TVON DEMAND STRANGER THINGS THE TERMINAL LIST AMAZON THRILLER
We dig out the hidden gems so you don’t have to
NETFLIX SCI-FI
The first part of this season of the retro scifi drama gave us the origin story of the evil Vecna. Let’s hope part two – two episodes running to about four hours – provides the story of his demise. Music has always been a big part of Stranger Things and the use of one of her songs propelled Kate Bush to the top of the charts. Joseph Quinn, who plays Eddie Munson, promises that the next couple of episodes feature ‘a guitar scene’ that is ‘astonishing’.
From Friday
RUN BRITBOX DRAMA
The four episodes of this gritty drama set in innercity London each focus on a different character but their lives are interlinked. Olivia Colman plays a tough single mother, Katie Leung is an illegal Chinese immigrant,
Lennie James a recovering addict and Katharina Schüttler a young Polish cleaner.
From Thursday
KING RICHARD SKY/NOW FILM
Will Smith plays Richard Williams, a father determined to see two of his daughters beat the odds to become tennis champions. In fact, he drew up his detailed plan for their success before they were even born. As we know, those kids – Venus and Serena – didn’t do too badly, so there’s not much sense of jeopardy, but this is an inspirational biopic and Smith gives a great, Oscar-winning performance as the obsessive, ambitious Mr Williams. From Friday
QUEER AS FOLK STARZPLAY DRAMA
Russell T. Davies’s ten-episode series about the hedonistic lifestyle of a group of gay men in Manchester burst on to our screens with astounding confidence in 1999. An American version ran for five seasons, and now there’s a 2022 reboot (right), a more modern take on sexual and political issues as they affect clubbing friends in New Orleans. Sex
And The City’s Kim Cattrall also features.
From Friday
THERE ARE NO SAINTS
MULTI-PLATFORM FILM
Taxi Driver and Raging Bull screenwriter Paul Schrader’s bloody action drama begins as infamous Mexican hitman Neto Niente, aka ‘The Jesuit’ (José María Yazpik), is released from prison on a technicality. He’s picked up by his dodgy lawyer Carl (Tim Roth), who hands him his passport and a bag of cash and warns that operatives on both sides of the law want him dead. But there’s worse to come when Neto’s son is kidnapped by a cartel boss. Brian Cox and Ron Perlman also star. From Monday
THE AVENGERS BRITBOX CLASSIC DRAMA
Arguably the most stylish British TV show of the 1960s and the first to be shown in the US. Series one from 1961 starred the crime-fighting partnership of Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, who lasted all six series as bowler-hatted John Steed. From series four to six, compare and contrast the fab female sidekicks, Diana Rigg (right) as the iconic Emma Peel and Linda Thorson as Tara King. From Friday
THE STAIRCASE MULTI-PLATFORM DRAMA
Based on a true story and already a gripping Netflix docuseries, this lauded eight-part drama, previously only on Sky, explores the life of novelist Michael Peterson and the suspicious 2001 death of his wife Kathleen. Stars Colin Firth and Toni Collette. Available now
BENEDETTA MUBI FILM
Paul Verhoeven is best known for Basic Instinct, so when you hear that his latest film involves lesbian nuns, you think ‘uh-oh’. And rightly so, with Benedetta delivering a generous helping of titillating, 1970s-style lesbian nun sex but leavened with enough scenes of religious fervour, resurrection and Charlotte Rampling (far right) as a disapproving Mother Superior for it to be passed off as serious drama. From Friday
Navy SEAL James Reece (Chris Pratt) sees his platoon wiped out in an ambush during an undercover mission. Back with his family, questions are raised about his culpability. Is he responsible for 12 deaths? Pratt starts to wonder if the ambush was the work of a hostile power or if the answer might lie closer to home. This action thriller is based on a bestselling novel by Jack Carr, an actual former SEAL. From Friday
MURINA MULTI-PLATFORM FILM
The Croatian islands provide the setting for tension and violence in this claustrophobic drama. Restless teenager Julija (Gracija Filipovic) and her controlling father Ante (Leon Lucev) are visited by family friend Javi
(Cliff Curtis) at their home. As
Ante attempts to broker a lifechanging deal, Julija wants more from the visitor.
From Friday
THE LAZARUS PROJECT
SKY/NOW DRAMA
‘We’re a top-secret multinational organisation dedicated to preventing and undoing mass extinction events via diplomatic, scientific or militaristic means,’ explains a member of The Lazarus Project to new recruit George (Paapa Essiedu) in the first episode of this time-loop drama. Sci-fi hokum, highoctane action and a smart script with a sense of humour make this a hugely enjoyable hit Available now