第一季美劇精華目錄
When did winter become the season of television’s most distinguished content? The fall season, with its organized and heavily publicized broadcast-network premieres, still gets the attention, but a greater number of interesting shows now arrive on cable, broadcast and online in the first quarter of the year.
從什麼時候起，冬季成了一年中電視節目最豐富的季節？今年秋天有許多首播電視劇做了有組織的盛大宣傳，獲得不少關注，但更多有趣的劇集還是在一年中的前三個月中登陸有線臺、無線臺和網絡。More than 110 new and returning series made the shortlist for this roundup before being whittled down to the 20 that appear here. (And that’s without the HBO shows “True Detective,” which is being moved to later in the year, and “Game of Thrones,” “Veep” and “Silicon Valley,” whose April premiere dates haven’t been announced.) From a “Breaking Bad” spinoff, to the return of “Broadchurch,” to the final season of “Justified,” the winter is high season for the serious TV watcher.
我們從中精選了110部新劇和迴歸劇，又進一步縮減到下面的20部劇（內中沒有包括HBO臺的《真探》[True Detective]，因爲它被移到今年晚些時候，亦不包括《權力的遊戲》[Game of Thrones]、《副總統》[Veep]和《硅谷》[Silicon Valley]，其中《硅谷》將在四月播出第一集，具體日期未宣佈）。從《絕命毒師》(Breaking Bad)的衍生劇到《小鎮疑雲》(Broadchurch)的迴歸，再到《火線警探》的最終季，冬天真是電視劇迷的好時光。
THE BRIDGE (Hulu, Friday) The second season of this Danish-Swedish crime drama (the source for FX’s recently canceled series of the same name) once again involves the Oresund Bridge connecting the two countries.
《邊橋謎案》(The Bridge)，Hulu，週五播出。這部丹麥、瑞典合拍的犯罪劇即將迎來第二季（FX的同名劇集就是根據它改編的，最近剛剛被砍掉），新的一季仍與連接兩個鄉村的奧萊桑德橋有關。
DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS, Sunday) Season 5 begins with new blows to Lord Grantham’s self-esteem and the somewhat Victorian touch of an illegitimate baby hidden away in a cottage. For those who haven’t already pirated the British broadcasts or read the recaps, let’s just say that the first episode involves a very heated situation.
《唐頓莊園》(Downton Abbey)，PBS，週日播出。第五季一開始，格蘭瑟姆伯爵的自尊就遭到了新打擊，還有一個非婚生的嬰兒藏匿在鄉間小屋的情節，有些維多利亞時代的氣息。對於那些還沒有通過不法方式看到英國播出的劇集的人，以及那些沒看過劇情梗概的人，我們只說第一集中有非常激烈的場面。EMPIRE (Fox, Wednesday) The filmmaker Lee Daniels (“Precious,” “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”) is behind this new hip-hop soap opera starring Terrence Howard as a rap mogul with a terminal disease.
《嘻哈帝國》(Empire)，Fox，週三播出。這部最新的嘻哈樂肥皂劇的導演是電影人李·丹尼爾斯(Lee Daniels)，他曾執導《珍愛》(Precious)和《白宮管家》(Lee Daniels’ The Butler)）。片中泰倫斯·霍華德(Terrence Howard)飾演一個身患致命疾病的說唱樂大明星。BABYLON (Sundance, Thursday) James Nesbitt, recently seen as the obsessed father of a long-vanished child in “The Missing,” shows up here in a very different role: as a calculating old-school police commissioner who hires an American public-relations expert (Brit Marling) to update the image of Scotland Yard. Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”) created this satirical drama, which bears some resemblance to Armando Iannucci’s political comedy film “In the Loop.”
