![]() Throughout the six, perfectly formed episodes, the lives of the ensemble cast veer from tragic to hilarious in a series of unexpected ways, and you’re kept guessing how everything will turn out. That doesn’t happen in a predictable or formulaic manner, though. ![]() And secondly because, in small and subtle ways, the show suggests things can get better, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. and at a time like now, a bit of catharsis is no bad thing. But in the case of After Life, you’d be wrong, for two reasons.įirstly, the awful ways that main character Tony, played by Ricky Gervais, takes out his anger at the death of his wife are brilliantly, cathartically funny. Is lockdown life making you miserable? Then you might think a black comedy about a man contemplating suicide wouldn’t help. ![]() Why watch it?: It’s hilarious, bad-taste comedy with a heart of gold.What happens: A bereaved reporter takes out his anger in obscene ways.But stick with it and from episode three onwards, you’ll get a good return on the time you’ve invested.Īfter Life carves comedy out of the most unlikely subjects (Image credit: Netflix) There’s one big caveat, though: it takes a little time to find its way, and the first couple of episodes are in honesty not that great. ![]() In fact, that applies even if you’re not a sci-fi fan in general, because it’s simply a good story, told well. Precisely because it’s a prequel, there’s no continuity to worry about, and so it’s a great jumping off point for enjoying this much-loved world of space adventure. And secondly, you don’t need to have watched any Star Trek before to enjoy it. Firstly, Star Trek: Discovery is very good. If this all sounds confusing, here are two things you need to know. In this century we’ve had Enterprise, the JJ Abrahms movie reboots, and most recently, two new TV series in the form of Discovery, a prequel to the original 60s show, and in 2020, Picard. In the 1980s and 1990s, the show returned to TV in the form of Next Generation, followed by Deep Space Nine and Voyager. In the 1970s came the spin-off movies, books and cartoon series. There’s been an awful lot of Star Trek since the original show in the 1960s. Why watch it?: It’s engaging drama with great storylines.What happens: War erupts between two galactic empires.You don’t need to be a Star Trek fan to enjoy Discovery (Image credit: Netflix) Or at the very least, you’ll be reminded how glad you are not to be at school any more. You’ll soon start to care deeply about these carefully drawn characters, and crave to find out what happens to them next. We also don’t understand how these kids, with their working-class accents and attitudes, mostly seem to live in ski lodges and millionaire mansions.īut you quickly forget all of that, because the story does such a good job of capturing the emotional whirlwind that is being a teenager. For a start, this allegedly British school looks very much like an American one, with its pep rallies, Letterman jackets and focus on the swim team and school band. but it’s very entertaining nonetheless.Īdmittedly, this show is not perfect. And yes, that’s as ridiculous as it sounds. It follows a nerdy but empathetic lad, who’s enlisted by a tough teenage girl to sell their fellow pupils sex therapy sessions. The polar opposite to the darkness of You, Sex Education is a colourful, fun and sexually explicit comedy-drama that will put a smile on your face and make you forget all your lockdown woes. Why watch it?: It’s funny, smart and very sexy.What happens: A tough girl sets up a nerdy lad as a sex therapist.Sex Education isn't perfect, but it's tons of fun (Image credit: Netflix) This causes a whirlwind of tragic consequences, played out compellingly by top-class actors including Richard Armitage, Dervla Kirwan, Jennifer Saunders, Stephen Rea and Anthony Stewart Head.Īll in all, this show rises above the norm due to its perfectly formed plotting, its grounded sense of realism, and its empathy for the characters, who invariably come across as sympathetic even the wrong’uns. In this eight-part series, Hannah John-Kamen is entrancing as the mystery woman who goes around town revealing people’s secrets. Finally, however, Netflix has bottled his genius into a series of UK-set dramas: The Five (no longer available), Safe and most recently and compellingly, The Stranger. Why watch it?: Every second is filled with intrigue and excitementĪmerican novelist Harlan Coben is one of the century’s greatest crime writers, but it’s taken a long time for his books to be successfully adapted for TV.What happens: A stranger goes around town revealing people’s secrets.The Stranger is full of thrilling twists and turns (Image credit: Netflix)
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