1922
Netflix (available on Netflix)
1922 follows Wilfred James (an excellent Thomas Jane) who murders his wife and is dealing with the psychological effects. Though slow-moving at first, the unsettling atmosphere and growing tension forces you to keep watching. With some gory scenes and a couple of jump scares, this is a creepy watch and if you weren’t afraid of rats before, you will be now. It’s been a good year for Stephen King fans, what with an updated IT film adaptation and two Netflix Original films, the terrifying Gerald’s Game and now this. Let’s keep them coming. ****CM
BIG MOUTH
Netflix (available on Netflix)
Netflix continue their tradition of taking risks with left-field shows with BIG MOUTH, a frank animated comedy about the perils, hilarity and unbearable awkwardness of puberty. The show is masterminded by comedian Nick Kroll, Family Guy writer Andrew Goldberg and director and screenplay writers Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett. Highlights from the show include Fred Armisen’s side-splitting performance as the father and the excellent back-and-forth between the main characters – Nick, Andrew and Jessi- and their “hormone monster”, Maurice. Yes, you heard that right, a “hormone monster” called Maurice – that about sums it up. ****BN
DOCTOR FOSTER
BBC (available on BBC iPlayer and Netflix)
After head-strong GP Gemma Foster (Susanne Jones) suspects her husband (Bertie Carvel) of having an affair, their lives begin to unravel and their relationship comes to blows. The BBC drama, written by Mark Bartlett, reveals that Gemma’s paranoia is in fact true, yet the superb narrative leaves us wondering how Gemma will confront her dreadful situation. After some kind of resolution in series one, series two documents the return of Simon with some big news. He continues to destruct Gemma’s life with no consideration of their son. ****BC
NARCOS
Netflix (available on Netflix)
Set in the 1980s-‘90s, Narcos presents a gritty portrayal of the chaos that engulfed Colombia as it rapidly became the epicentre of the global cocaine trade. While the first two series followed the arc of the infamous Pablo Escobar and his Medellin Cartel, the third series progresses on to the Cali Cartel – an equally ruthless and ambitious organisation. As in the earlier series’, Narcos ranges from visually gorgeous to horrifically violent, informative to fantastical, and from muddy ambiguity to clichéd heavy-handedness – perhaps not a far cry from the dark days it seeks to represent. ****DH
THE DEUCE
HBO (available on Sky Atlantic)
Written by David Simon, best known for the critically lauded The Wire, The Deuce details the legalisation of the porn industry in 1970s New York. Interweaving numerous narratives, the series depicts the grime and grit of New York with wonderful realism. James Franco stars as Vinnie, a bar worker struggling with family life and the increasingly illegal means that he finds necessary to survive. The series belongs to Maggie Gyllenhaal as Candy, a sex worker who struggles with balancing independence alongside motherhood. An engaging and enthralling series, The Deuce is wonderfully written and expertly rendered. ****SD