5 out of 5

Director: Canada

It is rare that a TV show manages to be so intelligent without seeming like its too highfalutin. You get that occasionally with cable shows (and this has the swearing and sex to back that up), but normally cable shows have to go for some kind of initially fascinating hook – behind the scenes of a mob family, or we sell weed, or whatever. And Sling & Arrows avoids all that. The first episode is actually amazingly underwhelming, but in a fascinating way. You want to watch more, but youre uncertain why. Anyhow, this is a behind-the-scenes of a theatre troupe, but its also a mediation on relationships, and people, and art, and life. Its also very funny, and incredibly well-acted, with characters that consistently defy stereotypes (There are some here and there, but the gay is not the typical gay, and the idiot is not the typical idiot, and etc.) and a realistically wandering plot that somehow manages to keep everyones story in play – along with the main arc about putting on a version of Hamlet – over six wonderful episodes. The core of the first season revolves around the death of director Oliver Welles, which draws estranged and celebrated actor Geoffrey Tennant out of obscurity to lead Welles troupe back to inspiration. But Tennant is estranged for a reason, and besides seeing the ghost of Welles everywhere, there are skeletons in his closet which must come out if hes to succceed. Its strange but serious, its Canadian, and theres clever low-brow mixed in with the high-brow to keep it all fun. And apparently its accurate for anyone whos been in the biz. Wonderful stuff.