Pick of the week
The Artful Dodger
Set in 1850s Australia, this roistering sequel to Oliver Twist reimagines Jack Dawkins (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), previously known as the Artful Dodger, as a former Royal Navy surgeon who now makes a living performing gruesome operations in front of roaring crowds. He’s left his days as a London pickpocket behind him – but the local army commander can smell a man with a dodgy past, and Fagin (a nicely repellent David Thewlis) has tracked him down, too. As Jack’s new and old selves merge, can he keep his reputation and win the heart of the governor’s sparky daughter, Belle (Maia Mitchell)? Brodie-Sangster is a charming enough lead to make the whole unlikely confection work.
Disney+, from Wednesday 17 January
***
Cristóbal Balenciaga
A poised Spanish bio-drama with heavy Phantom Thread vibes, filmed sharply enough to cut cloth – you could feasibly watch with the subtitles off and just drink in the ferocious 1930s style. Alberto San Juan is the imposing Cristóbal Balenciaga, a designer who is the doyen of the Madrid fashion scene but who, on his arrival in Paris, is not immediately welcomed into the world of Dior and Givenchy. If he’s going to become a couture king, he needs to ramp up his natural control freakery and pursue his vision. Look out for Gemma Whelan as British fashion journo Prudence Glynn.
Disney+, from Friday 19 January
***
Drag Den With Manila Luzon
RuPaul’s Drag Race alumnae might hope to be a guest judge one day, or just be more famous in the world of drag, but Manila Luzon hasn’t settled for that. The Filipino-American queen – second place in Drag Race season three – has set up her own show, without the RuPaul imprimatur but with a familiar blend of intense stagecraft and even more dramatic rivalry. Season two pits 10 Filipino queens against each other: Deja, Elvira, Feyvah Fatale, Jean Vilogue, Margaux, Maria Lava, Marlyn, Moi, Mrs Tan and Russia Fox. Sassa Gurl and Nicole Cordoves are the “drag cartel” judges.
Prime Video, from Thursday 18 January
***
LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland
How do you make a comedian laugh? This odd but intriguing comedy gameshow format is based on that question. Graham Norton is host and judge as 10 Irish comics are locked in a room together for six hours, with the simple task of trying to get a giggle out of each other. But laugh, and you’re out of here. In a room where the one thing that definitely won’t work is your regular stage act, it’s down to who has the funniest bones: Aisling Bea is a strong contender, but the smart money is on the childish, almost primal stylings of Jason Byrne.
Prime Video, from Friday 19 January
***
Love on the Spectrum US
With a mix of blindsiding humour, stigma-busting openness and sheer tearful joy – a spiky feelgood tone that’s on the same lines as The Undateables – the US reality show in which autistic people try to find love is back for an uplifting second season. As well as giving viewers a chance to understand the emotions they experience, seeing participants who tend not to present a carefully curated, ultimately misleading version of themselves to potential partners perhaps also says something about the pointless contrivances of neurotypical dating.
Netflix, from Friday 19 January
***
The Bequeathed
For college lecturer Yoon Seo-ha (Kim Hyun-joo), there’s good news and bad news. She’s inherited some land! But … it’s a burial ground. Already not entirely undeterred, she shleps off to the village where the accursed estate lies, only to be confronted by a previously unknown half-brother who wants it all for himself. As a wild K-drama takes shape, there’s a local cop risking everything to pursue an unsolved, burial ground-related murder, a torrent of spooky events and a major risk that the phrase “burial ground” becomes hilarious through repetition.
Netflix, from Friday 19 January
***
A French Case
The nationally notorious unsolved murder of four-year-old Grégory Villemin in Vosges in 1984 is dramatised in this French six-parter. It begins grimly with the disappearance of the boy, the dread discovery, and the parents’ raw grief. The killing comes with a bewildering backstory: an anonymous stalker has been threatening the family for years, promising revenge for an unknown misdeed. But the series goes on to become an unsparing critique of self-interested law enforcers and a relentlessly insensitive media.
Channel 4, from Friday 19 January
