“To be continued Part II: Something Old and Something New”

The television business continues to thrive, and like the old adage “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,” Only Murders in the Building is both old and new, drawing on previous seasons. Netflix's daring new series Kaos is definitely something new, and occasionally quite naive in its language and subject matter.

“Only murders in the building”

The fourth season of Only Murders in the Building (OMITB) is here and better than ever, after last season faltered somewhat due to too much reliance on an all-star cast that never quite meshed with the convoluted plot. That's not to say this plot doesn't have its dizzying fantasy moments or isn't packed to the brim with stars, because it does, and it is. But it all works, and the star sightings (of which there are many) are pure, unadulterated fun that are well integrated into the various storylines.

When we last left, our intrepid trio of Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) were celebrating the solving of their latest murder, the triumph of Oliver's play, and the continued success of their podcast, aptly titled “Only Murders in the Building.” Charles' longtime stunt double, Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), has joined in the merriment and has been sent to Charles' apartment to retrieve a special wine he's been saving for just such an occasion. Sazz, alone in the apartment, reaches for the wine when a shot is fired through the window, killing her. She is narrowly missed in the chaotic party below.

Season four picks up where season three ended, finding them all curious about where Sazz is. When they return to Charles' apartment, Sazz is nowhere to be found. Curious. They ignore some obvious clues, and the intrepid trio's short attention span is clearly evident when Mabel tells them that a Hollywood studio is interested in producing a film based on their podcast. First-class tickets and accommodations await them.

As is often the case, the studio has already put its own version of the story it wants to tell into action, already hiring directors, a writer (Jin Ha, one of the stars of “Pachinko”) who has uncomfortably nailed the pair's characters, and an all-star cast to portray them. Eugene Levy will play Charles, the hilariously deadpan Zack Galifianakis is a reluctant Oliver, and Eva Longoria will play Mabel. The studio found the age dynamic between Charles, Oliver, and Mabel creepy, so they made them older. The interactions between the three are hilarious from the start. The unctuous and clueless studio head is played by Molly Shannon, whose every move and command is awkward and hilarious.

But there is still a murder to solve, and the siren song of Los Angeles only holds them for so long before they have to return to the Arconia for some investigation. When they finally notice the bullet hole in the window, they realize its significance. But where is the body? Their discoveries will be horrifying, leading them to suspect someone in the west tower across from Charles's apartment. They uncover several plots being hatched by the eccentric residents of the various apartments across from his.

To complicate the plot even further (this is OMITB, so there will always be plenty of things that complicate the plot), their counterparts from the film have flown in to shadow them, convinced they can solve the case in record time. And of course, there's the distracted, lovesick Oliver, who's convinced the love of his life, Loretta (Meryl Streep), now a TV star, has left him for her attractive co-star. Danger lurks around every corner, almost as many dangers as there are guest stars. Watch for Da'Vine Joy Randolph, fresh off her Oscar, reprising her role as the skeptical detective, and the vulgar Jackie Hoffman as the evolving curmudgeon, with Richard Kind, Kumail Nanjiani, Daphne Rubin-Vega as the oddball neighbors, Paul Rudd as the now-deceased Ben Glenroy's stunt double, and Melissa McCarthy doing what she does best — eliciting laughs at every opportunity.

Well written and tightly directed, only the first seven of the ten episodes were approved for review, and so, like you, I wait impatiently to find out who did it.

Streaming on Hulu. The first episode was released on August 27th, with new episodes available every Tuesday.

“Chaos”

There seems to be a trend of turning history on its head recently. Series like My Lady Jane, The Decameron and The Great all take great liberties with historical figures or literature. The best and most successful example of this genre was Blackadder, a journey through English history that follows a group of characters through the centuries. If you've never seen the film, you should definitely check it out; you can find it on Hulu and Britbox.

Now comes “Kaos,” one of the most innovative television series in a long time. This eight-episode black comedy is dedicated to Greek mythology and shows us the gods and their mortal counterparts embroiled in a classic conflict of control, autocracy, betrayal, death and torture.

