Review of Douglas Is Canceled | Karen Gillan is a force to be reckoned with

Set in the fast-paced world of television news, Douglas Bellowes (Hugh Bonneville) and Madeline Crow (Karen Gillan) run Live At Six together as a formidable, friendly duo who make the day’s headlines. Madeline is a social media expert, amassing about a million more followers than her older male counterpart, who quickly finds herself embroiled in an online mess of career-ending proportions.

At the heart of the series is the simple fact that Douglas allegedly said something incriminating and defamatory at a cousin’s wedding. Like a moth to a flame, it doesn’t take long for the online battle lines to be drawn, with Madeline’s supposed support for her colleague only bringing the accusation into the eyes of more people. Is she helping or hindering Douglas’ impending annulment?

It’s a question that obsesses you a little in the episodes, reading the glances shared between the two men or the way Madeline is tactile in a way that makes a now very self-aware Douglas rather uncomfortable.

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But there’s no denying that while the show may seem like it’s all about Douglas — in the same way it pretends to be a dramedy — it’s actually mostly about Madeline. So it’s a good thing you’re essentially mesmerized by Karen Gillan’s performance throughout.

The former Doctor Who star is no stranger to starring roles, having conquered Hollywood with blockbuster roles in the Jumanji films and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But here, Gillan takes on the role of Madeline with such enthusiasm that it’s a character that means a lot to the actress.

Madeline is one of the only women working in the newsroom and she is also much younger than her co-host and producer Toby (Ben Miles). We can therefore say that Madeline is the young figure in the news who can support the audience figures of the show, but who must fight not to be undermined and questioned behind the scenes. Madeline is therefore a stubborn enigma when we meet her, clearly having been through a lot but putting up a wall against the characters around her and, ultimately, the viewer.

This is part of the intrigue of the show – we’re not only concerned about what Douglas actually said, but we’re also curious about how this plays out for Madeline and what her motivations are surrounding the whole debacle.

But Sheila, Douglas’s wife and newspaper editor, played brilliantly by Alex Kingston, tries to unravel Madeline’s well-meaning facade. The comedic elements of the series come into their own in Kingston’s performance, with his disgusting humor and quick temper providing insight into the general chaos that comes with tabloid journalism.

As she attempts to quell the growing public outcry against Douglas, she comes from a world and a career that makes it daily to dissect and demean those in the public eye. But allowing her newspaper to write about her husband’s allegedly sexist comments? This is where she sets the limit.

Even though Sheila and Madeline are the two leading ladies in the show, their relationship is extremely fraught. In the expected Newsnight-style scene in which Madeline does a mock interview with Douglas to prepare him for his Hay Festival appearance, you might squirm at the passiveness and aggression of these two women.

The former Doctor Who co-stars appear at ease, meeting up with each other in this mammoth final segment of the series, which echoes Emily Maitlis’ now-famous interview with Prince Andrew.

While there are plenty of comparisons to be made about how male TV characters can be cancelled with the click of a finger, award-winning screenwriter Steven Moffat actually originally wrote Douglas Is Cancelled (before it was known as such) as a play. You can’t help but think that the ITV series’ dialogue-heavy scenes and simple set would play out beautifully on a West End stage. But in reality, the Office-style camera zooms and bright TV studio lighting give the show its full meaning.

There’s no denying that Douglas Is Canceled is a show that’s trying to say a lot. It tries to tackle cancel culture, sexism, social media, and #MeToo, but does it manage to succinctly ask and answer the questions it raises in its four episodes? In some ways, yes, and in others, it’s such vast, subjective material that there will be plenty of people (including this writer) who wish the show would go further.

But just as his gender classification and Gillan’s character can seem like red herrings, so too is the subject matter. Douglas’ comments at his cousin’s wedding soon prove to be degrading, but what exactly are they, and should his career go up in flames because of them?

All of this is only revealed in the final episode, but in reality, you realise that the show is more interested in how women are treated in the industry. There are direct references to Harvey Weinstein’s horrific hotel encounters, which play out in brilliantly fast-paced but heartbreaking scenes that will leave any viewer deeply uncomfortable but, again, impressed by Gillan’s talent.

The title of Douglas Is Canceled is deliberately misleading, distracting viewers from the real case in question and obscuring its vision with the current buzzword “cancel.” But it’s also a series where the archetypal figures of hero and villain are a little fuzzier to identify.

The women at the heart of this series are the real reason to tune in, superbly written by Moffat, who has clearly created characters like Madeline with care and consideration. Bonneville is also excellent at bringing the national treasure news anchor to life, providing him with just enough charm and self-pity to leave viewers wondering and sympathising with him in equal measure.

Like the very nature of X (formerly known as Twitter), which is constantly referenced throughout the series, Douglas Is Canceled will let viewers choose their side. But unfortunately, once the initial buzz wears off, it’s a series that doesn’t quite pack the punch many are anticipating and could slip into the “easily forgettable TV show” pile for most.

Douglas Is Cancelled will air on ITV1 and ITVX on Thursday 27 June 2024.

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