Half Man (Stan, 6 episodes)

The original six-episode drama from the multi award-winning Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer) explores male rage, trauma, and identity over 30 years, starting with the childhood of two “brothers from another lover” and following them into adulthood. A tough watch for some, this is nevertheless an important series. The series explores their non-biological bond that turns toxic and destructive.

A TV Gold Show of the Week.

Bad Company (ABC iview, 6 episodes)

Comedian Anne Edmonds didn't just create and write Bad Company. She also stars in the six-part series as artistic director Margie Argyle, who's run her beloved "Papa's" avant-garde theatre into the ground in her six short years at the helm. With the future of The Argyle Theatre in peril, the board installs restrained chief executive Julia McNamara (Kitty Flanagan) to turn things around.

A TV Gold Show of the Week.

Apex (Netflix, movie)

The movie follows Sasha (Charlize Theron), an elite rock climber haunted by the death of her rock climbing partner during a tragic ascent in Norway. Seeking a form of penance and solitude, Sasha travels to the rugged Wandarra National Park in the Australian wilderness for a solo kayaking expedition. Her journey turns into a nightmare when she befriends a seemingly helpful local named Ben.
See which of our critics (Andrew and James) got it right.
Andrew: “Revolting torture porn”
James: “Edge of the seat climbing scenes”

Andrew also reviews the third season of Euphoria (HBO Max).

He is halfway through the series and yet to settle on his final review: “I don’t know if this is the best or the worst TV show in the world.”

James talks about the TV production sector in shock as networks and streamers cut back commissions. Although the numbers are down in all genres, Australia scripted drama, especially on broadcast TV, almost seems extinct.

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Margot’s Got Money Trouble (Apple TV, 8 episodes)
Nineteen-year-old Margo Millet, daughter of an ex-pro wrestler and a former waitress, finds herself pregnant after a brief affair with her English professor. Defying everyone's advice to terminate the pregnancy, she decides to keep the baby. Needing cash fast, Margo launches an OnlyFans account under the name HungryGhost. Brilliant cast includes Elle Fanning as Margo, Michelle Pfeiffer as her mum and Nicole Kidman in a very surprising role. Series marks the first time Michelle Pfeiffer has worked with her husband, super-producer David E Kelley.

The Audacity (SBS, 8 episodes)
The Audacity is being billed as a tech dramedy focusing on entrepreneur Duncan Park (Billy Magnussen), the narcissistic CEO of Hypergnosis, who exploits personal data to gain power. Would anybody do that? When a reckless mistake forces him into a chaotic redemption quest, he relies on his unethical therapist, JoAnne Felder (Sarah Goldberg), amid a toxic Silicon Valley landscape of bio-hacked tech bros and jaded billionaires. The show references tech giant Cupertino as an allusion to Apple, with characters referring to the CEO as Big Tim (referencing soon-to-depart Tim Cook).

Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair (Disney+, 4 episodes) AM
The sitcom revival centres on Hal and Lois's 40th wedding anniversary party. Malcolm, who has spent the last decade distancing himself from his parents and brothers to maintain a sense of sanity, is forced to attend when his parents make a surprise visit to his home. On the visit they discover a secret Malcolm been hiding a significant part of his life from his family.

Beef S2 (Netflix, 8 episodes)
Set within the elitist world of the fictional Monte Vista Point country club in California, the second season follows two couples working at the club from different generations. The conflict ignites when the younger couple Ashley and Austin witness and film an explosive, violent argument between their bosses, Josh and Lindsay. What begins as a moment of accidental observation quickly spirals into a dark game of blackmail, coercion, and shifting alliances as the younger couple attempts to use the footage for professional leverage.

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Outcome (Apple TV, movie)
Reef Hawk (Keanu Reeves) is an actor who has been sober for five years. He has taken a break from acting to build his new home, and he takes pride in his progress in life. However, when he receives a call from his crisis lawyer Ira Slitz (Jonah Hill), who reveals that someone is blackmailing him with a video of questionable content, his life is turned upside-down. Reef then sets out to make amends with those whom he has wronged in the past in order to figure out who the blackmailer is.
Andrew loved this, but James not so much!

The Testaments (Disney+, 10 episodes)
This sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale is a dramatic coming-of-age story that finds a new generation of young women in Gilead grappling with the bleak future that awaits them.

The Miniature Wife (Stan, 10 episodes)
Lindy (Elizabeth Banks) is accidentally reduced to a six-inch height by her scientist husband, Les (Matthew Macfadyen). Not many laughs in this long series. Nice cameo from Ronny Chieng though as Hilton Smith, a billionaire who is funding the miniaturisation project with his own agenda

Big Mistakes (Netflix, 8 episodes)
Dan Levy stars, executive produces, and showruns his new series Big Mistakes. Two deeply incapable siblings, church pastor Nicky (Levy) and his school teacher sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega), find themselves pulled into the world of organised crime after Morgan steals a necklace from a store, intending it to be a gift for their dying grandmother. After their petty theft, Nicky and Morgan are blackmailed into a series of criminal assignments, all while their overbearing mother, Linda (Laurie Metcalf), is mounting a run for mayor of their suburban New Jersey community.

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