MINISERIES PREMIERE: Close to the Enemy is a period miniseries, set in post-WWII England, that pulls you immediately into its intrigue, with a raft of mysterious characters played by very talented actors. Jim Sturgess stars as a British agent charged with persuading a German inventor with a young daughter to switch allegiance to the U.K., within a strict seven-day timetable. Other characters include several familiar from U.S. TV and Hollywood movies, including Angela Bassett, Alfred Molina and Bates Motel star Freddie Highmore. But the real star, for me, is writer-director Stephen Poliakoff, the closest Britain has generated to a next-generation Dennis Potter. His most recent miniseries was 2013’s Dancing on the Edge, which showcased Chiwetel Ejiofor just before he became a star, and other excellent, delightfully intricate dramas written by Poliakoff include 2005’s Friends & Crocodiles, 2003’s The Lost Prince, and the 2001 miniseries Perfect Strangers – wonderful TV dramas all. As is Close to the Enemy, which streams beginning today on the Acorn TV website. For a full review, see David Hinckley’s All Along the Watchtower.

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