Read our list of shows and movies to stream this weekend.
ONE SHOW TWO VIEWSFIVE STAR WEEKENDSTREAMING THURSDAY (July 9), BINGE
Siobhan Duck
Six months after her husband’s tragic death, food blogger Hollis Shaw (Jennifer Garner) invites five friends from different stages of her life for a girls’ weekend at her childhood home in Nantucket — the same idyllic seaside hamlet that provided the backdrop for The Perfect Couple.
Hollis hopes an impeccably curated weekend of pyjama party games, dawn yoga sessions, and spa days will help her move past her grief while generating fresh content for her devoted social media following. Little does she know, her guests are all bringing their own emotional baggage to the retreat.
Her career-driven college buddy, Dru-Ann (Regina Hall), is facing cancellation; childhood pal Tatum (Chloë Sevigny) is anxiously awaiting life-changing news; while Brooke (D’Arcy Carden), whom Hollis met through her daughter Caroline (Harlow Jane), and Gigi (Gemma Chan), a follower from her vast online fandom, both struggle with feeling like outsiders. Adapted from Elin Hilderbrand’s 2023 novel, this is an addictive exploration of grief and female friendship, anchored by terrific performances from a genuinely five-star cast.
Nicholas Fonseca
Less than 15 minutes into the first episode of The Five Star Weekend, the most basic of needle drops arrives.
‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries is admittedly an all-timer I never tire of hearing, but it couldn’t have felt more predictable in a series about a girls’ weekend overflowing with wine, charcuterie, a curated itinerary and years of built-up resentments ready to burst forth.
The good news is that despite a similarly predictable set-up – if the sparkly Nantucket setting reminds you of 2024’s The Perfect Couple, that’s because both shows are based on an Elin Hilderbrand novel – this exploration of grief and guilt is watchable and well-paced.
And it thankfully avoids hokeyness, a credit to, well, its five-star cast of leading ladies – each of whom unravels as the series progresses.
Jennifer Garner tones down the cutesiness that sometimes overwhelms her performances, Regina Hall nails the tricky balance between preening and vulnerable and D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place) is the standout as Brooke, a ball of coiled anxiety and the group’s de facto outcast.
LADIES OF LONDON9.30PM, SUNDAY, 7BRAVO
This reality series following a bunch of titled (and entitled) socialites in London feels a bit like what would happen if you crossed the Mitford sisters with the Kardashians.
The best of the bunch are penniless aristocrat Martha Sitwell and antiques dealer Kimi Murdoch whose wit is drier than a shot of Gordon’s gin.
In this episode, a fancy party planned by Dara Huang (mother of Princess Beatrice’s stepson Woolf Mozzi) gets derailed by persistent rumours she’s a madam. Dara’s staunchest ally in the chatter about her supposed double life has been her son’s godmother, manners coach Myka Meier.
But that friendship is up-ended when Misse Beqiri divulges Dara has been telling people Myka is “cringe.”
That’s not only hurtful, it’s just bad manners. And Myka won’t stand for that.
SPICKS AND SPECKS8.40PM, WEDNESDAY, ABC
It’s the moment Adam Hills has been awkwardly practising for months on the streets of London. But can Hills manage to clap along in time to Missy Higgins’ live performance of her 2024 song Craters?
You’ll have to stick around until the end of the show to find out, but it’s well worth the journey. Once again, we have captains Myf Warhurst and Adam Brough showing off their vast knowledge for musical trivia.
And they are ably assisted by a deadpan Chloe Petts, Michael Paynter (who is soon to be seen in a John Farnham musical) and Grace Cummings (who performs a song about dogs carpet scooting with the intensity of an Amy Winehouse ballad).
But it’s Pete Helliar who really surprises his teammates and himself. The first to admit his track record for correct answers on this music trivia show isn’t exactly note perfect, Helliar finally contributes something more than a few witty one liners to his team. Now that’s deserving of a clap!
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM8.30PM, TUESDAY, NITV & SBS ON DEMAND
I loved Idris Elba as the self-destructive hero of Luther and the calmly desperate Sam Nelson in Hijack.
