Dan Slevin’s latest guide to new streaming TV shows.
Michelle Williams as Gwen Verdon and Sam Rockwell as Bob Fosse in Fosse/Verdon. Photo: FX Networks
Lots of streaming TV has landed since my last update (Game of Thrones!) so I’ll do my best to pick out a few of the highlights here – and represent each of New Zealand’s streaming services so there should be something for everyone here.
Starting with those shows that are dropping an episode a week, I’ve just mentioned the behemoth GoT which only has two episodes to go on Neon. Also coming to an end on Neon (but you can catch up pretty quickly) is Fosse/Verdon, a history of the life and art collaboration between dancer/choreographer/director Bob Fosse (Sam Rockwell) and his muse and collaborator Gwen Verdon (Michelle Williams). These two were among the most influential creators in American culture during the 50s and 60s and thoroughly deserving of this kind of treatment – and this calibre of actor.
Neon has also picked up the HBO mini-series Chernobyl, a five-episode history of the world’s biggest nuclear disaster (coincidentally, one of the reasons why I live in New Zealand now). Episode one lands on 10 May and then weekly from next Tuesday. It boasts heavyweight leads: double Oscar-nominee Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård and Jared Harris.
Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgård in Chernobyl Photo: HBO
TVNZ On Demand has the first two episodes of the Kiwi comedy The Educators up exclusively online but I’m not sure at time of writing how many episodes there will eventually be. And Lightbox is delivering an episode a week of the second season of the Pierce Brosnan Texas oil drama The Son.
In terms of full seasons, Netflix, Prime Video and TVNZ On Demand have my highlights. Dominic West plays Jean Valjean, Lily Collins is Fantine and David Oyewelo is Javert in the latest BBC adaptation of Les Misérables on TVNZ. Prime Video has the series remake of Joe Wright’s thriller about a teenage assassin, Hanna (eight episodes, and season two has just been announced) and they’ve also just posted (to their NZ site, a year after the US) the fourth season of Mozart in the Jungle.
Dominic West, Lily Collins, Mailow Defoy and David Oyewelo in the new Les Misérables Photo: BBC
Dead to Me is the highlight on Netflix – Christina Applegate, Linda Cardellini and James Marsden star in a half-hour comedy from the company Gloria Sanchez Productions (the female-focused sister company of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez). It also features the 89-year-old Ed Asner (Lou Grant) and is not to be confused with the early-2000s show Dead Like Me, which you can find on Prime Video and Lightbox.
And, if you are in a nostalgic frame of mind, Prime Video has all eight seasons of the detective dramedy Monk (starring the wonderful Tony Shalhoub) and the Aussie-made sci-fi show Farscape from the late 90s (four seasons).
Dan Slevin highlights some of the best and most interesting TV shows that are new to Kiwi streaming services.