media industry.

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Mediaweek's Mercado & Manning: The Best TV of 2020

Margot’s Got Money Trouble (Apple TV, 8 episodes)
Nineteen-year-old Margo Millet, daughter of an ex-pro wrestler and a former waitress, finds herself pregnant after a brief affair with her English professor. Defying everyone's advice to terminate the pregnancy, she decides to keep the baby. Needing cash fast, Margo launches an OnlyFans account under the name HungryGhost. Brilliant cast includes Elle Fanning as Margo, Michelle Pfeiffer as her mum and Nicole Kidman in a very surprising role. Series marks the first time Michelle Pfeiffer has worked with her husband, super-producer David E Kelley.

The Audacity (SBS, 8 episodes)
The Audacity is being billed as a tech dramedy focusing on entrepreneur Duncan Park (Billy Magnussen), the narcissistic CEO of Hypergnosis, who exploits personal data to gain power. Would anybody do that? When a reckless mistake forces him into a chaotic redemption quest, he relies on his unethical therapist, JoAnne Felder (Sarah Goldberg), amid a toxic Silicon Valley landscape of bio-hacked tech bros and jaded billionaires.  The show references tech giant Cupertino as an allusion to Apple, with characters referring to the CEO as Big Tim (referencing soon-to-depart Tim Cook).

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair (Disney+, 4 episodes) AM
The sitcom revival centres on Hal and Lois's 40th wedding anniversary party. Malcolm, who has spent the last decade distancing himself from his parents and brothers to maintain a sense of sanity, is forced to attend when his parents make a surprise visit to his home. On the visit they discover a secret Malcolm been hiding a significant part of his life from his family.

Beef S2 (Netflix, 8 episodes)
Set within the elitist world of the fictional Monte Vista Point country club in California, the second season follows two couples working at the club from different generations. The conflict ignites when the younger couple Ashley and Austin witness and film an explosive, violent argument between their bosses, Josh and Lindsay. What begins as a moment of accidental observation quickly spirals into a dark game of blackmail, coercion, and shifting alliances as the younger couple attempts to use the footage for professional leverage.

Margot&rsquo;s Got Money Trouble (Apple TV, 8 episodes) Nineteen-year-old Margo Millet, daughter of an ex-pro wrestler and a former waitress, finds herself pregnant after a brief affair with her English professor. Defying everyone's advice to terminate the pregnancy, she decides to keep the baby. Needing cash fast, Margo launches an OnlyFans account under the name HungryGhost. Brilliant cast includes Elle Fanning as Margo, Michelle Pfeiffer as her mum and Nicole Kidman in a very surprising role. Series marks the first time Michelle Pfeiffer has worked with her husband, super-producer David E Kelley.
The Audacity (SBS, 8 episodes) The Audacity is being billed as a tech dramedy focusing on entrepreneur Duncan Park (Billy Magnussen), the narcissistic CEO of Hypergnosis, who exploits personal data to gain power. Would anybody do that? When a reckless mistake forces him into a chaotic redemption quest, he relies on his unethical therapist, JoAnne Felder (Sarah Goldberg), amid a toxic Silicon Valley landscape of bio-hacked tech bros and jaded billionaires.&nbsp; The show references tech giant Cupertino as an allusion to Apple, with characters referring to the CEO as Big Tim (referencing soon-to-depart Tim Cook).
Malcolm in the Middle: Life&rsquo;s Still Unfair (Disney+, 4 episodes) AM The sitcom revival centres on Hal and Lois's 40th wedding anniversary party. Malcolm, who has spent the last decade distancing himself from his parents and brothers to maintain a sense of sanity, is forced to attend when his parents make a surprise visit to his home. On the visit they discover a secret Malcolm been hiding a significant part of his life from his family.
Beef S2 (Netflix, 8 episodes) Set within the elitist world of the fictional Monte Vista Point country club in California, the second season follows two couples working at the club from different generations. The conflict ignites when the younger couple Ashley and Austin witness and film an explosive, violent argument between their bosses, Josh and Lindsay. What begins as a moment of accidental observation quickly spirals into a dark game of blackmail, coercion, and shifting alliances as the younger couple attempts to use the footage for professional leverage.

