Wham bam – a nostalgic look at the iconic band leads our Top 10 TV picks
Whether you’re in the mood for something a bit naughty, chasing a laugh or to sing along with, we’ve got you covered in Lisa Woolford’s top 10 TV shows this week.
TV
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WHAM!
Streaming, Netflix
Wham! might never have happened had George Michael (or Georgios Panayiotou as he was then known) not sat next to Andew Ridgeley at Bushey Meads Comprehensive. Obviously, George – or Yog as Ridgeley still calls him in this new 90-minute doco about the ’80s pop duo – did and the rest is history. It’s a truly fascinating, fun and also poignant look at how the teenage best of friends set out in 1982 to conquer the world. And it’s somewhat mind-blowing to comprehend that it was only four years later that they played their last gig at Wembley Stadium, having done exactly that. Like Ridgeley says in the opening “It was a like a dream – how can these two idiots become so bloody massive?” There’s stacks of unseen archival footage and rare, rather candid and previously unheard interviews. There’s poignant stories of George struggling whether to come out, Andrew reflecting on his late friend, including how George’s parents worried about his bad influence, all mixed in with the joy of their timeless songs – the soundtrack to my pre-teen years – including the first demo of Careless Whisper (be still my beating teenage heart). I’m confident, it’ll will make you – like me – all nostalgic and adding a Wham! playlist. Can’t wait to see how embarrassing my Spotify Wrapped is this year.
GOLD DIGGERS
Wednesday, 9.10pm, ABC + iview
Sisters Gert (Claire Lovering) and Marigold Brewer (Danielle Walker) arrive in the goldfield town of Dead Horse Gap, on the run from some “very sketchy” criminal business in Sydney. They track down old friend Fran (Megan Wilding), but slight problem – she’s shed her dodgy past and former posse, reinventing herself as a cultured French woman to nab her uber wealthy husband, Percy (Luke Mullins). It’s a little rude, and whole lot of funny, with just the right amount of slapstick and hamming it up. Also stars Eddie Perfect, Michala Banas and Kartanya Maynard, who is tearing up the screen on Deadloch.
THE LINCOLN LAWYER
Thursday, Netflix
You’ve got to love a David E. Kelley legal drama. Based on Michael Connelly’s books, the show follows criminal defence lawyer and recovering addict Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) as he attempts to rebuild his life – while working out of the back of his Lincoln, of course. This second instalment jumps ahead to book four in the series, The Fifth Witness. Haller switches gears to foreclosure defence law, until one of his clients, restaurateur Lisa Trammell (Lana Parrilla), is accused of murder. Netfix continues its trend of splitting seasons, with part one arriving on Thursday and part two on August 3.
MASTERCHEF
Sunday-Tuesday, 7.30pm, Ten
We’re at the pointy end of this poignant 15th season, and we’ll start with the top five and end up with our top three ahead of finals week. There’s plenty of feels in a mystery box containing pics of their families and letters from home, the dish their loved ones are missing most. So they’ll have to whip up a MasterChef masterpiece version of that dish. The best recreation is safe while the bottom three are off to a huge pressure test at the Sydney Opera House. Bennelong’s esteemed chef – and long time MasterChef torture master (Snow egg anyone) – Peter Gilmore whips up an exquisite dish. Back in MC headquarters, the trio have to recreate it without a recipe – only their memory.
HAMILTON
Streaming, Disney+
This is your shot, Hamilton fans. The streamer has just released a new singalong version of the revolutionary musical to mark the three-year anniversary of Hamilton’s debut on Disney+. The lyrics will change colour to help you keep in time with the music, and this time will also be accompanied by a bouncing star offering further assistance. And, you might well need all the help you can get to keep up with almost three hours of, well, “Non-Stop” rapping.
ROBOTS
Friday, Prime Video
So, we’re all a little worried about AI and what the future holds – and your fears are not really going to be assuaged by this rom-com with a sci-fi twist. Shailene Woodley and Jack Whitehall star in a world where robots have been created to do the jobs humans don’t want to do – I’m up for that. And their robots fall in love with each other. Woodley’s Elaine is a “gold-digger” desperate not to have a real job. She sends her robot to date Charles (Whitehall), a “womaniser” whose robot ends up getting falling for Elaine’s robot. Sparks fly – occasionally quite literally – as the mechanical clones decide to ditch their masters and live their own life.
A MAN CALLED OTTO
Streaming, Binge
This Hollywood remake of the somewhat glumly life-affirming 2015 Swedish box-office hit A Man Called Ove, also based on a best-selling novel, is a little bit predictable, but truly heartwarming with its messages about the power of small acts of kindness. Tom Hanks is the titular Otto, a short-fused widower who crankily micromanages everything in his street. The arrival of new neighbours – heavily pregnant Marisol (Mariana Trevinos), her useless husband and their kids – interrupts Otto’s plans to rejoin his recently departed wife. As I said, you can probably work out what happens next, but it’s definitely worth the watch.
NO ESCAPE
Saturday, Paramount+
Adapted from Lucy Clarke’s best-selling novel of the same name, No Escape stars BAFTA-winner Abigail Lawrie (Tin Star) and Rhianne Barreto (The Outlaws) as best friends Lana and Kitty, who are on the run from their lives in the UK. Together they find refuge on a romantic yacht, The Blue, crewed by a group of interesting people sailing through South-East Asia. But it turns out all’s not idyllic on board – there’s dark secrets which quickly become a nightmare. Susie Porter and Josh McConville are the Australian detectives investigating, with Jake Macapagal, as Captain Reyes from the local Filipino Police force, determined to discover what really happened on-board The Blue.
THE BACK SIDE OF TELEVISION
Monday, Binge
Mitch McTaggart is back putting our glorious history of TV under the microscope. And again he doesn’t hold back as he hones in on the ludicrous, laughable and dodgy moments. He’s biting, but insightful and wincingly funny in this six-part comedy series covering everything from Anzac fatigue, perplexing programming decisions and the dying art of opening credits. While McTaggart’s got his favourites – Water Rats and Return to Eden are “absolutely slap” – he says there’s a penchant for following one innovative trend in recent years and that’s “as inspiring as two-minute noodles or casting Marta Dusseldorp in Australia drama”. Ouch.
MIRACLE WORKERS: END TIMES
Tuesday, Stan
Whether it’s heaven or the wild west, each season of this anthology comedy series, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi, matches fairly deadpan humour with an unhinged setting. And this time it’s in the worst dystopian wasteland ever – not just a post-Apocalyptic world, but settling down in the suburbs and dealing with the in-laws. Radcliffe is Sid, who’s on his first day at a new job – junk collecting. And there’s a difference between junk and trash – think vintage wine vs old grape juice. Plus there’s the added mystery of Sid’s war lord wife Freya’s, (Geraldine Viswanathan) very wealthy parents.
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