Historic settings have become more common on our screens for several reasons. The first,simply,is budgetary. Streaming platforms are spending more to have their shows stand out,making detailed costumes and location shooting affordable. Beyond that,there’s a sense that stories from the past speak to today,whether as revisionist retellings that reveal hidden truths or all too clear messages about ill-chosen paths we’re heading down. Plus,actors love getting dressed up.
The most involved history for me remains my viewing history. Any lessons on that front are always welcome.
Netflix
Jess Hong as Jin Cheng,John Bradley as Jack Rooney in Netflix’s3 Body Problem.Supplied
My top Netflix recommendation is3 Body Problem (March 21).
This adaptation of the Hugo Award-winning science-fiction novel is a prime example of the adaptation dilemma:I’m excited they’re making it,but I’m worried they can’t pull it off. They,in this case,happens to beGame of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss,who,along with Alexander Woo,are trying to corral the first novel in Chinese author Liu Cixin’s acclaimedRemembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy. The text is hard sci-fi:concepts over characters and a vast sweep in scope tell a story of a discovery that threatens both scientific reason and Earth’s existence. If nothing else,there’s room for considerable reinvention. The international cast includesThrones alumni such as John Bradley and Liam Cunningham,plus Benedict Wong (Doctor Strange) and Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver). Please let this be better thanAll the Light We Cannot See.
Also on Netflix: Adam Sandler’s Netflix original movies have come a long way since 2015’s dreadful western spoofThe Ridiculous 6.Hustle andYou Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah are some of his best recent works,and now Sandler follows them up withSpaceman (March 1). A science-fiction drama where Sandler’s solo deep space astronaut,Jacob Prochazka,longs for the wife he left behind,only to find consolation from a wholly unexpected entity,the film’s melancholy interstellar trailer suggests a mix ofSolaris andE.T. The emotional stakes get a big bump from the casting of Carey Mulligan (Maestro) as Jacob’s wife,Lenka,while director Johan Renck comes armed with the nightmarish credentials of overseeingChernobyl.
Netflix has a track record of picking up underperforming or cancelled shows it believes it can successfully signal boost. Think You orDesignated Survivor. The latest resurrection goes toGirls5Eva (March 15),a terrific madcap comedy about using a second chance to right your wrongs. Netflix has already uploaded the two existing seasons,and now they’re adding an exclusive third instalment to continue the comeback of late ’90s girl group Girls5Eva,who use a brief burst of nostalgia to relaunch their music career. With its30 Rock andUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt lineage the show is loaded with canny gags,but it’s also a paean to women who refuse to accept that popular culture has no use for them because they’re in their forties.
February highlights: celebrated the British rom-com,misanthropic comedy found a new audience,a singer got his TV series right on,and was a terrific stand-up set.
Binge
Leah Purcell and Aaron Pederson inHigh Country.Supplied
My top Binge recommendation isHigh Country (March 19).
Cloaked in an evocative atmosphere,this investigative thriller uses the winding roads,verdant forests,and snaking rivers of Victoria’s mountainous north-east as the backdrop for a new Australian series. Leah Purcell (Wentworth,The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart) plays Andrea “Andie” Whitford,a detective transferred to uniform duties in an isolated town where the welcome is warm but no-one wants to discuss a series of disappearances stretching back over years that are increasingly roiling the locals. Creators Marcia Gardner and John Ridley are bothWentworth veterans,and their challenge here is to take a familiar genre outline and make it contemporary. A policing protagonist who’s an Indigenous woman is a strong start,and Purcell is joined by the likes of Ian McElhinney (Game of Thrones) and Aaron Pedersen (Mystery Road).
Also on Binge:Mary&George (March 5) has all the hallmarks of a British historic drama,but from the opening scenes this tale of 17th-century royal power games reveals a wicked wit,a queer sensibility,and a sharp eye for how power is channelled through pleasure. Based on historians’ studies,it stars Julianne Moore (May December) as Mary Villiers,the newly widowed Countess of Buckingham. Searching for a foothold and without illusion about how privilege is earned,she alights on casting her handsome but wayward second son,George (Nicholas Galitzine,Bottoms) as the lover of the wildly indiscreet King James I (Tony Curran,Ray Donovan),which swiftly upends the gravy train surrounding the monarch. The humour is tart,the insults delectable,and Moore is imperious.
