Pick of the week
The Great
There are a couple of possible approaches to historical drama. You can go the serious route: aim for some semblance of veracity. Or you can lean into the decadence and absurdity of the past. This drama exploring (very loosely) the life of Catherine the Great opts for the second option and is all the better for it – it could hardly be more full of sex, violence and corruption and that’s its biggest strength. As season three begins, Catherine (Elle Fanning) and Peter (Nicholas Hoult) are trying to make a fresh start. Which, given that a day earlier she had attempted to kill him, seems like a stretch. Meanwhile, hungry bears await season two’s traitors – unless Peter intervenes.
Lionsgate+, from Friday 14 July
***
Boris Becker: The Rise and Fall
What is it about charismatic, dysfunctional blond men called Boris? This two-parter documents the dizzying ascent and vertiginous plummet of Boris Becker, once tennis’s most seductively gilded youth (he won Wimbledon at 17) but eventually, a tax fraudster, a love cheat and, in 2022, a guest of HM Prison Service. This is a reasonably deep dive, speaking to coaches, partners and legal staff involved in his prosecution. In many ways, Becker is no less of an enigma by the end but it’s still fascinating viewing, with the sense of a once-charmed life falling apart and damaging everyone in its orbit.
ITVX, from Thursday 13 July
***
The Secret of Hillsong
To an outsider’s eyes, all megachurches look sketchy. However, this four-part doc puts some meat on the bones, exploring dubious goings-on in and around the globally expansive Hillsong church. Vanity Fair journalists Alex French and Dan Adler dug into a church previously best known for its starry congregations – Justin Bieber, Bono and Selena Gomez have all attended services – but which is now associated with allegations of malpractice including homophobia and sexual abuse. It’s a grimly fascinating insight into institutional corruption.
Disney+, from Wednesday 12 July
***
Survival of the Thickest
Based on comedian Michelle Buteau’s series of articles of the same title, this comedy follows Mavis Beaumont (Buteau) as she attempts to start again after a bruising breakup. It’s an unstoppable gush of body positivity (“I’m meaty on top, nubby on the bottom and very delicious”) and seize-the-day greetings card affirmation but, even so, it has a certain energy. Mavis works as a stylist and decides to reorient her business towards plus-sized Black women. Before long, celebrity stylist status beckons – along with a fresh set of problems.
Netflix, from Thursday 13 July
***
Foundation
A century has passed since the first season of this stately sci-fi – though in Foundation time it almost certainly feels longer. Once again, the galaxy looks on anxiously as the Cleons begin to fall apart and a power vacuum opens up. Foundation and Empire are now on a collision course and, inevitably, humanity’s survival is at stake. Despite a cast led by the reliably excellent Jared Harris, Foundation always feels slightly generic: it’s one of those lavish, expensive-looking, over-earnest streaming dramas that could do with a ruthless edit and a shot of adrenaline.
Apple TV +, from Friday 14 July
***
The Afterparty
This whodunnit starring Tiffany Haddish as Detective Danner returns – this time, a murder at a wedding needs her attention. The hackneyed set-up is acknowledged fulsomely and it’s full of amusing one-liners but, as the investigation unfolds through film genres matched to each suspect’s perspective (“I’m here to see your mind movies,” Danner proclaims), the show often feels too pleased with itself, too full of its own concept, too meta to matter. However, a strong cast (Elizabeth Perkins, Jack Whitehall and many more) keep things watchable.
Apple TV+, from Friday 14 July
***
The Summer I Turned Pretty
A second season for this hazy coming-of-age drama which deals in those thrilling, scary, sometimes heartbreaking years when adulthood begins to impinge upon the placid idyll of youth. As we return to Cousins Beach, Belly (Lola Tung) is feeling the cold hand of reality even more insistently than usual. She’s still torn between permatanned all-American hunks Conrad and Jeremiah but her mother’s health problems have cast a pall over the family’s beloved holiday refuge. Belly faces a battle, not least for her most precious childhood memories.
Prime Video, from Friday 14 July
