Pick of the week
Rivals
“Quite the end of series cliffhanger,” says Tony Baddingham (David Tennant) of his survival after an assault with an award statuette. As this Jilly Cooper bonkbuster adaptation returns, Tony is pretending to have no memory of Cameron’s attack, but in private it’s complicated: Corinium’s battle with Venturer takes priority but that doesn’t mean a score won’t be settled. However, this narrative is a red herring: what really matters is the bed-hopping, the knee-tremblers, the raunch. What about Declan and Maud? Taggie and Rupert? What about lovely Freddie and Lizzie? Let’s just say nobody’s ardour has cooled since last time. Oh, and there’s a dog called David Bow-wowie. Great fun.
Disney+, from Friday 15 May
Good Omens
Much has changed since the second season of this metaphysical comedy. The story is now concluding via a single, 90-minute episode after the departure from the production of its co-creator Neil Gaiman. Good Omens remains a witty and inventive romp, sustained by the sparkling chemistry between leads David Tennant (demon Crowley) and Michael Sheen (angel Aziraphale). As we return, the Second Coming is approaching but all is chaos: Jesus has gone missing, Aziraphale is out of his depth and Crowley is wallowing in misery. The fate of the universe depends on the pair getting their acts together …
Prime Video, from Wednesday 13 May
Daniel Dae Kim: K-Everything
Actor Daniel Dae Kim was born in South Korea but made his name in the US. However, given the way the two nation’s respective cultures have evolved, maybe he didn’t need to leave. In this series, Kim returns to his birthplace to explore its massive influence on the modern world. Across four episodes, he takes an amiable, albeit fleeting look at everything from K-pop to the country’s influential culinary scene to the successful movie industry. Is there a single factor that explains this across-the-board success?
CNN Livestream/Prime Video, from Saturday 9 May
Tucci in Italy
Based on the infectious delight that was evident in the first season of this foodie travelogue, it seemed inevitable that Stanley Tucci would be back for seconds. And who can blame him? After all, as working holidays go, this one is right up there. Tucci is visiting five new regions with five unique terroirs – and from the grapes of Naples to the oddly controversial tiramisus of Veneto he’s enjoying himself heartily. It’s a mixture of mild social history and not particularly mild advertorial for the Italian tourist board – expect to find yourself Googling flights and hotels.
Disney+/National Geographic, from Tuesday 12 May
Off Campus
According to one admirer, Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) “doesn’t really do girlfriends”. He’s too busy being a star college hockey player and all-round lad to bother about such things. However, as any connoisseur of cheesy YA fiction (a category in which this Louisa Levy adaptation very much belongs) will know, opposites can attract. Enter Hannah Wells (Ella Bright), a student who, horror of horrors, prefers classical music to hockey. The pair’s romance begins as a relationship of convenience but guess what? It might just work.
Prime Video, from Wednesday 13 May
Nemesis
This crime drama is the handiwork of the creator of the Power dynasty of thrillers, Courtney A Kemp, and it shares a similar aesthetic. Set in a stylised LA that is simultaneously glossy and gritty, it follows the battle between Matthew Law’s indefatigable detective Isaiah Styles and criminal mastermind Coltrane Wilder (Y’lan Noel). Styles is on the trail of the perp who killed his partner while Wilder, like many fictional criminals before him, is almost out of the game but intent on the perfect heist. Enter $6m worth of “untraceable” diamonds and let battle commence …
Netflix, from Thursday 14 May
Dutton Ranch
The violent, melodramatic and dusty world of Yellowstone continues to expand, and so do the horizons of some of its best-loved inhabitants. In this spin-off, Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler (Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser) are saying goodbye to Montana and moving to Texas. However, trouble seems to follow this couple wherever they go and, before long, they’re finding that the Lone Star State doesn’t take kindly to outsiders – particularly if they arrive as potential business rivals. Soon, guns are being unholstered once again as a whole new set of enemies emerge.
Paramount+, from Friday 15 May