Succession writer Will Tracy plugs into a different but equally dysfunctional power structure with this black comedy about an autocratic ruler of a fictional European nation whose absolute authority starts to fall to bits amidst delusion and paranoia.The Regime (March 4) stars Kate Winslet as Elena Vernham,a blonde bombshell styled as the mother of the nation. The show is in turns madcap,jaw-dropping,and creepy,as Central European geopolitics meet palace intrigue,Elena’s hypochondria,and civil unrest. Matthias Schoenaerts (Red Sparrow) plays a Rasputin-like advisor,and if nothing else you can bingo card the numerous references to real-life dictators.
February highlights: A star-studded cast made the high society scandal of bittersweet,while Jon Hamm got into the adult animation game with the detective satireGrimsburg.
Stan*
Ben Feldman stars as Andy in the outback comedyPopulation 11.David Dare Parker
My top Stan recommendation isPopulation 11 (March 14).
The unsolved 2017 disappearance of local Paddy Moriarty in the Northern Territory township of Larrimah (he was one of just 12 residents) is the mystery that keeps on giving:a podcast,a book,and the feature documentaryLast Stop Larrimah have all examined the case. Now it’s the inspiration for this fictional comic-drama,where an American bank teller,Andy Pruden (Ben Feldman,Superstore),comes to visit his father but finds him missing. The 11 remaining locals,played by the likes of Stephen Curry (Hounds of Love) and Genevieve Lemon (The Tourist),are eccentric but not exactly welcoming,with creator Phil Lloyd (The Moodys) crafting a culture-clash comedy that has the momentum of a thriller over 12 half-hour episodes.
Also on Stan: There are certain actors whose mere presence in the supporting cast is a good sign for a series or film. The likes of Bill Camp,Sacha Horler,or Stephen Root guarantee an anchoring performance or welcome energy. Definitely add American actor Patricia Clarkson to that list,having elevated everything fromHigh Art andThe Station Agent toSharp Objects andShe Said. In the espionage thrillerGray (March 8),Clarkson tries something new:the lead role. She portrays Cornelia Gray,a former American spy exiled for 20 years but brought back to track down a mole whose leaks are proving deadly. Rupert Everett,himself a welcome addition,co-stars as Gray’s reluctant recruiter,but this is Clarkson’s showcase and she looks more than ready for the plot’s every malevolent twist.
February highlights: Shailene Woodley headlined a drama about female flux with,plus a big debut for zombie apocalypse devotees withThe Walking Dead:The Ones Who Live.
Amazon Prime
Jake Gyllenhaal in the remake of the classic 80s filmRoad House.Laura Radford
My top Amazon Prime recommendation isRoad House (March 21).
This bare-knuckled Hollywood remake got an unexpected jolt of publicity recently when director Doug Liman (the originalMr and Mrs Smith,Edge of Tomorrow) launched a broadside at Amazon for not giving his movie a cinema release. Distribution debates aside,this is a remake of the 1989 action flick where Patrick Swayze played a Zen master bouncer who cleans up a Missouri roadhouse. Jack Gyllenhaal,back to his rippedSouthpaw physique,is Elwood Dalton,a former professional MMA fighter paid to sort out a chaotic Florida tavern. The film’s fight scene credentials are impeccable,with former real-life MMA champion Conor MacGregor going full tilt unhinged as Dalton’s boss-level adversary,but it’s unclear if this version ofRoad House will acknowledge the original’s status as one of the most homoerotic Hollywood films of the 1980s.
Also on Amazon Prime: Created by veteran Hollywood screenwriter Zak Penn (Ready Player One,Free Guy),Beacon 23 (March 15) is a deep-space mystery that begins with the keeper of an isolated 23rd-century space station,Halan (Stephen James,Homecoming),rescuing the survivor of a crashed ship,Aster (Lena Headey,Game of Thrones),only for her to swiftly change their circumstances. The plot’s science-fiction paranoia is familiar for the genre,so the make-or-break factor is the dynamic between the two leads. If they find a vivid intensity or intertwined dependence,then this series has some potential.
