Hustle

I am very sad that this series of Hustle is the last series. All good things must come to an end, like Desperate Housewives.

Hustle's joy is that it never takes itself too seriously, you know that when you are viewing it it is a light-hearted comedy-drama - it doesn't proclaim itself to be anything but. The villains are extra evil and the actors and actresses portraying them waste no time in showing this to the audience, sometimes bordering on overacting, but it makes it fun to watch. And the crew are funny, clever and cool. Matt Di Angelo won't win any acting awards, but his role as Sean Kennedy is perfect for him, it doesn't require too much, but he is able to fulfil the charming, good looking role that is expected of him, and Hustle suits him quite well. The bonds and relationships between the hustlers is so tight and there is a lot of chemistry between them that their friendship seems quite believable.

And the storylines...well pretty much it is the crew trying to con a nasty person...there is a twist in the middle but everything is resolved in the end with the crew winning - Huzzah! Some might say it is predictable but I like this, and it makes it interesting to guess how the Hustle team will work their way through the times when their plan goes "awry". I liked the episode with Patrick Baladi as the policeman, and how tenous the plot was in how the team were recruited by the Superintendent and knew all about what Baladi was planning, even how they would recruit Sean's ex to spy on them.

I'm not sure how they will finish the series - will it continue to be the same as the other episodes? I've heard Jaime Murray is to return for the final episode - might there be a story between Mickey, Stacey and Emma - a love triangle? I would hope for Danny to return too as he was a great character in the earliest series. Will the team finally get caught for their crimes? Will someone die? I can't wait to find out but I am also dreading it as I have been a great fan of Hustle - it is so slick, funny, clever and the main actors and actresses in the Hustle team, and Eddie, make it a treat to watch. I'll miss the Hustling action after it has ended!

University Challenge and Only Connect

Monday evenings are the evenings for clever tv, with programs such as University Challenge and Only Connect relying on wider knowledge and logic rather than something like The Chase with its general pop culture questions. Yes i don't tend to get most of the questions but when i do i get an answer i do feel oh so clever. And if i don't it doesn't matter so much, the questions aren't for me, they are for clever people. People who are too clever...hmm...

Only Fools and Horses US remake?

It's been announced that the makers of the hit comedy Scrubs are to remake the classic British sitcom but is this is a good idea? Take Teachers. In its heyday it was a prime example of great characters, great dialogue and great drama/subtle comedy. The US turned it into a "funny" family friendly 30mins episodes, devoid of any unique appeal and with canned laughter thrown into the mix. Life on Mars was inventive storytelling at its best, and the US transformed this by taking the title literally, the big twist being that the cast were actually on a spaceship to Mars! This is so absurd and robs the original drama of its cleverness in its story. Yet there have been some successes, The Office US, starring Steve Carell, has been a big hit, so maybe there is hope for OFAH US, altho i can't see how it would translate into America quite as yet...

Dancing On Ice

Similar to Strictly Come Dancing (and a lot like the SCD on ice special), for the past few years, ITV have tried to create the same success with Dancing On Ice. Does it measure up to the giant that it is SCD? Well, it has consistently high ratings, although one could argue that there isn't much competition in the Sunday evening slot. I feel that the format itself however has flaws. With SCD you have the different styles of dance and techniques, providing variety with each dance. With DOI, you only have skating...skating fast or slow. It feels like there is no structure, we just watch skating performances that are no different to any others. The judges on SCD are infinitely better - with the acerbic wit of Craig Revel Horwood, the traditional and granddad-like Len Goodman and the craziness of Bruno Tonoli. Compare that to DOI and you see that the judging panel doesn't really match up. This year, Louis Spence has made an improvement to the panel - bringing personality and his experience in dance to the show, but overall, the ice panel just doesn't sparkle. Katerina Witt was particular horrible saying that one skater should never attempt lifts because she is a "big girl", which is completely unfair, and lifts are part of the skating routines. They are the parts that wins over the audience, no celebrity would ever win because they skate around the stage for 2 minutes. Christine Bleakly doesn't suit the presenting role to DOI - she doesn't have the same chemistry with Schofield that Holly Willoughby used to have with him, and she often looks uncomfortable on screen.

DOI will continue to be a ratings success for ITV for a few years to come but it just doesn't match up to SCD. It feels like a poor man's version of the BBC extravaganza. There are some talented skaters in Matthew Wolfenden, Jorgie Porter, and Sebastien Moran (with his rolling around on the ice) but it lacks the spark that SCD has.