Market forces relocate the second series of McMafia to the US
December 2018
2018 in TV
Sorry episodes: the most disappointing TV shows of 2018
From the squandered promise of Who Is America? to the glacial pacing of McMafia, this year featured plenty of turkeys that failed to take flight
October 2018
In from the cold: spy dramas back as TV genre of choice
Hits like Killing Eve and Bodyguard prove audiences still find cloak-and-dagger dramas compelling viewing
August 2018
Observer New Review Q&A
Misha Glenny: ‘Crime exerts a fascination that ordinary politics doesn’t’
The McMafia author on organised crime, the poisoning of the Skripals, Trump and Putin’s relationship and his fears for the future of the BBC
March 2018
From McMafia to Collateral: why is so much British drama falling short?
This year’s biggest dramas have mostly fallen flat, with programme makers seemingly more interesting in appealing to a global audience than creating gripping characters
February 2018
McMafia: was it TV's answer to The Godfather or a dull dud?
The organised crime drama has divided opinion, with fans enjoying its drip-drip approach, while some critics found it plodding
McMafia: episode by episode
McMafia recap – series one, episode eight
Alex’s trip to the dark side looks to be complete, but will Vadim get the jump on him and does he have the guts to do what is necessary? McMafia concludes
McMafia: episode by episode
McMafia recap – series one, episode seven
As the final descent starts, Alex is in deep trouble, Rebecca is forced to lie for him and Vadim and the police start to tighten the noose
January 2018
McMafia, Next of Kin and the problem with 'slow' TV
How McMafia and other shows turned homes into nice little earners
McMafia: episode by episode
McMafia recap – series one, episode six
McMafia: episode by episode
McMafia recap – series one, episode five
Observer TV reviews
The week in TV: Britannia; Hard Sun; McMafia; Inside No 9
McMafia: episode by episode
McMafia recap – series one, episode four
TV and radio blog
From Seinfeld's cable guys to Viktor Petrov: a TV history of Russian baddies
McMafia: episode by episode
McMafia recap – series one, episode three
Observer TV reviews
The week in TV: McMafia; Girlfriends; Black Mirror; Inside No 9 and more
From Doctor Who to The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: Sam Wollaston's unmissable 2018 TV
Brief letters
Berliner will be missed in the henhouse
McMafia makes chilling TV. But the reality is even worse
