TV & Radio Tuesday October 25

A mini-series with a chequered past, much like its subjects, and will G finally get the rest of the letters of his name?

TV

The Kennedys

NCIS: Los Angeles (TV3, 9.30pm). So TV3 was only teasing last week with its season two finale; it rolls straight into season three, so there’s no waiting on all those burning “G Callen” questions that have been keeping everyone up at night. Or not. “It’s the most revealing episode yet about Callen,” says the executive producer. Perhaps that means he will finally get a proper first name.

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The Kennedys (Prime, 9.40pm). A mini-series with a chequered history, although perhaps producer Joel Surnow (24) felt vindicated when the series and three of its actors were nominated for Emmy awards this year (and Barry Pepper won for his portrayal of Bobby Kennedy). The Kennedys was first made for the History Channel, but it backed away from broadcasting the series because, according to Surnow, members of the Kennedy family put pressure on History’s parent company. The Kennedys then went around the traps until settling with ReelzChannel, a digital cable channel in the US, and it has since been broadcast in the UK, Serbia, Ireland and Australia. The story begins in 1938 as Joe Kennedy (Tom Wilkinson), US ambassador to the Court of St James, is trying to keep the US out of the war. After Roosevelt sacks him in 1940, Joe decides he wants his son Jack (Greg Kinnear) to run for president. Katie Holmes plays Jacqueline Bouvier.

Identity (TV1, 11.35pm). A british cop drama relegated to late night because basically it’s a bit rubbish. The Brits just can’t churn out nonsensical cop bollocks like the Americans can (we’re talking about you, Hawaii Five-O). Identity is based on the very real problem of identity theft, but as investigating that is a lot of messing about with computers and probably quite boring, they’ve had to jazz it up with murders and such. The only upside is the two leads: Keeley Hawes and Aidan Gillen, who do the best with the cliched dialogue as is humanely possible. It wasn’t enough to save the show, however, and it only lasted one (British) season of six episodes.

FILM

From Hell (Four, 8.30pm). Mwa ha ha! Roll up, roll up, welcome to Victorian London in the time of Jack the Ripper – all steaming cobbles and dank slums. Johnny Depp looks so young and defenceless as Inspector Frederick Abberline that girls want to clasp him in their heaving, prostitute-y bosoms and run away with him to the countryside. (This Frederick is portrayed as a dope fiend and a clairvoyant for dramatic purposes, although he was more prosaic in real life.) As Inspector Fred wades through the gore and excised organs of the Ripper’s victims, it occurs to him it’s probably not a wise idea to fall in love with a Whitechapel hooker. Depp is ably supported by Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane and Susan Lynch, but US brothers Allen and Albert Hughes’s highbrow slasher pic is surprisingly dull. (2001) 6 – Diana Balham