Episodes: The Fourth Season

The skewering of showbiz reality is a favorite TV theme, and the Showtime series Episodes skillfully mines the rich veins of vanity, venality, and the despicable behaviors of Hollywood creative types in characters who are probably closer to the genuine article than most people would believe. Season four continues exploring the exploits of an actor named Matt LeBlanc (played by Matt LeBlanc) and various hangers-on to his insipid NBC sitcom, Pucks. Of course, this isn't the real Matt, nor is it how the TV industry really operates—or is it? The dishonesty, back-stabbery, and antic selfishness that drives the entertainment industry on display here feels like such accurate farce that the show becomes a can't-look-away train wreck. Even more jaded after four years in the Hollywood cesspool, British TV expats Beverly (Tamsin Greig) and Sean (Stephen Mangan)—whose hit Brit series was transformed into the shallow Pucks—still grapple with the pull of fame and fortune versus their very souls as the sell-out producers. And Matt discovers that he's been robbed blind by his late manager and falls deeper into the pit of self-loathing self-absorption. Little new ground is broken in the story arc, but the business of showbiz as hateful and mean is still convincingly portrayed. Along with LeBlanc, Greig, and Mangan, the ensemble includes Mircea Monroe, John Pankow, and Kathleen Rose Perkins. Presenting all nine episodes from the 2015 fourth season, this caustic comedy is highly recommended. (T. Fry)