Truth, consequences and five good stories

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/09/2025 (349 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As in life, so goeth this latest batch of five viewing suggestions: Truth can be a hard and costly target to hit. Keep an open mind, keep a good thought but most of all, keep watching.

● The Lowdown

(Series premières the first two of eight episodes today on FX and the next day on Disney+)

While the new faux newsroom documentary The Paper unfolds on Showcase/Stack TV, another kind of journalism steps into the spotlight in this modern western noir courtesy of Sterlin Harjo.

In modern-day Tulsa, Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke, also executive producer) is a rare book dealer and self-proclaimed “truthstorian.” The target of his latest exposé is the powerful Washberg clan.

Soon after Raybon publishes his latest, family black sheep Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson) is found dead by what’s made to look like suicide.

Raybon finds messages hidden by Dale urging a more thorough investigation. Raybon is on the case, which thrills his daughter, Francis (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) and enrages/worries his ex, Samantha (Kaniehtiio Horn).

The series also stars Jeanne Tripplehorn as the not-so-grieving widow, Kyle MacLachlan as a nasty Washberg, Keith David as a bookstore customer and an apparently uncredited Peter Dinklage.

Looks like the kind of raucous mix of comedy, music and good, deep characters that made Harjo’s Reservation Dogs so great, here with a generous sprinkling of noir-esque violence.

 

● Slow Horses

(Season 5 premières with the first two of six episodes on Wednesday, Sept. 24, on Apple TV+)

The template for this new season of Gary Oldman and Jackson Lamb’s greasy trench coat is Mick Herron’s novel London Rules.

The MI5 rejects at Slough House, down one from the finale of Season 4 (catch up!), are under lockdown after a deadly attack that seems to be linked to Roddy Ho (Christopher Chung).

Joining the cast is Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed as the mayor.

 

● House of Guinness

(Series premières all eight episodes on Thursday, Sept. 25 on Netflix)

Fresh off the period boxing thriller A Thousand Blows (Disney+) and while fans wait for the Second World War movie followup to his hit series Peaky Blinders (The Immortal Man, due next year), writer Steven Knight has created this new series about the family behind probably the most famous beer in the world.

As the action begins, brewery patriarch Sir Benjamin Guinness has died and his four adult children are awaiting the reading of the will.

Two will be happy, two will not. James Norton (Happy Valley) plays a close and not disinterested observer.

The action moves from Dublin to New York. Blood and beer flow with great gusto.

 

● Chad Powers

(Series premières the first two of six episodes Tuesday, Sept. 30, on Disney+)

And now for something completely different… Mirroring his duties on the hit film Stunt Man, Glen Powell is creator and star in this lighter-hearted comeback story.

He plays Russ Holliday, until the washed-up pro football wannabe hatches a plan to start fresh as the shaggy-haired Chad Powers, a walk-on for the South Georgia Catfish and Next Big Thing!

Or in Chad’s own words: “I’m going to do a Mrs. Doubtfire, but with football.” Steve Zahn plays Coach Jake Hudson. Guaranteed ridiculous. Also guaranteed entertaining.

 

● Saturday Night Live

(Season 51 premières Saturday, Oct. 4, on NBC/Global/StackTV)

SNL’s pre-season has been a little rough.

News spread quickly of widespread housecleaning of the existing cast (buh-bye Heidi Gardner, Ego Nwodim, Michael Longfellow, Devon Walker et al).

Moving to featured player status from the Please Don’t Destroy video crew is Ben Marshall (the red-haired one), joined by newcomers Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson and Veronika Slowikowska.

More names to keep in mind as the season kicks off are these host/music guest combos: Bad Bunny and Doja Cat Oct. 4, Amy Poehler and Role Model Oct. 11 and Sabrina Carpenter Oct. 18.

Less certain is how, say, Weekend Update will approach the new, more tightly policed media landscape that has seen outspoken comedian critics cancelled in The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert and the temporarily suspended host of Jimmy Kimmel Live.

 

Broadcast dates subject to change. Questions, comments to denise.duguay@winnipegfreepress.com.