PICK OF DIGITAL & ON DEMAND TV
BAD SISTERS, APPLE TV+
NOTHING is black and white in this dark new comedythriller from Sharon Horgan, although its villain, played by Dracula’s Claes Bang, comes close. John-Paul (Bang) is a vile husband and Eva (Horgan), the eldest of his four sisters-in-law, isn’t sorry to be attending his funeral as the story opens. The details of why are what compel us to watch the following episodes, which flash back across a sixmonth whirlwind of events. Anne-Marie Duff (pictured with Bang) is superb as JohnPaul’s wife, Grace, whom he patronises constantly. Yet even she isn’t totally sympathetic, which is a mark
LIFE-SWAP THRILLER
Echoes, Netflix
AN EXCITING and unusual thriller from the creator of Netflix’s dark drama 13 Reasons Why that tells the story of identical twins Leni and Gina (Michelle Monaghan, pictured) who have, unbeknown to their husbands, swapped lives since they were small. Leni is the homebody who married her childhood sweetheart (played by Matt Bomer), is a mum, and runs a lovely horse farm, while Gina is a rebel who escaped to LA. Then, after celebrating a birthday, of the show’s skill. The other three sisters (played by The Last Kingdom’s Eva Birthistle, The Luminaries’ Eve Hewson and Normal People’s Sarah Greene) are by no means innocent bystanders, and The Lazarus Project’s Brian Gleeson plays the life insurance agent tasked with getting to the truth of John-Paul’s suspicious demise. The ten-episode series is based on a Belgian show called Clan, which was shown with subtitles on More4 back in 2016 under its English title, The Out-Laws. Parts one and two are available today, with the
rest to follow weekly.
Leni suddenly vanishes and, desperate to find her sister, Gina soon learns that someone has discovered their dangerous secret. The mystery here is a compelling one, and spotting the differences in Monaghan’s brilliant split performance is a fun piece of detective work on the side.
NEW U.S. COMEDY
Sprung, Amazon Freevee MARTHA PLIMPTON delivers a very funny performance in this new, weekly comedy set in the early days of Covid. Barb (Plimpton) thinks of herself as a criminal mastermind and pushes her son and his ex-con friends into stealing for her as the U.S. melts down from virus paranoia. But she’s also remarkably naive and has a dangerously short attention span, believing Trump may be on to something when he suggests injecting yourself with bleach to fight the virus. Making a joke of Covid is still a challenge for comedy, but Sprung manages to do it in such a way that makes you both laugh and think, creating a ramshackle family from its characters on the way.