American critics were a little leery when Full Circle debuted back in October 2013. For a start, its very Hollywood-centric storyline once again reflected an entertainment industry obsessively concerned with its own self-importance.Then there was its smarty-pants "round robin" format, which, even in an age where television gamely charges into territory where cinema is loath to tread, seemed way too theatrical and unconventionally "stagey" for most TV audiences.But viewers gradually warmed to writer Neil LaBute's drama, which unfolds in 10 episodes as a series of profound and blisteringly profane conversations between two people over dinner.With each instalment one character from a previous episode dines with a different character in the next.Thus, in the first episode an alpha male breaks off his affair with a married woman, who in turn demands a divorce from her high-powered showbiz lawyer husband, who in turn dines with his obnoxious comedian client whose homophobic material and comments on social media have been associated with the death of a teenage boy, and so on.The restaurant that plays host to all this "insufferable yakking" - as one critic complained - is fittingly called Ellipsis.The good news, though, is that, for Full Circle's second season, the first four episodes of which air on M-Net Edge (Channel 102) tonight, its producers, seemingly having eschewed cult status, have returned to the more reassuring tropes of TV drama.This time round it's a crime saga, one that unfolds in Chicago, not LA, and the restaurant has been replaced by an Irish bar. Eighteen years ago a young policeman, Jimmy "Pariah" Parrera (Terry O'Quinn), blew the whistle on his corrupt colleagues, sending his own father-in-law, Bud O'Rourke (Stacy Keach), to prison. Bud's done his time now, and he wants revenge.Full Circle's duologue format remains in place, but it's less rigid now, and the show will also include scenes beyond the bar's confines, such as flashbacks to Bud's life in prison.A strong cast includes Chris Bauer as Jimmy's ex-partner, Richie; Rita Wilson as Shelly, Jimmy's ex-wife and Bud's daughter; Brittany Snow is Jimmy's daughter, Katie; Patrick Fugit is Jimmy's son, Paulie; David Koechner is Paulie's cop partner, Phil; Calista Flockhart is Ellen, a mobster boss; Eric McCormack is an FBI agent, Ken; and Kate Burton is Ken's boss, Vera. All of which should give an indication of how this particular "round robin" plays out.The second season was written by Keith Huff, whose previous credits include Mad Men, House of Cards and American Crime.Pedigree enough to clear a two-hour gap this evening. BOX POPSHAPPY VALLEYThe impressive Sarah Lancashire returns as the hard-as-nails but emotionally bruised small town Yorkshire police sergeant Catherine Cawood, in the second season of this gritty, top-notch and highly recommended crime drama, which starts on May 25.For those who haven't seen it, the first season is worth checking out as it contains important links to events in the new story, about the hunt for a serial killer who targets prostitutes. BBC First (Channel 119 DStv) is rescreening the first series tomorrow evening and next Saturday. It's also available on Netflix.MARSEILLEFrench political thriller that's like House of Cards but with heaps more cigarettes, sex and Gallic shrugs. Gerard Depardieu is Robert Taro, Marseille mayor whose reign is threatened by his plans to build a casino and transform the port into a Mediterranean Sun City. On Netflix.IN THE CLUBBBC series following six couples who attend a local antenatal training centre. Intense melodrama as a lesbian falls in love with her sperm donor, a fortysomething meets the toyboy's family, a jobless father robs a bank, a mum gives birth as her boyfriend dies in a car crash, and so on. That's life, they say. (BBC First, Channel 119 DStv)..