From an intense I Hate Suzie to psychological thriller The Woman In The Window and Men In Kilts, the best on demand TV to watch this week

SKY/NOW, DISNEY+, BRITBOX & ACORN TV

 

I Hate Suzie

Watching Billie Piper in this intense and very adult black comedy, it’s amazing to recall that when she began her career as what used to be called a ‘teenybopper’ pop star, it was assumed she’d be a here-today-gone-tomorrow phenomenon. 

In fact, she has repeatedly shown her talents as a brilliant actress, and she does so again here. Piper plays Suzie, a former child star whose career is upended when sexually explicit photos of her with a man who is definitely not her husband pop up online. 

Watching Billie Piper (above) in this intense and very adult black comedy, it’s amazing to recall that when she began her career it was assumed she’d be here-today-gone-tomorrow

Watching Billie Piper (above) in this intense and very adult black comedy, it’s amazing to recall that when she began her career it was assumed she’d be here-today-gone-tomorrow

With her carefully manufactured image shattered, Suzie’s life begins to spiral out of control and it looks as though she’s heading for a nervous breakdown. Piper has been nominated for a best actress Bafta for her performance, and Leila Farzad, who plays her friend and manager Naomi, is up for best supporting actress. Sky/NOW, available now

 

An Affair To Remember 

Weepie from 1957, regarded as one of the most romantic movies of all time. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr star as a playboy and a woman who fall in love while travelling from Europe to New York on an ocean liner despite being in relationships already (think Brief Encounter afloat). 

Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr (above) star as a playboy and a woman who fall in love while travelling from Europe to New York on an ocean liner despite being in relationships already

Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr (above) star as a playboy and a woman who fall in love while travelling from Europe to New York on an ocean liner despite being in relationships already

At the end of the trip they agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in six months’ time, but the planned tryst goes wrong. Yes, 1993’s Sleepless In Seattle was heavily indebted to this film and even contains scenes from it. Disney+, from Friday

 

English National Opera Collection 

If you’re looking for a cultural fix, then you’re in the right place. The streaming service is adding ENO’s productions of Carmen, La Traviata, The Barber Of Seville, The Mikado, The Pirates Of Penzance and Benvenuto Cellini to its Centre Stage collection. BritBox, from Thursday

 

Hidden 

Four-part conspiracy thriller from 2011 starring a gruff Philip Glenister as Harry Venn, a dodgy solicitor, and Thekla Reuten as a mysterious lawyer who wants him to find someone. 

Four-part conspiracy thriller from 2011 starring a gruff Philip Glenister as Harry Venn, a dodgy solicitor, and Thekla Reuten (above, with Glenister) as a mysterious lawyer

Four-part conspiracy thriller from 2011 starring a gruff Philip Glenister as Harry Venn, a dodgy solicitor, and Thekla Reuten (above, with Glenister) as a mysterious lawyer

It’s a bit Chandler-esque, with Venn a Marlowe-type character. What’s the link between the case he is being drawn into, the death of his brother and wider political unrest around forming a coalition government? 

All will be explained. Acorn TV, from Monday

 

Secrets Of The Krays 

Are there any secrets left about the Krays? It seems that everyone who ever knew them has either written a book or taken part in a documentary. This three-parter does a good job of telling the story of East End gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie, who ‘ruled’ London in the 1960s and mixed with celebrities and politicians. 

This three-parter does a good job of telling the story of East End gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie (above), who ‘ruled’ London in the 1960s and mixed with celebrities and politicians

This three-parter does a good job of telling the story of East End gangster twins Ronnie and Reggie (above), who ‘ruled’ London in the 1960s and mixed with celebrities and politicians

Unlike some other works, it doesn’t glamorise them. ‘Are we talking here about clever people?’ asks Chris Lambrianou, a member of the Krays’ firm. ‘No we’re not.’ ‘What they were good at,’ says another associate, ‘was violence.’ BritBox, from Thursday

 

9-1-1 

Procedural drama about ‘first responders’ and the life-or-death crises they are called out to deal with on a daily basis – a baby has been flushed down a toilet; a snake is crushing its owner; there’s a tsunami! 

This fast-paced – bordering on frenetic – and emotionally charged show sometimes tips over into melodrama but is a big hit with viewers. Angela Bassett plays an LAPD cop; Peter Krause, her partner, is a firefighter and, from Series 2, Jennifer Love Hewitt is a dispatcher, an operator who takes emergency calls. Disney+, available now

 

THE TEN HOTTEST SHOWS TO WATCH THIS WEEK ON NOW TV

Harassed family man Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini, above)

Harassed family man Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini, above)

1 The Sopranos

Harassed family man and troubled Mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is one of the great TV creations. More than 20 years after it launched, this show is as compelling, shocking and funny as when it first aired.

