Review
Tennis court the backdrop for riveting and complex drama
Who to believe in this drama about the fraught relationship between a tennis coach and young champion, especially when both are telling lies?
- by Debi Enker
Latest
★★★★½
Streaming
This drama about the opioid epidemic is a triumph that never obscures the tragedy
Based on true events, Painkiller does a lot more than simply detail the public health disaster of OxyContin.
- by Craig Mathieson
★★★★★
Spectrum
Two misfits blow the whistle on the billion-dollar telemarketing industry
HBO’s new docuseries, produced by the Safdie brothers, is a gritty hero’s quest in the guise of a telemarketing expose.
- by Robert Moran
★★★★★
See & Do
Heartwarming Netflix teen drama is back for another warm hug
Season two of the brilliantly realised adaptation of Alice Oseman’s graphic novel has plenty of new teen issues left to explore.
- by Kylie Northover
★★★★
Streaming
Stick with The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, it pays off in spades
Alycia Debnam-Carey and Sigourney Weaver headline a challenging but rewarding drama about the legacy of abuse and the chances of escaping it.
- by Karl Quinn
★★★
Spectrum
Twisted Metal is violent, goofy and strangely likeable
Based on the long-running PlayStation game franchise, this adaptation is totally bonkers.
- by Kylie Northover
★★★½
Streaming
The new series of ‘cowboy noir’ drama Justified proves that reboots can work
In City Primeval, Raylan Givens, his cowboy hat and teenage daughter travel to Detroit to deliver a fugitive.
- by Craig Mathieson
★★★★
Green Guide
‘Renaissance man’ Stanley Tucci travels to Italy in mouth-watering food and travel show
The American actor, author and Instagram star is reliably entertaining in this 2021 series in which he explores his Italian heritage.
- by Debi Enker
★★★ ½
Spectrum
How Natalie Portman became a saviour of women’s soccer
New HBO docuseries Angel City follows the actor and activist’s efforts to supersize the US women’s soccer league.
- by Robert Moran
Channel surfing on holiday, I realised how regimented TV viewing has become
A holiday has opened my eyes to the gems you can discover channel surfing - such as Allison Janney’s challenging sitcom Mom.
- by Sinead Stubbins
Hopeless crooks go for big laughs in Tom Davis crime caper The Curse
The most-watched comedy of the past two years on Channel 4, The Curse has spawned a second season in which the bumbling crooks decamp to Spain’s “Costa del Crime”.
- by Ben Pobjie