What’s on TV tonight 17 November 2021: Tiger King 2, Grand Designs: House of the Year 2021, and more.
King Tiger 2
Netflix
Lawsuits have already started to fly, just over the content of Netflix’s series two trailers, so we can be sure that Tiger King 2 will be as outrageous as the original, one of the biggest hits of the pandemic last year. . If you didn’t get it, this was one of those era-defining shows that perfectly caught the zeitgeist, with a crazed, gay, gun-armed showman,
Joe Exotic (even running for US president in the 2016 primaries) whose determination to prevent animal protection activist Carole Baskin (another deeply divisive character) from closing the big cat “zoo” where he kept more than 200 tigers in captivity, led him to be sentenced for requesting his murder. Overall, it seemed to sum up the insanity of Trump’s America. With Joe Exotic currently serving a 22-year sentence for murder conspiracy and animal abuse crimes, and Baskin accusing Netflix of gross misrepresentation (especially regarding the disappearance of her first husband), the second series picks up where the first did. left, deepening. in the lives of the strange cast of fans of the show’s semi-criminal tigers, and the inevitable campaign to get Joe Exotic out of behind bars. TO GO
Between decks
BBC Two, 7 pm
Sarah Cox invites actor John Thomson, comedians Fern Brady and Lou Sanders, and wine critic Olly Smith to share some of their favorite readings, although much more interesting are their joint evaluations of this week’s election: The Coward of Jarred McGinnis and the jewel from Penelope Fitzgerald’s Booker The Bookshop. TO GO
George Clarke’s old house, new house
Channel 4, 8 pm
The gracious architect meets a Worcestershire couple who have bitten off more than they can chew on a 17th-century cottage remodel, and turns to Japan for inspiration to help another couple redesign their Victorian townhouse in Worthing. TO GO
Shetland
BBC One, 9:00 p.m. M.
After the heartbreaking events of the past week, you might think the pace would ease up to let poor Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) catch his breath. But no, the pressure continues to mount from all directions as his father’s insanity worsens, dark secrets about murder victim Alex Galbraith’s past, and Donna Killick’s (Fiona Bell) control over Duncan (Mark Bonnar). takes a sinister turn. TO GO
Grand Designs: House of the Year 2021
Channel 4, 9:00 p.m.
The pinnacle of every television year of property lust is the Kevin McCloud series on the new constructions and renovations considered by the Royal Institute of British Architects as the best of the last 12 months. Each of the four episodes on the shortlist has a theme, starting with five houses that “take you by surprise,” which seems to encompass everything from the bland to the outrageous. TO GO
Living at the Apollo
BBC Two, 10:00 p.m.
Host Loyiso Gola welcomes two rising talents to the Hammersmith Apollo stage: Scott Bennett, who impressed on Radio 4’s The News Quiz a few times on the latest series, and the 2019 Edinburgh Best Newcomer nominee. and self-confessed “force of nature”, Helen Bauer. TO GO
Life and rhymes
Arts of the sky, 10:00 p.m.
Benjamin Zephaniah returns to the Battersea Park newsstand inviting spoken word artists (including Christy Ku, Zia Ahmed, and Miss Yankey) to give a fabulous voice to their thoughts on texting, awareness, this week’s body and finding their place in the world. TO GO
The Band Car (1953) ★★★★
BBC Two, 1.30pm
Another delight with Fred Astaire, this time as Tony Hunter, a movie star whose career is stagnant. He decides to spice it up by starring in a Broadway musical but isn’t ready for its director to cast the charismatic Gabby Gerard (Cyd Charisse) as his co-star.
He thinks she’s too tall, she thinks she’s too old. Naturally, they fix their differences in this surprisingly sophisticated comedy.
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) ★★★
Movie 4, 6.50 pm
In one of the best Star Trek movies, Patrick Stewart and his team have to travel back in time to prevent the universe from falling into the hands of a terrifying communist-type cyborg collective, flying through space in a giant Rubik’s cube as a container, assimilating everyone it meets. Alice Krige is incredibly creepy as her queen, and Jonathan Frakes does a commendable job as a director.
Saturday Night Fever (1977) ★★★★★
5 STARS, 11 pm
This is the movie that gave John Travolta superstar status. It also features sequined ’70s outfits, excellent dancing, and the hit Bee Gees soundtrack (Stayin’ Alive or How Deep Is Your Love, anyone?).
Most often forgotten is the grim story: A troubled Brooklyn paint shop worker (Travolta) can only forget his dead-end existence when he hits the dance floor.