《警察故事》(Babylon)，Sundance，週四播出。詹姆斯·內斯比特(Jame Nesbitt)最近在《失蹤》(The Missing)中出演了一個孩子失蹤多年、備受折磨的父親，他在這部劇中飾演的是完全不同的角色：一個斤斤計較的老派警官，僱用一個美國公關專家（布里特·馬靈[Brit Marling]飾），來改善蘇格蘭場的形象。這部諷刺劇集由《貧民窟的百萬富翁》(Slumdog Millionaire)的導演丹尼·博伊爾(Danny Boyle)執導，有點像阿爾曼多·伊安努奇(Armando Iannucci)的政治喜劇片《靈通人士》(In the Loop)。TOGETHERNESS (HBO, Jan. 11) HBO’s Sunday night comedy block already covers early-20-something New York women (“Girls,” beginning its fourth season the same night) and late-20-something San Francisco gay men (“Looking,” beginning its second). Now it adds 30-something Los Angeles straight people in this sometimes bleakly comic half-hour from Jay and Mark Duplass, the brothers behind quirky films like “The Puffy Chair” and “Baghead.” Mark Duplass and Melanie Lynskey play a married couple sharing a house with his best friend (Steve Zissis) and her sister (Amanda Peet).
《患難與共》(Togetherness)，HBO，1月11日播出。HBO臺的週日晚間喜劇組合中已經有了20出頭的紐約女人（《都市女孩》[Girls]第四季第一集將在同一天晚上播出），還有快到30歲的舊金山男同性戀（《尋》[Looking]也在當天開播第二季）。現在又來了30多歲的洛杉磯異性戀者們。這部有點陰鬱的半小時喜劇來自傑伊(Jay)和馬克·杜普拉斯(Mark Duplass)，兄弟倆曾經合拍過《肥大的椅子》(The Puffy Chair)和《紙袋頭》(Baghead)等詭異的電影。馬克·杜普拉斯和梅蘭妮·林斯基(Melanie Lynskey)飾演一對夫妻，和杜普拉斯最好的朋友（史蒂夫·齊西斯[Steve Zissis]飾演）與林斯基的姊妹（阿曼達·皮特[Amanda Peet]飾）合住一棟房子。BROAD CITY (Comedy Central, Jan. 14) Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson return for a second season of satirizing the poses, compromises and sheer physical grossness of life in New York when you’re underemployed and self-absorbed.
《大城小妞》(Broad City)，Comedy Central，1月14日播出。伊拉納·格雷澤(Ilana Glazer)與艾比·雅克布遜(Abbi Jacobson)帶着第二季迴歸了，它諷刺了紐約那些大材小用而又自戀的人們生活中的故作姿態、妥協與純粹粗俗。THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE (Comedy Central, Jan. 19) Mr. Wilmore’s topical comedy show replaces “The Colbert Report” at 11:30 p.m. and represents the latest opportunity to introduce some diversity to late-night programming. No pressure there!
《拉里·威爾莫夜間秀》(The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore)，Comedy Central，1月19日播出。威爾莫的主題喜劇秀將取代《科爾伯特報告》(The Colbert Report)在夜間11：30播出，這是深夜節目多樣化的最新嘗試。完全沒有壓力！JUSTIFIED (FX, Jan. 20) The series-long love-hate relationship between Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) and his friend and nemesis Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) will be resolved, one way or another, in the show’s sixth and final season.
《火線警探》，FX，1月20日。副警長瑞蘭·吉文斯（Raylan Givens，蒂莫西·奧利芬特[Timothy Olyphant]飾）與他的朋友兼天敵博伊德·克勞達（Boyd Crowder，沃爾頓·戈金斯[Walton Goggins]飾）之間愛恨交織的關係貫穿了整部劇，不管怎樣，這個問題將在第六季，也就是最終季中得到最終解決。BACKSTROM (Fox, Jan. 22) Last year, Fox tried a show about a self-destructive lawyer (“Rake,” starring Greg Kinnear) that was based on an Australian TV series. That didn’t work, but now the network is trying a show about a self-destructive detective (played by Rainn Wilson of “The Office”) that’s based on a series of Swedish novels. The show was created by Hart Hanson, who was responsible for the Fox series “Bones,” but in the pilot Mr. Wilson’s Backstrom looks a lot more House-like than Bones-like.
