This week’s TV and streaming schedule is more or less dominated by the second coming of Euphoria, starring the imintable Zendaya, but that’s not the only thing to look forward to: Cheer and After Life are also back, and Will Forte’s MacGruber is also gracing the small screen again after a 10-year break. Here’s what to watch this week, Mon 10-Sun 16 January.
Euphoria, Season 2
Gen Z It Girl Zendaya’s cult teen drama Euphoria is back for its keenly anticipated second season this week. The American version (the original is actually Israeli) stars the former Nickelodeon kid and present-day fashion icon as Rue, a 17-year-old recovering drug addict with a long history of mental health problems, currently searching for meaning and solid ground to plant her feet on. Surrounding Rue is a collection of classmates struggling with a similar cavalcade of problems relating to sex, gender, body issues, addiction and socialising, among others – every parent’s nightmare, in other words. Aside from Zendaya, the breakout star of Euphoria is Hunter Schafer, who plays the effortlessly stylish trans girl Jules – her very first acting gig after getting noticed as both a model and outspoken LGBTQ rights activist. As Zendaya said herself recently on social media ahead of Season 2’s release, this is not a show for those that might find what they watch triggering, or, and I’m extrapolating here, those still experiencing serious pandemic woes (…maybe all of us, then?).
Begins on Mon 10 Jan on Sky Atlantic.
The Chi, Seasons 1-4
The Chi – pronounced ‘The Shy’, in reference to the South side of Chicago – is the creation of actor and prolific screenwriter Lena Waithe, who you might know as the principal character from the third Aziz Ansari-less season of Master of None – an early critical darling for Netflix. UK viewers probably won’t have heard of Waithe’s The Chi until now, despite it accumulating four seasons (and counting) in the States, but thanks to Disney+, said seasons are getting a binge-worthy drop on the platform now. The show revolves around four young men, Emmet, Brandon, Ronnie and Kevin, who find their lives intersecting at the series’ start by, as put by the official synopsis, “a fateful turn of events” in the troubled Chicago district. Though there’s plenty more grounded drama to be had beyond that premise, The Chi has also been described as the antithesis to Baltimore’s The Wire – in that its street-level grit comes with a healthy dose of serotonin to make you really fall in love with its characters – and the setting itself.
Seasons 1-4 are available to stream on Disney+ from Wed 12 Jan.
Cheer, Season 2
The main cultural touchstone for cheerleading is undoubtedly the Bring It On film series, which really only provide a tiny glimpse into the hard graft and peppy absurdity that go into the activity’s elaborate routines. (The first film is still a stone-cold camp classic, don’t get me wrong.) Netflix’s Cheer, a docuseries that launched its first season around this time two years ago, lays it all bare with a dose of more grounded realism. As it turns out, there’s an awful lot more to cheerleading than just waving some pom-poms around and grinning like a maniac at sports fans: you need an almost military combination of athleticism and dance aptitude to be at the top of both a human pyramid and national competitions, and at a very tender age. Cheer shows this by following Texas’ Navarro College competitive cheer squad through the eyes of newbies, the old guard and their results-driven, highly decorated coach/generalissimo. The first season gripped both audiences and critics internationally, making this followup hotly awaited.
Available for streaming from Wed 12 Jan on Netflix.
After Life, Season 3 (Final)
Ricky Gervais has made a career for himself in television, post-Office, as a pioneer of bleak comedy, from the still excellent Extras, a cutting yet extremely enjoyable examination of fame, success, and the cynicism of the entertainment industry, to the less successful Derek, which satirised life for marginalised people in a care home to varying degrees of quality. Gervais’ After Life continues this thematic trend: centred on local newspaper journalist Tony – played by Gervais – as he tries to move on with his life after the sudden death of his wife. The way he does this is by living as honestly as he wants, disregarding the consequences or feelings of others. Naturally, those around him try to knock some sense into him while he drags his feet at every turn, with occasional glimmers of humanity. Fans of the blackest kind of comedy that haven’t checked it out yet should, but, unfortunately, this upcoming third season will be its last – as is typical of Gervais’ release pattern for TV.
Available for streaming from Fri 14 Jan on Netflix.
MacGruber, Series Premiere
Saturday Night Live fans should be well acquainted with both former castmember Will Forte and his MacGuyver parody sketch, MacGruber. In the sketches, Forte appeared as MacGyver’s non-canonical son, MacGruber MacGyver, whose missions to disarm explosives were always foiled by him becoming diverted from the task at hand by trivial or familial problems – such as cleaning up dog poop or losing all of his savings in the most recent financial crash. The popularity of the ongoing series of loosely-connected skits spun off into a feature-length film. That was over a decade ago now, making the timing of the MacGruber TV series, arriving this week, feel a little out of the blue. Still, with a cast that not only includes Forte reprising his role as the easily distracted action hero, but also Laurence Fishbourne, Billy Zane (replacing Micky Rourke) and the smooth-talking Sam Elliot, there’s plenty to be curious and optimistic about.
Begins on Sun 17 Jan on Peacock (via Sky and NOWTV).
words HANNAH COLLINS