TV: Sunday-Night Scorecard
The Deuce (pictured): David Simon’s new show about Times Square in the 1970s kicked off with a bang. It’s reassuring to see James Franco taking a break from his faux-gay roles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal excels as a no-nonsense streetwalker. Grade: A. Top of the Lake: Sorry, but I don’t get the appeal of Elisabeth Moss, who follows up “The Handmaid’s Tale” with the return of “Top of the Lake.” The story begins with a suitcase thrown into a lake: the episode is called “China Girl,” so we know who’s in that suitcase, don’t we? Grade: B-. Endeavour: Season 4 ended and it was the weakest yet. Inspector Friday showed himself to be a thug, there was a vaguely “China Syndrome”-ish plot about a nuclear-power plant, and the mystery of Friday’s daughter was finally solved. This is a prequel series, so we already know Morse never moves London: why dwell on the possible transfer? Grade: C+.
