Best TV shows to stream right now

IF THE idea of having to choose between House Rules, The Voice and MasterChef leaves you feeling cold, then check out these streaming gems instead.

Six weeks to go until Mr Robot season two — get into season one now.

IF THE idea of having to choose between House Rules, The Voice and MasterChef leaves you feeling cold, then Australia’s three main streaming services have a lot to offer anyone who’s trying to escape the drudgery of reality TV overload.

STAN

Billions

“I saw you take my Snickers bar.”

Listening to Paul Giamatti, with his musical cadence, sparring with anyone is a delight. Watching him in a verbal slinging match with Damian Lewis is the kind of viewing TV dreams are made of. And the first season wrapped up earlier this month so now you can binge all 12 episodes without having to wait week by week for the next chapter.

In a post-GFC world after unscrupulous New York bankers pretty much got away with it all, Lewis is dynamic as arrogant and shifty hedge fund manager Bobby “Axe” Axelrod in this Wall Street drama. Giamatti plays his opposition, an ambitious US Attorney whose wife is an executive for Axe’s company, which complicates things when the two ruthless men play a cat-and-mouse game to best one another.

Mozart in the Jungle

A scene from Mozart in the Jungle.

Now that the first season of Vinyl, the big, loud and drab HBO series about the music industry in the 1970s, is done and dusted, it’s a good time to shine a light on Mozart in the Jungle, a more mature and engaging show set in a similar sphere.

Produced by Amazon, Gael Garcia Bernal plays a young conductor in the New York Symphony who arrives on the scene to shake up a conservative institution. What could possibly go wrong? This is a great show to binge because it takes a couple of episodes to warm up but once it does, it’s very rewarding. It was developed by Jason Schwartzman, Roman Coppola and Alex Timbers and also stars the very charming Lola Kirke.

The West Wing

Josh Malina with West Wing co-stars Mary McCormack and Dule Hill.

Yes, The West Wing has been around for almost 20 years, but if you’ve never seen it, or even if you have, now is the perfect time to make this part of your viewing schedule. Firstly, the wacky US elections have another seven months to run.

But the main reason to be watching The West Wing right now is because cast member Joshua Malina (who played Will Bailey from seasons four to seven) started a weekly podcast a month ago, covering one episode at a time. He’s already had Dule Hill (Charlie) and Janel Moloney (Donna) on as guests, giving great insight into the behind-the-scenes workings of the iconic show. Listening to Malina’s podcast is best paired with watching that corresponding episode just before his show drops on a Wednesday. That’s your next three years sorted.

Good for streaming anytime on Stan: The Girlfriend Experience, Transparent, Broad City, Twin Peaks, Better Call Saul, Orphan Black, Community and Unreal.

PRESTO

The Mindy Project

Happily ever after is a bit more complicated.

The Mindy Project just landed on streaming this month and new episodes will be available every week at the same time as the US.

If you sampled the show in its first season and decided another show about 30-somethings in a candy-coloured NYC wasn’t for you, bear with me here. It is absolutely worth checking out again. It took Mindy Kaling the better part of a season or two to retool the show from its early uneasy steps and it is now a properly smart comedy that is full of laughs and still manages to jam in loads of depth and nuance — not something you’d expect from what is essentially a romantic comedy.

Mr Robot

Reality bites.

The season two premiere date (July 12) for this ground-breaking and bold TV show has just been announced, which means you have about six weeks to catch up or revisit one of the most exciting TV shows around.

Daringly cinematic in its production values and narrative ambition, Mr Robot was an unexpected critical hit from an American TV network best known for its inoffensive and lightweight dramedies such as Royal Pains and Burn Notice. A character-driven piece, this series is a mix of anti-capitalism anarchy (behold the irony!) and a psychological mindf**k, which owes more than a few nods to David Fincher’s most famous work.

Good for streaming anytime on Presto: The Americans, Aquarius, Halt and Catch Fire, John Adams, Penny Dreadful, The Affair, Louie, Buffy, and Rake.

NETFLIX

Master of None

Jack of all trades.

If you still haven’t seen Netflix’s original series Master of None, what have you been waiting for? An instant classic, this comedy from Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang is a clever piece of work that is fun to watch and makes you think.

Dealing with serious topics ranging from ageing to immigrant parents to gender equality and diversity on TV, Master of None manages to say something significant without being self-righteous or boring about it — a hard feat, especially for a comedy. Happily, the show has been renewed for a second season which will be released sometime next year.

Absolutely Fabulous

Better believe it, we’re back.

If you’ve let the madcap Eddie and Patsy slip your mind the last few years, prepare to have them back in your life.

This week, the first trailer for the new Ab Fab movie debuted and, if nothing else, it’s a great reminder to rewatch the early years of this iconic British comedy where chaos and narcissism reigned. It’s fabulous, darling.

Good for streaming anytime on Netflix: Jessica Jones, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, House of Cards, Orange Is The New Black, Archer, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Mad Men, Freaks and Geeks and Luther.

Continue the conversation on Twitter with @wenleima.

*News Corp (publisher of this website) has a 25 per cent stake in Presto through Foxtel.

Originally published as Best TV shows to stream right now