British Grifter Dramedy ‘Hustle’ Is Tonight’s Must-See TV
AMC’s Import from Across the Pond Among Television’s Finest Series
Are Americans lucky or what? I say we are, if only because basic cable’s AMC has done us all the great service of importing the United Kingdom’s fantastic BBC con artists and coppers dramedy Hustle. In fact, the fourth season, which begins at 10pm EST tonight, is arriving State-side a full two weeks before the British premiere. The series stars dapper American Robert Vaughn as Albert Stroller, the likewise American mentor of a team of cunning British thieves—rounded out by Danny Blue (Marc Warren), Ash Morgan (Robert Glenister), and Stacie Monroe (Jaime Murray)—who stage complicated stings requiring tons of planning and boatloads of derring-do. Of course, plans frequently get undone and redone, and situations often go awry, leading to some of the funniest and most thrilling moments on television anywhere.
Tonight’s fourth-season opener, titled “As One Flew Out of the Cuckoo’s Nest, One Flew In” in the United Kingdom but simply “Episode 19” on AMC, finds the pack of always eager criminals heading to Los Angeles in the States to ply their trade for a spell. Now sans their former trusted leader Mickey Stone (played by Adrian Lester, who has left the show after a three-year stint), the first mark they set their sights on is none other than another dapper American, the spectacular Robert Wagner, an enthusiastic yet grating memorabilia collector to whom the ridiculously ambitious group of professional swindlers will literally try to sell the Hollywood sign. Yes, that one. The ensuing plot twists will be all the more interesting since Vaughn and Wagner just happen to be longtime friends in real life, making for the most auspicious beginning to yet another excellent season of one of TV’s most entertaining series right now.
Hustle currently airs Wednesdays on AMC at 10pm EST
Hustle photo courtesy of BBC One
