Samir Wassan is a comedian with a heart in the right place and a talent that’s never in the same room. Until a meeting with legendary comic JC Wheeler gives him a shot at the big time…

Oh it is so good for this show to be back, especially when it’s this good. Kumail Nanjiani brings a tired decency and the sort of profane affectionate venom that night workers all have to the role. Samir is a nice guy but he’s not an especially good one which is why the deal works. A deal, it should be pointed out, that is both Faustian and quietly angry. This is a story about celebrity taking everything and the only difference between it and A Star is Born is there are way fewer duets.

It’s also a story balanced by four excellent performances. Tracy Morgan as JC is exactly the amiable Comedy Store devil you need and the show carefully ensures we never see him blink, emphasizing the characters’ quietly alien nature. Diarra Kilpatrick is stunningly good as Samir’s far funnier and successful rival who is also his best friend and Amara Karan is excellent as Samir’s long suffering girlfriend.

But what haunts you here is Samir, thanks to Nanjiani’s stunning central work. There’s the jovial anger he uses to disarm people, but under it is the fear every freelancer has in every field you freelance in. He believes in what he does (I love that he doggedly sticks to the same opening every performance) but he’s no longer convinced everyone else is going to catch up to him. And just once, isn’t it okay to win? His gradual moral growth is subtle and poignant and the ending is not only the best ‘OR IS IT?!’ I’ve seen in years but the one moment every version of Samir is on stage at the same time. Boyfriend and uncle, friend and family member. Thank you very much, folks, good night and literal mic drop.

Verdict: Funny, grim, gorgeously shot, written and acted and bookended by a Jordan Peele who looks right at home, this is a treat. Check it out. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart

A failing comedian follows the sage advice of a mysterious comedy legend and discovers that you really should be careful what you wish for.

CBS All Access’ revival of the classic Rod Serling fantasy anthology show begins with a typical Twilight Zone tale of greed and comeuppance, and while it doesn’t take long for you to work out how the hour will play out, it’s a good indication of the show’s intent to use old-fashioned stories in a modern context. One of my original fears was that the new show might be tempted to go all digital, focusing on new tech in the way that Black Mirror and Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams have, but that’s not the case… yet anyway.

Comedian Samir Wassan is played by The Big Sick’s Kumail Nanjian and it’s fun watching his descent from fairly decent but underachieving support act to top-class performer, leaving a trail of destruction behind him. It’s the old story of wanting fame at any cost and being blind to its true cost. The actual conceit that by referencing real people in your comedy set effectively erases them from life (now and before) is of course pure hokum, and there’s no intention to try and explain it, or why Tracy Morgan’s mysterious character does what he does – it’s the Twilight Zone after all.

Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) and Simon Kinberg (Logan, Deadpool) are executive producers of the show, the former serving in the Serling role as on-screen narrator to bookend the story. Marius Constant’s iconic music, the original logo and an opening sequence featuring the door and eyeball help add authenticity to the show, and I’m intrigued enough to want to return to the fifth dimension.

Verdict: A fairly low-key but authentic tale that reminds us we’re back in Serling territory. A little like the original Season Four episodes, it feels stretched at an hour and would be a perfect half-hour, but it’s an encouraging start. 7/10

Nick Joy