• Ms. X (Binge/Foxtel, 6 episodes)
Ms. X is a six-part dramedy that tells a “good person gone bad” story, through the eyes of a suburban kiwi mum. A stay-at-home mother of two, Mia Bennett (featuring the return of Melissa George), suspects her husband is cheating. He arrives home after a night out apparently dining with clients and then sleeping in his car.
Mia enlists the help of an old high school friend, who is now an inexperienced private investigator who she reunites with after he crashes into her car, to find out what he is up to.
Andrew’s Show of the Week.

• Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness (HBO Max, 7 episodes)
A sketch comedy limited series created by Larry David and Jeff Schaffer. Produced by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions, the series takes an improvised, comedic approach to major events in American history in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The show consists of seven episodes, each containing approximately four historical sketches.

• After the Flood S2 (BritBox, 6 episodes)
British police officers Jo Marshall (a wonderful performance from Sophie Rundle) and her police officer husband Pat Holman also featured in the first season of After the Flood where they were involved in an investigation into the death of someone who died in the flooded town. The series also revealed a web of crooked coppers including Jo’s dad who was also in the force. Orchestrating the bent coppers was DS Phil Mackie, who is again a key character in S2.
It’s a good watch whether you saw the first season or not.
James’ Show of the Week.

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At the halfway mark of 2026, Andrew Mercado and James Manning list their Top 10 shows of the first six months of the year.
There are just three shows that make the Top 10 for both:
Riot Women (SBS)
Love Story (Disney+)
Rivals (Season 2, Disney+)
On Andrew's list and just missing out on James' were:
Tip Toe (Binge/Foxtel)
Half Man (Stan)
Listen to the podcast for the full Top 10 from each co-host with explanations about programs they underrated at the time.

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Little House on the Prairie (Netflix, 8 episodes)
The series follows the Ingalls family as they establish their “new forever” home outside the small but quickly developing town of Independence. The foursome, along with their dog Jack, faces the often harsh conditions of 1800s prairie life, including fever, wolves, and fire — obstacles that longtime fans will recognise from the original novels or the original TV series.
As the Ingalls attempt to make a life on land they were told was “free,” they encounter Osage native Americans who have long called the prairie home.
Little House on the Prairie is the Show of the Week for Andrew and James.

The Bear (S5 Disney+, 8 episodes)
The morning after Carmy tells his restaurant colleagues Sydney, Richie and Natalie about his retirement from the food industry, a major storm hits Chicago. Most of the final series takes place over one day. The Bear staff attempt to prepare for that evening’s customers despite challenges caused by poor cash flow and faulty plumbing.
The series wraps with a surprising love affair (there was not a lot of relationship exploration outside the workplace in The Bear), a changing financial situation, an unexpected restaurant rating, a new business opportunity which has been hinted at in the series for some time, and a plot twist for Carmy.

Elle (Prime Video, 8 episodes)
A prequel to the Legally Blonde movie franchise. The series takes place six years before the events of the film and it explores the high school years of teenage Elle Woods (originally portrayed by Reese Witherspoon), played here by newcomer Lexi Minetree. Prime Video has already renewed the series for a second season.

Five Star Weekend (Binge/Foxtel, 8 episodes)
A food blogger, Hollis (Jennifer Garner) tries to rebuild her life after the loss of her husband Matthew (Josh Hamilton). Part of her therapy is organising a five-star weekend getaway at her house on Nantucket with four friends from different stages in her life:
Her childhood friend, Tatum – who is waiting on the results of a test for cancer (Chloë Sevigny), her college friend, Dru-Ann – who’s just been cancelled after online comments went viral (Regina Hall), her motherhood friend, Brooke – who suffers from low self-esteem, and is trapped in a stifling marriage with a husband who belittles and isolates her (D’Arcy Carden), as well as a new friend, Gigi (Gemma Chan) – a pilot for Delta, who she recently met online.

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Lucky (Apple TV, 7 episodes)
The Apple TV+ crime thriller series Lucky follows con artist Luciana “Lucky” Armstrong (Anya Taylor-Joy) who really is lucky.
She goes on the run after a multi-million-dollar heist goes wrong. Pursued by the FBI and a mob boss, she must track down the stolen cash and survive her own chaotic past. Also stars Annette Benning and Timothy Oliphant.

Ride Or Die (Prime Video, 8 episodes)
The action-comedy (loads of action, not many laughs) series follows best friends Debbie Claybourne (Octavia Spencer) and Judith Burton (Hannah Waddingham).
Debbie believes Judith is a forensic accountant, but Judith is actually a secret elite international assassin. When a hit goes wrong and a figure from Judith's past emerges, they are forced on a high-stakes road trip across Europe running from dangerous criminals and law enforcement.
Also stars Bill Nighy.

The F Ward (Stan, 6 episodes)
Australian comedy-drama follows a group of flawed medical interns sent to an underfunded coastal hospital for a last-chance program to save their careers.
Dan Wyllie is the best thing about The F Ward. Listen to Andrew Mercado drill down on the rest of the cast.
Second best thing is the scripts which offer up many laughs, but also some slow, awkward moments.
Worst thing is putting the hospital right on the beach. It gives it a Summer Bay feel at times.

