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Streaming services: there’s a lot of them (with yet another, HBO Max, on the way later this month) and everyone seems to be signed up to different ones, making recommendations a challenge. Step forward the Guide’s fourth edition of A Show for Every Streamer (previous versions can be seen here, here and here), which does exactly as it describes. As is tradition, we’ve tried to avoid series that everyone has been nattering about (unlucky, Heated Rivalry), and instead spotlight less heralded, more surprising picks, starting with …
Apple TV | Drops of God
… a Japanese-American-French drama about warring wine experts, of course. A curious one, though it does fit in with Apple’s penchant for high-end subject matter. After a first series that saw the daughter of a deceased French wine expert face off against his Japanese mentee for ownership of his multimillion-dollar wine collection, season two – which arrived in January – sees the two team up to investigate the mysterious origins of a bottle of red from dad’s collection.
BBC iPlayer | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy/Smiley’s People
Listen, we could point you to the excellent Small Prophets or the barnstorming fourth season of Industry, but really most new BBC series of any cop tend to get heartily praised. Better, maybe, to flag the old series that have snuck their way back on to iPlayer: both of the Beeb’s peerless late 70s-early 80s Le Carré adaptations, featuring Alec Guinness as the definitive George Smiley, are streaming in full.
Channel 4 | Faking It
The channel’s online archive is a trove for classic documentaries, from early Nick Broomfield efforts to standalones from their Dispatches and Cutting Edge strands (though, annoyingly, no one’s thought to bundle them all together under those titles). And of course their lighter reality-doc fare including this still-charming career-swap series, which was solidly revived (and then swiftly cancelled) by Channel 5 last year.
Channel 5 | The X Files
Given that, according to its chief content officer, Channel 5’s involvement in the ill-advised reboot almost doomed the channel, you’d think they might run a mile from The X Files. But no, the entire thing, shonky reboot and all, is available on its streaming service. Warning: avoid certain episodes, like the horrific Home (banned by Fox from being rerun for years), before bedtime.
Disney+ | Wonder Man
A Marvel series that doesn’t require knowledge of the deep lore of 30 films, keeps the city-smashing CGI set pieces to a minimum AND features Ben Kingsley having lots of fun with a scouse accent? Sign us up. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is actor and secret supe Simon Williams, having to keep his powers hidden in order to win the part of fictional superhero Wonder Man; Kingsley is long-term Marvel character Trevor Slattery, mentoring Williams while also secretly spying on him. Great fun that doesn’t outstay its welcome.
ITVX | Shoresy
As streamers scramble around for acquisitions to build up their libraries, shows start turning up in very strange places. Shoresy, a Canadian comedy about a violent, foul-mouthed hockey player, seems an odd fit for ITVX, nestled as it is alongside gentle Martin Clunes dramas and episodes of TOWIE. Still, it’s definitely worth a go: even if the references to high-sticking and the like sail over your head, you’ll be drawn in by its very funny portrayal of cracked masculinity.
Netflix | Vladimir
This one’s hot off the editing suite: Netflix’s sprightly adaptation of Julia May Jonas’s novel of campus-based romping and marital intrigue only landed on the platform yesterday. The cast is preposterously well put together: Rachel Weisz as our tenured professor/unreliable narrator lead; John Slattery as the serially unfaithful poetry tutor husband who has pushed things too far this time; and sad-eyed hunk of the moment Leo Woodall as the titular assistant professor who catches her eye.
Now | Togetherness
HBO Max’s imminent arrival may spell long-term trouble for Sky’s streaming service, though for now a deal has been done to give Now subscribers access to all that network’s goodies, including the usual big beasts – most recently A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – and some of its less heralded gems. This relationship comedy-drama from mumblecore kings the Duplass brothers only lasted two series, but it’s worth watching for its portrayal of late-30s family anarchy.
Paramount+ | Girl Taken
To complicate the streaming situation even further, Paramount have just beaten Netflix to the acquisition of Warner Bros, parent of the aforementioned HBO Max. Which means that soon you might have to subscribe to Paramount+ to watch those HBO shows. While you’re there you can check in on some of Paramount’s originals, including the wildly successful Taylor Sheridan series Yellowstone and Landman, and this nasty little British abduction drama (pictured top), which features a remarkable villainous performance from Alfie Allen.
PlutoTV | Cagney and Lacey
The real draw of this entirely free streamer is its surprisingly varied selection of movies, including a genuinely impressive collection of films from Curzon’s library. TV-wise, pickings are vanishingly thin, though it does offer some nostalgic crime-drama thrills, including Prisoner: Cell Block H and the quietly pioneering, still much-loved Cagney and Lacey.
Prime Video | Steal
Amazon seems to have become the home of trashy but engaging drama – erotic thrillers, teen series, hyperviolent superhero sagas and so forth. This British thriller, starring Sophie Turner as a trading floor manager drawn into a violent heist at a pension management company, was one of their best shows of recent times, opening with a bone-crunchingly kinetic first episode, before settling into a fun twisty mystery.
U | Outsiders
UKTV’s nigh-on un-Googleable streaming service has all manner of curios hidden in its streamy depths: half-forgotten home renovation shows; more cosy crime dramas than can be viewed in a lifetime; and all manner of short-lived high-concept comedy gameshows commissioned by Dave. This one, a sort of standup scouts weekend hosted by David Mitchell, serves as a decent Taskmaster stand-in when Greg and Little Alex are away from our screens.
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