In an immense sea of unlimited boiling choices, perhaps take a detour and cruise down another imaginative river. That’s what The Network is all about — a new platform that aims to unclutter streaming; less scrolling and searching for content. This is how it works: the streamer will release two compelling originals at a time, comedies on Tuesdays and dramas on Thursdays. Easy enough. We started with the drama series, The Green Veil starring John Leguizamo (The Menu, Moulin Rouge), and now Chivalry fits nicely into its comedy offerings.
It’s must-see TV in fact — really engaging — fueled by perfect comedic distinction from Steve Coogan (Philomena, Alan Partridge) and Sarah Solemani (Bridget Jones’ Baby). If you recall the joy of tuning into HBO’s Episodes to watch Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan endure Hollywood bureaucracy, you’ll appreciate what Chivalry serves up. Showbiz brouhaha abounds here, but instead of having Matt LeBlanc’s character to confront weekly in Episodes, it’s soured social mores in this culture.
Wanda Sykes’ first UK television role sees her co-starring opposite Sienna Miller in a show that was originally greenlit by Channel 4 and produced by Baby Cow Productions. Timely, fresh & funny — worthy of investment.
Chivalry is a #MeToo era comedy that keeps its creative feet fabulously grounded. It’s an outing that delightfully skewers clueless (predominantly white male) executives and industry types who (like hungry raccoons) suddenly find themselves trapped by their own ignorance. The series finds critically acclaimed female director Bobby (Solemani) brought in to course correct ill-fated production run by seasoned male producer Cameron (Coogan).
The first two episodes of Chivalry set up the fabulous pace & tone (created by filmmaker Aram Rappaport – Syrup, John Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons). Sharply written by Steve Coogan and Sarah Solemani, Marta Cunningham (Grace and Frankie) directs all six episodes. Bobby is on a career high — coming off of her hit film, Mother of God. She’s brought in to creatively tinker with a production plagued by divisiveness. Apparently several intimate scenes were found to be offensive but Pierre (Djilali Rez-Kallah), the old school Euro director who steered the endeavor, is troubled by all the fuss.
A startling turn of events brings Bobby further into the fold — though she’s not entirely too pleased by it. Not to mention she isn’t a big fan of Cameron’s either — fresh off a breakup with a twentysomething. It’s fun watching this all play out. Cameron appears to be a man who suddenly woke up to the fact that the world (and movie industry) has changed around him. He may still be a prominent producer, but he hardly has the leverage he once had — and in that regard walks around a bit timid amidst a growing sea of confident women who aren’t afraid to push back.
To be sure, Bobby does not shy away from this, and here we are reminded why Sarah Solemani is such a genius. She gives Bobby an education. This is a person who has fought — in this case, male-dominated Hollywood — and come out on the other side knowing that there are still lots of privileged white men she must have patience with. The back-and-forth between Coogan and Solemani is great fun, injecting the series with energy, and leading to episodic endings that leave you wanting more. It also allows you to wonder how this working relationship might grow.
Scene stealers abound in Chivalry, as do frank conversations. Sienna Miller takes home the title in both categories. Playing movie star Lark, she’s self-aware — and fierce. Maybe tired of all the behind-the-scenes drama too. One of the funniest scenes features an intimacy coordinator being brought in to oversee a reshoot of a big love scene; Bobby never felt like the scene landed right and so in the redux Lark’s character is given more ownership over her sexuality. For a Nazi period drama.
The jokes here are heavenly. When Richard Fleeshman steps out as Patrick — playing a buffed out blond beefcake stand-in whose ass cheeks and shirtless torso will suffice for this shot — the highlighted blond wants to “understand” why his scene partner would say what she says next … To which an exasperated Sienna Miller finally shoots back: “I say it because it is in the script,” she says. “I say it because I am paid as a monkey to jump for bananas. Can we just f***ing shoot it so that I can fake my orgasm, which I have been practicing?”
Ah, European TV wit! It all plays very nicely here while offering up audiences a new stellar duo (Coogan and Solemani) to get hooked on. Solemani especially is sublime; Coogan, in a more reserved yet still believable performance, reminds us why he is one of the best actors working today. Between its frank conversations, subversive humor and illuminating references — female genitalia has never been so incredibly unpacked as it is here, much to the dismay of men within earshot — Chivalry is often captivating, brilliant and just magic.
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