Pick of the week
Live Italian
A very watchable series of travelogues as a trio of English celebrities go on pleasant working holidays in Italy. First up: Jack Whitehall, who does his mannered, mildly charming posho turn for the benefit of Tuscany’s foodies. He’s shown around by Italian TV presenter Chiara Maci, who occasionally seems nonplussed by the “silly British boy” but tutors him in the ways of culinary righteousness (everything looks utterly delicious). Whitehall returns the favour by cooking for the flirty nonnas, gelato-makers and intensely animated butchers he meets. In future episodes, Maya Jama explores Italian music culture and Lawrence Dallaglio accepts a few sporting challenges.
Prime Video, from Friday 10 March
Chris Rock: Selective Outrage
A Netflix first: this comedy standup special will be a live broadcast, streaming all around the world. Given that it’s aimed at the 10pm primetime slot in the US, UK audiences will have to keep their eyes open until 3am in order to participate in this global event (or just catch up afterwards). However, there will almost certainly be a thrilling frisson of possibility surrounding the set – this is Rock’s first standup special since 2018’s Tambourine. And, more to the point, it’s also his first since that unfortunate incident with Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars, which we can surely expect to see addressed in some form.
Netflix, from Sunday 5 March
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared
“It’s not just an unsolved mass murder,” says one contributor in this documentary series, “it’s potentially an act of war.” With no debris found until more than a year later, the 2014 disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 was primed to launch a thousand conspiracy theories. Was the plane hijacked? Was it carrying suspicious cargo? Will we ever know the truth? This three-parter dives into the black hole at the heart of the story, while doing its best to remember the inescapable tragic fact that, whatever happened, 239 people lost their lives.
Netflix, from Wednesday 8 March
You
Hello, You! Time for part two of the fourth season of this absurd psychological thriller that sits right on the line separating horror and unintentional comedy. Psycho killer Joe (Penn Badgley) has relocated to England but he’s still surrounded by murderous lunatics. Wannabe mayor Rhys Montrose has turned out to be anything but the voice of reason he first seemed; Joe has plans for Rhys but he’s potentially a powerful enemy. Problems, problems … And then there’s Joe’s new love interest Kate, who might just have a skeleton-filled closet herself.
Netflix, from Thursday 9 March
School Spirits
Operating at the inevitable nexus of high school drama and supernatural mystery, this new series sees Maddie (Peyton List) trapped in a sort of purgatorial limbo after her death. And she’s not alone – upon entering the afterlife, she finds herself in what seems to be a support group for recently deceased high-schoolers. And the worst thing? She can observe ongoing events at her school but can neither intervene nor leave. But can the doomed students find a way out? Cheesily watchable, albeit with an increasing sense of deja vu about the subject matter.
Paramount+, from Thursday 9 March
Moonshine
This hectic comedy set in coastal Canada tells the slightly berserk story of the Finley-Cullen clan, a family whose already eccentric existence is thrown into chaos by that most reliable of dramatic tropes – the contentious inheritance announcement. Eldest daughter Lidia is back from a high-flying career in New York for her aunt’s funeral. She’s already a semi-detached outsider but when she’s entrusted with the family’s failing, dilapidated resort, tensions boil over. It’s not without charm but feels a little overstuffed and overwritten.
Amazon Freevee, from Friday 10 March
Outlast
“It’s Lord of the Flies here!” gasps one of the contenders as this Alaskan survival contest starts getting nasty. In it, 16 lone wolves will be braving hunger, bears and extreme cold as they venture into the wilderness. But perhaps their biggest obstacle will turn out to be each other – Alaska is vast but perhaps still not quite big enough for this bad-tempered bunch. And, as they realise that in order to win (a cool million bucks is on the line) they’ll be forced to work as part of a team, sparks begin to fly. Good fun in a mildly hysterical way.
Netflix, from Friday 10 March
