Pick of the week
High Desert
A comedy that’s funny enough to let plenty of darkness in, High Desert stars Patricia Arquette as Peggy Newman, a drug dealer/addict who decides on a mid-life career change after the death of her mother. Peggy decides to become a private investigator and throws her lot in with deadbeat PI Bruce (Brad Garrett). It’s unfocused but that’s a big part of the charm; the show has a wild, freewheeling, slightly surreal quality. Arquette is excellent – whether she’s roasting her new boss’s rent collector or serving divorce papers to her incarcerated husband while tripping on acid, she finds a perfect balance between feisty and fragile.
Apple TV+, from Wednesday 17 May
***
The Family Stallone
Sylvester Stallone is clearly an unusual man. On the basis of this reality show, in which he attempts to readjust to family life after a long period of filming his recent series Tulsa King, he’s an odd mixture of amiable and overbearing. His three daughters have a range of stories about his singular parenting style: as children, he had them doing shuttle runs and golf practice before breakfast. If you bring a boy home, says one, “he becomes full-on Rambo, with guns”. And yet there’s clearly a great deal of love in the house, too. The result is a predictably cheerful and glossy family drama.
Paramount+, from Thursday 18 May
***
Working: What We Do All Day
After Michelle Obama’s recent Netflix show The Light We Carry, her husband Barack gets in on the act. This documentary series is an earnest attempt to address certain universal questions. What constitutes good work? Do we largely work for fulfilment or to keep a roof over our heads? And are the likes of AI and automation a threat to our livelihoods or an opportunity to recalibrate our lives around post-work identities? Obama hangs with workers in technology, hospitality and care and is a likable and thoughtful presence throughout.
Netflix, from Wednesday 17 May
***
XO, Kitty
A teen drama so squeaky clean it almost looks AI-generated, this drama series is a spin-off of the To All the Boys film franchise in which Kitty Song Covey acts as a matchmaker. Here, Kitty (Anna Cathcart) is on a romantic journey of her own as she heads to Korea to meet a penpal who she’s convinced is the love of her life. When she arrives, it turns out things are a lot more complicated than that. Will Kitty trudge sadly home, tail between her legs? This isn’t that kind of show – instead, a voyage of cultural discovery awaits.
Netflix, from Thursday 18 May
***
Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight
This two-part documentary begins with footage that, at some point in our distant past, probably looked innocent: Rolf Harris talking to Jimmy Savile. Even then, journalist Mark Lawson remembers rumours about Savile; Harris, not so much. Sadly, they had plenty in common, using the trust established by their fame to prey on children. This mixes biography and brave but upsetting testimony from his victims. “He told me I was irresistible,” recalls Karen Gardner. “I was 16, he was 48. He was 10 years older than my dad.” A tough watch but a worthwhile one.
ITVX, from Thursday 18 May
***
No Escape
Trouble in paradise in this mystery drama which, in terms of its premise, feels like a boat-bound version of Danny Boyle’s 2000 film The Beach. Lana and Kitty are two best friends, fleeing trouble at home by hitting the road. They find a seemingly perfect refuge in the shape of a group of beautiful young people sailing through south-east Asia, enjoying pristine beaches and full-moon parties. But guess what? Nothing is quite as it seems: soon the girls find themselves dragged into a netherworld of crime, betrayal and murder.
Paramount+, from Thursday 18 May
***
Muted
A somewhat overheated crime thriller from Spain: Sergio Ciscar (Arón Piper) hasn’t spoken a word since killing his parents. Quite implausibly, he’s still being released from prison ahead of schedule – but a team of psychiatrists have been tasked with keeping him under surveillance in case he remains a danger to the public. None of this seems particularly based in reality; the potentially deadly ambiguity that continues to surround Ciscar is a pretty strong argument for keeping him in prison. Unless, of course, there’s another motive for his release?
Netflix, from Friday 19 May