Zeus is portrayed as an immature, autocratic, megalomaniac leader with a short attention span who enjoys torturing anything that gets in his way and then whining for the applause he thinks he deserves. His irrationality is contrasted by Hera, his wife and queen of the gods, a protector of women unless they sleep with their husbands, in which case vengeance is hers, says the goddess (and the list is long). But, and apologies to Homer, “Kaos” is filled to the brim with other figures from mythology, though in many cases they are not quite as you remember them.

The Trojans have just lost the war and are living in exile on the island of Crete, where they live as cautious refugees under the watchful eye of King Minos. His daughter Ari (short for Ariadne) tries to moderate his behavior, but she has her own demons. In fact, it is these demons that everyone senses. Bad deeds are punished with a visit from the Furies. All important citizens and the gods live in fear of the prophecies dictated by fate. The appearance of a wrinkle on Zeus' forehead has unleashed a new wave of terror as he tries to escape what he believes will be his doom, part of the prophecy of the end of his reign.

On Earth, Orpheus, a popular rock star, is madly in love with golden-voiced singer Euridice (Riddy). Riddy, however, is not. She decides against going to Orpheus' latest arena show, gets distracted while crossing the street, is run over, and dies instantly. Complications arise when Orpheus steals her entrance coin to the Underworld, leaving her stranded in the eternal waiting room. A devastated Orpheus makes a deal with Dionysus, an illegitimate son of Zeus who has been granted immortality (and, like his father, immorality). Dionysus, trying to shed his reputation as a slacker, decides to help Orpheus get to the Underworld to get Riddy back. When Hades and his wife Persephone learn of this plan, new conflicts arise. No living soul has ever entered the Underworld, and that can't happen. Poseidon, king of the sea and Hera's lover, intervenes in the conflict.

As you can see, this isn't your father's (or anyone's) Greek mythology. But the actors are all there, just not necessarily as you remember them, or certainly not as you would have imagined them. Prometheus, being punished by Zeus for giving fire to mortals, narrates the action when he's not being torn apart by eagles while hanging from the cliff Zeus chose. It can be very confusing if you know anything about mythology; even if you don't. This is a story in itself with thousands of actors, or at least it seems that way. It's an allegory for our times, when rebellion simmers beneath a not-so-calm surface and the gods take offense at the slightest little thing. And Cassandra is there to predict the future, a future that is rejected by all because her punishment from the gods was that she would tell mortals what was going to happen and they would refuse to believe her, much to their detriment. This happened with Troy and it continues to happen with King Minos and his daughter.

The success or failure of such phantasmagorias depends on the player, and for the most part, the chaos of “Kaos” is filled to the brim with wonderful actors who make their characters and circumstances, if not believable, at least worth following. Zeus is played by Jeff Goldblum, who is only partially successful, depending on how you rate his skill. He is most effective when he wordlessly struts across his garish threshold; less effective when he delivers dialogue in a banal voice without much nuance that rarely rises to the level of command. Janet McTeer as Hera is magnificent in both her performance and her stature. Her passion and devious machinations against an unsuspecting Zeus are wonderful. Her eyes foretell coming disasters, and her radiant face and demeanor make her the fantasy lover anyone would want. Cliff Curtis as Poseidon is her lust counterpart, and he is alternately sexy, menacing and manipulated. He's one of my favourite actors, he has an imposing presence that is impossible to ignore, whether he's persuading Dionysus to keep a secret or Hades to return to the underworld. Hades, played by David Thewlis, combines anger, fear and uncertainty into the god who is losing control of his realm. The versatile Stephen Dillane is Prometheus and untangles many of the threads for us. Billie Piper is a punk rock mess as Cassandra, still trying to be heard. And look out for Susan Eddie Izzard as one of the goddesses of fate, dazzlingly frumpy in her skirt, sweater and bright red lipstick.

As the title suggests, Kaos is utter chaos. It gets almost close enough to follow in some of its myths, then takes a sharp left turn so you're standing on the curb. The anachronistic elements – and everything about it is anachronistic – are guilty pleasures, from the motorcycle-riding punk furies to the yacht that Poseidon prefers to the deep blue sea. Storylines intersect, and without a scorecard there's no way to tell a player, but that doesn't matter so much when Zeus, Hera and Poseidon are pulling the mortal strings. And to top it all off, Kaos has a killer soundtrack.

Streaming on Netflix