Pick of the week
Inventing Anna
“This whole story is completely true. Apart from the parts that are totally made up.” In terms of constructing a narrative about a con woman, this is a good place to start. Until her arrest in 2017, Anna Sorokin (AKA Delvey) posed as a wealthy German heiress in order to infiltrate and defraud New York high society. This new serial drama from Shonda Rhimes tells her startling story – through the eyes of Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky), a journalist struggling to write a feature about her. Julia Garner plays Sorokin as an odd, unsettling enigma – pivoting unpredictably between brittle vulnerability and extreme arrogance; defying any attempts to categorise or explain her. PH
Netflix, from Friday 11 February
***
Ms Pat: Y’all Wanna Hear Something Crazy?
For Georgia comedian Ms. Pat, the road to a Netflix special has a been long and bumpy one. She’s a survivor of sexual abuse who was selling crack cocaine on the streets of Atlanta by the age of 15. She was encouraged to attempt standup comedy by a caseworker and, since 2002, has been firmly establishing herself on the scene. This hour-long set turns a turbulent life story into dark humour, even when dealing with poverty, juvenile detention and the drugs game. Not for the faint-hearted but bracing, incredibly funny and eventually redemptive stuff. PH
Netflix, from Tuesday 8 February
***
Disenchantment
Unmistakably Matt Groening in every way, the Simpsons and Futurama creator’s satirical medieval fantasy adventure cartoon for adults continues into part four. Fans last saw Luci (Eric Andre) being decapitated, Elfo (Nat Faxon) being taken away by ogres, and Bean (Abbi Jacobson) being dragged to hell (well, taken down in an elevator) by her mother Queen Dagmar (Sharon Horgan) to marry a mysterious man. Plenty of action to dive straight back into, then. The gang races to reunite over the course of 10 episodes. HR
Netflix, from Wednesday 9 February
***
Magpie Murders
“A whodunnit without an ending? It won’t even be worth the paper that it won’t be printed on.” Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville) heads to Suffolk to find the ending herself in this adaptation of Anthony Horowitz’s 2016 bestselling murder mystery within a murder mystery. Cue a parallel tale spanning two time periods: 50s and contemporary Britain. With Tim McMullan (Foyle’s War), Daniel Mays (Line of Duty) and Pippa Haywood (Bodyguard, Bridgerton) joining the cast, this six-part series is set to be a satisfying dose of armchair detective fun. HR
Britbox, from Thursday 10 February
***
Rooney
“He wanted to destroy everything that was in front of him.” That is Thierry Henry’s verdict on his encounters with Wayne Rooney – a terrifyingly precocious footballing prodigy who, touting a mixture of sublime ability and tangible menace, barged on to the scene in 2002. This documentary looks at Wayne’s world in its entirety, from his rough and ready childhood in Croxteth to his colourful private life. Chapter two – the management years – unfolds in a surprisingly promising style, creating a timely film albeit a fairly generic one. PH
Amazon Prime Video, from Friday 11 February
***
Best in Miniature
In the last few months alone we’ve had a televised snowman-building contest and pottery competition where contestants had to make gnomes. The next step is, naturally, a competitive show for miniaturists. Hosted by standup comedian Aba Amuquandoh, this sweet new concept sees 11 highly skilled artists attempt to build their dream home in miniature form. It actually sounds like quite a therapeutic watch, but don’t be fooled: this is a small yet mighty battle for the winner to take home a cash prize and be crowned Best in Miniature. HR
Discovery +, from Friday 11 February
***
Love is Blind
Reality telly continues to aimlessly but endlessly swipe right, trying out the multiple formulas and tones that can be encompassed by dating shows. Now it’s time for a second series of this voyeuristic, exploitative, jarringly unpleasant and wildly addictive nightmare of a series in which contestants live in pods, converse with potential mates without seeing them, then decide whether to propose or not. It’s a recipe for tears, tantrums and traumas, and as such, it’s hard to watch. But if staged human melodrama is your thing, it’s just as hard to switch off. PH
Netflix, from Friday 11 February
