Shows not to miss: Belle Gibson story in Apple Cider Vinegar; detective dramedy Ludwig
Aussie conwoman Belle Gibson’s story will make your blood boil in Apple Cider Vinegar and charming detective comedy-drama Ludwig stars a UK comedy great.
Entertainment
Don't miss out on the headlines from Entertainment. Followed categories will be added to My News.
We’ve sifted through the latest offerings from TV and streaming platforms to find the best shows you should be watching this week.
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
THURSDAY, NETFLIX
It’s hard to believe that Kaitlyn Dever is actually American, so flawless is her accent as fraudulent wellness influencer Belle Gibson, in this six-part series billed as “a true-ish story based on a lie”. More than that, the Booksmart and Dopesick star absolutely nails the mix of drive, ruthlessness and sheer gall of the Aussie entrepreneur who claimed she’d cured her brain cancer through healthy living and eating and used that outrageous lie to promote her book and app, while claiming to be helping charities and fellow cancer sufferers. Adapted from the book The Woman Who Fooled the World, it makes for compelling but sometimes infuriating viewing as Gibson and her mentor turned rival Milla (Alycia Debnam-Carey) push their pseudoscience and crackpot treatments through the growing power of social media with little regard for the real and devastating consequences of the vulnerable people who fall for it. Tilda Cobham-Hervey is a standout as a cancer patient who desperately wants to believe, as are veterans Susie Porter and Matt Nable, as parents put in the most heartbreaking position imaginable.
LUDWIG
WEDNESDAY, 8.30PM, CHANNEL 7, 7+
British comedian and actor David Mitchell is perfect in the title role of this new six-part British dramedy. The Peep Show and Would I Lie To You? star plays John Mitchell, a nerdy and reclusive professional puzzle maker, who creates complex crosswords using the pen name, Ludwig. When his identical twin James (also Mitchell), a Cambridge detective, goes missing, his increasingly worried wife enlists John to impersonate his brother to retrieve files from his office in police HQ, hoping they will provide some clues to his whereabouts. But when he’s unwittingly dragged into a murder investigation, he finds that his methodical mind translates rather well to the crime-fighting world, and decides to stick with the ruse, solving cases while the hunt for James continues.
YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBOURHOOD SPIDER-MAN
NEW EPISODES WEDNESDAYS, DISNEY+
With four different Spider-Men and ten stand-alone big screen adventures in the last 25 years, you’d be forgiven for thinking that audiences have seen all there is to see of the web-slinging, wall-crawling superhero. But there’s enough that’s fresh and fun in this vibrant small-screen series that takes the teenage Spidey back to his low-tech, friendly, neighbourhood roots. With a cameo from Doctor Strange – providing a different spin on the origin story that gives Peter Parker his powers – and nods to other heroes including Iron Man and Captain America, there are Easter eggs galore for the hardcore Marvel fans, but a snappy pace, nostalgic, family-friendly tone and pumping soundtrack will appeal to casual viewers as well.
THE TAKEDOWN: AMERICAN ARYANS
THURSDAY, BINGE
This four-part documentary makes for sometimes terrifying viewing as it exposes the grubby, racist, criminal and violent dealings of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, which was formed behind bars in the Lone Star State in the 1980s and spread “like a cancer” across the country to become one of the most dangerous gangs in America. Fuelled by Nazi ideology and with tentacles that reached into theft, murder, drug and gun-running and prostitution it established a strict code, enforced by extreme violence, that ruined countless lives. But when the appalling torture and murder of a young woman came to light, soldier turned federal agent Richard Boehning and his AFT task force sprung into action. Through interviews with Boehning, former gang members, journalists and the families of victims, a fascinating picture emerges of how they doggedly and systematically took the criminals down.
AACTA AWARDS
FRIDAY, 7.30PM, CHANNEL 10
This year’s Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards on the Gold Coast is shaping up to be a star-studded event across the board. Hosted by AACTA president Russell Crowe, the presenters will include former Superman Henry Cavill, as well as Guy Pearce, Kitty Flanagan, Teresa Palmer, David Wenham and many more. Robbie Williams, whose Melbourne-shot biopic Better Man is up for a record-breaking 16 awards, will perform his signature tune Angels, and Paul Kelly – recipient of the inaugural AACTA Award for Outstanding Contribution – will also take to the stage to sing the song that inspired the well-fancied, locally filmed movie How To Make Gravy. Boy Swallows Universe and Thou Shalt Not Steal are expected to feature prominently in proceedings – and Working Dog Productions, the team behind hits from The Castle to Frontline, will be presented with the highest honour in Australian screen, the Longford Lyell Award.
