Pick of the week
The Morning Show
The slick and starry media drama returns for a third season, and we’re in a post-Covid world with emerging money problems at UBA. In comes a potential benefactor in the shape of tech titan Paul Marks (Jon Hamm) who, with his overbearing narcissism, feels a little too on-the-nose. Elsewhere, there is an interesting storyline concerning Bradley (Reese Witherspoon) who wants to do some proper reporting – on a woman defying America’s increasingly illiberal abortion laws – but is prevented from digging by an editor concerned about possible lawsuits and advertising boycotts. A clash between realpolitik and idealism looms – can journalism win?
Apple TV+, from Wednesday 13 September
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The Other Black Girl
As the only Black woman working in a publishing house, Nella Rogers (Sinclair Daniel) is routinely subjected to racist microaggressions. So the arrival of another Black woman (Ashleigh Murray’s Hazel-May McCall) should be good news, particularly as she is assertive and confident. But what begins as long-overdue allyship curdles into something more disturbing as Nella starts to wonder about Hazel-May’s true motivations. Based on Zakiya Dalila Harris’s 2021 novel, it is equal parts mystery thriller and satire on the insidious persistence of racism, in what are often assumed to be liberal environments.
Disney+, from Wednesday 13 September
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Welcome to Wrexham
The Hollywood football faux-fairytale returns, striking a slightly uneasy balance as it styles itself as a rags-to-riches tale while tacitly acknowledging that the money and profile brought to Wrexham FC by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney gives the team a head start. It picks up after the heartbreaking end to the 2022 season. The wage bill is spiralling and the club is, in the words of Rob, “wholly unsustainable” without promotion. It’s hard not to sympathise with the less-favoured teams, but equally hard to take against Wrexham’s fans.
Disney+, from Wednesday 13 September
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Wrestlers
Professional wrestling is often oddly poignant – the bathos behind the facade is difficult to hide. This is even more so the case at the Ohio Valley Wrestling gym which is threatened with closure due to financial struggles. This series follows the slightly rickety enterprise as it continues to churn out contenders (many graduates have made it to the big time) while fighting for survival. Enter the wrestling legend Al Snow, who attempts to launch a rescue mission. An eccentric and unexpectedly charming eight-part documentary.
Netflix, from Wednesday 13 September
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Thursday’s Widows
A tale of murder and betrayal in a gated community in Argentina. Los Altos de las Cascada is a luxurious, claustrophobic resort, surrounded by a neighbourhood stricken by crime and poverty. Inevitably, the residents are paranoid and guard their privilege assiduously. But no one can hide from the real world indefinitely – or seemingly do without the servants forced to live in it. When the bodies of three members of the community are discovered, it triggers a chain of plots, rumours and reprisals that threatens to destroy paradise.
Netflix, from Thursday 14 September
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Wilderness
An unconvincing psychological drama starring Jenna Coleman as Liv, a writer who relocates to New York with her smarmy, successful other half Will (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). Already feeling marooned in a world of socialites and cavernous apartments, she learns that Will is having an affair. The couple go on a make-or-break road trip, but Olivia’s fury hasn’t abated – she’s looking for a chance to take revenge in the wide open spaces of America. The writing is clunky and the characters are so disagreeable it’s hard to care.
Prime Video, from Friday 15 September
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Miseducation
There are young adult comic hijinks with a dash of South African class and racial politics in this series about a fallen influencer looking to rehabilitate herself. When Mbali Hadebe (Buntu Petse) finds herself cancelled on account of her corrupt politician mother, she is forced to start again. She enrols at Grahamstown University (in her eyes, a slightly backwards place). However, she soon finds a new gang, including a wannabe Olympian boyfriend. It’s full of the cliches associated with campus comedies but has a certain bustling energy.
Netflix, from Friday 15 September
• This article was amended on 8 September 2023 due to a production error. Welcome to Wrexham is on Disney+ not Netflix, and Wilderness is on Prime Video from Friday 15 September, not Thursday 14 September.
