Pick of the week
Reality Check: Inside America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/p>\n
There\u2019s now a secondary industry around huge, morally questionable shows from the gold-rush era of post-millennial reality TV. After last year\u2019s Netflix expose of fat-shaming behemoth The Biggest Loser comes this series exploring the chequered story of America\u2019s Next Top Model<\/a>. It\u2019s a depressing insight into the values of the times, tracing the trajectory of a show which began as a source of Black and LGBTQ+ empowerment but lost its ethical bearings. Many former contestants contribute (the story of Shandi Sullivan is particularly grotesque) as does creator Tyra Banks, who seems alternately sheepish and weirdly accusatory. \u201cYou guys were demanding it,\u201d she claims. \u201cSo we kept pushing.\u201d Being Gordon RamsayFamily affair \u2026 Tilly and Gordon Ramsay in Being Gordon Ramsay. Photograph: Netflix<\/p>\n This six-parter follows Gordon Ramsay<\/a> as he attempts to open several floors of foodie heaven at the top of 22 Bishopsgate in London. \u201cThis thing is going to take balls of steel,\u201d Ramsay remarks. In his professional life, he\u2019s the polar opposite of self-effacing \u2013 but a slightly less abrasive Ramsay emerges via glimpses of his family life and biographical excerpts in which he recalls his council estate upbringing. He also describes an intense, sink-or-swim kitchen apprenticeship under Marco Pierre White. It\u2019s a feast of swearing and theatrical jeopardy, none of which will change anyone\u2019s opinions about the chef. Girl on the Run: The Hunt for America\u2019s Most Wanted WomanGripping \u2026 Girl on the Run: The Hunt for America\u2019s Most Wanted Woman.<\/p>\n This true crime documentary tells the startling story of Sarah Jo Pender who was sent to prison in 2002 after being convicted of murder. The case was deeply murky in the first place, involving a violent boyfriend, drug deals and an illegally purchased firearm. But in 2008, Pender escaped from a maximum security prison after conspiring with a guard and another prisoner. This film focuses mainly on the attempts to apprehend her \u2013 she was at large for four months. A grimly gripping affair. The Night AgentDeadly force \u2026 (from left) Amanda Warren as Catherine Weaver, Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland, Albert Jones as Deputy Director Aiden Mosley in The Night Agent. Photograph: Christopher Saunders\/Netflix<\/p>\n This intelligent but explosive espionage drama<\/a> has, appropriately stealthily, evolved into one of Netflix\u2019s low-key but consistent success stories. It stars Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland, a special agent who works under deep cover, as a last resort for resolving security issues requiring a combination of extreme discretion and deadly force. In this third season, he\u2019s (reluctantly) working with Genesis Rodriguez\u2019s journalist Isabel who is investigating a dark money network. But as their trail starts to lead upwards, they start uncovering some very dangerous secrets. Strip LawShowbiz \u2026 (from left) Adam Scott as Lincoln Gumb, Janelle James as Sheila Flambe and Shannon Gisela as Irene Gumb in Strip Law. Photograph: Netflix<\/p>\n An animated adult comedy about lawyers feels like a hard sell. But this series about an uptight attorney who moves to Las Vegas and soon finds he\u2019s too boring to pass muster in Sin City contains just the right ratio of snarky and stupid. Lincoln Gumb is very much a shirt-and-tie guy. But soon, he\u2019s taking cases involving stunt performers and general freaks \u2013 and joining forces with local magician Sheila Flamb\u00e9 who has been recruited to give Gumb Legal a touch of much-needed pizzazz. The impressive voice cast includes Adam Scott and Janelle James. Watching YouExploited \u2026 Aisha Dee as Lina in Watching You. Photograph: Disney<\/p>\n A glossy, melodramatic slice of techno-fear in this Australian thriller<\/a> loosely based on JP Pomare\u2019s novel The Last Guests. Despite being engaged, Lina (Aisha Dee) enjoys a one-night stand while staying in a friend\u2019s rented apartment. However, when she returns (in a hilariously contrived twist, she\u2019s managed to mislay her engagement ring) Lina discovers that the flat is riddled with hidden cameras. A series of betrayals then ensues as Lina tries to track down her voyeuristic tormentors. It\u2019s surveillance paranoia by numbers but Dee is a persuasive lead. The Last Thing He Told MeHolding the fort \u2026 Jennifer Garner as Hannah Hall in The Last Thing He Told Me. Photograph: Michael Becker\/Apple<\/p>\n A slightly surprising second season for this glossy but glacial thriller<\/a> starring Jennifer Garner<\/a> as Hannah Hall, a woman charged with protecting her difficult teenage step-daughter Bailey after her partner (and Bailey\u2019s dad) Owen is forced to go on the run. As we return, Owen is still not safe \u2013 the ruthless Campano crime family are on his tail. However, seemingly in defiance of all logic, Hannah has a plan \u2013 and it involves facing off against this powerful, dangerous mob, pretty much on her own. However seriously it takes itself, none of it really grips.
Netflix, from Monday 16 February<\/p>\n
Netflix, from Wednesday 18 February<\/p>\n
Netflix, from Thursday 19 February<\/p>\n
Netflix, from Thursday 19 February<\/p>\n
Netflix, from Friday 20 February<\/p>\n
Disney+, from Friday 20 February<\/p>\n
Apple TV, from Friday 20 February<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pick of the weekReality Check: Inside America\u2019s Next Top Model There\u2019s now a secondary industry around huge, morally…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472993,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[49,48,75,348],"class_list":["post-472992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}