2 The Affair

Dominic West and Ruth Wilson star in an involving relationship drama in which we often see the same events from the varied perspectives of different characters.

3 Six Feet Under

Long-running, beloved TV sagas often have a problem with the final episode but this show, about the Fisher family who run a funeral home, sets the benchmark for last chapters.

4 The Wire

Uses the format of a tough, gritty cop show, set in Baltimore, to examine the wider ills of society and introduces us to some indelible characters on both sides of the law, played by the likes of Idris Elba and Wendell Pierce.

5 Dexter

Wildly implausible but hugely enjoyable crime drama about the eponymous serial killer (Michael C. Hall), who only kills other serial killers. Oh, and he works for law enforcement as a blood-spatter expert.

6 Chernobyl

Performances, cinematography, sound design… everything in this nerve-jangling, five-episode dramatisation of the horrific nuclear accident at the Ukrainian power plant is perfect.

7 Britannia

Ancient Britain is stuffed to the gills with drug-addled druids, power-crazed Romans and feuding Brits in Jez Butterworth’s bonkers and frequently laugh-out-loud funny drama.

8 Succession

Very black comedy about the awful, dysfunctional, super-rich Roy family, headed by terrifying media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox).

9 30 Rock

Brilliant long-running satirical sitcom about a TV sketch show, inspired by creator and star Tina Fey’s experiences on Saturday Night Live.

10 Extras

One of the joys of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s hilarious comedy about the life of a ‘background artist’ is the guest stars playing versions of themselves, including Kate Winslet, Sir Ian McKellen and David Bowie.

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NETFLIX

 

The Woman In The Window

Originally due out in October 2019 but delayed by re-editing, Covid-19 and its acquisition by Netflix, at last we discover what Joe Wright’s film of A. J. Finn’s psychological thriller is all about. 

Sounding a lot like Hitchcock’s Rear Window and with Amy Adams in the central role, it’s the story of Anna Fox (Adams), who suffers from agoraphobia and depression and, unable to leave her New York apartment, starts to spy on her new neighbours. 

Sounding a lot like Hitchcock’s Rear Window and with Amy Adams in the central role, it’s the story of Anna Fox (Adams, above) who starts to spy on her new neighbours

Sounding a lot like Hitchcock’s Rear Window and with Amy Adams in the central role, it’s the story of Anna Fox (Adams, above) who starts to spy on her new neighbours

One evening she witnesses a terrifying attack, but nobody seems to believe her. Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore and Anthony Mackie lend their support. From Friday

 

The Mitchells vs The Machines 

Delightful and bang on the money, this computer-animated sci-fi comedy featuring the vocal talents of Olivia Colman, Conan O’Brien, Maya Rudolph and Abbi Jacobson, among others. 

It follows the dysfunctional Mitchell family (above) who, while on a road trip, find themselves caught up in a robot uprising

It follows the dysfunctional Mitchell family (above) who, while on a road trip, find themselves caught up in a robot uprising

It follows the dysfunctional Mitchell family who, while on a road trip, find themselves caught up in a robot uprising. There’s something here for all ages. Available now

 

And Tomorrow The Entire World 

Concerned about the rise of Right-wing extremism in her town, law student Luisa (Mala Emde) joins an earnest anti-fascist group but finds the well-meaning Leftists increasingly divided over how to deal with the enemy. 

Should they be peaceful protesters, or do they need to fight fire with fire? ‘Non-violent resistance to Nazis? That’s total bulls***,’ says the anti-Nazis’ charismatic leader, Alfa (Noah Saavedra), to whom Luisa is increasingly drawn. 

The director of this German film, Julia von Heinz, was partly inspired by her own experiences as a member of an anti-Nazi group in the 1990s. Available now

 

Ferry 

Eagerly awaited feature- length prequel to the Belgian/Dutch crime drama series Undercover that sees Frank Lammers reprise his role as drug lord Ferry Bouman. 

Eagerly awaited feature- length prequel to the Belgian/Dutch crime drama series Undercover that sees Frank Lammers (above) reprise his role as drug lord Ferry Bouman

Eagerly awaited feature- length prequel to the Belgian/Dutch crime drama series Undercover that sees Frank Lammers (above) reprise his role as drug lord Ferry Bouman

However, the story takes place in 2006, before Ferry built his empire, and sees him reunited with his estranged family in his native Brabant while hunting down those responsible for attacking his mentor’s son. From Friday

 

Halston 

Producer Ryan Murphy (Pose, Ratched) has another glossy drama in this five-part series about the rise (after designing the pillbox hat Jackie Kennedy wore at her husband’s inauguration) and fall of the fashion designer Halston. 

