Boba Fett STAR WARS movie apparently back in development

With Solo in cinemas and work on Episode IX underway, Disney are turning their attention to how the next generation of Star Wars movies are going to shake up. They are planning two new trilogies of films as well as more stand-alone movies to be released under the "Star Wars Story" moniker.

At the moment Disney have no officially-announced movies slated for release beyond J.J. Abrams' Episode IX, which is expected to hit cinemas in December 2019. The question of what Star Wars stand-alone movie will arrive in 2020 has been occupying fans of late, with strong rumours circulating that Ewan McGregor will be reprising his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi for a film set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliott, The Hours) is in talks to direct the film, with shooting reportedly already pencilled in for 2019 but still not officially announced or confirmed.

Today it's been strongly reported that a Boba Fett movie is back on the production slate. The film was one of several ideas announced alongside Rogue One and Solo, but it was shelved after Disney fell out with prospective director Josh Trank, with Solo moved up the production schedule to replace it. The report today is that the project is back on with Logan director James Mangold in talks to direct.

It's unclear if the once-mooted idea that an unknown character would kill the Fett from the prequel trilogy and steal his identity (thus restoring ambiguity to a character whose backstory should never have been explored in the first place) is still in serious contention either.

It's also unclear at the moment if the Fett movie is meant for the 2020 or 2021 slot; Mangold was supposed to be directing a movie about the Ferrari company next, so assuming that's still the case, this would suggest that the Obi-Wan movie will be out in 2020 with a Fett film to follow in 2021. However, this production timetable is complicated by the fact that Rian Johnson is developing a Star Wars movie trilogy (albeit one with a brand-new story, not centred around the "saga") and Game of Thrones producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will be rolling directly into their own multi-film Star Wars project after Thrones wraps next year.

This crowded production space - which isn't even taking into consideration the heavily-rumoured Solo sequel or the Yoda movie (although that seems to be more permanently off the table, given George Lucas apparently absolutely hated the idea) - suggests that Disney want to take Star Wars in the same direction as the Marvel movies, with 2 or even 3 movies a year released. Whether this is viable given the apparently lack of confidence in the Star Wars camp over allowing their movies to be as diverse in tone as the Marvel roster is open to question.

At the moment a potential Star Wars release schedule going forward could look like this:

December 2019: Star Wars: Episode IX
2020: Obi-Wan: A Star Wars Story
Early 2021: Fett: A Star Wars Story
Late 2021: Rian Johnson Trilogy #1
Early 2022: Solo sequel
Late 2022: Benioff & Weiss Trilogy #1

There's also the Star Wars live-action TV show set a few years after Return of the Jedi, helmed by Jon Favreau, which should arrive in late 2019 or early 2020, and Star Wars: Resistance, a new animated show focusing on Captain Phasma and Poe Dameron which will arrive later this year.

Star Wars: Solo

Han and Qi'ra are two slum-rats living in the industrial hellhole that is Corellia, a planet whose proud people have been reluctantly turned into shipbuilders for the Galactic Empire. Han manages to escape, but vows to return one day to save the woman he loves. Three years later he's been bounced from the Imperial Academy, served as a grunt in a confusing war and then defected to join a criminal gang looking for a big score. Han still wants to get home, but first he needs a crew, a ship and a co-pilot.

In 1972, during the shooting of his second feature film, American Graffiti, George Lucas turned to his young lead actor Ron Howard and told him about the plans he had to make an exciting, Buck Rogers-riffing space opera franchise, a story of rip-roaring space adventures with scoundrels as heroes, blasters and lots of action. Forty-six years later, in a plot twist few could have seen coming, Ron Howard finally made that film.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is certainly not the best Star Wars movie, but it may be the purest. This is a film about a roguish hero who sets out on a quest to pull off a heist to get the girl and it all goes a bit sideways and he learns some lessons and the audience has a huge amount of fun along the way. This is Star Wars with an alternate take on the hero's journey, without the space wizards or magic or laser swords or prophecies, but plenty of blasters, quips and explosions. It's also a surprising Star Wars movie: almost any nerf herder who's seen the Empire Strike Back incarnation of Han Solo could write a version of this movie which was safer, duller and very predictable. It fell to the movie's bizarre gestation period (including a change of directors two-thirds of the way through production) and formidable writing team (including Lawrence Kasdan making his farewell to the franchise that made his name) to turn it into a more surprising and interesting beast.

