The nights are drawing in and the clocks go back this weekend, so we all get an extra hour in bed — or if you think about it a different way, we all get an extra hour to watch TV on the sofa. But what should we watch?
This week we have a veritable on-screen smorgasbord from which to choose, including a moody psychological New Zealand-set drama, a heart-warming comedy narrated by Julia Roberts, an apocalyptic political thriller with Idris Elba as the US president, and a Harlen Coben supernatural horror that will keep us guessing.
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Here’s your curated watchlist …
A House of Dynamite
Netflix
Just a few weeks after Kathryn Bigelow’s apocalyptic political thriller was in cinemas, the feel-bad film arrives on the small screen. Its ensemble cast includes Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Jared Harris and Greta Lee and it follows Elba’s US president and his officials as they scramble to react to a nuclear missile of “indeterminate origin” heading for Chicago with 19 minutes to impact. The film builds tension cleverly, as viewers see this terrifying countdown three times from three different perspectives. Read our full review here.
The Ridge
BBC iPlayer
Lauren Lyle stars as Mia, a troubled Scottish doctor who travels across the world to New Zealand to attend her estranged sister’s wedding, only to find that her sister is dead. Thrown into a small community where everyone is interconnected, Mia must fight grief and loss while attempting to work out what happened to her sister. Set against the moody backdrop of the beautiful New Zealand countryside, this is a new take on noir that will draw you into a tantalising mystery.
Harlen Coben’s Lazarus
Prime Video
If you’re looking for an engaging and entertaining drama which treads a fine line between gothic and melodramatic, this latest show from Harlen Coben may be just the weekend binge you seek. Starring Bill Nighy as Dr Jonathan Lazarus, an eminent psychiatrist who is found dead by suicide, and Sam Claflin as his son, Joel, who believes there is more to his father’s demise, this horror unfolds with all the twists, turns and elaborate plot devices needed to provide a classic Coben rollercoaster ride.
Nobody Wants This
Netflix
A rabbi and an agnostic sex podcaster walk into a bar. No, not the start of a bad joke, but the premise of a great comedy which returns this week with Adam Brody and Kristen Bell’s electric chemistry at the forefront. If you missed the first season of this quirky rom-com, catch up first before you find out what happens when their relationship moves to the next level, and their lives intersect even further.
Alex Lawther and Laurie Kynaston in Leonard and Hungry Paul
BBC / SUBOTICA
Leonard and Hungry Paul
BBC iPlayer
A gentle and heart-warming comedy based on the Irish writer Rónán Hession’s book of the same name, this unassuming show has one glitzy element you may not be expecting: it’s narrated by Julia Roberts. Yes, that Julia Roberts. It’s a quiet study of two lives, concentrating not on the flashy things and disasters that most shows address, but the nuanced and uncelebrated moments that make us human. It’s a world you’ll want to discover. Read our full review here.
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