Femme Fatales: The Complete Second Season

Viewers who enjoyed the first season of this Cinemax After Dark anthology series—a campy mixture of very soft-core erotica and film noir narrative—will find more of the same in this second season set. The recipe is predictable: spin a luridly pulpy yarn involving characters with a decidedly undeveloped moral sense (each tale sports a different cast), and make sure the stories leave room for some steamy sex scenes and a bit of nudity—the more gratuitous the better. To add to the fun, each installment is introduced by sultry hostess Lilith (Tanit Phoenix), whose remarks inevitably include some wink-wink double entendres. Within this formula, the plots boast some variety, ranging from domestic situations to criminal deeds gone awry, and—naturally—a couple of women-behind-bars entries. The tone here is sometimes farcical and sometimes bitterly sardonic; one episode (“Bad Science”) even goes the sci-fi route. Femme Fatales will win no awards for writing, acting, or production values, but the stories feature some recognizable guest stars (including Eric Roberts, Casper Van Dien, and Vivica A. Fox). Compiling all 12 episodes from 2012, extras include audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, alternate episode versions, and deleted scenes. While hardly must-see TV, this is a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)