《巴克斯托姆》(Backstrom)，Fox，1月22日播出。去年，福克斯推出根據一部澳大利亞電視劇《法庭浪子》(Rake)，由格雷格·金尼爾(Greg Kinnear)主演，講述一個自毀律師的故事。那部劇沒成功，但現在Fox又試着推出了一部根據瑞典系列小說改編的自毀偵探的故事，由《辦公室》(The Office)男星雷恩·威爾森(Rainn Wilson)主演。這部劇由Fox的系列劇《識骨尋蹤》(Bones)的編劇哈特·漢森(Hart Hanson)主創，但在試播集裏，威爾森飾演的巴克斯托姆看上去更像豪斯醫生(House)，而不像《識骨尋蹤》裏的角色。THE AMERICANS (FX, Jan. 28) Season 3 of this terrific blend of Cold War spy thriller and family drama begins with Washington’s K.G.B. contingent feeling the weight of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. Frank Langella joins the cast as the new handler for the show’s husband-and-wife agents, replacing Margo Martindale’s Claudia. (Making its premiere eight days later: NBC’s “Allegiance,” about Russian spies embedded in the United States. Huh.)
《美國諜夢》(The Americans)，FX，1月28日播出。這部劇精彩地將冷戰間諜驚悚劇與家庭劇融爲一體，第三季一開始，潛伏在華盛頓的克格勃小隊感受到了蘇聯的阿富汗戰爭的壓力。弗蘭克·蘭格拉(Frank Langella)加入演員陣容，飾演劇中夫妻間諜的新聯繫人，取代了瑪戈·馬丁代爾(Margo Martindale)飾演的克勞迪婭(Claudia)。順便說一句，八天後NBC即將首播的《忠誠》(Allegiance)是講述潛伏在美國的俄羅斯間諜的。哈。FOYLE’S WAR (, Feb. 2) After nabbing the final three episodes of “Agatha Christie’s Poirot” last year, the streaming service Acorn TV scores another coup in the field of traditional British mysteries with the American premiere of this superior show’s ninth season. Starring Michael Kitchen as Christopher Foyle, a detective as honorable as he is shrewd, the series has morphed over the years from a provincial home-front cop show to a le Carré-like Cold War thriller. New episodes involve the Nuremberg trials and Britain’s role in Palestine.
《戰地神探》(Foyle’s War)，，2月2日播出。去年流媒體服務網絡Acorn TV放完了《大偵探波洛》(Agatha Christie’s Poirot)的最後三集，如今又帶來另一部傳統英國推理劇，這部超級劇集在英國已經拍到第九季，在美國還是首次播出。邁克爾·基臣(Michael Kitchen)在劇中飾演克里斯托弗·弗伊(Christopher Foyle)，一位可敬而又狡黠的偵探，這部劇多年來從一部“二戰”後方警探劇演變成勒卡雷(le Carré)式的冷戰驚悚劇。新的幾集中有紐倫堡審判以及英國在巴勒斯坦所扮演的角色。FRESH OFF THE BOAT (ABC, Feb. 4) A Chinese-American family adjusts to life in mid-'90s Florida in this culture-clash comedy based on a memoir by the restaurateur and food-and-travel-show host Eddie Huang. Hudson Yang plays the 11-year-old hip-hop wannabe Eddie, and Randall Park (Kim Jong-un in “The Interview”) plays his father, proud proprietor of a suburban steakhouse.