Solo is relentless. It's a film that lands with a massive bang - a chase through the tunnels of Corellia - and then does not let up for over two hours. Set piece after set piece rains down on the viewer, but the Kasdan team and the directors (I'm not even going to guess who directed what scenes here) keep the movie buoyant, not allowing it to get too bogged down in exposition. Dialogue sparkles and the action is very well-handled, with the fights and chases being easy to follow. There's a surprising physicality to the film, with a reliance on actual stunts and sets rather than CGI, which is good to see. The fast-moving flow of the film also sometimes masks some dubious plot twists - one coincidental meeting is so far beyond implausible it's not even remotely credible, but hey, the Force or something - but it's not like Star Wars hasn't had a few of those before.

There's also a fortunately strong reliance on the actors. Alden Ehrenreich won't be nominated for an Oscar, but is mostly effective at channelling the spirit of Harrison Ford (and he's better at doing that than trying to do an outright imitation), albeit a younger and even more cocksure version. Emilia Clarke is great as his love interest Qi'ra, and the movie takes her character in a very surprising (and welcome) direction that goes beyond being just a motivational force for Han's journey. But the real plaudits will be awarded to Woody Harrelson, whose grizzled scoundrel-mentor character of Beckett is way more Han than Han himself, and particularly Donald Glover. His take on Lando Calrissian is the highlight of the film, with formidable comic timing, surprising emotional depth and a performance that channels the spirit of a pre-1980 Billy Dee Williams. Even better, Lando isn't allowed to be too dominant a force in the movie: he has his role to play and departs once that is done. Paul Bettany also has a small but significant role as the film's erstwhile antagonist, a criminal overlord who first Beckett and then Han get indebted to and have to pull off a dangerous heist to appease.

Hardcore Star Wars fans will also enjoy the film for its numerous call-outs to the defunct Expanded Universe (particularly a nod to the Maw Installation and the dangerous approach to Kessel) and one particular moment that will blindside the 90% of the audience who hasn't seen The Clone Wars or Star Wars: Rebels, leaving the other 10% feeling particularly smug as they nod to one another across the cinema and say, "Ah, of course" in a probably insufferable manner. After seeing the Marvel Cinematic Universe go to some lengths to avoid mentioning its TV spin-offs as canon in the films, seeing Star Wars just breezily and casually do it in the most unexpected manner possible is terrific, if extremely geeky. More casual Star Wars fans will appreciate the nods to other Star Wars films and stories (C3-PO asks a question in The Empire Strikes Back which never gets answered, but it does here), with the film having some fun in giving us very brief answers to questions that no-one ever asked ("Where did Han Solo get his blaster?") but occasionally getting rather silly in giving more in-depth answers to questions no-one ever asked ("Where did Han Solo's name come from?").

The movie does have several significant flaws, however. The first is that towards the end of the movie it goes a bit too obviously in the direction of sequel-bait. Solo is directed towards a new mission, several side-characters are revealed to have unexpected agendas and a new villain is unveiled. With rumours circulating that Disney are considering two sequels to this movie, they clearly leave enough on the deck to facilitate that. However, the film does hit most of the beats you expect and if those sequels don't happen - Solo's incredibly low-key release, mixed word of mouth and the massive juggernaut of Infinity War still commanding the box office could result in this being one of the lowest-grossing Star Wars movies to date - there's enough closure here not to make the absence of a sequel hurt too much (they can also rather cleverly tie those elements into the Obi-Wan movie instead, if necessary). The second problem is that the movie is definitely too long. This film works best as a pulpy space adventure, a rip-roaring, fast-paced adventure. The two hour-and-ten-minute run time isn't entirely compatible with that and the film does feel like a set piece or two could have been yanked out to get this movie down to a brisker ninety minutes or so.

For a film with as tortured a development process as this one, Solo: A Star Wars Story (****) ends up being surprisingly focused and enjoyable, with great performances and a fun storyline that isn't as predictable as you'd think. Of the new generation Star Wars films, this one views with The Force Awakens as the best: The Force Awakens is better-cast with a far stronger villain, but Solo is far less predictable and manages more genuine surprises. The movie is on general release now.

GOTHAM and AGENTS OF SHIELD reprieved for another year

With cancellation-ageddon scything down shows by the dozen (although Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been saved and The Expanse looks likely for a last-minute move to Amazon), the fates of superhero dramas Gotham on Fox and Agents of SHIELD on ABC had looked dubious. Fortunately, both shows have been saved.

