Pick of the week
Feud: Capote vs the Swans
“Some swans drown under the weight of their fantastical, superficial plumage.” As both a member and chronicler of 60s New York high society, Truman Capote understood the pleasures and pitfalls of this hyper-stylised milieu. But when he wrote a book dishing the dirt on the shiny but shadowy clique, Capote found his own world collapsing as his literary ambitions proved incompatible with his personal relationships. This series from Ryan Murphy stars Tom Hollander as Capote, with Chloë Sevigny, Naomi Watts, Calista Flockhart and Jessica Lange among the “swans”. It’s a melancholy, almost dreamlike portrait of a flawed and brittle man whose charisma barely masked his frailty.
Disney+, from Wednesday 17 April
***
Our Living World
Nature’s multiple connections are the subject of this four-parter, from the Emmy-winning team behind Netflix’s Our Great National Parks. How are the strange creatures at the bottom of oceans linked to the animals who soar above the grass plains? Why do various patterns repeat everywhere from the Arctic to Africa? It’s visually spectacular, achieving amazing intimacy and panoramic scope, even if it can feel slightly overblown and never quite carries the scholarly gravitas of comparable BBC offerings. Cate Blanchett, who as a beekeeper has an interest in connected ecosystems, is on voiceover duties.
Netflix, from Wednesday 17 April
***
Dinosaur
Nina (Ashley Storrie) lives with her sister Evie (Kat Ronney). Nina works in a museum by day – and by night, they have a strict routine, obsessively watching TV together and enjoying takeaways. So when Evie announces her engagement to Ranesh – who talks about Evie “self-actualising” and calls Nina “Neens” – she’s horrified. What emerges is a deftly assembled picture of autism: Nina’s initial prickliness is a manifestation of her need for structure and fear of abandonment, but this sitcom is smart enough to lighten its pathos with plenty of laughs.
BBC iPlayer, from Sunday 14 April
***
Bluey: The Sign
Bluey’s magnum opus has arrived: at 28 minutes, this episode of the widely adored Australian cartoon is the kids’ TV equivalent of a three-album prog rock epic. So what will the Heeler family do with this additional running time? Change is in the air – and change of the kind that young children often find hard to handle. But handle it the family do, in typically unflappable style. There are also wedding bells and the stretching of a role for one character as Socks makes a conversational leap forward. As always, it’s sweet, funny and engaging.
Disney+, from Sunday 14 April
***
Don’t Hate the Player
A new reality show in which participants have no idea of the rules in advance but do know that they’d do anything to win €150,000? It’s on-brand for a platform that seems to churn out brutal reality contests almost monthly. This time, a group of young French people are dumped on a beach and offered accommodation in a basic camp. Up on the hillside is a luxury mansion, where the real game will take place – but only a few can make it that far. A contest of strategy and betrayal unfolds, presided over by Claude Dartois.
Netflix, from Wednesday 17 April
***
The Grimm Variations
A fascinating and, at times, sinister reboot of some of the most famous and familiar children’s stories ever told. This Japanese anime version is presented from the perspective of the Grimm brothers’ sister, Charlotte, whose take on the tales is strikingly different. Accordingly, we’re offered a version of Cinderella in which Cinders is decidedly not innocent, a Little Red Riding Hood that is simultaneously flashy and dark, and plenty more besides. It’s odd and intriguing: very few of these characters, it’s suggested, will be living happily ever after.
Netflix, from Wednesday 17 April
***
Going Home With Tyler Cameron
“I should have stuck to modelling.” It’s mostly biceps and bashing walls with a sledgehammer in this new property show. Former Bachelorette contestant Tyler Cameron heads to his home town in Florida to start a construction and renovation empire. And there’s an emotional tug: it was the sudden death of his mum that triggered the risky move, and her home is his first project. With the help of house-flipping expert Robb Ritch and interior designer Jessica Quintero, he unveils a finished job at the end of each episode.
Prime Video, from Thursday 18 April