《初來乍到》(Fresh off the Boat)，ABC，2月4日播出。這部喜劇是根據大廚與美食、旅遊真人秀主持人黃頤銘的回憶錄改編的，講述20世紀90年代中期的佛羅里達，一個華裔美國家庭克服文化衝突，努力適應美國生活的故事。哈德遜·楊(Hudson Yang)飾演迷戀嘻哈樂的11歲男孩艾迪，在《採訪》(The Interview)中飾演金正恩的蘭道爾·樸(Randall Park)飾演他的父親，一位郊區牛排餐廳驕傲的店主。BETTER CALL SAUL (AMC, Feb. 8) Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould’s “Breaking Bad” spinoff is probably the most anticipated new series of the winter. Starring Bob Odenkirk as the crooked lawyer Saul Goodman, the show is set before the action of “Breaking Bad,” so any appearances by Bryan Cranston or Aaron Paul would be cameos at best. But the audience favorite Jonathan Banks reprises his role as the phlegmatic enforcer Mike Ehrmantraut.
《風騷律師》(Better Call Saul)，AMC，2月8日播出。這是文斯·吉里根(Vice Gilligan)與彼得·古爾德(Peter Gould)的《絕命毒師》的衍生劇，或許是今年冬天最受期待的新劇了。鮑勃·奧登科克(Bob Odenkirk)飾演狡猾的律師索爾·古德曼(Saul Goodman)，劇情設定在《絕命毒師》的故事發生之前，所以布萊恩·克萊斯頓(Bryan Cranston)或亞倫·保羅(Aaron Paul)至多隻是客串出演而已。但觀衆們最喜歡的喬納森·班克斯(Jonathan Banks)將在裏面重現他在《絕命毒師》中的角色——冷靜的行動執行者邁克·厄爾曼特勞特(Mike Ehrmantraut)。JINX: THE LIFE AND DEATHS OF ROBERT DURST (HBO, Feb. 8) Andrew Jarecki (“Capturing the Friedmans”) directed this six-part documentary series with the cooperation of Mr. Durst, the New York real estate scion linked to several killings and the unsolved disappearance of his first wife.
《倒黴蛋：羅伯特·博斯特的生與死》(Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst)，HBO，2月8日播出。《追捕弗雷德曼家族》(Capturing the Friedmans)的導演安德魯·傑瑞克奇(Andrew Jarecki)執導了這部六集系列紀錄片，在片中與博斯特先生通力合作。博斯特出身紐約房地產世家，與數起謀殺事件有關，他的第一任妻子失蹤之謎至今未曾解開。THE SLAP (NBC, Feb. 12) Jon Robin Baitz and Lisa Cholodenko are producers of this adaptation of an Australian mini-series about the fallout from a momentary loss of control at a backyard birthday party. The impressive cast includes Peter Sarsgaard, Uma Thurman, Thandie Newton, Brian Cox and Melissa George (who also appeared in the original).
《一記耳光》(The Slap)，NBC，2月12日播出。喬恩·羅賓·貝茨(Jon Robin Baitz)與麗莎·查羅登科(Lisa Cholodenko)擔任製作人，這部劇改編自一部澳大利亞迷你劇，講述一個後院生日派對失控後帶來的後果。演員陣容非常強大，包括彼得·薩斯加德(Peter Sarsgaard)、烏瑪·瑟曼(Uma Thurman)、桑迪·牛頓(Thandie Newton)、布萊恩·考克斯(Brian Cox)和梅麗莎·喬治（Melissa George，她也在原劇中出演角色）。HOUSE OF CARDS (Netflix, Feb. 27) Netflix’s political grand guignol gets a 13-episode third season. Kim Dickens of “Treme” joins Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in the cast, and two members of Pussy Riot will make a guest appearance.
《紙牌屋》(House of Cards)，Netflix，2月27日播出。Netflix的政治大戲，第三季有13集。除凱文·斯派西(Kevin Spacey)與羅賓·懷特(Robin Wright)外，曾出演《憂愁河上橋》(Treme)的基姆·迪金斯(Kim Dickens)亦加盟該劇，“Pussy Riot”的兩位成員亦有客座出演。BATTLE CREEK (CBS, March 1) What a difference a hit makes. Vince Gilligan wrote a pilot script for this frenemy-cop show more than a decade ago, before he was Vince Gilligan, creator of “Breaking Bad” (and “Better Call Saul”). Now it’s being made into a series with a 13-episode guarantee from CBS. Dean Winters (“Law & Order: SVU,” “30 Rock”) plays a local detective and Josh Duhamel (“Las Vegas”) a slick F.B.I. agent who work together, uneasily, in the Cereal City of Battle Creek, Mich.
