What to stream this week: The Night Of, The Mandalorian, Truth Seekers and more

Perhaps you missed this gem of a series when it first came out, but it remains one of the most compelling crime dramas of recent years.

We’ve got a genre-heavy selection this week, a nod to Halloween.

A couple of newbies reminded us of recent favourites – The Night Of and Godless – that is worth rewatching, or better yet, watch for the first time.

Enjoy!

SOMETHING WITH CRIME IN NEW YORK

The Night Of: When it comes to crime dramas, HBO show The Night Of is at the apex of a very large pyramid. This 2016 eight-part miniseries is based on a UK show but it transported the story to New York in a way that really captures the beating, complex heart of the city.

Riz Ahmed, who won an Emmy for this role, plays a young Pakistani-American man who goes home with a girl one night only to find her stabbed to death when he wakes up. John Turturro plays his lawyer while Bill Camp is the head detective.

But the whodunit is only half the story because what The Night Of is really interested in is these characters – who are so fully formed they feel as if they exist even when they’re not on screen – and how they shape and are shaped by a city that’s seen everything.

The writing is superb, smart and textured, and while it may be a slow-burn, it’s one you’ll want to stick around for. And even if you’ve seen it before, there’s much to gain on a rewatch. Watch it: Binge/Foxtel Now*

The Night Of remains one of the best crime dramas of this century

The Undoing: Also set in New York City, but the very rich parts of it, HBO’s latest drama boasts some pretty big names in Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland. Kidman plays a well-to-do therapist with a seemingly perfect life – doctor husband, active sex life, high-achieving son, exceedingly wealthy father. But when someone in her life is murdered, all the secrets break open and her life falls apart. Watch it: Binge/Foxtel Now

Nicole Kidman as a rich lady with many problems

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SOMETHING WITH A WESTERN VIBE

The Mandalorian S2: Greatly influenced by westerns and even the samurai films of Akira Kurosawa, The Mandalorian is a Star Wars spin-off that surpasses the bigger cinema efforts in recent years. Centred on a Mandalorian bounty hunter after the fall of the empire, it’s a rollicking adventure as we travel with Mando from world to world, facing off against new enemies and occasionally making a new ally. Also, it gave us Baby Yoda, which is the most adorable thing in this galaxy, and the galaxy far, far away. Season two returns this week with even more fun. Watch it: Disney+, from Friday, October 30

Awwwww

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Godless: If you missed Godless when it first dropped in 2017, this is your reminder that you’re missing out on a brilliant, taut and vivid miniseries – especially as Netflix’s mysterious algorithm don’t tend to surface its older originals as much as those endless teen dramas and rom-coms. A classic western with bank robbers, loads of dust and a dash of existential dread, what makes Godless stand out are the performances from Michelle Dockery and Merritt Wever, as two tough broads in the female-run town of La Belle. Watch it: Netflix

Michelle Dockery in Godless

SOMETHING SPINE-TINGLING

Welcome to the Blumhouse: While they’re being framed as TV specials, Welcome to the Blumhouse is really four separate movies (with four more to come later) from mega-producer Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity, The Purge, Get Out) – they’re relatively low budget and are more thrillers than true horrors. Of the four, Nocturne is worth checking out first, a story of sibling rivalry and a Faustian bargain at a prestigious art school, while The Lie boasts a cast led by Peter Sarsgaard, a story about extreme parenting after a violent act. Watch it: Amazon Prime Video

Welcome to the Blumhouse movie Nocturne

Rosemary’s Baby: When it comes to building that sense of dread, few movies have surpassed Rosemary’s Baby in the 52 years since its release. It’s a classic for a reason, and it’s the reason you eye all built-in cupboards that share a wall with your neighbour with suspicion and fear. For the uninitiated, soon after a young couple moves into an old, exclusive apartment building, the wife has nightmares of demonic rape and bizarre rituals. Then, she becomes pregnant. Watch it: SBS On Demand

Iconic

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SOMETHING CREEPY

Truth Seekers: If you prefer your ghosts, ghouls and haunted radios to come with a dose of funny, Truth Seekers is the new offering from Nick Frost and Simon Pegg – and if you’ve seen their previous work including Spaced and Shaun of the Dead, then you have an idea of the tone. It’s odd, often silly and rarely scary. Frost plays a broadband installer who also doubles as a paranormal investigator when he’s partnered up with a new kid and a young woman who has been haunted by malevolent spectral beings. Watch it: Amazon Prime Video, from Friday, October 30

No Mulder and Scully business here

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: There’s no talking cat but there are still lots and lots of spells but with a much darker tint. Not strictly a reboot of the lighthearted Melissa Joan Hart series from the 1990s, this iteration of Sabrina the Teenage Witch takes from the comic book revival and is much more sassy, sexy and macabre. It’s also got a progressive heart with its themes around sisterhood, empowerment and a transgender character. Watch it: Netflix

A very different kind of Sabrina

SOMETHING TO GIVE YOU HOME ENVY

Dream Home Makeover: It’s hard to find a balance between the low budget production values of many British home design shows and the incessant peppiness of American ones. But Dream Home Makeover seems to find a middle ground – although it is still very bright, emotional and very American, but it doesn’t seem to annoy as much as most of its compatriots. The show is centred on an interior design firm run by Instafamous Shea and Syd McGee and some of the reveals are jawdroppingly beautiful. One word of warning – you might still be tempted to fast-forward through the clients crying, because they always cry. Watch it: Netflix

The McGees love a bench cushion sofa

World’s Most Extraordinary Homes: Ooph, talk about wishing you were rich. But not just rich, but also that if you had money, you would spend it on architectural marvels, not steely penthouses with gold toilets. This two-season series follows two British presenters as they tour magnificent abodes around the world (it’s in the title, isn’t it?), from places as far flung as Norway to New Zealand, considering the pleasures to be derived from truly exquisite environments. Watch it: SBS On Demand (season one)/Foxtel Now (season two)

Who would even think of this?

*Binge and Foxtel are majority owned by News Corp, the publisher of news.com.au