Streaming hidden gems to get you through…
We’re nearing the end of Lockdown 2.0 but there’s still plenty of time to squeeze in a quick TV binge or two (or three or four) before we poke our heads out into the harsh glare of the winter sun. If you’re in despair at the current state of things and you’ve already hoovered up lockdown escapist binge staples like Tiger King and Love is Blind, we invite you to check out the list below.
Presenting a hand-picked selection of somewhat off-the-beaten-track titles that may not have made it to your viewing queue just yet. We’re aiming to keep things light, so you won’t find anything too grim or mentally taxing here (sorry Black Mirror, ain’t nobody got time for any extra existential dread right now).
The Great
What’s it about?
Far from your usual stuffy period drama, The Great tries hard to follow in the biting farcical footsteps of 2018’s runaway success The Favourite, and mostly succeeds. Starring Elle Fanning in the title role, The Great is very loosely based on the rise to power of Russia’s Catherine the Great in the 18th century – as the show itself puts it, “an occasionally true story”. Fanning stars opposite, and plans a coup against Nicholas Hoult, in the role of her hapless and potty-mouthed husband, Peter III.
What’s the vibe?
Irreverent, anachronistic, visually sumptuous. If you’re a period purist, you’ll likely not be a fan but if you’re looking for some light-hearted court intrigue with a side of comedic farce, you’ll lap this up.
Where can I watch it?
The 10-hour long series is available to stream now on Amazon Prime Video.
High Fidelity
What’s it about?
A gender-swapped TV adaptation of the 2000 classic film starring John Cusack (itself adapted from Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel) High Fidelity follows Rob Brooks (Zoë Kravitz), a mostly self-absorbed record store owner and avid audiophile, trying to get over her latest ex by revisiting her top five break-ups from over the years. Along for the ride are her two layabout best friends, Cherise and Simon who try to help her make sense of it all.
What’s the vibe?
Like many remakes, if you’ve seen the original, a lot of the fun in watching High Fidelity comes from comparing it to its predecessor. Can terminally cool rock-star kid Zoë Kravitz pull off the relatability of the everyman her character is supposed to embody? Does a story written in the mid-90s (and originally set in the ’80s) make sense in a modern context?
Where can I watch it?
All 10 half-hour episodes are available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Love Life
What’s it about?
Imagine your standard rom-com girl meets boy formula. Now, imagine that formula in an anthology format, wherein each episode our girl meets a new boy, and we follow the progress of her love life throughout the course of her 20s and early 30s. That’s Love Life. It stars Anna Kendrick and is an easy-breezy, delight to behold. Luxuriate in many depictions of The Before Times…
What’s the vibe?
Though not necessarily covering any new ground thematically, the authentic, effortless comedic writing elevates well-worn territory to a cut above the rest. Kendrick exudes charismatic relatability in the title role making it so easy to draw parallels between your own love life and hers.
Where can I watch it?
BBC picked up the series from HBO Max, and you can watch all episodes on BBC iPlayer.
Ghosts
What’s it about?
Ghosts sees Alison and Mike, a cash-strapped young married couple looking for a starter home, inherit a palatial (if crumbling) stately mansion from a distant relative. There’s just one catch – the place is packed to the gills with a collection of mostly benign ghosts. The spirits that inhabit the house span from the recent to the distant past; a disgraced politician from the ’90s who died in a sex-related accident, right back to a caveman called Robin with a penchant for chess. Due to a near-death experience, Alison can see and interact with the ghosts, much to their delight and her husband’s annoyance.
What’s the vibe?
Ghosts is a good old-fashioned wacky sitcom. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and each episode sees some new altercation between Alison and Mike and their unwanted roommates (who they, of course, come to learn to love).
Where can I watch it?
There are two seasons of Ghosts available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
The Hookup Plan
What’s it about?
Criminally underrated, this French rom-com series has got everything you need for your weekend binge. The twinkly lights of Paris, a twisty romantic plot, three best friends and an insanely good-looking cast. After watching their best friend pine after her ex for two years, Charlotte and Milou hatch a plot to get Elsa back on the dating wagon. Enter Jules, a tall, dark and handsome hired hand, designed to boost Elsa’s confidence over a series of carefully curated dates. But what happens when a well-meaning plan goes awry, and your best mate falls in love with the hooker you hired for her without her knowledge?
What’s the vibe?
As much about friendship, as it is about the romantic plot at the centre of the story, The Hook Up Plan is a bouncy, beautifully shot series brimming with compelling, fully developed characters. If you’re going to watch it, give it its due and watch it in the original French as the awful English dub doesn’t do justice to the wonderful performances.
Where can I watch it?
There are two seasons available to watch now on Netflix, including a new hour-long special which catches up with the gang post-Covid.
Somebody Feed Phil
What’s it about?
A food documentary show with a simple premise. We watch Phil Rosenthal, the man with the most enviable job in the world, spend each episode in a different city, sampling the local culinary delights of that city for his (and ostensibly our) enjoyment. Each episode usually hits all price points, touring through the best cheap-eat street foods to the tantalising (if eye-wateringly expensive) small plates of fine cuisine.
What’s the vibe?
Our guide, Phil Rosenthal, a TV writer and producer presents himself as the lovable everyman to the foodie travel-enthusiast in all of us. He speaks directly to the viewer, inviting you to join him on his journey, making for a very familial tone. There’s even a segment each episode where he rings his elderly parents over Skype to tell them directly about the latest new culinary joy he’s had the good fortune to taste. It’s wholesome food-porn viewing at its finest.
Where can I watch it?
There are currently four seasons available to stream now on Netflix.
High Maintenance
What’s it about?
An anthology series where each episode offers viewers a vignette into the very different lives of the weird and wonderful pot-smoking denizens of NYC. A single character, known simply as ‘the guy’ — a biking pot-dealer/deliverer serves to connect all these seemingly incompatible lives through their shared taste for illegal drugs. Each episode gives us a snapshot into maybe two or three lives, and though brief, offers surprisingly rich stories. Some characters are lovable, others utterly detestable but all are compelling.
What’s the vibe?
An easy, low-commitment show (as you can dip into any episode you want and not be lost). Each episode is almost like watching a self-contained short film with high production values and very good writing.
Where can I watch it?
Season 4 is available to stream on NOW TV.
Frayed
What’s it about?
The year is 1988, and uber-wealthy London socialite Simone has just had her comfortable life upended when her husband is discovered dead as a result of an auto-erotic asphyxiation accident with a ton of drugs and alcohol in his system. With his death leaving her destitute, Simone is forced to return with her two teenage kids to her native Australia and her decidedly less glamorous roots.
What’s the vibe?
Dramatic dark comedy, but not so dark to warrant exclusion from this particular list, and the ’80s setting makes it feel removed enough from today’s hellscape so that you can comfortably disengage from reality.
Where can I watch it?
The series is available to stream on NOW TV.