Boots
This lively boot camp comedy-drama centres around 18-year-old Cameron (Miles Heizer) who gets fed up with being bullied, so he joins the Marines with his best friend Ray (Liam Oh). The hitch is that Cameron is gay, which is forbidden in the military in 1990. Because it's based on a memoir, the show is packed with knowing details that bring the characters and situations to vivid life. So Cameron and Ray, and several of their fellow recruits and drill sergeants become unusually complex as they grapple with their own issues. The standout is Max Parker as Sgt Sullivan, who is struggling to confront his own sexuality while trying to teach his young trainees to find the truth inside them. And Vera Farmiga has a wonderfully offbeat role as Cameron's mother. (Netflix)
Because it hinges on a silly gimmick, it's difficult to see how this comedy will sustain itself over multiple seasons. The premise is that a disgraced professional American football player (Glen Powell) uses a movie-makeup disguise to join a university team under an assumed identity, and no one recognises him. These episodes fizz with big personalities and a solid mix of humour and tension. Powell is superbly unapologetic as the idiotic jerk Russ, as well as the even dopier Chad. And Steve Zahn is on peak form as his flustered coach, whose daughter (a solid Perry Mattfeld) provides both simmering attraction and edgy bickering fireworks. The great Toby Huss is also on hand as Russ' estranged makeup artist dad. By the end, the premise is strained to the limit, so we wonder where it can go from here. (Hulu)
First, I must confess that I avoid crime-based series, simply because murder and carnage aren't my idea of entertainment. But the cast of this show intrigued me, with Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan as leaders of a thuggish Irish family in England, alongside the talented likes of Tom Hardy, Paddy Considine, Joanna Froggatt and Joanna Pulver (plus some spicy guest stars). Guy Ritchie directed the first two episodes, setting a snappy tone that plays up the pitch-black comedy. The overarching narrative becomes increasingly grisly, both sidestepping questions of morality and blurring lines around loyalty. But this is riveting television, and it's very difficult to look away from actors who are almost supernaturally gifted when it comes to this kind of wonderful scene-chomping dialog. (Paramount)
Writer Steven Knight ramps everything up in this loosely fact-based account of the Irish stout family in the 1860s, creating soap opera style plot threads that are infused with big attitude and lots of violence. The cast is terrific at bringing out the subtle character details amid the more bombastic production style, with Anthony Boyle, Louis Partridge and an underused Fionn O'Shea as brothers tasked with carrying on their stern father's empire. There are also strong female roles for Emily Fairn, Naimh McCormack and Ann Skelly, plus another slippery turn from Jack Gleeson. So it's frustrating that the plot lines move so erratically to a frustratingly open-ended finale. If there's no season 2, then this first series was pointless. (Netflix)
Imagined on a staggering scale, this prequel series features a detailed mythology and epic effects, exploring a 22nd century in which Earth is ruled by three competing corporations. That alone makes it worth a look, but it's also a prequel to Ridley Scott's landmark 1979 space horror Alien, inventively matching the aesthetic and tone. The plot opens as alien species escape from a crashed research vessel, creating chaos while rival company bosses claim these creatures for their own nefarious reasons. The depiction of business/political overreach is eerily recognisable. And there are seriously complex roles for the excellent Sydney Chandler and Alex Lawther, playing siblings with a fascinating sci-fi twist. Plus great support from Essie Davis, Adarsh Gourav, Babou Ceesay, Timothy Olyphant and more. (FX)
An involving idea adds a kick to this mystery thriller series, set in a creepy town dominated by a reform school run by the cheerfully sinister Evelyn (Toni Collette). Plot threads are seen through the eyes of new student Abbie (Sydney Topliffe) and her troublemaking best pal Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind), as well as newly arrived cop Alex (series creator Mae Martin) and his wife Laura (Sarah Gadon), who went to Evelyn's school. While it's perhaps not as nuanced as it might be, the show is hugely entertaining largely because of what is not said. And the psychological ideas worm their way into our thoughts, especially as characters speak about the nature of parent-child connections. There is also a terrific blend of new age mumbo jumbo and hippie heal-the-world messaging, plus rather a lot of murder. (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building: series 5
Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez are back for more hilariously silly sleuthing, this time with a mystery centred around their murdered doorman. The action and comedy both kick off quickly, as our heroes dive into another whodunit that increasingly ties itself in knots, sending the trio through a nutty series of twists and turns. The case this season is a bit too messy to hold the interest, especially as it sets up events that contrive to evict the colourful residents from their beloved Arcona apartment building, which is now manned by a robotic doorman who knows too much. But it definitely helps to have big names popping up everywhere, including Dianne Wiest, Renee Zellweger, Christoph Waltz, Logan Lerman and Bobby Cannavale. We may not care who the killer is, but we're still having fun. (Hulu)
series 2
Even more propulsive than the first season, this anarchic show takes off at high speed and provides all the energy, originality and unpredictability that we expect from James Gunn. The events directly connect to Gunn's recent Superman movie, but are both much more fun and far more character-based, with a wonderful group of messy characters led by John Cena's hapless but likeable Chris. Even side roles are livened up with spicy dialog and outrageous motivations, which gives the entire show a jolt of electrical charm. So Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland get much more do to this time around. And while using the tired parallel dimension gimmick in a way that actually means something, there's also more of Robert Patrick as Chris' riotously bullheaded dad. (Max)
