STREAMING MANIAC

STARRING: Emma Stone, Jonah Hill

Stone and Hill are the two most recent A-list stars to make the transition (back) to TV, and it’s telling they’ve chosen this project, helmed by lauded producer Cary Fukunaga – the man behind the excellent first season of True Detective – as their vehicle. In this dark comedy/drama they play Annie Landsberg and Owen Milgrim, two complete strangers whose stories become inextricably linked when they both sign up for a drug trial that allows them to enter fantasy worlds in order to work through their emotional pain.

It’s heavy stuff at times, but the pair, who first collaborated back in 2007 on stoner comedy Superbad, have great chemistry and are fantastically compelling in their roles. They also get to exercise their comedic chops along the way, as the story takes some surprising and amusing turns.

But more than their performances alone, the series is worth checking out for the fantastically original world Fukunaga has created for the series – it’s part Blade Runner, part Mr Robot and even a little bit Stranger Things, while at the same time being wholly and utterly original.

Those looking for the ultimate binge will surely get swept up in this right from the first episode. Plus, keep an eye out for Justin Theroux and Sally Field, who both play pivotal roles in the story, starting a few episodes in.

(On Netflix from Sept. 21)