Unfortunately, despite scoring a Golden Globe nomination for his performance, he feels miscast here as freedom fighter Nelson Mandela. As does Naomie Harris as Mandela’s determined wife Winnie Maikizela.
The film is based on Mandela’s own autobiography and offers great insights into the hardships he suffered under the apartheid regime and 27 years of imprisonment.
Despite the obvious biases that come from basing any film on the perspective and memories of one individual, this film doesn’t attempt to present Mandela as a perfect hero.
What is truly inspirational here is that Mandela was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things in terrible circumstances. In the current climate, it serves as a reminder to speak up against injustice and racism.
SURVIVAL OF THE THICKESTSTREAMING, NETFLIX
What makes this comedy about the fashion industry stand out from a well-dressed crowd of similarly themed shows and films, is its star and creator Michelle Buteau.
Unlike Ugly Betty, where the central character was always made to feel like a fish out of water for not fitting traditional beauty stereotypes, Buteau’s Mavis is completely at ease in her own skin.
Body positive and confident in her skills as a designer, Mavis breaks down doors for plus-sized fashion never doubting that she deserves a seat at the table.
In this third season, Mavis continues to make headway as a designer while also taking steps towards becoming a mother. It’s a vibrant, funny and empowering watch with a grab bag of celebrity cameos.
FARMER WANTS A WIFEMONDAY, SEVEN
“Year after year Farmer Wants a Wife has helped lonesome farmers around the country find true love. Along the way there have been 11 weddings, 12 long term relationships and 30 gorgeous Farmer babies,” host Natalie Gruzlewski enthuses in the opener to this penultimate episode of the 16th season.
The only thing this dating workhorse loves more than sweeping aerial shots of grazing pastures is to flex about it’s success rate.
So will this latest crop of lovelorn men of the land bolster the numbers for season 17? Time will tell. Tonight, after weeks of wining and dining the women at their farms, Jason and Zac face some tough decisions. After meeting the families of their remaining women, each must decide who they want to keep dating once the cameras stop rolling.
COOPER AND FRY7.30PM, SATURDAY, ABC
When a cloistered teenager goes missing from the family estate her helicopter dad calls in the police to bring her home.
When detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry (Robert James-Collier and Mandip Gill) join the search, it leads to a grisly discovery and yet another debate about village folklore. For city slicker Fry (who moved to the country to escape an unknown threat) the townsfolk’s superstitions keep getting in the way of practical policing.
Local cop Cooper (who is haunted by his father’s death years earlier) is more open-minded about the regional ghost stories.
Although initially at loggerheads, the pair have developed a begrudging respect for each other’s methods. This somewhat predictable two-part whodunit not only unmasks another killer but it reveals new secrets about the two central cops.
TRYINGSTREAMING, APPLE TV
Following the lead of comedies like Gavin and Stacey, Offspring and Breeders, this heartwarming series sucks you into the chaos of family life with a swag of endearingly eccentric characters you can’t help but becoming invested in.
This particular series follows Nikki and Jason (Esther Smith and Rafe Spall) who, after struggling with infertility, decide to adopt.
Now five seasons into that experience, their two children Princess and Tyler (Scarlett Rayner, and Cooper Turner) are teenagers.
When Princess reconnects with her biological mother Kat (Charlotte Riley), Nikki can’t help but feel both protective and a little jealous of their blossoming relationship.
If you loved the first four seasons then this one will offer more of the same bittersweet fun. Similarly, those coming in fresh will still find lots to enjoy.
DRINKING BUDDIESSTREAMING, TUBI
Olivia Wilde has been on the publicity trail for her latest directorial effort on The Invite, where’s she’s spilled tea on the fallout from Hello Darling and her relationship with Harry Styles and that red carpet photo that got everyone worried she was dying.
Spoiler: she’s not. It was just bad lighting.
Like The Invite, this 2013 deals with two couples whose relationships are put through the emotional wringer over drinks.
Here Wilde and Jake Johnson play brewery co-workers and friends Kate and Luke. Despite their obvious attraction, Luke and Kate are in relationships with other people.