Riviera: shady people in a sunny place

Pick of the day: Riviera, 8.35pm, SBS.

Julia Stiles and Robert Carver in Riviera, 8.35pm, SBS.

Pick of the day: Riviera, 8.35pm, SBS.

This 10-part mystery created by Neil Jordan (The Borgias), set in picturesque Monaco, has strengths and weaknesses. But it nails one important element: between episodes, you’ll likely find yourself wondering what happens to its characters next.

Episode two of Riviera screens tonight, with Australian actor Anthony LaPaglia starring as Constantine Clios, a wealthy businessman who apparently was killed in the first episode in an explosion aboard a boat full of Russian associates (and probably sex workers).

His young wife, Georgina (Julia Stiles), has since received a text message from his phone saying “Sorry”. Constantine’s unsavoury business past and tricky dealings in the art market are only now coming to light.

Meanwhile his ex-wife, Irina (Lena Olin), is moving quickly to put her stamp on the family banking empire through her playboy son Christos (Dimitri Leonidas) and by soliciting business from organised crime figures.

It also stars Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones), Adrian Lester (Hustle), Amr Waked (Spiral, Syriana) and Phil Davis (Poldark).

Roxane Duran plays the rather unhinged Adriana Clios — she intentionally disrupts a business meeting in tonight’s episode in a memorable fashion.

Following Riviera is the penultimate episode of The Handmaid’s Tale (10.25pm).

It is a remarkable sign of the times that it received its first run on SBS On Demand, which previously would have been thought of as a catch-up service. Between then and now, it picked up eight Emmys, though the buzz around the series was undoubtedly greater during its streaming run than now.

In this episode titled The Bridge, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) embarks on a mission for the resistance and Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) suspects the Commander of infidelity.

Another of Margaret Atwood’s books, Alias Grace, has been adapted by Netflix and debuts early next month.