Gotham has been given a fifth season order, which will also be the show's last. The showrunners have confirmed that the series will finally see Bruce Wayne become Batman, with the show loosely adapting the Zero Year comic storyline (having dabbled with both the Killing Joke and No Man's Land storylines in Season 4). An episode count for the final season has yet to be decided, but given the nature of the show's reprieve it may only be 13 episodes.

Agents of SHIELD has also been given a 13-episode order, although this is plot-related: the opening of Season 6 will apparently reflect on events in Infinity War II, which is not due to hit cinemas until May 2019. The half-season order means that Agents of SHIELD will not return until shortly before the movie arrives in cinemas, allowing them to play out the aftermath of the cliffhanger before the sequel comes out and then continue afterwards. This will also be accompanied by the first movement of the Agents of SHIELD cast back to the films: Clark Gregg, who plays Agent Coulson on the show, will reprise the role in the Captain Marvel movie due for release in February 2019.

The long-term fate of Agents of SHIELD and the Netflix Marvel shows are in question: ABC is unhappy with the relatively low ratings of Agents of SHIELD and allegedly both the fifth and sixth season renewals came at the behest of their owners, Disney, to help their Marvel brand. ABC have objected because they could have a new and hopefully better-performing show in the timeslot instead. Disney are also launching a new adult-oriented streaming service at the end of 2019 which will include a Marvel track (including a brand-new live-action show, the details of which have not yet been revealed, and a Star Wars TV show helmed by Jon Favreau), and rumours are circulating that Agents of SHIELD may be moved over to that service. It's also possible that Disney will pull their six Netflix shows (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher) to transfer to the new service, as they likely don't want to be making shows for the competition.

Amazon in provisional talks to save THE EXPANSE

Amazon has reached a provisional agreement with Alcon Entertainment to save The Expanse.

SyFy dropped the show last week after disappointing ratings for the first few episodes of Season 3, despite the show scoring a rare 100% positive review metric at Rotten Tomatoes. The Expanse is the second-highest-rated show on the network (behind only The Magicians), but SyFy's deal with Alcon Entertainment means they only get first-run US broadcast rights. Streaming rights go to Amazon US and international broadcast rights go to Netflix. DVD and Blu-Ray sales also go to Alcon. This means that in order to monetise the show, SyFy needs the show to be a big hit on first-run broadcast or on reruns or DVR recordings watched within three days. And of course, that's not how people consume media any more.

Amazon's deal is provisional and apparently dependent on a financially suitable package being worked out that is agreeable to everyone. Potential sticking points relate to the show's international rights and whether it's possible for Amazon to pick them up for Netflix without it breaking the bank to do so, or even if it's possible for Amazon and Netflix to do a shared distribution deal, which would be breaking new ground.

The Expanse is an appealing pick-up for Amazon: it's critically acclaimed but also has mass appeal (which neither SyFy nor Netflix have fully realised), it is relatively cheap by Amazon's standards even as it was quite expensive by SyFy's, and it already has a production team and cast in place, along with standing sets and a shooting schedule. The show's team has also been surprisingly good at getting seasons out the door with only 12-14 months between them, unlike the 18-24 months being taken by other streaming shows. Amazon has picked up a whole raft of SF and fantasy projects based on books recently (including Lord of the Rings, Conan the Barbarian, Ringworld and a show based on Iain Banks' Culture novels), so The Expanse fits into that wheelhouse perfectly. The good news is that with all of those projects at least three years away, The Expanse could get at least another two seasons on TV before they hit, giving Amazon some much needed original content.

Apparently Jeff Bezos is a fan of the books (the guy is a massive SFF fan) and was keen on Amazon getting involved in the first place when the US streaming rights came up, and is happy to shell out the money for the entire show as long as it makes sense to do so. It now looks like the deal will hinge on whether Amazon can extricate the international rights from Netflix, but so far the noises sound positive.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

The Second Poppy War between the vast Nikara Empire and the island-bound Federation of Mugen ended in victory for Nikara...just. The cost of victory was high, so the Empire has established an elite military academy at Sinegard. Open to everyone, nobles and commoners alike, the academy is training the next generation of warriors who will defend the Empire. For Rin, a war orphan from the provinces, the academy is her only hope of avoiding her arranged marriage. But the path she sets out on will take her to far stranger places, and in the maelstrom of an unwinnable war involving forces she does not comprehend.