February highlights: proved that a reboot of an old hit can be canny,unpredictable and deeply satisfying,an Academy Award favourite inAmerican Fiction debuted,and was Jennifer Lopez’s celebration of J. Lo.
Apple TV+
Lili Taylor and Hamish Linklater in the historical dramaManhunt.Supplied
My top Apple TV+ recommendation isManhunt (March 15).
Deluded assassins stalking Washington DC,covert networks,unchecked criminal pursuits … some qualities are apparently timeless to the American political thriller. Set in the minutes,hours,and days after the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln in 1865,just five days after he’d overseen the surrender of the Confederacy and the end of America’s Civil War,this expansive drama is both a historical study and a timely vision of a democratic system under attack. Tobias Menzies (The Crown’s Prince Philip in seasons three and four) plays Edwin Stanton,who goes from serving as Lincoln’s Secretary of War to organising the pursuit of his friend’s assassin,actor John Wilkes Booth (Anthony Boyle,Masters of Air). There’s nothing stuffy about this period piece. It’s more24 than Ken Burns documentary.
Also on Apple TV+: When two of the most prominent credits on your screen CV are absurdist sitcomThe Mighty Boosh and beloved reality seriesThe Great British Bake Off,you don’t star in just any old period tale.The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (March 1) finds Noel Fielding and his gorgeous locks playing 18th-century English highwayman Dick Turpin,although this is definitely an ahistorical version. More of a failed influencer than an armed scoundrel,Turpin exasperates his gang,makes farcical mistakes,and checks in with his victims about how he can improve his service. Fresh fromThe Gold,Hugh Bonneville plays the underworld boss looking to put an end to Turpin in a series whose silliness might be consolation for fans of the recently cancelledOur Flag Means Death.
“I am never in over my head,it would be disrespectful to my hairdresser.” There is a great deal going on in the trailer forPalm Royale (March 20),which looks to be a social climber comedy,a satire on wealth andRocky-with-a-beehive-hairdo underdog drama. Set in 1969,the luxuriously appointed show stars comic Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live,Bridesmaids) as Maxine Dellacorte,a newcomer to Florida high society who sets out to win access to the titular Palm Beach country club and its snobby queen bee (Allison Janney,The West Wing). Creator Abe Sylvia comes from the underrated Netflix black comedyDead to Me,and his eclectic supporting cast includes Laura Dern (Little Women),her father Bruce (Nebraska),model Kaia Gerber (Bottoms),and 90-year-old comic legend Carol Burnett (Better Call Saul).
February highlights: Football fans got a telling of one of the game’s great modern stories with, delivered eerie sci-fi,and Juliette Binoche and Ben Mendelsohn went haute couture in the period fashion drama.
Disney+
Taylor Swift performs in the film of her Eras Tour.Supplied
My top Disney+ recommendation isTaylor Swift:The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) (March 15).
Whether you’re still buzzing from seeing Taylor Swift on her blockbuster Australian tour or need further consolation after missing out on a ticket,the singer-songwriter’s concert film,which earned approximately $400 million at the global box-office,is making a timely arrival on streaming. The cultural event of the decade,Swift’s sustained rise to whatever it is that ranks above superstardom has delighted fans,shifted a few societal boundaries,and probably left academics racing to publish. Fans should note that the version ofThe Eras Tour debuting on Disney+ has extra content not on the cinema release:four additional songs in the main set,and a further quartet of acoustic tracks after the credits. Have at it,Swifties.
Also on Disney+: This is a second chance,please take it. WhenExtraordinary(March 6) debuted last January I was full of praise for a British comedy where nearly everybody developed a superpower,however bizarre or inconsequential,when they turned 18. For one of the few who hadn’t,Jen (Mairead Tyers),20-something angst had a new whole level on top of job woes and poor relationship prospects. Emma Moran’s everyday superhero adventure was full of absurd scenarios and droll retorts;it was the mash-up ofX-Men andFleabag we didn’t know we needed. The show didn’t get the acclaim it deserved,but hopefully its second season will alleviate that. We might even find out what happened to the character who can turn anything into a PDF.
February highlights: brought aGame of Thrones vibe to the feudal Japan saga,Amy Schumer’sLife&Beth returned for a second season,andGenius:MLK/X was a historic drama about two huge figures in American history.
