PICK OF DIGITAL & ON DEMAND TV

MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS, APPLE TV+

STRETCHING from Godzilla (2014) to Godzilla vs Kong (2021) with more still to come, the movies that make up the MonsterVerse franchise are huge affairs in every sense, charting what happens when gigantic creatures cross paths with humble humans. One of the films saw San Francisco reduced to a smouldering ruin, and that’s where this exciting, conspiracy-packed ten-part TV spin-off begins as schoolteacher Cate (Anna Sawai) discovers her family’s connection to the mysterious Monarch organisation, which has seemingly been

VAMPIRE COMEDY Renfield, 12.10pm/ 8pm, Sky Premiere

IF YOU’RE after a B-movie dose of silliness, check out this quirky comedy starring Nicolas Cage as an over-thetop Dracula, with The Great’s Nicholas Hoult as his put-upon assistant, Renfield. The movie has fun following Renfield to support groups as he tries to escape the ‘toxic relationship’ that has him bringing his boss bodies to tracking the monsters for decades. Kurt Russell brings Hollywood swagger to proceedings as former army officer Lee Shaw, with his son Wyatt Russell (pictured centre with Sawai and his dad) entertainingly playing a younger version of the same man in flashback sequences set in the 1950s. The real stars here, though, are the monsters — Apple has spared no expense in bringing this vision to the screen, and the first sequence in which one is revealed is jaw-dropping. Two episodes arrive today, with the rest to follow weekly.

eat, while Cage is as entertainingly outlandish as youm would expect.

FACT-BASED FILM Rustin, Netflix

FAMOUS for Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, the March on Washington is hailed as a landmark moment in the history of the U.S. civil rights movement. Often forgotten in accounts, though, are the activities of the man who actually organised it, Bayard Rustin. One of King’s closest advisors, Rustin was also openly gay, a fact that meant his contribution to events has been airbrushed out of the history books. Played here with real verve by Colman Domingo (pictured), with support from a fine cast including Chris Rock, this intelligent and passionate film will go some way to redressing that.

NASHVILLE’S FINEST Country Music Awards 2023, 10.35pm, BBC4

THE list of performers at this year’s Country Music Association Awards is impressive. The 57th ceremony includes music from Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll and K Michelle, Kelsea Ballerini and Luke Combs.