Each season of this newsroom drama gets more soapy than the last, as contrived personal relationships increasingly interfere with more intriguing journalistic issues that made this a must-see from the start. And even the newsroom stuff is beginning to feel silly this time around, pushed to corny extremes as the plot dives into the events of 2024 with a gimmicky AI subplot. But it's still compelling, even with Jennifer Aniston's increasingly immobile face. She's terrific as broadcaster/executive Alex, whose life is messy and rather improbable. Reese Witherspoon is also solid as the plucky journalist whose nose sees her locked away for most of this season. The supporting cast is packed with bright lights (Greta Lee, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Irons, Lindsay Duncan), while other characters never gain traction. (Apple)
Writer-director Mawaan Rizwan is back with a new series of this outrageously charming comedy, which this time takes some darkly surreal turns that dig very deeply under the surface. Rizwan's energetic lead character Jamma sees his clown-like behaviour take a twist, going to various extremes to rekindle his relationship with Guy (the always terrific Russell Tovey). Rizwan's brother Nabhaan and mother Shanaz are back on board as his hilarious fictional family, along with Jeff Mirza as his goofy dad and Emily Lloyd-Saini as his snappy best friend. The colourfully hand-made sets and landscapes add to the sense that this is actually an internal journey, and the narrative trajectory continually catches us off guard with its insight, taking on powerfully resonant issues. (BBC)
series 2
Carol Burnett and Allison Janney are two of my very favourite performers, so I'd watch anything they do. But this show finally lost me, because the writers push the story even further into annoying absurdity. As the goings-on in Palm Beach society get increasingly ridiculous, it's still a major problem that Kristen Wiig's lead character is the least engaging person on-screen. It certainly doesn't help that the most intriguing side characters (played by Ricky Martin and Laura Dern) have been oddly sidelined. And the writing is so silly that it has begun to grate, playing up the most obvious gags while entirely missing any chance to comment on privilege and wealth. I endured three episodes before giving up. Although I may go back and watch the rest, just for Carol and Allison. (Apple)
series 3
This prequel series dives straight into a tense conclusion to last season's cliffhanger. What follows is entertaining despite the soapy shenanigans, simply because the characters are so engaging. This allows actors like Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Carol Kane and especially Ethan Peck to find terrific textures. And thankfully, the overarching plot felt much less oppressive this time. There are also a few entertainingly inventive gimmicky episodes (one blends The Last Frontier pastiche with a nutty whodunit), nodding to the franchise's history in a variety of ways. That said, the writers are a little preoccupied with these references, especially as they set up the characters for the original 1960s series. Two more seasons are planned for this crew, so there's a lot more fun to come. (Paramount)
Just as messy as the first season, these six episodes (plus a Pride special) continue the West Hollywood adventures of Princeton (Jason Caceres) and the couple Cam and Greg (Tim Wardell and the show's creator Frank Arthur Smith), who once tried to live as a threesome but are now pining for each other as they run around with a variety of other men and women. The writing is more ambitious and superbly thought-provoking, but the directing and editing are just as choppy, so key plot points get lost and side characters never quite become fully formed. But there's plenty of fun to be had with our central trio as they try to avoid running into each other at various raucous parties. And there are also some more drag queen antics and a finale that involves a riotously racy puppet show. (OutTV)
P L A Y I N G C A T C H - U P
English Teacher: series 1-2
After a couple of recommendations, I checked out the first season of this comedy before the second arrived. This is a bracingly entertaining comedy with unusually lively characters and intriguing social textures. Set in Austin, the comedy circles around English teacher Evan (series creator Brian Jordan Alvarez), whose identity as a gay man in Texas leads him into all manner of nonsense. Each of the side characters are hilarious, with especially strong roles for ace performers Jordan Firstman (as his enthusiastic on-off boyfriend) and Enrico Colantoni (as the school's exhausted principal). The second season is even more confident, taking on big issues with superbly unsettling nuance even as things get hilariously silly. So it's a real shame that there won't be a third series. (Hulu)
Adam Brody and Kristen Bell are terrific in this show about a rabbi who falls for a woman who makes the eponymous sex-based podcast, ably supported by Timothy Simons and Justine Lupe as their ridiculous siblings. I watched both seasons back-to-back, and it was intriguing to see how the writers push things along, although there's also a sense that none of this is terribly realistic. The story centres around Judaism and Jewishness, and while it's refreshing to see a show that at least addresses religion and ethnicity in such a knowing way, it never gets particularly deep. More troublesome is the way the characters become less likeable the more we get to know them, making it a bit difficult to believe their relationship. But the actors are strong enough to keep us watching. (Netflix)
GUILTY PLEASURES: The Celebrity Traitors, Last Week Tonight, The Late Show, The Great British Bake Off, Strictly Come Dancing, Race Around the World, Selling Sunset, Drag Race UK, South Park.
NOW WATCHING: I Love LA, Gen V 2, Loot 3, The Witcher 4, Stranger Things 5.
COMING SOON: A Man on the Inside 2, Fallout 2, Death by Lightning, Industry 4, The Night Manager 2, Ponies, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
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