Pick of the week
Half Man
Richard Gadd’s first TV project since Baby Reindeer is a visceral drama likely to have a similar impact. Half Man is fictional but its exploration of agonised youth still packs a mighty punch. Playing out across two timelines, it stars Gadd and Jamie Bell as Ruben and Niall, “brothers from another lover” negotiating a toxic but weirdly tender relationship. When closeted teen Niall is forced to share a room and a school with swaggering, violent Ruben, it could be his worst nightmare. But it’s much more complex than that. The underlying trauma is rendered brilliantly by Mitchell Robertson as young Niall and Stuart Campbell, whose portrayal of Ruben overflows with alpha aggression and neediness.
BBC iPlayer, Friday 24 April
Unchosen
In the wake of The Testaments, here’s another creepy thriller set within a brutal patriarchy. Molly Windsor stars as Rosie, a woman who lives in a tradwife-style cult helmed by Christopher Eccleston’s domineering Mr Phillips. When bedraggled but beguiling Sam (Fra Fee) turns up on her doorstep, Rosie’s instinct is to help. But what kind of person is she letting into this controlled environment? And how will her husband Adam (Sex Education’s Asa Butterfield) react to his arrival? Unchosen leans into the tension of its claustrophobic, pressure-cooker setting and a ripe melodrama is the result.
Netflix, Tuesday 21 April
Ramy Youssef: In Love
Ramy Youssef’s special power is his ability to address sensitive cultural issues in ways that are both pointed and universal. And so it remains in his third special for HBO. The Riyadh comedy festival is an open goal for a Muslim-American standup and here, Youssef wonders why he wasn’t invited, given that he visits regularly anyway (“I’m the only guy in Hollywood that loses money going to Saudi Arabia”). Elsewhere, whether he’s suggesting the niqab as a defence against porn-generating AI or deconstructing modern masculinity, he’s as smart, playful and disarming as ever.
HBO Max, Saturday 18 April
Criminal Record
The first season of this gripping thriller went somewhat under the radar. But this is a welcome return: the negative chemistry between Cush Jumbo’s diligent DS June Lenker and Peter Capaldi’s shifty DCI Daniel Hegarty is a wonder. As we return, Lenker is part of a team trying to keep a far-right group away from an Islamist rally. As everything kicks off, she sees a familiar face in the crowd. Her inquiries hit an internal brick wall but they do attract the attention of Hegarty. Might another dalliance with the Met’s dark side be Lenker’s only route to the truth?
Apple TV, Wednesday 22 April
Orangutan
We have been spoiled by a lifetime of exposure to the works of David Attenborough. As a result, most other nature films seem trite and lacking in gravitas. This documentary dispatch from Borneo and Sumatra is a case in point: while the footage is intimate and remarkable, Josh Gad’s playful, slightly cutesy narration frequently feels jarring, as does the somewhat overripe soundtrack. Still, it’s impossible not to root for plucky young primate Indah as she strikes out into the jungle, dodging snakes and tigers as she goes.
Disney+, Wednesday 22 April
Running Point
The first season of this comedy didn’t quite manage a slam dunk as a basketballing Ted Lasso. Still, it’s back, again pivoting round Kate Hudson’s Isla Gordon who is now firmly entrenched as president of her family’s team, the LA Waves. However, familiar problems remain: the club has no money and no coach and, to make matters worse, Isla’s reformed crack addict brother Cam is back in the picture. Running Point’s themes of a likable underdog battling against the odds aren’t without promise but the plotting and dialogue never quite catch fire.
Netflix, Thursday 23 April
Stranger Things: Tales from ’85
Surely no one thought Netflix was done with Hawkins? The main narrative may be over but now it’s time for the latest batch of spin-offs. This series (set between seasons two and three of the original drama) is animated, which at least feels like a good way of addressing issues around ageing cast members. The gang are happily anticipating an end to the supernatural drama that has overwhelmed their lives and making friends with Nikki, a new arrival. But when strange creatures start emerging from the depths, Nikki has plenty of questions.
Netflix, Thursday 23 April