Acorn streams the 10th and final season of “Doc Martin,” a long-running UK comedy that has been embraced all over the globe. While set in the picturesque Yorkshire seaside tourist town of Portwenn, its enduring success owes much to comedy conventions that American broadcasters long since have abandoned.
For the uninitiated, Martin Clunes stars as Dr. Martin Ellingham, a renowned London surgeon afflicted with a neurotic phobia — he can’t stand the sight of blood. This ends his career and his perch among the medical elite and sends him back to Portwenn, the scene of his miserable boyhood. There he takes over for the local general practitioner, treating the everyday ailments of the townsfolk, from farmers and workers to a recurring cast of oddballs, misfits and dimwits. The townsfolk know of “the Doc’s” affliction but recognize a great practitioner when they see one. Nearly every episode consists of Doc Martin MacGyvering a medical procedure under dire circumstances, saving a local who otherwise might have died with more conventional treatment.
The notion of placing a sitcom character amongst oddballs in a provincial setting is hardly new. It was the formula that made “The Andy Griffith Show” among the most beloved series ever. And it also worked for “Newhart,” set in a Vermont bed and breakfast. There’s also a lot of Mayberry in Portwenn. During the seasons, Martin has been cared for by at least two kindly aunts. And similar to Don Knotts’ Barney Fife, Portwenn constable Joe Penhale (John Marquez) exudes a dithering incompetence that long has departed from American TV’s depiction of police.
For all the medical emergencies on this show, it distinguishes itself with its lack of real or potential violence. Any number of slick women have come to town to steal Penhale’s heart, but there’s a palpable lack of crime. Despite a longstanding love story about Doc and his wife, Louisa (Caroline Catz), it’s refreshingly free from sentiment. It’s not as dark or narcissistic as “Seinfeld,” but shares that show’s philosophy: “No hugs, no lessons.”
Among the original aspects of “Doc Martin” is the occasional presence of a gaggle of adolescent girls taunting the Doc with giggles and mild obscenities. Far from American television, with its emphasis on status, wealth, caste, police authoritarianism and prevailing bloodshed, Portwenn is a gentle place where every ego is cut down to size.
Acorn will stream two episodes tonight and new episodes will arrive on Mondays. A celebratory summing-up documentary streams Dec. 26, and the series finale (and Christmas special) is ready for New Year’s Eve.
It potentially could run forever, but 10 short seasons of “Doc Martin” should prove sufficient. A cynic might argue every episode is exactly the same, but that’s precisely why viewers love it.
TONIGHT’S OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
• The second season of “The Vow” (8 pm, HBO, TV-MA) recalls the NXIVM cult.
• Death in paradise on “NCIS: Hawai’i” (9 pm, CBS, TV-14).
• An outlaw stalks the 1898 frontier on “Quantum Leap” (9 pm, NBC, TV-PG).
• Newlywed Shaun treats an injured marriage counselor on “The Good Doctor” (9 pm, ABC, TV-14).
• “POV” (9 pm, PBS, TV-14, check local listings) presents “An Act of Worship,” a look at practicing Islam in America.
A deranged widow (Shelley Winters) acts out her Hansel and Gretel fantasy by luring children into her home in the 1972 shocker “Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?” (9 p.m., TCM). Winters also co-stars with Debbie Reynolds in the similarly themed 1971 thriller “What’s the Matter With Helen?” (7pm, TCM, TV-14).
The grump next door on “The Neighborhood” (7 pm, CBS, TV-PG) … “The Voice” (7 pm, NBC, TV-PG) … Repeat home invasions on “9-1-1” (7 pm, Fox, TV-14) … “Bachelor in Paradise” (7 pm, ABC) … Suspecting coach on “All American” (7 pm, CW, TV-PG) … Under a nurse’s care on “Bob Hearts Abishola” (7:30 pm, CBS, TV-PG) … Death in the Navy on “NCIS” (8 pm, CBS, TV-14) … Taking the low road on “The Cleaning Lady” (8 pm, Fox, TV-14) … You can’t dance if you want to on “All American: Homecoming” (8 pm, CW, TV-PG).
George Clooney and Alex G are booked on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (10:35 pm, CBS, r) … Jimmy Fallon welcomes Blake Shelton and Gigi Hadid on “The Tonight Show” (10:34 pm, NBC ).
