A new pope rises on The New Pope
Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Monday, January 27. All times are Eastern.
Top pick
The New Pope (HBO, 9 p.m.): We spent much of last week’s New Pope being introduced to John Malkovich’s John Brannox, the charming and sophisticated English cardinal who the Vatican squad is attempting to recruit for the papal throne. On Brannox’s introduction, our own Eric Thurm writes:
There are a few other ways in which Sir John resembles Lenny Belardo: He is also depressive, aloof, and fragile. (Throughout the episode, he’s described as a piece of porcelain.) He has a strong adversarial rapport with Voiello. He is taken by Sofia. And he has a way with words—though Sir John doesn’t quite have the acidic tongue of early Lenny, he floats above everyone else, retreating to somewhere inside his own mind. Through long meditation and careful spiritual cultivation, Sir John Brannox has a strong relationship with God. He seems to experience a doubt much like Lenny’s, though his is largely directed inward, rather than an outward rage. And, like Lenny, he has movie star charisma—several of Sir John’s lines are a bit on the hammy side, but he sells them, because, well, he’s John Malkovich.