Genre: Drama
Actor: Harriet Walter, Jason Isaacs, Laura Aikman
Who would’ve thought that the supremely suave Cary Grant came from humble beginnings? Grant, played marvelously by Jason Isaacs, is given the docuseries treatment in Archie, which tracks his journey from his downtrodden childhood in Bristol and his vaudeville days in New York up to his busy, blinding career in LA as a Hollywood star and his twilight years as a stand-up comedian. Grant’s eventful and surprisingly traumatic life already makes Archie a compelling watch, but Isaacs's performance elevates the show into something unmissable. Isaacs disappears into Grant; his version isn’t a mere impression (though he gets the voice and tics to a tee) but a sympathetic understanding of a highly misunderstood man. The other actors playing Grant aren’t as good, so the show can feel uneven at times. The graphics and backdrops are also hit-or-miss, alternating between comically bad to believably okay. But Isaacs saves the show, capably carrying it on his Grant-broad shoulders.