Five shows to watch this week
A motherhood drama, the comforts of a beloved 90s classic, and a deep dive into the Diddy allegations. Plus, the end of Squid Game.
Television
‘In a heartbeat’: Why Billy Zane would love to play The Phantom again
Actor Billy Zane reflects on iconic films Back to the Future, The Phantom and Titanic, and what still drives him.
Getaway driver and banging 70s soundtrack make this must-watch TV
This is a cool crime caper that’s both a tribute to 1970s cult movies and – set in sunbaked Arizona Southwest in 1972 – an entertaining narrative of fast cars and breakneck lives.
Lee Jung-jae says goodbye to Squid Game
As the hit Korean dystopian thriller returns for its final season, its star reflects on the role of a lifetime.
Women dominate this year’s Gold Logie nominations
Six of the seven contenders for Australian television’s top prize are women. The other is Hamish Blake. Netflix has strong showings in drama, and the ABC again leads in total nominations.
Stomach bugs, sex scenes and raw eggs: inside Tuppence Middleton’s acting journey with OCD
The Downton Abbey actor gets candid about the intrusive thoughts encircling her daily existence, and how performance sets her free.
Need a new series? Guy Ritchie’s heist thriller sparkles like a diamond
Often referred to as the British Tarantino, Guy Ritchie is famous for his filmic style – the jagged editing, daring angles, use of both slow and fast motion, images overloaded with effects, and a trademark visual humour. This is all on display in his colourful new docuseries.
Gen Z lead shift to ad-backed ‘free’ streamers
Younger viewers are increasingly embracing ‘free’ ad-supported streaming platforms over paid subscription services.
Lights, camera … wish come true for Julia Stiles
The star of the rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You has directed her first film.
What to watch this weekend
Matthew Goode brings jagged charm to DCI Carl Morck: another addition to the pantheon of detectives who are troubled, rude bastards – but brilliant nonetheless.
The hunt for one of history’s worst killers
The Osama bin Laden story is certainly a perplexing one, a dense narrative that seized us by the way he confounded his hunters so skilfully – he was never there when it was certain he would be – even as he was so doggedly pursued by multiple agencies working together across all types of terrain.
M.A.S.H star Loretta Swit dies aged 87
Loretta Swit won two Emmy Awards for playing Major Margaret Houlihan, the demanding head nurse of a behind-the-lines surgical unit during the Korean War on the hit TV series.
How US comedians are taking back comedy from the left
In the age of Trump, social media and podcasts, right-leaning comedians are finding mass audiences in the US. Interestingly, this shift has yet to take root in Australia.
Doctor Who’s Paul McGann on almost 30 years of time travelling
Doctor Who’s Paul McGann talks about playing the iconic time-traveller on screen, stage and in audio adventures.
One of the most gob-smacking hours of TV in recent history
The finale of Nathan Fielder’s nerve-shredding HBO reality experiment has crash-landed. You’ll find yourself asking – repeatedly – how he managed to pull it off.
Face to face with marvel of the ocean
British comedic icon Phoebe Waller-Bridge channels her inner David Attenborough as she narrates a new docuseries covering one of the planet’s most fascinating creatures.
Actors, know your trade tools: Cruise’s final reckoning
Film schools should teach editing and camerawork to help performers get the most out of cinema, the Hollywood’s Tom Cruise says.
George Wendt, star of Cheers, dies at 76
The Emmy-nominated actor, best known for his role as the beloved barfly Norm in the long-running 80s sitcom, died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday morning.
‘Like the grief of losing a person’: Bella Ramsey on the heartbreaking twist in The Last of Us
Ahead of a highly-anticipated season finale, the show’s leading star opens up about losing screen partner Pedro Pascal and growing up in the limelight.
Lineker quits BBC after explosive anti-Semitism row
The Match of the Day host’s early departure comes five days after he apologised for sharing a controversial post featuring a rat which saw him accused of anti-Semitism.
‘Nothing was off limits’: Mel Brooks reflects on a lifetime of laughter
The comedy legend turns 99 next month and is still serious about making people laugh. Looking back, there is one production he is most proud of.
Maybe I find everything boring because I’m a ‘miserable, grumpy old git’
Current projections have me dying of boredom in mid-November 2029, unable to endure any more badly written, predictable and cliche-polluted films, TV series or books.
‘Bridgerton becomes you, and you become the character’
What’s it like to be part of the biggest show on television? Sydney actor Yerin Ha says her life has changed forever since she was cast in the Netflix juggernaut: ‘I’m trusting God has a plan for me’.
The loner who committed the single deadliest act of homegrown terrorism in America
When Timothy McVeigh was executed, relatives of his 196 victims watched the execution on closed circuit television. But while a nation wished fervently for justice, the result rang a little hollow.
Beetlejuice The Musical: A dead perfect reincarnation
He was nominated for a Tony award for his Broadway score, now Eddie Perfect stars in Beetlejuice The Musical.
‘I blame Harry Potter’: Sequelitis, the endless reboot
Can it be true that a seventh series of Line of Duty is coming? From Hollywood to the streamers, laziness is killing off originality.
Why Lily Gladstone is in full bloom
Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone talks about her new comedy, The Wedding Banquet, and her sexuality and her friend Leonardo DiCaprio.
Clever, profane and mischievous: Ritchie’s MobLand is brilliant TV
Guy Ritchie introduces us to a cast of menacing mobsters we can’t help but take a liking to in this latest crime caper.
We’re a nation of cinematic tradies, not artists
The threat of Trump’s film tariffs has revealed the extent to which Australia has become a service industry for international film rather than a country that invests in its own creativity.
Actor with accent on versatility
Cosmo Jarvis went from drawing samurai swords as the hero of Shogun to playing an American sniper in Warfare. It took him to his limit.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/television