LOCKDOWN TV

BINGE WATCH BINGE WATCH

We’re still spending a lot of time at home, so here’s some more of the best streaming TV shows to feast on.

Watchmen

One series, HBO / Amazon Prime

If you still haven’t got your fill of superheroes and vigilantes in a dystopian world, tune in to this nine-part series that takes up the dark story of a group of morally questionable crimefighters in an alternate 21st century 34 years after the original DC comics story. It ties in well with current events around the world, with a group of white supremacists in Tulsa, Oklahoma, waging war on minorities and the city police who are forced to wear masks to hide their identities. The 2009 film of this cult comic book story was dreadful, but this enjoyable series can be viewed as a standalone story that gives enough background explanation, and leads to a satisfying conclusion that doesn’t hint at a follow-up. Great if you want to cram it all into one week of viewing.

THE COMEY RULE

One series, Now TV / Amazon Prime

Now that Trump has finally left the White House, we can sit back and watch this interesting two-part miniseries with a little less worry that the events depicted will be repeated. Based on the memoirs of former FBI Director James Comey (played by Jeff Daniels), it examines the relationship between the head of the intelligence agency and Brendan Gleeson’s subtly portrayed Trump, and reveals just how out of step with reality the former US President was when it came to law and order, diplomacy and the workings of State organisations. Comey faced an unenviable task in trying to keep Trump in line on issues of national security, with his hand forced by the insistence on an investigation into Hillary Clinton, allegations of the president’s ill-advised dealings with Russian oligarchs, and a repeated demand for loyalty over national interests, before he fell foul of the President himself and was stepped down. If even half of what is depicted in this series is true, the world got away lightly.

HISTORY OF SWEAR WORDS One series, Netflix

During these difficult times, sometimes all you want is to watch Nicolas Cage swear loudly at you, and this six-part series fits the bill nicely. Cage oversees proceedings from a comfortable professor’s chair, but there is actual scientific thought brought in through interviews with experts in etymology, popular culture and history, with each episode looking into the origins, usage and impact of specific words on ourselves and other people (for example, swearing helps us endure stress or pain for longer). Alongside the experts, there are contributions from comedians including Sarah Silverman, Nick Offerman and Jim Jefferies to remind us not to take things too seriously. If you have any interest in word origins, or just want to sit back and watch people cursing, you can’t go far wrong with this.

IT’S A SIN One series, Channel 4 All 4

From Russel T Davies, famed creator of Queer As Folk, comes this poignant, sad, but very well made series about a group of friends who witness first-hand the devastation of HIV/AIDS in 1980s London. The depiction of the uncertainty and lack of both information and understanding around the disease at the time is depressingly accurate, as are the scenes revealing the absolutely horrendous attitudes and mistreatment of people who contracted a disease the world knew nothing about until it was too late. It is obviously not an easy watch at times, especially as the group faces inevitable tragedy and loss, but Davies expertly infuses the storyline with moments of great joy and celebration as he shines a light not just on the horrific effects of the virus’ spread, but also on the togetherness and friendship formed within a community when they needed unity most.

THE SERPENT One Series, BBC iPlayer / Netflix

Just finished on BBC but available to binge on Netflix, this slow-burning thriller follows the ruthless life and deeds of Charles Sobhraj, a French jewel dealer of Thai and Indian descent who preyed upon Western tourists taking to the ‘Hippy Trails’ of Southeast Asia in the 1970s. Unlike other serial killers, Sobhraj’s actions weren’t fuelled by violent urges but were simply a by-product of his lifestyle, combined with a bitter hatred for hippies. His story is fascinating not just because of the brutal ways in which he manipulated, then murdered at least a dozen people across the continent with the help of (or lack of intervention from), a loyal follower and his girlfriend, but also because he managed to get away with it for so long. The cold and calculating killer may never have been caught were it not for the work of a low-ranking Dutch diplomat based in Bangkok who was tasked with finding a missing Dutch couple but uncovered a trail of murders. A heady mix of hedonism, 1970s nostalgia and thrilling drama, this is one that will keep you interested throughout its eight episodes.

The Boys

Two series, Amazon Prime

We’re all getting pretty familiar with the superhero franchises, but this satirical look at the genre asks the question: What if your superheroes are corrupt, and what can anybody do about it? Faced with this dilemma, a rogue group of vigilantes calling themselves The Boys set out to defeat the superpowered group known as The Seven, a collection of heroes who are managed and marketed by an overseeing conglomerate. Now in its second season and with a third in the works, it’s an interesting take on the genre that is easy viewing but full of well-written scenes and colourful characters.

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer

One series, Netflix

While it gets a little bit sensationalist at times with cliched clips of sharpened knives and darkened rooms, this gripping true crime documentary series about the hunt for a notorious US serial killer will keep you on edge throughout. What made the crimes of Richard Ramirez, dubbed the Night Stalker, so terrifying is that they seemed to be random attacks that terrorised the West Coast of America in 1984 and 1985. Ultimately convicted of 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 counts of sexual assault and 14 counts of burglary, his spree was brought to an end by dogged detective work, and it is the focus on these people, as well as the victims and survivors, that shines through here.

The Undoing

One series, Amazon Prime / Now TV

Hugh Grant has excelled at playing a cad over the course of his career, and he puts in a great performance in this psychological drama as a successful doctor and socialite who may or may not have committed murder. His psychologist wife (Nicole Kidman) starts to suspect something is amiss, but in piecing together the clues that could reveal the darkest of secrets or prove her husband’s innocence, she struggles to separate what’s true and what is not as twists come thick and fast. Not so much a whodunnit but a ‘did he do it?’, you will be left guessing until the grim facts become all too apparent and the culprit is revealed.