NCIS: SYDNEY
FRIDAY, PARAMOUNT+
Season two of the first international spin-off of the long running military police procedural hits the ground running, picking up pretty much right where the season one cliffhanger finale left off. NCIS Special Agent in Charge Michelle Mackey is still on the hunt for the international assassin who kidnapped the son of her local 2IC, AFP cop JD Dempsey, but also negotiating the arrival of some top brass from the US, who want answers on the whole debacle. As both get kicked off the job and open up about their personal lives, sparks are starting to fly, and as they are forced to take matters into their own hands – with help from their loyal team – it becomes apparent a conspiracy goes much deeper than any thought. Slickly produced, rattling fun and Sydney Harbour has rarely looked better.
SPACE INVADERS
SATURDAY, 7.30, CHANNEL 9
If you thought your teenage children’s rooms were messy, they are going to look like paragons of order compared with the two-bedroom house of musician Steve and former dancer Megan, which is so full of clutter that they haven’t eaten at the dining table for a year and one of them is sleeping on the couch because there’s no room in the bedroom. Enter declutter guru Peter Walsh, reno expert Cherie Barber and collector Angie Kent, who help the pair negotiate Steve’s ADHD and Megan’s hoarding tendencies to make some big decisions on which of his 25 guitars to keep and how many of her 184 pairs of shoes can go to charity. While Peter works magic going through the 196 moving boxes, Cherie is working miracles on the home and Angie discovers some hidden treasures that might help pay for it all.
QUEEN IN THEIR OWN WORDS
SUNDAY, 8.50, CHANNEL 7
There aren’t really any startling revelations in this 2024 doco but diehard Queen fans will get plenty out of some of the stories behind the band’s greatest hits. With new interviews from founding members guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, and archival footage of the late singer Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon, who retired in 1997 and has barely been heard from since, it paints a picture of a band that wasn’t always in agreement but was greater than the sum of its parts, with each member writing hits. Taylor reveals he resisted the funk sound of Another One Bites the Dust, which went on to become their biggest-selling single, May admits he cracked it and left when he thought David Bowie was taking over the session recording Pressure and both get emotional when reflecting on how Mercury’s wild life and excesses eventually caught up with him.
FOOD TRAIL SOUTH AFRICA
SUNDAY, 7.30PM, SBS FOOD
South African celebrity chef Warren Mendes’s love letter to the rich and varied cuisine of his home land is as much a feast for the eyes as the tastebuds and it’s little surprise to discover that it’s presented by South African Tourism. Rarely has a cooking show featured such spectacular scenery as Mendes kicks off his journey in the Kruger National Park in a historic train on a bridge that’s been converted into a luxury hotel before heading out with a couple of local trackers and guides to check out the big game. He enlists the help of local chefs as he rustles up his own versions of South African classics such as bobotie (spiced meat) chakalaka (vegetable relish) and vetkoek (fat cake), while trying not to distracted by the hippos, elephants and lions who are literally wandering past in the background.
SUPER BOWL LIX
MONDAY, 10.30AM, CHANNEL 7
Thanks to Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce playing tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs – aiming to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls – and the announcement at the weekend that Australia will host games next year, Aussie interest in the NFL is sky high right now. Add to that the fact that the Chiefs’ opponents, the Philadelphia Eagles, is home to hulking offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, who is attempting to become the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl victory when the teams face off at Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans. And for those who don’t like sport, rapper Kendrick Lemar will be joined by Grammy-winner SZA for the always spectacular halftime show and even the big budget ads and movie trailers will be a drawcard.
More Coverage
Originally published as Shows not to miss: Belle Gibson story in Apple Cider Vinegar; detective dramedy Ludwig
‘Rest in peace my goldie girl’ Adelaide star shares sad news
The popular singer took to social media on Tuesday to reveal her loss.
Karl: ‘I’m surprised I haven’t been cancelled’
Karl Stefanovic reflects on his 20 years on The Today Show, who has made him a ‘much better person’ – and opens up about the distressing moment his daughter went missing.