“Okay, that was weird. The least expected story of the week was the scandal involving Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”) and Lori Loughlin, star of “When Calls the Heart” (7 pm Sunday, Hallmark, TV-G), in a bribery/cheating plot to get their respective daughters into elite universities.
This is obviously an ongoing case, and all sides must have their say, or day, in court. But the motivation at the center of this story is worth discussing. It involves some overwhelming need to do anything to get children into elite schools. As if anything “lesser” were unthinkable.
Television plays no small role in this insecurity. I can’t remember how many times I’ve had to describe an ABC legal drama where every single character hails from only the most exclusive Ivy and spends most of the pilot bragging about it.
There was a time, not that long ago, when John Grisham wrote best-selling books about young, barely accredited lawyers from no-name institutions who took on impossible cases against massive corporations and eventually won. And got the girl, to boot.
So, our current era’s neurotic obsession with elitism and inequality is hardly hard-wired.
If anything comes of this sordid affair, it’s an appreciation that shoddy efforts at snobbery are always essentially pathetic. Or on classic TV, comedic. Watching “Gilligan’s Island,” we identified with Mary Ann and the Skipper, and pitied the millionaire and his wife.
— CNN launches the four-hour documentary “Tricky Dick” (8 pm, Sunday), profiling the life and times of Richard Nixon’s public career, which spanned the decades from the dawn of the Cold War to the Clinton years.
— An anxious new mother joins a group for solidarity and support, only to discover that it has darker plans on its agenda in the 2019 shocker “Mommy Group Murder” (7 pm, Lifetime, TV-14).
— The Thunder and Warriors meet in NBA action (7:30 p.m., ABC).
— An old kidnapper returns to form on “Ransom” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
— Scheduled on “60 Minutes” (6 pm, CBS): Embassy workers in China and Cuba complain of mysterious foods; AOL founder Steve Case and his plans to invest in the future of overlooked American small towns and cities; visited Monaco.
— The duels begin on “World of Dance” (7 pm, NBC, TV-PG).
— Auditions continue on “American Idol” (7 pm, ABC, TV-PG).
— Lex Luthor is on the loose on “Supergirl” (7 pm, CW, TV-PG).
— Mr. Wednesday prepares for battle on “American Gods” (7 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).
— After learning about her royal lineage, an adopted 10-year-old becomes a little tyrant in the 2019 shocker “Mommy’s Little Princess” (7 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14).
— A secret room holds dangers on “Charmed” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).
— Hidden secrets revealed on “The Walking Dead” (8 p.m., AMC, TV-MA).
— A new trial is being pursued on “The Case Against Adnan Syed” (8 pm, HBO, TV-14).
— Ax is determined to destroy Taylor on the fourth season premiere of “Billions” (8 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— Ulysses pursues a conspiracy theory on “Now Apocalypse” (8 p.m., Starz, TV-MA).
— “Unsung” (8 p.m., TVONE) profiles the Jets.
— Pacific overtures on “Madam Secretary” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
— Tensions rise on “Good Girls” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
— Mo’s past is revealed on “Black Monday” (9 p.m., Showtime, TV-MA).
— St. Patrick’s Day inspires many traditions. Syfy offers a marathon of “Leprechaun” movies, from “Leprechaun 5: In the Hood” (4 pm Saturday, TV-14) to “Leprechaun 2” (8 pm). TCM takes the traditional approach, ladling out the Technicolor blarney of director John Ford’s 1952 romance “The Quiet Man” (7 pm Sunday, TV-PG).
“Dateline” (7 pm, NBC, TV-PG) … “NBA Countdown” (7 pm, ABC) … The kids are all right on “MasterChef” (8 pm, Fox, r, TV-PG) … “48 Hours” (9 pm, CBS) … A vintage helping of “Saturday Night Live” (9 pm, NBC, r, TV-14).
A visit from an old friend inspires Miles on “God Friended Me” (7 pm, CBS, TV-PG) … Homer can’t leave Bart’s virtual realm on “The Simpsons” (7 pm, Fox, TV-14) … Empathy for all things on “Bob’s Burgers” (7:30 pm, Fox, TV-14).
A walk down the aisle on “NCIS: Los Angeles” (8 pm, CBS, TV-14) … On two episodes of “Family Guy” (Fox, TV-14), Meg’s winter Olympics (8 pm), fighting over a dowager (8:30 pm, r) … Aches and pains on “Shark Tank” (9 pm, ABC, TV-PG).
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