Margot’s Got Money Troubles, The Audacity, Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair, Beef

Outcome (Apple TV, movie)
Reef Hawk (Keanu Reeves) is an actor who has been sober for five years. He has taken a break from acting to build his new home, and he takes pride in his progress in life. However, when he receives a call from his crisis lawyer Ira Slitz (Jonah Hill), who reveals that someone is blackmailing him with a video of questionable content, his life is turned upside-down. Reef then sets out to make amends with those whom he has wronged in the past in order to figure out who the blackmailer is.
Andrew loved this, but James not so much!

The Testaments (Disney+, 10 episodes)
This sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale is a dramatic coming-of-age story that finds a new generation of young women in Gilead grappling with the bleak future that awaits them.

The Miniature Wife (Stan, 10 episodes)
Lindy (Elizabeth Banks) is accidentally reduced to a six-inch height by her scientist husband, Les (Matthew Macfadyen). Not many laughs in this long series. Nice cameo from Ronny Chieng though as Hilton Smith, a billionaire who is funding the miniaturisation project with his own agenda

Big Mistakes (Netflix, 8 episodes)
Dan Levy stars, executive produces, and showruns his new series Big Mistakes. Two deeply incapable siblings, church pastor Nicky (Levy) and his school teacher sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega), find themselves pulled into the world of organised crime after Morgan steals a necklace from a store, intending it to be a gift for their dying grandmother. After their petty theft, Nicky and Morgan are blackmailed into a series of criminal assignments, all while their overbearing mother, Linda (Laurie Metcalf), is mounting a run for mayor of their suburban New Jersey community.

Outcome (Apple TV, movie) Reef Hawk (Keanu Reeves) is an actor who has been sober for five years. He has taken a break from acting to build his new home, and he takes pride in his progress in life. However, when he receives a call from his crisis lawyer Ira Slitz (Jonah Hill), who reveals that someone is blackmailing him with a video of questionable content, his life is turned upside-down. Reef then sets out to make amends with those whom he has wronged in the past in order to figure out who the blackmailer is. Andrew loved this, but James not so much!
The Testaments (Disney+, 10 episodes) This sequel to The Handmaid&rsquo;s Tale is a dramatic coming-of-age story that finds a new generation of young women in Gilead grappling with the bleak future that awaits them.
The Miniature Wife (Stan, 10 episodes) Lindy (Elizabeth Banks) is accidentally reduced to a six-inch height by her scientist husband, Les (Matthew Macfadyen). Not many laughs in this long series. Nice cameo from Ronny Chieng though as Hilton Smith, a billionaire who is funding the miniaturisation project with his own agenda
Big Mistakes (Netflix, 8 episodes) Dan Levy stars, executive produces, and showruns his new series Big Mistakes. Two deeply incapable siblings, church pastor Nicky (Levy) and his school teacher sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega), find themselves pulled into the world of organised crime after Morgan steals a necklace from a store, intending it to be a gift for their dying grandmother. After their petty theft, Nicky and Morgan are blackmailed into a series of criminal assignments, all while their overbearing mother, Linda (Laurie Metcalf), is mounting a run for mayor of their suburban New Jersey community.

Outcome, The Testaments, The Miniature Wife, Big Mistakes

This week TV Gold hosts Andrew Mercado and James Manning review:

• Something Very Bad is Going to Happen (Netflix, 8 episodes)

The series follows Rachel (Camila Morrone), a cynical and anxious bride-to-be, and her fiance, Nicky (Adam DiMarco), a seemingly perfect, kind-hearted optimist. They arrive at the remote Cunningham family cabin in the snowy countryside for their wedding week. The atmosphere is immediately thick with tension, isolating the couple from the outside world.
Rachel is not just suffering from ordinary pre-wedding jitters; she is plagued by visions, eerie coincidences, and an intense, intuitive feeling that something catastrophic is going to happen. Eerie red-and-white motifs, including a dead fox, a "Sorry Man" story, and a creepy local custard vendor, surround her.

