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BOX SETS AND ON DEMAND
Power Book IV: Force (StarzPlay, from Sun)
The eagerly awaited spin-off is here at last. Joseph Sikora returns as fan favourite character Tommy Egan, who is about to make a big life change – he’s leaving behind his New York roots to start afresh in Chicago. Having lost Ghost and LaKeisha, Tommy feels there’s no reason to stick around in the Big Apple. However, initially, he has no intention to make the Windy City his permanent home, he’s merely there to deal with something from his past. But, after forging alliances with two of Chicago’s biggest crews while getting the lowdown on the local drugs scene, he realises he’s on the verge of creating a criminal legacy of which he can be proud. Gabrielle Ryan, Kris D
Lofton and Michael Oilar join the cast.
The Chelsea Detective (Acorn TV, from Mon)
The latest binge-worthy crime drama from the streaming minnows stars Adrian Scarborough as Detective Inspector Max Arnold who, when we first meet him, has recently split from his art dealer wife Astrid.
He longs for their reunion and a move back into their apartment in swanky Cadogan Square, but for now is living in a battered houseboat at the end of iconic Cheyne Walk, the street that was once the home of Oscar Wilde.
Each feature-length episode follows Max and his colleague DC Priya Shamsie’s efforts to solve crimes committed by or against the affluent local residents. Involved in the cases are a stonemasons’ workshop, a fashionable school for international students, a successful Italian restaurant and a garden centre. Anamaria Marinca and Sonita Henry co-star.
Magpie Murders (BritBox, from Thu)
Any new drama starring an Oscar-nominated actor has got to be well worth a look, right? And when that acclaimed thespian is
Lesley Manville, then doubly so. This is a six-part adaptation of the Anthony Horowitz novel of the same name; Horowitz has also provided the scripts.
What makes the tale a little different from the myriad of mysteries out there is that it’s a story within a story spanning two different time periods – the 1950s and the present day; the cast take on a variety of roles too. Manville plays Susan
Ryland, editor of the bestselling author Alan Conway.
When one of his unfinished manuscripts lands on her desk, it sets her on a life-changing path. The book is the first in a series, so expect more adaptations in the future.
Bigbug (Netflix, from Fri)
French director, producer and screenwriter Jean-Pierre Jeunet first became known on this side of the English Channel in the 1990s thanks to his collaborations with film-maker and cartoonist Marc Caro on Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children.
Their partnership came to an end soon afterwards, but Jeunet has enjoyed solo success with projects including Amelie and A Very Long Engagement. He’s also the brains behind this sci-fi comedy set around 30 years in the future, a period by which artificial intelligence is everywhere.
The story takes place in a quiet residential area where four domestic robots decide to take their owners hostage, forcing them into a kind of lockdown. Sadly, they find it difficult to get along...