Severance; Extraordinary Escapes with Sandi Toksvig; The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

“Severance looks beautiful and is directed with enormous sensitivity and style by Ben Stiller. His quartet of oddball actors, Arquette (a frequent Stiller collaborator), Turturro, Walken and Tillman, elevate an already shining script and a story that is always a finely calibrated 12 to 15 degrees off kilter, while the everyman quality of Adam Scott throws the whole into perfect relief. It might be slightly slow to get going, but thereafter becomes one to savour.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Severance is part workplace satire, part dystopian thriller – a combination that is hard to pull off, but writer Dan Erickson has managed it. The set-up sounds futuristic but Lumon HQ is oddly retro, with tech straight out of the 1980s. For all its sci-fi stylings, Severance will ring true for anyone trapped in a job they hate.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Such a sinister premise leads to moments of wonderfully bleak comedy and eerie surrealism, managed deftly by an exemplary cast. As high concept television goes, Severance is pretty lofty, but its ambition is compelling – not least because it might just be the bulls*** jobs backlash we’ve been waiting for.”
Leonie Cooper, The Independent

“This series is really about short breaks in amazing houses, a sort of Blighty travelogue crossed with Grand Designs. And it is relaxing to watch, largely because Toksvig is a soothing, deadpan host who you don’t feel is exaggerating her delight in nature and man-made design for the camera.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Back for a second series, this show tries too hard. Sandi and her guests behave like they’re lifelong friends, though she and Sarah Millican had no joint reminiscences to share, which makes me think they are showbiz acquaintances at best.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“The zip and bounce really are back, whether that’s Susie and Joel having a characteristically quick and fiery conversation about money, or Susie and Miriam drunkenly bitching about mediocre male comics who make a living from punchlines that are visible from a mile away. The smoother edges have been roughed up, scoured away, and there’s an intriguing conflict emerging between the importance of financial security and the pursuit of art and satisfaction.”
Rebeca Nicholson, The Guardian

“It makes for absorbing viewing, and Rachel Brosnahan throws herself into it with admirable force, her stand-up patter getting better with every season – but it does at times make it hard to enjoy being in Midge’s company. Still, I continue to admire the show, for its pastel dresses, its blue language, and its bite.”
Alexandra Pollard, The Independent