Pick of the week
Pachinko
With its high production values, patient pacing and depth of characterisation, Pachinko is an epic historical drama that often feels like a throwback to the “golden age” TV dramas of the early 00s. As we rejoin the multiple generations of the family for a second series, the young Sunja (Kim Min-ha) is facing destitution in wartime Osaka as the Americans turn the screw and food becomes scarce. Will she stay on the right side of the law? Meanwhile, in Tokyo in 1989, Solomon (Jin Ha) struggles to find investors for his new enterprise. A face from his past offers a possible solution but might his family kill him with kindness? Anna Sawai, who recently won an Emmy nomination for hit series Shōgun, also stars.
Apple TV+, from 23 August
***
OceanXplorers
James Cameron narrates this documentary series, co-produced by National Geographic and Disney. It takes us on board a state-of-the-art vessel that is researching and reporting on some of Earth’s last remaining unexplored regions at the bottom of the sea. A staggering 80% of the world’s oceans are still untouched by humanity, so it will be fascinating to see what this team of oceanographers and scientific adventurers uncover as they journey from the warm water environment of the Caribbean to the frozen wastes of the Arctic.
Disney+, from 19 August
***
Love Next Door
A glossy, and more than a little frothy, romantic drama from South Korea which ponders the difficulties involved in embarking on a relationship with someone you’ve known all your life. Choi Seung-hyo and Baek Seo-ryu were constant companions during childhood thanks to the close friendship between their mothers. In adulthood, they’ve gone in separate directions – but when Seo-ryu decides to move back home after abandoning a high-flying career abroad, their paths cross again. Inevitably, affection sparks between them immediately …
Netflix , out now
***
Untold
The series unpicking the biggest stories in American sport returns with three new episodes. There’s the tale of US women’s football team goalkeeper Hope Solo and her various battles with the team’s ruling organisation, US Soccer. There’s controversial American football star Connor Stalions, who was accused of gamesmanship in 2023. And perhaps most strikingly, the story of the death of NFL hero Steve McNair, who was shot dead in an apparent murder suicide in 2009. It’s slick and never less than intriguing.
Netflix, from 22 August
***
Secret Lives of Orangutans
It has been 68 years since David Attenborough first encountered orangutans on our screens in black-and-white. He’s back at it, narrating a special one-off documentary that proves how much more there still is to find out about our close relatives. Intimately following a remarkable group of orangutans in the jungles of Sumatra – one of the last refuges for these animals in the wild – it focuses on eight-year-old Ellie as she brings up little Emen and Eden. Prepare for your heartstrings to be tugged and to realise just how emotionally relatable these creatures are.
Netflix, from 22 August
***
Sven
“He seemed dull,” says former News of the World hack Neil Wallis, recalling first impressions of England’s new manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in 2001. As subsequent events proved, Eriksson was a dark horse. This career-spanning documentary encompasses love affairs, banquets with government functionaries in North Korea, financial catastrophe and, of course, miraculous footballing success. Sadly, Eriksson is near the end of his life with terminal cancer and he’s in an inevitably reflective mood, spending time with his family in Sweden and dryly recalling a few of his many memorable adventures.
Prime Video, from 23 August
***
Dating Naked
“Girls will be able to focus on who I am as a person,” says Billy. This feels like an optimistic reading of the format of this dating show in which 10 singles bare all while living together in a tropical resort. It’s likelier that, in the short term at least, they’ll be focusing on his tats and bulging pecs. Still, the requisite journeys toward romance soon start to take place with a fully clothed Rylan Clark doing the hosting honours. It’s pretty formulaic in the end, mainly because there’s no real diversity in terms of sexual preference, age or body type.
Paramount+, from 23 August
