Bad Sisters is a dark comedy-thriller from Apple TV+ that arrived with little fanfare in 2022 and promptly became one of the most celebrated television series of the decade. Created by Sharon Horgan, who also stars, the series follows the four Garvey sisters in Dublin who conspire to murder their abusive brother-in-law John Paul Williams — a man so comprehensively awful that audiences are cheering for his death before the end of the first episode. The show's masterstroke is its dual-timeline structure, which reveals in the opening minutes that John Paul is dead, then spends ten episodes showing how he might have gotten that way.
The ensemble is uniformly brilliant: Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, and Eve Hewson each bring distinctive textures to the Garvey sisters, creating a family unit so believable and warmly drawn that viewers will want to be adopted into it immediately. Claes Bang is magnificently hateable as John Paul, a performance that requires the audience to understand exactly why murder feels justified while also illuminating the specific and insidious ways such men operate within families. The comedic timing across the ensemble is impeccable, arriving in moments you least expect and making the darkness all the more bearable.
What elevates Bad Sisters beyond its clever premise is its profound emotional intelligence about grief, family loyalty, and the way women are conditioned to endure harm rather than name it. The series was renewed for a second season, which expanded the universe while maintaining the tonal balance that made the original so distinctive. Bad Sisters is that rare achievement: a show that is genuinely funny, genuinely suspenseful, and genuinely moving, often within the same scene.
Cassie is a shy young girl of sixteen when she discovers she is a witch with powers yet to be discovered. She joins a Circle of witches in New Salem and finds it a competitive world indeed. Cassie is in love with a boy she meets called Adam who is Diana's boyfriend. Diana soon becomes Cassie's best friend so that complicates things a bit. And she now must deal with Faye, another witch. Their Secret Circle rules at the high school Cassie now attends and witches can be dangerous when they are angered. The Secret Circle of witches have been in power and ruling for three hundred years in New Salem and they will use their powers to do pretty much as they wish, including manipulating innocent students into doing their bidding. Can Cassie and her newfound powers of witchcraft be strong enough to lead this witches coven from danger or will they be harmed by the dark forces instigated by a few in the Secret Circle? When the evil Faye assumes power over the Circle she leads them into dangerous territory and even death for someone near to them all. And then the witch hunters arrive on the scene to complicate things even further.
Take a set of twin sisters who've been at odds for many years. Add in the fact that one of them suddenly disappears. And then show that one of them is full of mystery and intrigue, and on the run from some mysterious mob. Here we have Siobhan and Bridget. Two sisters who have been living apart and out of touch for the past eight years, with one taking a road that winds up leading her onto a path that is unsafe and definitely different from the norm that her twin has followed. When the two sisters take a boat trip Siobhan suddenly disappears overboard. Now Siobhan discovers her twin Bridgit has been leading a double life and hers will never again be the same. Siobhan is attacked by some evil men who evidently are part of the mob when she stays in her sister, Bridgit's house. So did one of the twins really die or simply disappear to avoid the mob? Sarah Michelle Geller (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Scooby-Doo) stars as both twins and she has her hands full when she discovers her twin was leading a life full of mystery and fear. Nestor Carbonell (Smokin' Aces, The Dark Knight) is FBI agent Victor Machado who finds his job of keeping Bridget safe a dangerous one. Action packed with top quality writing and actors.
Needing to get a job recently divorced Danielle Santino decided to become a therapist and work with a pro football team in Long Island. In reality it was Dr. Donna Dannenfelser and she worked initially with the New York Jets, starting a new trend in therapy involving her "tough love" approach to caring for those asking for her help. Soon she found that besides athletes, politicians, musicians, and other celebrity types began requesting her style of therapy for its effectiveness and benefits. It also gave the doctor problems when she needed to balance her job as parent with the new career of therapist. Originally titled Dr. Donna, Necessary Roughness became reality and is proving to be valuable for the many who have tried it. Callie Thorne (Rescue Me, Homicide: Life on the Streets) is Dr. Dani Santino, Marc Blucas (Knight & Day, Inglorious Bastards) is Matthew Donnally romantic interest of Dr. Santino and athletic trainer, Scott Cohen (Jacob's Ladder, The 10th Kingdom) is Nico Careles, former Navy SEAL who works closely with Dr. Santino as her "fixer". Crisp writing and quality casting make this an endearing program to watch.