Halston was a hard-partying denizen of New York’s Studio 54 in the 1970s with such glitterati as Liza Minnelli (played by Krysta Rodriguez, above) and Andy Warhol

Halston was a hard-partying denizen of New York’s Studio 54 in the 1970s with such glitterati as Liza Minnelli (played by Krysta Rodriguez, above) and Andy Warhol

He was a hard-partying denizen of New York’s Studio 54 in the 1970s with such glitterati as Liza Minnelli (played by Krysta Rodriguez) and Andy Warhol, and died of an Aids-related condition in 1990. 

Ewan McGregor, controversially for some, plays the central gay role. From Friday

 

Why is there such a buzz about..?

Fatma (Netflix)

Never seen any Turkish TV? This absorbing thriller about an unlikely serial killer is a good place to start.

It begins innocuously enough, as we follow the meek, mild-mannered Fatma (Burcu Biricik) on a series of cleaning jobs around Istanbul. With her dowdy dress and babushka, she doesn’t look like she could hurt a fly.

Something’s clearly not right, though. She has a haunted look about her and all she talks about is her husband, Zafar, a lowly gangland stooge who has just been released from prison and promptly disappeared. 

Has he abandoned her? Or worse? Fatma is determined to find out the truth.

Meek, mild-mannered Fatma (Burcu Biricik, above)

Meek, mild-mannered Fatma (Burcu Biricik, above)

Her search takes her into the Istanbul underworld and a confrontation with a thug she’s been told might know of Zafar’s whereabouts. And it’s here that Fatma crosses a line. 

Halfway through episode one she has killed her first gangster (shot in the chest with a stolen gun), and by the time the credits roll she’s done away with another (pushed under a train).

And it doesn’t stop there. As Fatma’s life begins to unravel, and her search for Zafar becomes more desperate, the death toll steadily rises. She’s no longer just a murderer, she has become a serial killer.

But there is something of the vigilante about her killings − none of the victims is a ‘good guy’ − and in flashback we learn of the childhood trauma that drives her vengeance today.

The ingenious, multi-layered plot is worthy of any hit Netflix drama and the twists and turns will keep you gripped all the way to its satisfying dénouement.

Nick Bagot 

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STARZPLAY, AMAZON & BBC iPLAYER

  

Men In Kilts

You’ll probably know Graham McTavish and Sam Heughan as Outlander’s Dougal/Buck MacKenzie and Jamie Fraser. The pair are best pals off-screen, even writing a book together, Clanlands: Whisky, Warfare, And A Scottish Adventure Like No Other, which became a surprise New York Times bestseller last year. 

You’ll probably know Graham McTavish and Sam Heughan (above) as Outlander’s Dougal/Buck MacKenzie and Jamie Fraser. The pair are best pals off-screen, even writing a book together

You’ll probably know Graham McTavish and Sam Heughan (above) as Outlander’s Dougal/Buck MacKenzie and Jamie Fraser. The pair are best pals off-screen, even writing a book together

Now the staunchly patriotic duo are taking to the road for an eight-part series, celebrating the sights and sounds of their native Scotland. Among the highlights are whisky-tasting, folk dancing and an attempt to wrangle a flock of wild sheep. Starzplay, from Sunday

 

The Underground Railroad 

The ‘Underground Railroad’ was the name given to a network of people who helped enslaved African-Americans flee the South. (This adaptation stars Thuso Mbedu, above)

The ‘Underground Railroad’ was the name given to a network of people who helped enslaved African-Americans flee the South. (This adaptation stars Thuso Mbedu, above)

Ten-part adaptation, directed by Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins, of the Colson Whitehead novel. The ‘Underground Railroad’ was the name given to a network of people who helped enslaved African-Americans flee the South, but here it’s imagined as a real railway helping escapee Cora (Thuso Mbedu). Amazon, from Friday

 

A Round With Alliss With Terry Wogan 

Sadly, Peter Alliss and Terry Wogan are no longer with us, but this cosy, amusing chat between the two friends reminds us what a comforting presence on our screens they were. The only thing wrong is that it isn’t long enough. BBC iPlayer, until Wednesday

 

FILM

A powerful supporting cast led by Anthony Hopkins (above)

A powerful supporting cast led by Anthony Hopkins (above)

The Virtuoso 

Ignore the haunting violin music; our unnamed main man is not that sort of virtuoso. He’s a contract killer, living off the grid, taking his orders by mobile phone. 

But when his latest hit goes wrong, he meets up in person with his senior mentor and is given a mysterious new target. Nick Stagliano’s stylish thriller throws up a decent twist or two, but leading man Anson Mount is somewhat over-powered by a supporting cast led by Anthony Hopkins. Main platforms, available now

Matthew Bond

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