Pick of the week
Bad Sisters
While season one provided a very satisfactory conclusion to the Garvey sisters’ feud with the monstrous John Paul, the aftermath of a murder can’t easily be shrugged off. So even if it does begin with a blissful Grace remarrying, the second series of Sharon Horgan’s black comedy has plenty to work with. After the body of John Paul’s father is fished out of a lake, the cops are all over his mother’s house and the Garveys have a new antagonist in the shape of Angelica (Fiona Shaw), the sister of Grace’s former neighbour Roger. It’s carried along by the writing, which balances trauma with salty humour, and the glorious performances that perfectly evoke the exasperation of sibling relationships.
Apple TV+, from Wednesday 13 November
***
Say Nothing
This gripping drama, adapted from Patrick Radden Keefe’s award-winning 2018 book, uses the real-life abduction of mother of 10 Jean McConville in 1972 as a device for tracing the emotional impact of the Troubles on the embattled communities of Northern Ireland. Through the story of IRA volunteer Dolours Price (played first by Lola Petticrew, then later by Maxine Peake), it explores radicalisation and, via real interviews which took place after the Good Friday agreement, the process of decompression that followed. A perceptive tale of how conflict changes people for better or worse.
Disney+, from Thursday 14 November
***
Arcane
One of the more successful TV gaming spin-offs, this animation based on League of Legends gets a second (and final) season. It combines inventive and expressive steampunk-influenced visuals with an emotionally resonant storyline involving the conflict between the wealthy city of Piltover and its oppressed underbelly Zaun – specifically, the impact on sisters Vi and Jinx. War is approaching as Zaun looks to gain independence, but can the city overcome its technological disadvantages? Voice stars include Katie Leung and Hailee Steinfeld. PH
Netflix, out now
***
Yellowstone
This melodramatic neo-western returns with a tantalising premise courtesy of Kevin Costner’s patriarch John Dutton: “Everyone’s forgotten who runs this valley.” In fairness, this forgetfulness could easily be explained by the writers’ strike-induced gap in the middle of this fifth and final season, the first part of which launched in late 2022 (Costner has actually now left the show). These final episodes centre on a succession battle as Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton fights for survival, with predators ranging from the FBI to various developers circle round the ranch. PH
Paramount+, from Monday 11 November
***
Silo
A welcome second season for this compelling drama set in an underground society made up of (maybe) the last 10,000 people on Earth. The secret of the first season was the way the meticulous world-building added to the unsteadiness of the overall narrative – the more we learned about this self-contained society, the less reliable its foundational myths started to seem. The Silo is now processing the departure of Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) – and the story the authorities are telling about her disappearance doesn’t quite ring true. Is a rebellion on the cards? PH
Apple TV+, from Friday 15 November
***
Cobra Kai
The Netflix reboot of the martial arts series has been a success, striking the right balance between self-awareness and wholesome sincerity, while maintaining a devoted following. But all good things must end and these episodes completing the sixth season are, for now at least, slated to be the final batch. The dojo is off to Barcelona to compete at international level. It’s the toughest challenge yet and inevitably, it stress-tests the group almost to destruction. Cue conflicts of loyalty, a leadership crisis and spectacular feats of pugilistic derring-do.
Netflix, from Friday 15 November
***
Oxen
A self-consciously gloomy crime drama from the chilliest realms of northern Europe. We’re in Denmark, meeting Niels Oxen (Jacob Lohmann), a highly decorated – but also deeply traumatised – soldier trying to reintegrate into civilian life after leaving the army. Given his mental condition, Oxen would probably be best served by not involving himself in the darkest realms of police work. But after a series of mysterious deaths, he joins forces with Josephine Park’s detective Margrethe Franck to investigate. Perhaps inevitably, difficulties ensue.
Channel 4, from Friday 15 November