Christina Hawthorne is the Chief Nursing Officer at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia who is a constant advocate for her staff as well as her patients, even when it may threaten her job. When the hospital (Richmond Trinity) closes its doors the staff moves on to James River Hospital, where the working atmosphere seems brighter. Hawthorne finds she also faces extra stress due to her changing relationship with Chief of Surgery Dr. Tom Wakefield (Michael Vartan from Alias, Monster-In-Law). Seems he wants a commitment from her but she may not be ready. Nurse Hawthorne is ably played by Jada Pinkett Smith (A Different World, The Nutty Professor) who also is executive producer of the show. Pinkett had sworn off doing any more television but found this one a perfect fit and an interesting challenge. Also starring in Hawthorne are David Julian Hirsh (Lovebites, CSI: NY) as Ray Stein, RN and also Suleka Mathew from Men in Trees, The West Wing as Nurse Bobbie Jackson who is Chief Nursing Officer at James River Hospital, and Christina Moore (90210, Burn Notice) portrays Nurse Candy Sullivan.
The Surgeon, one of a series of books written by Tess Gerritsen supplied the backstory for the hot new series on TNT named Rizzoli & Isles (after the two main characters in the book). Angie Harman (Baywatch Nights, Law & Order) is a homicide detective in Boston. She finds her life in danger in the first episode when a former medical student attempts to kill her as he has several other voluptuous women. The chief Medical examiner for the state of Massachusetts is Dr. Maura Isles, played by Sasha Alexander (NCIS, Dawson's Creek). Isles is a no nonsense woman dedicated to doing her job well and due to her profession those who know her tend to call her "Queen of the Dead". Rizzoli & Isles develop a good teamwork attitude and solve crimes each week but the one that haunts them both involves Charles Hoyt, a man who was expelled from med school for fondling the female corpses. Rizzoli has scars on her hands from a time when Hoyt stabbed them with scalpels, pinning her to the floor. Hoyt's role is a recurring one so watch for more of that vile character played well by Michael Massee, an actor who plays villains particularly well.
When Captain Jack Harkness came from Doctor Who and the 51st century he was a happy man. But circumstances such as the deaths of friends, his grandson, and a lover, Ianto Jones made him realize that life is short, and precious! John Barrowman (Desperate Housewives, Tonight's The Night) plays Harkness who's character jumped from the Doctor Who series over to Torchwood, and is joined by a talented cast plus interesting guest stars each episode. Harkness loves Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles from These Foolish Things, Doctor Who) even though she still lives with and has feelings for her husband, Rhys Williams (Kai Owen from Being Human, A Chorus of Disapproval). C. Thomas Howell, Wayne Knight, and Ernie Hudson have each participated with guest appearances on Torchwood: Miracle Day. When Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer from ER and Lie To Me) joins up as a CIA operative the plot thickens and the challenges become huge. Someone who faces lethal injection just will not die, and the rest of the world lives on as well. Jack Harkness himself is considered immortal since leaving the Torchwood Institute. What is there about that place that makes men immortal?
It's one thing to be a member of a large traditional "cop" family but when one joins up with the Internal Affairs division of their Chicago Police Department things can become a bit unstable. Rachael Carpani (seen on TV's The Glades & True Blue) is Abby Kowalski, who moved over to IAD when a job offer to move upward in the department came about. She has designs on eventually becoming a detective. Her father is Don Kowalski (Treat Williams from 127 Hours, A Little Bit of Heaven) a sergeant with CPD who absolutely hates the idea of his little girl joining the IAD. Kathy Baker (Last Chance Harvey, Boston Public) is Sheila Kowalski, wife of Don and mother to Abby, Richie, Steve, and Donnie Kowalski. Abby Kowalski and her family squabble over the fact she has joined the IAD, seeing her as a spy and turncoat. This makes family gatherings difficult and the usual football games become a battlefield in their yard. But Abby is a dedicated police officer and still chooses to solve crimes whenever possible. This show is fast paced and has some good writing to keep it moving each week.
