Pick of the week
The Crowded Room
Danny Sullivan describes his teenage self as “sad and moody” – and it’s a description that works for the show, too. Starring Tom Holland, this series – adapted from Daniel Keyes’s book The Minds of Billy Milligan – explores the feverish psyche of Sullivan, a young man arrested after a shooting in 1979 New York and attempting to explain himself to Amanda Seyfried’s interrogator Rya Goodwin. Except there’s a strong sense that nothing and no one is quite as they seem. After an explosive start, the psychological thriller unfolds patiently through flashbacks and partial recollections. It doesn’t give up secrets easily, and develops into a striking exploration of trauma.
Apple TV+, from Thursday 8 June
***
Significant Other
As meet-cutes go, a suicide attempt and a heart attack takes some beating. This drama stars Katherine Parkinson and Youssef Kerkour as neighbours brought together when Kerkour’s Sam takes an overdose, only to be interrupted by the heart attack suffered by Anna (Parkinson). The ensuing ambulance-share is a little contrived but the two leads bring heart and sweetness to an awkward, tentative attraction. Their relationship is initially conducted as a series of evasions – Anna has given up on love, Sam on life itself – but it begins to blossom into something potentially redemptive.
ITVX, from Thursday 8 June
***
Queen of the Universe
The drag scene gets its World Cup, with contestants from all over the planet (Mexico, Australia, Italy, the US, the Netherlands and even the UK are among the countries represented) doing battle through the medium of dance and song. Yes, these queens aren’t just lip-syncing; in Queen of the Universe, if you can’t belt out a tune, you won’t last long. Mel B is a newcomer to the judging panel, joining Michelle Visage, Vanessa Williams and Trixie Mattel, while Graham Norton returns as our host. And there’s the small matter of $250,000 on the table for the winner.
Paramount+, out now
***
Saint X
There are shades of The White Lotus in this adaptation of Alexis Schaitkin’s novel, albeit with less of the biting, satirical wit. Instead, this fancy Caribbean holiday-gone-wrong feels more like a straightforward whodunnit. When teenager Alison Thomas goes missing after an evening with two lads from the island, predictable conclusions are drawn. However, the police verdict doesn’t match these assumptions so everyone is left hanging. These include her sister Emily (Alycia Debnam-Carey), who becomes obsessed with solving the mystery herself.
Disney+, from Wednesday 7 June
***
Tour de France: Unchained
Another of Netflix’s well-accessed and intimate sports series, this time going behind the scenes of the world’s most famous cycling race. Elite-level cyclists are famously volatile creatures and Le Tour is an ongoing accident waiting to happen, so this is visceral stuff. As ever, it’s brilliantly shot – camera crews were embedded with seven teams during the 2022 race so this is as close as you’ll ever get to being inside the peloton. And on the evidence of the physical and psychological agonies on display, it might be as close as you’ll want to.
Netflix, from Thursday 8 June
***
Joe Pickett
Expect dangerous adventures in the wilderness of Wyoming as we meet game warden Joe Pickett (Michael Dorman). Based loosely on the novels of CJ Box, this series is earnest and slightly silly but also perfectly calibrated to appeal to anyone with a weakness for hardscrabble, plaid-shirted rural Americana. Joe’s job is to protect this beautiful, sprawling landscape – but it leads him into peril when he pokes his nose into a suspicious property deal and upsets some sketchy people in the process. Soon, he and his family are in a battle for survival.
Paramount+, from Thursday 8 June
***
Never Have I Ever
“We’ve really grown into the poised, fearless women we always dreamed we’d be.” As the final season of this high-school coming-of-age drama arrives, Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) is facing the future with a moment of possibly misplaced optimism. Her love life has gone way beyond first base and that has freed her, she assumes, to concentrate on getting good grades. It’s never that simple, though – Devi and her pals are still kids and the familiar anxieties, social embarrassments and existential quandaries are never far away.
Netflix, from Thursday 8 June