• Your Friends and Neighbours (S2 Apple TV, 10 episodes) 

Jon Hamm reprises his role as Andrew "Coop" Cooper, a wealthy, disaffected financier who resorts to stealing from his neighbors after getting fired from his job. Amanda Peet as Mel Cooper, Coop's ex-wife who is a therapist with a mid-life crisis of her own.

• Crime 101 (Prime Video, movie) 

Chris Hemsworth is Mike Davis is a meticulous, disciplined loner who pulls off sophisticated high-end jewel heists along the Pacific Coast Highway, specifically targeting couriers and deliverymen. His operations are clean—he leaves no evidence and, crucially, avoids harming anyone at the scene. 
Meanwhile, Mark Ruffalo is Lou Lubesnick is a weary, veteran LAPD detective who has identified a pattern in the seemingly unrelated robberies. While his colleagues dismiss his theories, Lou is convinced a single, skilled thief is responsible. As he closes in on the "101 thief," his obsession with the case begins to strain his personal life. 

• Patience (S2 ABC iview, 8 episodes)

Season 2 of the British crime drama Patience follows neurodivergent archivist Patience Evans (Ella Maisy Purvis) as she continues her work in the criminal records department of York Police, navigating new leadership, complex cases, and personal life changes. The eight-episode series features a major cast change, with Laura Fraser’s DI Bea Metcalf replaced by a new boss, DI Frankie Monroe (Jessica Hynes).

This week TV Gold hosts Andrew Mercado and James Manning review:
&bull; Something Very Bad is Going to Happen (Netflix, 8 episodes)
The series follows Rachel (Camila Morrone), a cynical and anxious bride-to-be, and her fiance, Nicky (Adam DiMarco), a seemingly perfect, kind-hearted optimist. They arrive at the remote Cunningham family cabin in the snowy countryside for their wedding week. The atmosphere is immediately thick with tension, isolating the couple from the outside world. Rachel is not just suffering from ordinary pre-wedding jitters; she is plagued by visions, eerie coincidences, and an intense, intuitive feeling that something catastrophic is going to happen. Eerie red-and-white motifs, including a dead fox, a "Sorry Man" story, and a creepy local custard vendor, surround her.
&bull; Your Friends and Neighbours (S2 Apple TV, 10 episodes)&nbsp;
Jon Hamm reprises his role as Andrew "Coop" Cooper, a wealthy, disaffected financier who resorts to stealing from his neighbors after getting fired from his job.&nbsp;Amanda Peet as Mel Cooper, Coop's ex-wife who is a therapist with a mid-life crisis of her own.
&bull; Crime 101 (Prime Video, movie)&nbsp;
Chris Hemsworth is Mike Davis is a meticulous, disciplined loner who pulls off sophisticated high-end jewel heists along the Pacific Coast Highway, specifically targeting couriers and deliverymen. His operations are clean&mdash;he leaves no evidence and, crucially, avoids harming anyone at the scene.&nbsp; Meanwhile, Mark Ruffalo is Lou Lubesnick is a weary, veteran LAPD detective who has identified a pattern in the seemingly unrelated robberies. While his colleagues dismiss his theories, Lou is convinced a single, skilled thief is responsible. As he closes in on the "101 thief," his obsession with the case begins to strain his personal life.&nbsp;
&bull; Patience (S2 ABC iview, 8 episodes)
Season 2 of the British crime drama Patience follows neurodivergent archivist Patience Evans (Ella Maisy Purvis) as she continues her work in the criminal records department of York Police, navigating new leadership, complex cases, and personal life changes. The eight-episode series features a major cast change, with Laura Fraser&rsquo;s DI Bea Metcalf replaced by a new boss, DI Frankie Monroe (Jessica Hynes).

Mediaweek's Mercado & Manning: The Best TV of 2020

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