5 hours ago
6
Pick of the week
Kylie
When I Should Be So Lucky reached No 1 in 1988, the idea that Kylie Minogue would still be a cultural icon four decades later would have seemed ridiculous. Yet here we still are: the cult of Kylie has taken many twists and turns, some of them tragic, but she shows no sign of slowing down. This three-part documentary comes from the makers of Beckham and is very much an authorised version of the story. This is a mixed blessing but it does mean that Kylie herself is front and centre and able to tell her own story. Other contributors include her sister Dannii, Jason Donovan and Nick Cave.
Netflix, from Wednesday 20 May
Navy Seals: America’s Secret Warriors
Given the number of TV shows devoted to them, it’s hard to regard US special operations unit the Navy Seals as all that secret. This latest series speaks to former members of the fighting force and offers insights into everything from the impossibly gruelling training (“We train to be supermen,” says one) to the operations themselves. There are hair-raising accounts – and some slightly shonky reconstructions – of missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and it also takes a look at their origin story (as the less catchy Amphibious Scouts and Raiders) in the second world war.
Netflix, from Monday 18 May
Untold UK: Liverpool’s Miracle of Istanbul
What happens when, as Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher puts it, “the biggest game of your life is turning into the biggest nightmare”? In the Champions League final of 2005, Liverpool were staring into the void when they trailed AC Milan 3-0 at half-time. Their comeback has become legendary and this documentary hears from all the main players – including captain Steven Gerrard and manager Rafael Benítez – as they work out how they managed it. Much of it still defies logic but the film does offer insights into the characters and backstories of the players involved.
Netflix, from Tuesday 19 May
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
Paula (Tatiana Maslany) is lying on her kitchen floor masturbating to a handsome stranger on a webcam. A harmless guilty pleasure? Paula is recently separated, under pressure at work and trying to maintain a relationship with her daughter. But soon this habit has serious consequences, as a tale of violence and blackmail begins to unfold. It sounds bleak but, thanks to a superbly goofy and spiky performance from Maslany, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is full of pitch-black comedy. It also works as a thriller as Paula takes matters into her own hands.
Apple TV, from Wednesday 20 May
Bluey
While the forthcoming movie is taking up most of the creative bandwidth of the Bluey team, they have found time to knock up 10 new mini episodes. These offerings are brief but that doesn’t mean they don’t contain plenty of the wit and wisdom that characterise the cartoon. They do a charming job of capturing the fleeting but memorable moments of childhood – a car journey during which imaginations run wild or a new version of a nursery rhyme. For the benefit of non-Disney subscribers, they’ll be available on the official Bluey YouTube channel too.
Disney+, from Wednesday 20 May
The Boroughs
If Stranger Things viewed a supernatural mystery through the eyes of teenagers, The Boroughs (produced by the Duffer brothers) does something similar via senior citizens. At a retirement community, widower Sam (Alfred Molina, grouchy and endearing) finds himself dumped. But even beyond his suspicion that he has been rushed into golden years oblivion by his family, something about the place isn’t quite right. Are his spooky alien visions terrifyingly real or a symptom of declining faculties? With the help of a fine supporting cast, including Geena Davis, Clarke Peters and Bill Pullman, Sam discovers that he has one last adventure in him.
Netflix, from Thursday 21 May
SkyMed
While most medical dramas mine tension from the intensity of the hospital, this drama casts its net wider, following an air ambulance crew as they patrol Canada’s vast northern terrain. However, some TV traditions never change: in this fourth season of the show, there’s another batch of rookies whose temperaments range from nervous to cocky. There’s plenty of interpersonal drama, too, as a new pilot with a connection to one of the team arrives. It’s broad and wholesome to a fault but, as long as you don’t expect The Pitt, it just about hits the spot.
Paramount+, from Thursday 21 May