ABC iview
Sarah Lancashire in the final chapter ofHappy Valley.Supplied
My top ABC iview recommendation isHappy Valley (March 15).
The concluding season of one of the best British crime series of the past 10 years makes its free-to-air debut,with all six episodes of Sally Wainwright’s coruscating drama about a West Yorkshire police sergeant struggling to hold herself together as personal and professional struggles intertwine dropping at once. With Sarah Lancashire’s Catherine Cawood as the police officer drawn towards taking revenge on Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton,Grantchester),a newly released prisoner who raped her daughter and fathered the grandson she’s raising,Happy Valley turned assumptions about police narratives inside out. It’s a brutal show,but also intimate and even tender – qualities that endure to the very end.
February highlights: finished the compelling documentary studies of Australia’s modern prime ministers that have been a triumph for the ABC.
SBS On Demand
Babylon Berlin,the most expensive show produced in German TV.Supplied
My top SBS On Demand recommendation isBabylon Berlin (March 14).
International productions from outside the English language bubble have become Netflix’s not-so-secret secret weapon,but long beforeMoney Heist andSquid Game there wasBabylon Berlin. The most expensive series – and it’s all on the screen – in German television history,this neo-noir crime thriller is a kaleidoscopic invocation of life in the German capital at the end of the 1920s. In the wake of defeat in World War I,there are decadent nightclubs,wild criminal conspiracies,political exiles,and the increasingly violent rise of the Nazi Party. The historical insights are piercing,but it’s told with nail-biting tension and thrilling revelations. The first three seasons of this must-see series have just left Netflix,and they’re going on to SBS On Demand with a new fourth season debuting as well.
Also on SBS On Demand: Fans of the now global reality survival franchiseAlone had high hopes for a local edition of the outdoor endurance trial,and they were mostly met by the initial season ofAlone Australia (March 27). Winner Gina Chick lasted for 67 days on Tasmania’s rugged West Coast,living in isolation with a minimum of gear and a great deal of hunger. The new season will cross the Tasman,dropping 10 contestants in the wild extremes of New Zealand’s South Island. Someone might prosper,someone also certainly will fail worryingly fast,and couch-bound viewers can continue to pretend they’d be fine if they entered.
February highlights: Documentary series offered invaluable insight into our complex national truths, was a scathing drama uncovering America’s opioid crisis,with the cruise line whodunits of as respite.
Other streamers
Ewan McGregor as Count Rostov and Alexa Goodall as Nina inA Gentleman in Moscow.Ben Blackall/Paramount+
My top recommendation for the other streaming services isA Gentleman in Moscow (March 29) on Paramount+.
To be clear,Ewan McGregor was not willing to make do with a fake moustache when it came to playing the lead role in this adaptation of Amor Towles’ bestselling 2016 novel about a Russian aristocrat stranded inside a Moscow hotel after the 1917 Revolution. TheStar Wars actor grew and maintained finely waxed facial hair to help capture the essence of his character,Count Alexander Rostov. Left alone by the Bolsheviks provided he stays in his attic room at the grand Hotel Metropole,Rostov makes friends with an eclectic milieu and becomes involved with a movie star,Anna Urbanova (Mary Elizabeth Winstead,Ahsoka). It’s Spielberg’sThe Terminal with softer lighting,while the book’s mix of whimsy and regret rests in the hands of lead director Sam Miller,who was a crucial part of Michaela Coel’sI May Destroy You.
Also: It’s a period of upheaval in the media industry,but I,for one,will not be following the fictional example of freelance journalist Elvira Clancy (Siobhan Cullen,The Long Call),who in BritBox’s twisted Irish comedyObituary (March 28) is only getting paid for each obituary she writes at her local newspaper. In need of income,Elvira decides to game the gig economy and bump off an unwanted local or two,a scheme that fills her pockets but also attracts the attention of the paper’s investigative reporter. We get many British shows in Australia,but not enough from Ireland,and hopefully this one’s mordant concept can fill out an entire season.
February highlights: Lenny Henry turned his Caribbean heritage into the BritBox period drama,while there was a new season of Paramount+’sGhosts,one of the best American sitcoms currently airing.
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