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The Killings at Parrish Station (Stan, 6 episodes)
When a brutal massacre at a remote desert research station rocks 1987 Australia, Detective Georgia Cooke (Mia Wasikowska) and her partner, Michael Thorne (Xavier Samuel), uncover disturbing links between a delusional survivor, a mysterious text called The Bone Gospel, and the station’s eccentric benefactor, Callum Parrish (Nic English). As the case becomes more inexplicable and descends into the paranormal, Georgia’s grip on reality fractures—costing her career, her daughter Frankie’s (Grace Owens) trust, and ultimately her freedom. A “cosmic horror” drama from Mark Fennessy’s Helium Pictures.
Thirty-seven years later, Georgia (Heather Mitchell)—now institutionalised—is pulled back into the Parrish Station nightmare when a string of identical murders emerges.

Small Prophets (ABC iview, 7 episodes)
A six-part British dark comedy-drama created and written by Mackenzie Crook. It follows Michael Sleep (Pearce Quigley), a grieving man who has drifted through life since his partner, Clea, mysteriously vanished seven years earlier. Urged on by his eccentric, elderly father, Brian (Sir Michael Palin), Michael converts his garden shed into an alchemist's workshop to help find an answer to what happened to Clea.

The Four Seasons (Netflix, 8 episodes)
Season 2 of The Four Seasons follows the surviving friend group as they navigate life, grief, and relationship changes following Nick's sudden death. With Nick's heavily pregnant girlfriend Ginny now part of their quarterly trips, the group struggles to redefine themselves and find meaning as they enter middle age.
Tina Fey and Will Forte return as Kate and Jack, along with Kerri Kenney as Anne, the show’s most complex and interesting character.

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Alice and Steve (Disney+, 6 episodes)
Billed as a comedy-drama that follows the 25-year-long friendship between middle-aged Londoners Alice and Steve. Their bond devolves into an all-out, petty feud when Steve—a divorced celebrity hairdresser—begins dating Alice’s recently dumped daughter, Izzy. Casting of Nicole Walker and Jermaine Clement in the lead roles keeps you watching.
Andrew’s Show of the Week.

Star City (Apple TV, 8 episodes)
A compelling, alternative-history sci-fi thriller that explores the space race from the Soviet perspective. A spin-off of For All Mankind, the series goes behind the Iron Curtain to reveal the paranoia, high-stakes espionage, and sacrifices of the cosmonauts, engineers, and intelligence officers. Brilliant performance again from Anna Maxwell Martin and a career high point for Alice Englert.
James’ Show of the Week.

I Will Find You (Netflix, 8 episodes)
An eight-episode mystery thriller miniseries that follows David Burroughs (Sam Worthington), a man wrongfully imprisoned for the murder of his young son. When his ex-sister-in-law (Britt Lower) brings him photo evidence that the boy may still be alive, David stages a desperate prison break to prove his innocence and find his child.

Also this episode, Andrew on:
Michael Jackson: The Verdict (Netflix)
Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator (ABC iview)

Homework from James who has finally finished two series from May 12. Can he separate them to find a stand alone Show of the Week?
What was best – The Revenge Club or Widow’s Bay?

Then in a segment full of spoilers, Andrew and James debate the ending of Tip Toe.

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On this episode of TV Gold, Andrew Mercado and James Manning review:

Two Years Later (Paramount+, 8 episodes)
Two Years Later is an Australian romantic dramedy created by Pete Bridges, starring Brenton Thwaites and Phoebe Tonkin. The show tracks thirty-somethings Ryan and Emily, who exchanged flirty glances on their daily commute prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. When they reconnect years later, Ryan proposes an unconventional experiment: they will go on exactly eight dates to determine if they are truly meant to be together.

Ground Up (ABC iview, 6 episodes)
After years of trying, Tasmania has finally been given the green light to field a team in the AFL - but there's a catch. The locals have to build a new stadium. Given Tasmania has a housing crisis, and a health crisis… and two sizeable stadiums, not everyone thinks the 1.13 billion dollar taxpayer spend is the greatest idea. AFL administrator Hugh Shen (played by Sam Pang) has been sent from Melbourne, tasked with establishing the club. There's a divided public to win over, oppressive deadlines to meet, feisty protesters to handle and inoffensive mascots to employ. Not to mention the coach they employ who’s had an interesting past.

Cape Fear (Apple TV, 10 episodes)
The TV remake of two classic movies follows married attorneys Anna and Tom Bowden, whose lives are upended when Max Cady, a notorious killer they previously defended and prosecuted, is released from prison and begins stalking their family in a twisted quest for vengeance.
Seventeen years ago, Amy Adams‘ Anna was a defense attorney representing Max Cady (Javier Bardem), a Savannah restauranteur accused of murdering his pregnant wife. Tom (Patrick Wilson) was the prosecutor. Soon after the trial ended with Cady pleading guilty and getting life in prison, Anna and Tom got married, which caused some tongues to wag since she was pregnant throughout the proceedings with a different man’s baby.

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A special episode of TV Gold this week with Andrew Mercado and James Manning joined by author Holden Sheppard, whose best-selling debut novel Invisible Boys was turned into a Stan series. All three have watched Tip Toe and talk about the series, the themes explored, the plot devices and how some critics have had problems with the storytelling.

The five-part series on Binge and Foxtel follows Leo and Clive who have lived next door to each other in Manchester for almost 15 years. But just as life should be settling down, the world around them is growing more tense. Words become weapons, opinions become radicalised, and gradually, two neighbours become deadly enemies in a suburban thriller which challenges everything we consider to be safe. Alan Cumming plays Manchester bar owner Leo and David Morrissey is his tradie neighbour Clive. They are supported by a great cast playing lovers, friends, family members and work colleagues. Creator Russell T Davies has the viewer riveted from the chilling opening scene.

Picking Show of the Week was easy this week with just one program reviewed. The panel’s unanimous choice – Tip Toe.

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