The Poppy War is the debut novel by R.F. Kuang and is an Asian-themed epic fantasy. War, magic and dark forces beyond mortal ken are all present and correct, as are angst, training montages and moral mazes the characters find impossible to travel through without getting blood on their hands and their consciences.

The novel doesn't do anything particularly new, but it does have an interesting arc for the central character of Rin. Normally these kind of stories feature a plucky young hero who is tempted by dark forces but nobly avoids them and wins a great victory for the forces of the light anyway. The Poppy War doesn't do that. It's message is consistently one of choice and consequence: the easy option is always the more costly one, and Rin, being a teenage orphan with no real experience of how the world works, makes pretty much the worst decision at every turn. It's a human and realistic response that moves The Poppy War away from its opening chapters - where it veers a bit too close to every fantasy school drama you've ever read - more towards psychological horror and a bloody-minded war story. Imagine Joe Abercrombie taking over Harry Potter halfway through the series before handing off to R. Scott Bakker for the finale and you may have an idea of the dramatic tonal darkening the novel undergoes on its way to one of the more memorable fantasy finales of recent years.

There's an interesting magic system, based around the summoning of god-spirits into the world, although this is not developed perhaps as fully as it could have been. The worldbuilding is fine on a macro level but on the level of fine detail it is lacking. The best fantasy worlds draw you into them, making you eager to learn more about them, but Nikara and Mugen are drawn in very broad strokes. The modern language (including a fair bit of swearing) and nomenclature are reasonable language choices, but doesn't do much to bring you into the mindset and shoes of the characters. The map, for once, is a hindrance rather than a help as it is drawn with apparently no mind to scale (Nikara is supposedly enormous but the islands of Speer and Mugen - widely separated on the map - are within eyesight of one another) and ends up being more confusing than enlightening.

These elements are negligible compared to the fine character work that's employed, especially as Kuang has very little truck with telling yet another version of the hero's journey. There's also a relentless pace to the novel. In 500 pages it covers more ground than some 2,000-page trilogies, with dramatic shifts in setting, cast and tone as the book proceeds. Compared to fantasy sagas that take a thousand pages to clear their throat, there's something to be said for how quickly and determinedly The Poppy War gets down to business.

The Poppy War (****) is an accomplished fantasy novel, especially for a debut, with an unusually bleak and cynical tone to it that becomes much more pronounced as it continues (to the point where I'm glad the next book I'm reading is the much more positive Space Opera). The characters are interesting and well-developed, but the worldbuilding and magic could be a bit more developed. Hopefully we'll see this in the sequels, as The Poppy War is (as you may have guessed), the opening volume of a trilogy. The novel is available now in the UK and USA.

HD version of BABYLON 5 may be possible after all

In a surprising move, Babylon 5 creator/showrunner/writer J. Michael Straczynski has revealed on Twitter (whilst announcing the news that B5 will be available on Amazon Prime next month, at least in the USA) that it may be possible to remaster the show in HD after all...with a few caveats.

The original Babylon 5 and EAS Cortez CG models re-rendered to modern HD standards (with a new background). Whilst the Warner Brothers film masters wouldn't look this good, they'd be big improvement over the DVD versions of the show.

To reiterate the previous situation: Babylon 5 was shot in widescreen on Super 35mm film - from which a HD image can be extracted from the original film stock rather easily - and then mastered (having CGI, sound and music added) on standard-definition video. The SD video master tapes of Babylon 5 have been the source for the original broadcast version of the show, the VHS and DVD releases and the various streaming options available over the last few years. It is not possible to extract a HD image from video, so that was assumed to be it for Babylon 5.

The only way to get a HD Babylon 5 would be to go back to the original film stock and extract a new HD image of all the live-action footage - which is time-consuming and tedious, but straightforward - and then re-render all of the thousands of CG effects and composite shots* in the show from scratch - which would be mind-bogglingly time-consuming and expensive. Star Trek: The Next Generation took this approach, but the show didn't have much CGI to re-render, as most of the effects were handled in-camera on film, so it was straightforward to remaster. It still took four years and cost $20 million, and took years to break even across multiple media releases and years of streaming on Netflix and CBS All Access. Babylon 5 would cost around twice that as it had far more CG than ST:TNG and in fact far more effects shots in total, despite being almost seventy episodes shorter in length. Given the relative obscurity of Babylon 5 compared to ST:TNG, this would appear to be commercially unviable.

(* a composite shot is one that combines live-action footage with effects, so any shot which has weapons being fired, the characters standing in front of a green or blue screen, interacting with CG characters etc)

However, Straczynski has completely upended this understanding of the situation with new information.

