Show and tell
As the nights get cooler, an impressive line-up of racy romances and quirky mysteries are calling us to cosy up on the couch. Siobhan Duck counts down the season’s top 10 hottest offerings
1 Based On A True Story (Binge, streaming fromThursday)
Following her success in The Flight Attendant, Kaley Cuoco once again plays an increasingly panic-stricken woman who is inadvertently dragged into a deadly situation. This time, she’s Ava, a pregnant housewife who convinces her husband Nathan (Chris Messina) that launching a true- crime podcast is the key to solving all their fi nancial problems. Instead, it puts the expectant parents in the sights of a serial killer. Cue the hilarity and high- stakes hijinks.
2 Funny Woman (Foxtel,streaming fromThursday)
Gemma Arterton is Barbara Parker, a seaside town beauty queen who transforms into a comedy legend in London’s swinging ’60s. Based on the 2014 book Funny Girl by Nick Hornby ( About A Boy, High Fidelity), this entertaining six-part series explores feminism and cultural change with the kind of broad comedy that viewers have enjoyed from The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. For those who grew up watching Carry On fi lms, Are You Being Served? and Benny Hill, it’s a fun (and occasionally pointed) stroll down memory lane.
3 And Just Like That… (Binge, streaming fromJune22)
Put the cosmopolitans on ice because New York’s fab three – and a few newcomers – are back to serve up more salacious sexcapades and drool-worthy outfits.
The good news is that Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) is a far merrier widow after Mr Big’s shocking Peloton-related death in season one. The even-better news is that Carrie’s other great love, Aiden (John Corbett), returns to help her move on.
4 Outlander (Foxtel, streaming fromJune17)
This racy time-travelling drama based on Diana Gabaldon’s beloved novels is like the love child of Doctor Who and Bridgerton. In season seven – the penultimate instalment – of the epic romance between modern nurse Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and old-time rebel Jamie (Sam Heughan), the star- crossed sweethearts fi nd themselves in the middle of the American War of Independence.
5 The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart (Prime Video,comingsoon)
Based on the bestselling novel by Holly Ringland, this compelling drama starring Sigourney Weaver, Asher Keddie and
Leah Purcell centres on Alice, a young girl who goes to live on her estranged grandmother’s flower farm. There she uncovers painful secrets about her past and confronts the fact that history has a way of repeating itself. Exquisitely shot and sensitively told, this is Australian storytelling at its best.
6 Bay Of Fires (ABC,comingsoon)
Hot on the heels of Prime Video’s delightful new series Deadloch – in which Kate Box and Madeleine Sami play detectives on the hunt for a small-town serial killer – Tasmania once again becomes the setting for a mystery. This time, Marta Dusseldorp snoops around in a dark comedy that’s equal parts quirky and chilling.
7 The Idol
(Binge, streaming fromMonday) Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny Depp’s daughter) stars as Jocelyn, a Britney Spears- style pop star on the comeback trail after a nervous breakdown.
With a cast that includes The Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye), Hank Azaria, Dan Levy and Australia’s own Troye Sivan, this much-hyped series strips back the shiny veneer of the music biz to reveal its seediest side.
8 Warnie (Nine Network, comingsoon)
Just over a year after Shane Warne’s death sent shockwaves around the world, Alex Williams ( Underground: The Julian Assange Story) plays the scene- stealing Aussie cricketer in this miniseries that chronicles the spin king’s tumultuous evolution from zinc- slathered larrikin to manscaped ladies’ man.
9 Special Ops: Lioness (Paramount+, comingsoon)
Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña star in this edge- of-yourseat espionage drama from Yellowstone producer Taylor Sheridan. Based on a real-life special forces program, it follows a young marine who is recruited to a group tasked with infi ltrating a terrorist organisation.
10 Secret Invasion (Disney+, streaming fromJune21)
Another Avengers favourite gets a spin- off series. This time, it’s wisecracking spy chief Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), who investigates a clandestine takeover of Earth spearheaded by shapeshifting Skrulls. Making this series all the more enticing is the arrival of Olivia Colman and Emilia Clarke in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.