Pick of the week
Prime Target
Could prime numbers unlock the secrets of the universe? In this mathematics drama, Edward Brooks (Leo Woodall) is a brilliant Cambridge maths postgraduate who thinks they might. But will he be allowed to prove this or will his abrasive personality – and the fact that others trying to travel along the same road have clearly been stopped – prevent him from doing so? Initially at least, Prime Target suffers from featuring rather a lot of people gazing earnestly at computer screens and feverishly scribbling bewildering formulae on blackboards. But it hots up once it becomes clear that behind these ever-unspooling number sequences lie real life-and-death consequences.
Apple TV+, from Wednesday 22 January
***
High Potential
Morgan (a warm, brash and likable Kaitlin Olson) is a single mother with three kids. She also has an IQ of 160. She’s uncannily observant and miraculously good at connecting those observations. Accordingly, while working as a cleaner for the LAPD, she can’t stop herself from anonymously solving a crime on the case board. The next day, the police angrily – but curiously – wonder who this detective genius might be. CCTV provides the answer and a new career is born. It’s not just case-of-the-week comedy drama; it’s also engaging about neurodivergent people struggling to find a place.
Disney+, from Thursday 23 January
***
Wags to Riches
This bleak reality series documents the sleek yet icy-cold lifestyles of a new generation of American Wags. It’s set in Miami and the occupations of the featured couples largely involve American football and boxing for the men and real-estate speculation for the women. The tone is recognisable from the various iterations of the Selling Sunset franchise but if anything, it’s even more rapaciously status-driven. “If I can’t benefit from you,” says one, “I’m not around you.” As mission statements go, it sums up the moral compass of the show perfectly.
Netflix, from Wednesday 22 January
***
The Night Agent
Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) was a glorified phone monkey called into action in season one of this slick, gripping FBI thriller. As a result of his heroism, he’s been promoted. But be careful what you wish for; active service comes with considerable risks. Peter’s mission in this new season is a big one: a CIA agent has gone awol and someone is selling leaked US intelligence to the highest bidder. And perhaps not coincidentally, a weapons cache “big enough to wipe out Manhattan” has disappeared. Using his customary mixture of brains and brawn, can Pete fix it? PH
Netflix, from Thursday 23 January
***
Harlem
The aspirational comedy drama following the adventures of four Black thirtysomething female friends in New York begins its third (and final) season with the quartet all facing big changes. As ever, there are swanky nightclubs, sculpted love interests and professional triumphs. But as Camille, Quinn, Angie and Tye get older, there are dilemmas, too: can this sisterhood survive impending motherhood? And what does middle age look like for women who pride themselves on independence and hedonism? Harlem ends as it began: raunchy, strident and glossy.
Prime Video, from Thursday 23 January
***
Shafted
Won’t somebody please think of the middle-aged, middle-class white men? This comedy drama begins in group therapy: four male friends are finding that as they get older, society’s customs are changing around them. And as the patriarchy crumbles, they’re struggling with themselves, too: facing waning sex drives, lost creativity and grey hair. It’s set in Paris but owes a considerable debt to the Spanish series Alpha Males and, like its predecessor, walks a fine line between jovially deconstructing male expectations and celebrating them.
Netflix, from Friday 24 January
***
The Day
This gritty, taut and tightly plotted thriller from Belgium via Walter Presents takes place across a single 24-hour period and sustains an impressive level of tension throughout. The inciting incident is a bank robbery in a small town. However, as the surrounding area grinds to a halt, police snipers gather on rooftops and the perpetrators begin to panic, it becomes clear that the stakes are going to keep rising. It never really transcends its genre but, even so, The Day wrings every potential drop of suspense out of a fairly commonplace premise.
Channel 4, from Friday 24 January
