Watch, listen and be inspired by Calum Henderson's definitive list of what's hot right now and from the vault.
Station Eleven (Neon)
Libraries saw a sudden influx of holds placed on Emily St. John Mandel's 2014 novel Station Eleven around the middle of last year. The award-winning book told the story of a deadly flu that wiped out 99 per cent of civilisation, and of the post-apocalyptic society that emerged in its aftermath. This TV adaptation would have already been deep into production by the time the Covid-19 pandemic hit, but the timing still feels a bit on the nose.
There are some all-too-familiar scenes in the first episode as word of a new "flu thing" begins to spread. Jeevan (Himesh Patel) is at a production of King Lear when the lead suffers a heart attack on stage. Afterwards, while trying to help one of the play's child actors get home safely, he gets a call from his girlfriend working at the overrun hospital telling him to get to his brother's place and batten down the hatches.
There are also some scenes that now ring hilariously untrue. Unable to find the kid's parents, the pair go to stock up on supplies but, instead of fighting over toilet paper, end up being the only customers in a fully-stocked supermarket. Jeevan buys $10,000 worth of groceries and pushes a five-trolley convoy through the snow to his brother's apartment.
So far, so simple. But the first episode is really more of a prequel to the rest of the series, which is set 20 years after this "flu thing" has killed most of the world's population, and by which time nature has made great strides in its reclamation job. The kid from the play, Kirsten (Mackenzie Davis), is really the main character. She has become part of a travelling theatre troupe, and is obsessed with Arthur Leander, the actor she saw die on stage the night the pandemic hit. His story is interwoven with that of Kirsten's post-apocalyptic life, intersecting in some strange and unexpected ways.
This Way Up (Neon, from Monday)
If you want to hear a true tale of woe and injustice, just ask a local British comedy fan about all the amazing TV series that aren't being shown here. One of the titles that might pop up is This Way Up, the first two series of which arrive this week on Neon. Created by and starring comedian Aisling Bea, (a name that should be well known to comedy panel show watchers,) it's been favourably compared to shows like Fleabag and Back To Life. In other words, an honest, relatable, clever and funny show about a young woman working her way back from a nervous breakdown.
MacGruber (TVNZ OnDemand)
If, like most New Zealanders, you've never actually seen an episode of Saturday Night Live before in your life, the name MacGruber probably won't mean much to you. It is, as you might surmise, a long-running MacGyver parody, which has already spawned a 2010 film. But while we might not be in on the joke to date, one glance at the credits for the new TV adaptation suggests it's probably worth checking out anyway. Will Forte stars as the titular action hero, with Kristen Wiig, Ryan Phillippe, Laurence Fishburne, Billy Zane and Sam Elliott among the extended cast.
Harlem (Amazon Prime Video)
Okay, so the new Sex and the City reboot might not be the one for you after all (as funny as its attempts to shoehorn modern elements like "Instagram" and "Peloton" into the script undeniably are). If you're looking for a fresh comedy about a group of women making it work in the Big Apple, Harlem is probably a much better bet. The series follows the lives of a modern quartet of friends-since-university who are now in their 30s and living way further north than Carrie and co ever ventured. Whoopi Goldberg also has a recurring role as a doctor, which seems like a factor that ought to be taken into account.
Movie of the Week: Don't Look Up (Netflix, from Thursday)
You'd go a long way to find a more star-studded cast than the one attached to The Big Short director Adam McKay's latest film. How's DiCaprio, Lawrence, Streep and Blanchett for starters? A climate change satire, the film follows two astronomers (DiCaprio and Lawrence) as they embark on a publicity tour to try to warn an indifferent population of a fast-approaching comet that will soon wipe out life on Earth. Heavy-handed? Maybe, but that cast also includes Melanie Lynskey, Timothee Chalamet, Jonah Hill and Ariana Grande. Also currently screening (and as always, better) in cinemas.
From the Vault: The Golden Girls (1985) (Disney Plus)
Forget Sex and the City, everything you could possibly want or need from a TV comedy has been right here all along in The Golden Girls, all seven seasons (a cool 180 episodes) of which are available on Disney Plus. If you're looking for an epic holiday binge watch, something to have on while you put in the hours on your Christmas jigsaw puzzle, you could do a lot worse than to spend that time with Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia.
Podcast of the Week: Ghostwriter
It kind of makes sense when you think about it: who wouldn't want a movie they don't have to watch, but instead simply listen to while they do something else? Isn't this how we consume most of our media nowadays anyway? Why shouldn't "podcast movies", as ridiculous as that might sound when you hear it out loud, be a thing?
This is what psychological thriller Ghostwriter sets out to argue with its feature-length episode, and it actually puts forward a pretty compelling case. Kate (Kate Mara) is an agoraphobic former journalist who takes a job writing a murder mystery novel for a mysterious and perpetually on-the-go billionaire James (Adam Scott). Over a series of phone calls – one day from Cairo, the next from Berlin – they sketch out a generically creepy murder story based on some vague memories from his childhood.
The tension and creepiness gradually winds up – there are things Kate doesn't remember saying or writing, then the news reports of a series of murders eerily similar to the ones they've just written about – before unravelling in a hectic final chapter. Tightly written and well-performed, it's a listening experience that feels a lot shorter than its 83 minutes.