《江城警事》(Battle Creek)，CBS，3月1日播出。重磅劇就是會帶來這樣的改變。文斯·吉利根在十幾年前就爲這部亦敵亦友的警探搭檔劇寫好了試播集劇本，當時他還不是《絕命毒師》與《風騷律師》的主創。如今它終於被CBS拍成13集連續劇了。《法律與秩序：特殊受害者》(Law & Order: SVU)和《我爲喜劇狂》(30 Rock)的主演在劇中飾演一個當地警探，《拉斯維加斯》(Las Vegas)主演喬希·杜哈明(Josh Duhamel)飾演一個老練的聯邦調查局探員，兩人在密西根州巴託溪的塞里爾城共事，相處得很不自在。BROADCHURCH (BBC America, March 4) David Tennant returns in the second season of this evocative British mystery, playing Detective Alec Hardy again (after a season as Detective Emmett Carver in the American remake, “Gracepoint”). With the British premiere scheduled for Monday, the producers have begun to talk a little about the show’s top-secret Season 2 story line, and fans may not like what they hear: Chris Chibnall, the creator and writer, told a British magazine, “It’s not another crime case.” Olivia Colman returns as Detective Ellie Miller, while Charlotte Rampling and Marianne Jean-Baptiste join the cast.
《小鎮疑雲》，BBC America，3月4日播出。大衛·田納特(David Tennant)攜第二季歸來，在這部引人共鳴的英國推理劇中繼續飾演亞力克·哈迪(Alec Hardy)探員（去年他在美國翻拍版的《小鎮疑雲》[Gracepoint]中飾演埃米特·卡弗探員）。這部劇將於週一在英國首映，製作人們已經開始談起第二季的祕密情節了，編劇克里斯·齊布納爾(Chris Chibnall)在接受英國雜誌採訪時說的話可能會讓劇迷不愛聽，“第二季不是講罪案的。”奧莉薇婭·科爾曼(Olivia Colman)繼續飾演艾麗·米勒(Ellie Miller)探員，夏洛特·蘭普林(Charlotte Rampling)和瑪麗安娜·瓊-巴普迪斯特(Marianne Jean-Baptiste)也加入了演員陣容。CANCER: THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES (PBS, March 30) Barak Goodman (“Scottsboro: An American Tragedy,” “My Lai”) is the director and Ken Burns is an executive producer of this six-hour series based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee.
《癌症：衆病之王》(Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies)，PBS，3月30日播出。該劇由《斯科茨伯勒：美國的悲劇》(Scottsboro: An American Tragedy)與《美萊》(My Lai)的導演巴拉克·古德曼(Barak Goodman)執導，肯·伯恩斯(Ken Burns)擔任執行製作人，這部六小時的劇集是根據普利策獲獎書籍、悉達多·穆克吉(Siddhartha Mukherjee)醫生的《衆病之王：癌症傳》(The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer)改編的。WOLF HALL (PBS, April 5) In the season’s most promising piece of casting, Damian Lewis (“Homeland”) will play Henry VIII and the two-time Tony Award winner Mark Rylance will play Thomas Cromwell in this “Masterpiece” adaptation of the popular Hilary Mantel historical novels.
《狼廳》(Wolf Hall)，PBS，4月5日播出。這一季最引人注目的選角，《國土安全》(Homeland)的主演達米恩·劉易斯(Damian Lewis)將在該劇中飾演亨利八世，兩獲託尼獎的馬克·裏朗斯(Mark Rylance)將飾演托馬斯·克倫威爾(Thomas Cromwell)，這部經典改編劇改編自希拉里·曼特爾(Hilary Mantel)的暢銷歷史小說。