It turns out that at the end of every season of Babylon 5, Warner Brothers requested that every episode be completely re-mastered on 35mm film. This was for an archival copy to sit in the WB archives and to match the show as broadcast. This process involved taking the digital elements - including the original CG shots in their original resolution (noticeably higher than what we saw on TV from the video master) - and putting them on film.

So in order to get a full HD version of Babylon 5, all one has to do is extract a broadcast copy from each film reel, and since everything is on there already - including CG - that's all you need to do. It's extremely cheap.

This may sound too good to be true, and there is a hitch. Because this was an archival copy of the episode as already aired, it only involved the 4:3 TV format, not the widescreen master which only exists on video. Or to put it another way, Babylon 5's HD edition would only be available in 4:3, not widescreen, despite Babylon 5 being the first TV show ever filmed directly in widescreen. Which is both ironic and immensely frustrating. As long-term B5 fans know, the CGI for Babylon 5 only exists in 4:3, with the widescreen CG shots seen on the DVD release coming about from cropping the image (which is incredibly annoying, and loses information from the top and bottom of the image), so this would both restore the original CG image and in a much higher resolution, but at the cost of losing the live-action widescreen shots.

There is the possibility of going back to the original film stock for the live-action-only shots and combining those with this new master to get at least some of the show in widescreen HD at a still-reasonable price, but the series would need to switch to 4:3 for every CGI and composite scene, which would be rather distracting.

Whilst it's not a perfect solution, it does open up the possibility of seeing Babylon 5 in high definition, at level of visual quality never seen before. Whether Warner Brothers are prepared to invest such a remaster remains to be seen, but at least now, in the long, twilight struggle of rewatching your favourite twenty-year-old SF show, there is the possibility of hope.

LORD OF THE RINGS TV series will focus on Aragorn

The One Ring - the largest Middle-earth fansite with numerous, decades-long contacts inside the Tolkien Estate, publishers, Weta, New Line Cinema and Amazon - has confirmed that Amazon's new Lord of the Rings TV series will focus on the adventures of Aragorn some decades prior to the events of the novels and movies.

This news was not unexpected, with Aragorn's adventures as a young man - partially related in The Lord of the Rings' appendices - serving as the most logical basis for a Rings prequel story, given that the Tolkien Estate, despite a warmer attitude to this project, has not sold the rights to Unfinished Tales or The Silmarillion.

Meanwhile, Andy Serkis has confirmed that he is not interested in reprising his role as Gollum for the project, although given that a "young Aragorn" series would predate The Hobbit, Gollum would not be expected to appear anyway. However, if the series moves into the timeframe between the two books, there is scope for the series to include the "Hunt for Gollum" storyline from Lord of the Rings, where Aragorn and Legolas track Gollum down in Mirkwood on Gandalf's orders to keep him away from the Shire.

The Lord of the Rings TV series is expected to enter production in 2019 or 2020 to air in 2021.

SyFy hints at a rethink on THE EXPANSE cancellation...if ratings improve

According to Expanse actor Cas Anvar, SyFy has suggested it might reverse its decision to drop The Expanse is there is an improvement in the show's ratings for the remainder of Season 3. This is on top of positive noises from Amazon that they are at least aware of the situation, with Netflix having passed on it.

According to Anvar, SyFy's metrics for measuring the success of the show are down to its first-run viewing figures (it's "live" figures when it first airs on SyFy). They also count all DVR recordings, as long as they are viewed within 3 days. Apparently - and SyFy themselves have rather oddly confirmed this (suggesting they're happy to game their own system) - if you do both, it counts as two viewings of the show.

Fans of the show paid to have this banner flown over Amazon HQ for four hours yesterday.

This is only helpful for American viewers, since international viewers won't be able to see Season 3 for another six months thanks to the (dubious) international distribution deal that was worked out between SyFy and Alcon Entertainment.

The window for saving the show is unclear: there are six episodes of Season 3 left to air before the season ends in June, but some reports have suggested that Alcon won't be willing to pay for storage for the sets and props beyond a few more weeks, so that if the show isn't picked up soon they'll strike the (very expensive) sets and that will make the cost of remounting the show much greater.

Netflix passes on THE EXPANSE, Amazon interested

According to Jim Murray, who works behind the scenes on The Expanse, Netflix have indicated they are not interested in continuing the series on their streaming service, despite already having the international airing rights. However, he also confirms that Amazon have shown an interest in picking up the slack.

