Cool New Series

TOP SERIES

TO CATCH THIS MONTH

There are so many top-quality series this month. Marisa Cutillas brings you a list of favourites that are as highly praised by critics as by audiences.

THE DROPOUT

Disney+

» Genre: Biography / Drama » Creator: Elizabeth Meriwether (New Girl) » Actors: Amanda Seyfried, Naveen Andrews, Michaela Watkins

How could a 19-year-old Stanford dropout convince some of the world’s most powerful individuals to invest $9 billion in a sham blood testing company? The Dropout is the true story of fraudster Elizabeth Holmes – a brilliant, dynamic, but ultimately unqualified entrepreneur who fooled the world into thinking that one tiny machine could test for a variety of conditions using just one drop of blood. “This is what happens when you work to change things. First they think you’re crazy, then they fight you, and then all of a sudden you change the world,” she told the press, never coming good on her promises.

SEVERANCE

Apple TV+

» Genre: Science Fiction / Thriller » Creator: Dan Erickson (in his debut series) » Actors: Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Zach Cherry

It’s been called a mash-up of Minority Report and The Office. Severance has been touted as no less than a masterpiece and currently has a 98 per cent critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The premise is simple and intriguing. If you were given the chance to completely sever your work life from your personal life (including your memories, thoughts, and emotions), would you? Or does severance amount to the abuse of the ‘other’ you? The series is a homage to workers’ rights and a damning criticism of capitalism and its capacity to annihilate human beings’ freedom, health, and happiness.

PACHINKO

Apple TV+

» Genre: Drama » Creator: Soo Hugh (The Killing) » Actors: Lee Min-Ho, Soji Arai, Jin Ha

Pachinko, based on the eponymous novel by Min Jin Lee, is another big hit across the globe. It is a romantic, sweeping, epic tale of a Korean family who immigrate to Japan. The series contains a vast ensemble of characters who encounter discrimination, stereotyping, and other challenges. The events take place between 1910 and 1989, spanning the Japanese occupation of Korea and World War II.

HEARTSTOPPER

Netflix

» Genre: Teen Drama / Comedy » Creator: Alice Oseman (in her debut series) » Actors: Joe Locke, Kit Connor, Olivia Colman

I was recommended the series, Hearstopper, by a Twitter friend and what began as a “This looks okay but a bit teeny and light” viewing experience soon turned into a binge session that lasted until the very last episode. Heartstopper is a lovely, light-hearted, yet emotion-packed show centred on a group of highschool students who are in the midst of working out their sexuality, friendships, and abilities. A heart-warming escape based on the best-selling graphic novels by Alice Oseman.

HALFTIME

Netflix

» Genre: Documentary » Director: Amanda Micheli (Vegas Baby)

Jennifer López will be turning 53 this year, but she very much defies stereotypical notions of what ‘middle age’ is all about. Her new documentary, Halftime, is about two things: the many things she achieved in the first half of her life, and her famous Superbowl half-time show, which raked in a whopping 221 million views on YouTube. At the event, Jennifer pole danced, belted out her greatest hits, and performed alongside her daughter, Emme, to make a political statement about the border crisis. e