NETFLIX, AMAZON, APPLE TV, DISNEY+, RTÉ & SKY
HACKS AMAZON COMEDY
Jean Smart is on a late career run in TV. She’s had tremendous roles in Fargo, Legion, Watchmen and as Kate Winslet’s mum in Mare Of Easttown. She’s equally brilliant in this great comedy series about a tough, oldschool comedian whose hiring of a cancelled writer, Ava (Hannah Einbinder), might save both their careers. The show has won awards including an Emmy for Smart. From Friday
THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN SKY STORE FILM
If Louis Wain is known at all these days, it’s as the painter of those instantly recognisable pictures of cats with big appealing eyes engaged in distinctly human activities. They’re funny and slightly surreal and look like they can only have been produced by an artist content with life. Not so, as Will Sharpe’s energetic and imaginative feature movingly shows. Wain battled mental illness his entire life, struggled to support his mother and five sisters and his happy marriage was cut cruelly short. Benedict Cumberbatch (above), Claire Foy and Toby Jones lead a top-notch cast. Available now
BAD VEGAN NETFLIX DOCUSERIES
A four-part series looking at the story of Sarma Melngailis (inset above) – a celebrity restaurateur who went from running one of the most popular hotspots in New York to being known as the ‘Vegan Fugitive’. Directed by Tiger King’s Chris Smith, these episodes explore this unbelievable story and feature interviews with Melngailis herself. Available now
MOON KNIGHT DISNEY+ FANTASY
Marvel series follows Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac), a mild-mannered gift-shop employee suffering blackouts and memories of another life. He finds he shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector. They then navigate their complex identities while thrust into a deadly mystery. From Wednesday
THE BUBBLE NETFLIX COMEDY
In the middle of the pandemic the cast and crew of the eagerly awaited Cliff Beasts 6 set about trying to make the dinosaur blockbuster. The cast of this mad Judd Apatow comedy (below) includes Karen Gillan, Fred Armisen, David Duchovny and Pedro Pascal. From Friday
INSIDE ALL4 THRILLER
From the makers of Vanished By The Lake comes this French psychological thriller. Committed to a psychiatric clinic, Ana is found murdered. Young cop Angèle Maury (Noémie Schmidt) is sent to investigate. Available now
C’MON C’MON APPLE DRAMA
Touching drama from Mike Mills, the man behind the semi-autobiographical Beginners and 20th Century Women. Shot in crisp black and white, it stars Joaquin Phoenix as journalist Johnny, whose latest assignment involves interviewing children. His nine-year-old nephew Jesse (Woody Norman) refuses to be recorded, but an impromptu road trip opens up a whole new world for them both. Available now
HERE WE ARE SKY STORE MOVIE
This moving Israeli drama manages to be emotional without being overly sentimental. It focuses on Aharon (Shai Avivi) and his autistic adult son Uri (Noam Imber).
Aharon is almost as dependent on Uri as his son is on him, until Uri’s mother sends him to an assisted-living facility. Available now
STATE OF THE UNION RTÉ PLAYER SERIES
Written by Nick Hornby, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Rosamund Pike and
Chris O’Dowd, the first Emmywinning series went down a treat. Now there’s a second tale of marital woe with Brendan Gleeson and Patricia Clarkson (above) in the leads. Available now
THE TRUTH WILL OUT ALL4 THRILLER SERIES
The second series of the gripping Swedish thriller sees the cold-case unit under threat. Peter Wendel and his team haven’t had an investigation in months. Peter is haunted by his brother Urban’s suicide, until a colleague, who also knew Urban, is murdered. The discovery leads him to a high-ranking officer and sheds new light on what happened to his sibling. Available now
YOUNG WALLANDER NETFLIX CRIME DRAMA
The series that sees Henning Mankell’s Swedish detective Kurt Wallander (Adam Pålsson) in his formative years – though confusingly set in the present day – returns for a second run. A Scandi curate’s egg of a show. Available now