Amazon already stream the show in the United States after the initial broadcast on SyFy. The show also arguably fits Amazon's original programming more than Netflix's. Amazon are on a major SF and fantasy binge, recently taking out options on the novels Ringworld, Snow Crash, Consider Phlebas and The Three-Body Problem, as well as developing new fantasy series based on the Dark Tower, Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings and Conan the Barbarian series. The Expanse is also based on a best-selling SF book series and some fans have noted that the show's focus on (relatively) near-future Solar system colonisation even makes it a good fit for promoting Jeff Bezos's Blue Origins space project.

You can contact Amazon Studios directly here, using the "For Your Consideration" tab.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: Seasons 1-2

Bellboy Todd Brotzman is not having a good day. He is in trouble with his landlord, his sister is suffering from a disease that leaves her housebound and he's just discovered some dead bodies in the penthouse of the hotel he works in. Just as things can't get any worse, he meets an eccentric Englishman named Dirk Gently who insists that he is Todd's best friend and gets embroiled in an increasingly bizarre detective case.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is a BBC America production that ran for two seasons in 2016-17. The series is inspired by two novels by British comic SF author Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988). The TV show's relationship to the novels is ambiguous: references to the events of the novel in the show suggest this is a sequel to the books, but Dirk Gently's backstory, character and age are at extreme variance with his book incarnation. Given Douglas Adams' own predilection for rewriting his stories every time he moved them to a new medium, it's probably for the best to consider this series to be more inspired by the books than directly adapting them.

The TV show comes across as a bizarre, madcap adventure which borrows a lot from the work of Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion), with the same offbeat tone and odd dialogue choices. It's much more overtly science fictional though, with time travel, body-swapping and parallel universes playing a role. It's also surprisingly violent, with death, explosions and gunfights being a common way of resolving plot threads. In that sense the show feels like it's trying to be cleverer than it actually is - scriptwriter Max Landis (Bright) is not a particularly subtle or nuanced writer - but it's still an eminently watchable show.

The main success of the series is its casting: perennially confused everyman Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings, Wilfred) is perfect as Todd the reluctant sidekick, Samuel Barnett is excellent as Dirk and Fiona Dourif is oustandingly growly as holistic assassin Bart. Rounding off the regular cast is Jade Eshete as badass bodyguard Farah, Hannah Marks as Todd's sister Amanda and Mpho Koaho as IT expert (and reluctant advisor to Bart) Ken. Their characters all initially appear to be fairly broad archetypes - Todd as the sceptic, Dirk as the kooky Englishman - but quickly gain new layers as their backstories are explained. Todd, in particular, gets fleshed out impressively over the first season and we learn more about what drives him.

The two seasons feel like novels in a series, with each season having its own distinct storyline and secondary cast (including the likes of Battlestar Galactica's Aaron Douglas and Firefly's Alan Tudyk) which means each can be watched and enjoyed individually, with important character arcs continuing between them. The first season delves into a weird cult operating in Seattle, whilst the second focus on a town in rural Montana which has been plagued by strange events. Both stories are strong in their own way (Season 1 has the cleverer mystery, Season 2 has the stronger supporting cast), although the tonal difference between them can be a bit jarring if you watch the whole series right through.

There's a lot to enjoy about the series, from the characters to the offbeat writing to the meticulously-constructed plot. However, there are some issues. The show seems to be channelling the likes of Fargo but isn't quite as good. Being based on a pair of Douglas Adams novels, you also expect the writer to either base the story on the books or at least bring some of Adams' sensibility to the screen and doesn't really do either. There may be no two finer writers to crib from than Noah Hawley and Douglas Adams, but doing so overtly and not coming up to either's standard is a bit disappointing. The very vague connections between the books and the TV show also make the connection feel worthless: Landis may have been better dropping that connection and just creating his own completely original property rather than leaning on these well-known books.

Still, if you can move beyond that there's a lot to enjoy. The performances are exceptionally good (Fiona Dourif - daughter of Brad - offers up some next-level intensity and weirdness), the stories are clever and make sense (eventually) and it's great to see a show that leans in and embraces its weird side. The biggest issue is that the writers were setting up a longer-term arc for the series and its cancellation after Season 2 does waste some of that setup work. Still, the primary storylines of the first two seasons are resolved and there's much less of a cliffhanger ending to the story, so it can be enjoyed as a completed entity.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (****) is available now on Blu-Ray in the US and on Netflix in much of the rest of the world.