Mary & George
Tuesday, streaming on Binge
There’s nothing worse than investing hours of your life into a TV show you love, only for it to be unceremoniously dumped.
It’s been happening a lot to me lately: I was devastated when Paper Girls was canned after one series. OK, sure, I was the only person on the planet who watched it, but I loved the story that was unfolding and was shocked to hear it wouldn’t be back — especially after that doozy of a cliffhanger ending.
I also felt bereft when I found out The Great had been cancelled.
Thankfully, I think I may have found a show to fill the void, and it stars one of my all-time favourites, Oscar-winning actor Julianne Moore.
She plays a woman named Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham, the mother of George Villiers, a man famously reported to be King James I’s confidant and rumoured lover during the Jacobean era in English history.
In this drama, based on the book The King’s Assassin: The Fatal Affair of George Villiers and James I, George is played by Nicholas Galitzine, who eagle-eyed viewers will remember for his other courtly role as Prince Henry in the very cheesy (but very watchable) Netflix movie Red, White & Royal Blue.
What I loved about The Great was how funny and playful it was, and this historical comedy/drama has that same feel: sumptuous costumes and incredible sets and fleets of extras all adding to the atmosphere.
What makes it even more fun is that it’s all based on a real story. It’s fascinating to take a historical deep-dive google into what really transpired between George and the King, and the part George’s overbearing mother played in it all.
Here’s hoping my new favourite lasts the distance, because this is a court I don’t want to be expelled from any time soon.
The Regime
Monday, streaming on Binge
We love a bit of bonkers TV. And it doesn’t get much battier than Kate Winslet’s new series, which sees her donning a series of cinched suits to play the autocratic dictator of a small fictional European country.
Winslet’s character, Chancellor Elena Venham, is awful. She’s narcissistic, haughty, overbearing and basically insufferable — and our Kate is clearly loving every second of playing her.
It’s stacks of fun to watch Elena’s world come crashing down in this absurd black comedy, which is at times incredibly difficult to watch precisely because of how real it all feels.
Worth a look.
The Gentlemen
Thursday, streaming on Netflix
The White Lotus star Theo James stars in this spin-off of Guy Ritchie’s 2019 movie. It’s all about a man who unexpectedly inherits his father’s country estate, only to discover it’s part of a giant cannabis empire. Peak Guy Ritchie.
Supersex
Wednesday, streaming on Netflix
Will I be watching this dramatised retelling of the rise to fame of Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi? Do you even know me? Sounds awful and awesome all at the same time — of COURSE I will. Let’s circle back for a debrief when we’ve all watched it.
Ready Steady Cook
Friday, 7.30pm, Ten
If you’ve ever chucked a sickie from work or school, you’ll be well versed in this old fave, which is returning to screens this week with Miguel Maestre at the helm. Be right back — grabbing my string bag full of ingredients and my capsicum placard.
