This brand new drama kicking off tonight will definitely be of interest to Irish viewers, mainly because it's made by some of our own. Riviera was the brainchild of U2's Paul McGuinness (yes, really,) it was written by John Banville and directed by Neil Jordan, the man behind the likes of Michael Collins, Interview with the Vampire, The Crying Game, to name a few.
Riviera stars Julia Stiles - who you will know from The Bourne movies as well as nineties/noughties hits Save the Last Dance and 10 Things I Hate About You - as the wife of a billionaire banker who is murdered under suspicious circumstances. In the aftermath of his death however, she starts to discover the truth behind her husband's lavish lifestyle and is soon led into a life of crime that she was ill-prepared for, but manages to take to quite well - all the makings of TV's next great female anti-hero? Here's hoping.
Set in the beautiful surroundings of the South of France, Riviera is Sky Atlantic’s campaign to take on American 'prestige' networks such as HBO and Showtime, and has the budget to match. This opening episode sets up the story nicely for this ten-part series which also stars Game of Thrones Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton... we're hoping he's not evil in this), and in a first for Sky Atlantic, all ten episodes will be available to download straight after the show.
Catch Riviera tonight on Sky Atlantic at 9pm.
