My wife asked if I wanted to watch a movie.
I said no.
The night before I had stayed up way, way past my bedtime, consuming the entirety of Showtime’s “Escape At Dannemora.” I told her to forget about the movies; she needed to watch this mesmerizing 7-episode Benecio del Toro project.
The Showtime miniseries is better than “If Beale Street Could Talk,” “A Star Is Born,” “Aquaman,” “Roma,” “Vice,” “Mary Poppins Returns” or most of the other Oscar-bait that’s piling up around the house of late.
Your mileage may vary, but know the same thing that happened to me happened to my wife. Once she watched the first episodes she could not stop, and she stayed up way past her bedtime binging the first six hours.
And the time has come for you, constant reader, to binge one of the best shows of 2018, Showtime’s “Escape From Dammemora,” which expends nearly eight hours on the improbably taut true tale of a civilian prison seamstress (Patricia Arquette) who conspires to effect the improbable escape of two prisoners she supervises (Benecio del Toro and Paul Dano).
The twisty, suspenseful and character-driven miniseries is the brainchild of screenwriters Michael Tolkin (“The Rapture,” “The Player,” “Deep Impact”) and Brett Johnson (who worked with Tolkin on Showtime’s “Ray Donovan”).
All seven episodes are directed by – wait for it – movie star Ben Stiller, who previously helmed the big-screen comedies “Reality Bites,” “The Cable Guy,” “Zoolander,” “Tropic Thunder,” “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” and “Zoolander 2.”
“Dannemora,” is nothing like those movies, and the best thing Stiller has directed to date.
Its supporting cast sports “Green Mile” vets Bonnie Hunt and David Morse. Morse again plays a good-guy prison guard. “Sopranos” icon Michael Imperioli briefly joins the cast of Sunday night’s finale as New York governor Andrew Cuomo.
Mix in some eggnog and Bailey’s and you’ve perfect way to while away what’s left of your holiday.
Returning tonight:
The Orville (Fox) Dec. 30
“90-Day Fiancé” was top cable show last Sunday.
Sundays, Nov. 11-Dec. 23, 2018
(Adults 18-49; repeats in gray; older weeks in parentheses)
5.4 (5.4) (6.7) (5.4) (6.1) (5.8) (6.5) NFL Football
2.0 (2.5) (0.9) (1.1) (2.0) (1.0) (2.0) 60 Minutes
0.8 (---) (0.6) (---) (0.6) (0.6) (0.6) Madam Secretary
0.6 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Ice Age Christmas
0.6 (0.8) (0.6) (0.6) (0.6) (0.6) (0.6) 90-Day Fiancé
0.6 (0.7) (0.8) (0.7) (0.8) (0.7) (---) Real Hwives Atlanta
0.6 (---) (2.8) (1.6) (0.8) (1.6) (0.9) The Simpsons
0.5 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) ABC 2018
0.5 (---) (0.6) (0.8) (0.9) (0.8) (0.8) AFH Videos
0.5 (---) (1.8) (1.2) (0.9) (1.2) (1.0) Bob’s Burgers
0.5 (---) (1.5) (1.2) (0.7) (1.1) (1.1) Family Guy
0.5 (1.1) (0.8) (---) (1.0) (0.8) (1.0) God Friended Me
0.5 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Prep & Landing
0.5 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Prep & Landing Naughty
0.4 (0.5) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Vanderpump Rules
0.3 (0.3) (0.4) (---) (---) (---) (---) Deadly Legacy
0.3 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Bahamas Life
0.3 (0.3) (0.4) (0.4) (0.4) (---) (---) Dirty John
0.3 (---) (0.8) (0.6) (0.4) (0.6) (0.5) Rel
0.3 (0.3) (0.3) (---) (---) (---) (---) Shivering Truth
0.3 (0.3) (0.3) (0.3) (0.3) (0.4) (0.4) SportsCenter
0.2 (0.3) (0.3) (0.3) (---) (---) (0.3) Alaska/Frontier
0.2 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Last Alaskans
0.2 (---) (0.3) (0.3) (0.3) (0.3) (---) Return to Amish
0.2 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Island Life
0.2 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Masters of Illusion
0.2 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Return to Amish
0.1 (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) (---) Charmed
Sundays, Nov. 11-Dec. 23, 2018 (selected cable)
(Adults 18-49; repeats in gray; older weeks in parentheses)
0.1 (0.1) (0.1) (0.1) (0.1) (0.1) (---) Escape At Dannemora
0.1 (0.2) (0.2) (0.2) (0.2) (0.1) (0.1) Outlander
0.1 (0.2) (0.2) (0.2) (0.2) (0.2) (0.2) Ray Donovan
0.0 (0.0) (0.0) (0.0) (0.1) (0.0) (0.0) Sally4Ever
