(CNN) Basic cable often wants to prove that it can compete with premium channels. Two new examples, though, "Knightfall" and "Happy!," seem to confuse ratcheting up the ante on violence with delivering what will be perceived as a program worth paying for. On paper, History's "Knightfall" sounds like a great idea: a drama about the Knights Templar searching for the Holy Grail, replete with a number of "Downton Abbey" alumni in its sizable cast. But among other things, Landy has been secretly dallying with Queen Joan of Navarre (Olivia Ross) under the nose of her hubby, King Philip IV of France (Ed Stoppard), who considers Landry his bosom pal." Few of them possess much spark, in a drama that seeks to present the grim reality of the times and yet occasionally feels a trifle anachronistic.

Source: CNN December 06, 2017 14:26 UTC