Mercado on TV: New Disney+ series Renegade Nell is rollicking fun from Sally Wainwright

After the success of Happy Valley, Last Tango In Halifax, and Gentleman Jack, one would have thought the new series Renegade Nell from acclaimed writer and producer Sally Wainwright would be anything but big news. How odd then that it was launched over Easter to little fanfare.

Renegade Nell is unlike anything Wainwright has ever done before. It’s a period drama about a female highwayman with fantasy and supernatural elements. That sounds like an awful concept, but somehow it turns into rollicking fun.

Derry Girls’ Louisa Harland plays Nell and Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed is her mystical guardian angel, a cross between a leprechaun and fairy. Again, totally bizarre, but with guest stars Joely Richardson, Adrian Lester and Pip Torrens, they can pretty much get away with anything. Count me in for the long haul. 

Another Derry Girls alumni is starring in a raunchy comedy that was made for Channel 4. Big Mood (Stan) stars Nicola Coughlan as Maggie, a manic playwright who has stopped taking her medication. It’s left to her long-time best friend Eddie (Lydia West) to keep her on track.

Big Mood also stars Aussie actor Eamon Farren as the rat-obsessed bartender, but he is just another oddbod in a series that doesn’t quite find its groove. It’s not very likable or believable, which is a shame given the talent on board. 

A Gentleman in Moscow (Paramount+) is a fictional historical drama set against real Russian history. After the 1917 Revolution, aristocratic Count Alexander Rostov (Ewan McGregor) is put under house arrest in an upmarket hotel. Watching on closely is a young girl (Alexa Goodall), a Bolshevik bully (Johnny Harris), and love interest (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).

Check out this week’s TV Gold podcast to why James Manning thinks this could be a career-best for McGregor after watching all eight episodes 

Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces (Apple TV+) gets off to a great start. Before The Jerk (1979), which is how most Aussies first became aware of him, he was honing his craft during his first part-time job. Yep, from 10-years-old, Martin worked at Disneyland. Wow.

Recollections of his vast movie career run across both parts, but Part 2 goes on for too long, even though it is fun seeing Martin hang out with Martin Short. Yep, they really are friends. 

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