Pick of the week
Toxic Town
Might the Corby toxic waste case be the latest scandal to be brought to national attention by a TV drama? Written by Jack Thorne and starring Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood and Robert Carlyle, this bleak but stirring true story lands somewhere between Mr Bates vs the Post Office and Erin Brockovich. It centres on the redevelopment of a decommissioned steelworks, which foreshadowed a rise in children being born with upper limb disabilities. It’s a claustrophobic and ominous affair featuring the red dust of the steel plant billowing poisonously through the town, but Whittaker is superb as Susan McIntyre, the mother battling Corby council for justice and accountability.
Netflix, from Thursday 27 February
***
Running Point
Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson) is far from the golden child of her dysfunctional family – and that’s saying something. However, they also own the fictional, high-rolling basketball team the LA Waves – and when big brother Cam’s drug habit threatens to overwhelm him, Isla finds herself running the show, dealing with old-school sexism (“I guess it’s ‘take your sister to work day’,” quips one player), jealous siblings and sceptical sponsors. Running Point is breezy if generic sitcom fare; it is light bordering on slight but it’s easy to root for Gordon as her power-suited battle against the patriarchy begins.
Netflix, from Thursday 27 February
***
1923
“Today, we begin making Montana a playground for the elite.” Developers are looking to carve up and sell off the US wilderness. This clearly isn’t great news for the Duttons, whose ranch is slap bang in the middle of this projected reservation for the rich. As the Yellowstone prequel inches ever closer to the timeline of the original show, this existential threat is leading to reunification as Spencer begins the trek home to help his family. But first, there’s a brutal winter to survive. A grand spectacle, fondly leaning into the mythology around America’s turbulent past.
Paramount+, from Sunday 23 February
***
The Baldwins
There is, at the very least, a certain unease underpinning this glossy series offering a fly-on-the-wall view of the domestic life of Alec Baldwin. Many will see it as a cynical attempt at reputation management in the wake of the tragic fatal shooting accident in which the actor was involved on the set of the film Rust. Anyway, if you can handle a slightly questionable taste in your mouth, expect cutesy domestic narratives as Baldwin and his wife, Hilaria, attempt to bring up their seven children while negotiating the anxiety of the legal process around him.
Discovery+, from Monday 24 February
***
The One That Got Away
Cymru noir, anyone? This patient, gripping and accomplished thriller is set in a Welsh coastal town with a dark past. When a nurse is murdered, DS Rick Walters is tasked with finding her killer. However, instructions from higher up dictate that he’ll be joined by DI Ffion Lloyd – who, awkwardly, was once his fiance. Initially, it seems an open-and-shut case but soon evidence casts doubt on both the current investigation and a previous murder inquiry. Slowly but inexorably, Walters finds his sense of both his town and his marriage turned upside down. PH
BBC iPlayer, from Tuesday 25 February
***
Abbott Elementary
The much-loved US school sitcom returns for a fourth season, and look out for a brave, arguably foolhardy gambit from blundering principal Ava Coleman, who has invited an HR investigation into issues surrounding governance. Cue a veritable avalanche of complaints about her. More seriously, there are new arrivals thanks to a nearby construction project – but nothing much in the way of new money. Abbott Elementary is starting to tread water a touch in terms of character development, but its quick wit and good nature keeps us coming back for more.
Disney+, from Wednesday 26 February
***
Doubters to Believers: Liverpool FC – Klopp’s Era
All football clubs are prone to self-mythologising. Liverpool FC have frequently raised that tendency to an art form, so the tone of this four-part documentary series exploring Jürgen Klopp’s tenure as manager should come as no surprise to anyone. It’s a story told at a high emotional pitch: tears constantly seem close as the German’s impressive custodianship of Liverpool is tracked from 2015 to his farewell season in 2023-24. Expect insider insight from players including goalkeeper Allison Becker and full back Andy Robertson.
Prime Video, from Friday 28 February
