Bad Company
Sunday, 8.15pm, ABC
I’m not one who generally gets “triggered” by things. But this new comedy, starring Anne Edmonds and Kitty Flanagan, really got my heart racing and my eye twitching — it felt so nauseatingly real.
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Anyone who’s ever worked for an arts organisation or a small business run by big egos will get what I mean.
In the same way that The Office had people who’d experienced the petty mindlessness of working a dead-end office job squirming, and another ABC series, Utopia, had those of us who’d worked in local government rocking in to fetal position, this may very well send some who have endured “the arts” teetering right over the edge.
It’s all thanks to the genius of comedian Edmonds, the writer and creator of this cringe-inducingly excellent eight-part series.
I’ve always loved her offbeat TV projects — 2017’s bizarre (but quietly genius) The Edge Of The Bush, a micro series of mini episodes, made it on to my list of best shows for that year.
I’m already totally invested in this new comedy, which sees Edmonds playing Margie Argyle, the temperamental artistic director of the fictional Argyle Theatre.
She’s hell-bent on staging an experimental 18th-century French play (Grease be damned!), but is meeting some serious resistance, courtesy of newly appointed financial controller Julia McNamara (Flanagan), who’s been brought in to whip the flailing organisation into shape.
They’re each other’s polar opposites, and their dynamic is hilarious. The show’s excellent ensemble cast, which includes Will Gibb (you’ll recognise him from social media skits and his stand-up comedy), Cameron James, Kira Puru and Ben Pfeiffer, only add to the delicious chaos.
For those of us who’ve worked for pretentious struggling arts organisations, this will all seem disturbingly real — you’ll vomit a little bit in your mouth while watching — but my goodness, it’s good.
Running Point
Streaming now on Netflix
Kate Hudson returns for a second season of Running Point, a hidden gem on Netflix. Credit: Katrina Marcinowski
I enjoyed Ted Lasso, but by the end of the third season, I started to tire of the blokey sports bro-ness of it all.
This felt like an antidote: it came out last year, and saw Kate Hudson take on the role of Isla Gordon, the newly appointed female boss of a giant US basketball team.
Season one was all about Isla consolidating her power and proving herself in the male-dominated world. Season two sees her battling to maintain her position as top dog as her brother (Justin Theroux) plots to steal back the job he sees as rightfully his.
This may have passed you by, but if you’re a Lasso fan and enjoy a sports comedy with heart, this gem needs to be on your radar.
Will be interesting to see how the Lasso female team spin-off, due in the coming months, compares.
Widow’s Bay
Wednesday, streaming on Apple TV Plus
Widow’s Bay is streaming on Apple TV. Credit: Supplied
Horror comedy isn’t a genre that pops up often (I’m still mourning the loss of Netflix’s excellent Santa Clarita Diet — why did it end?). But it’s the order of the day in this unusual series, starring Matthew Rhys as the local mayor of a tiny island off the coast of the US which may, or may not, be cursed. Intrigued? You will be — worth a look.
Urzila
Wednesday, 9.20pm, ABC
Nazeem Hussain is one of many well-known faces popping up in Urzila Carlson’s sketch comedy show. Credit: Supplied
Sketch comedy is a tricky thing to get right. But Urzila Carlson is giving it a red-hot go in this series, which sees her blending it with her comedy routines. A little hit and miss, but I lol’d a few times, which is a good sign.
Rick Stein’s Australia
Thursday, SBS On Demand
Rick Stein’s Australia is streaming on SBS On Demand. Credit: Supplied
My love for Rick runs deep, so I’ll be dipping in to see him criss-crossing New South Wales. He’s revisiting the place he first fell in love with as a teen, and riffing on how Aussie cuisine has changed in the years since.
Man On fire
Thursday, streaming on Netflix
The 2004 Denzel Washington flick is being reimagined as a series, this time with Yahya Abdul-Mateen (love him) as a special forces mercenary struggling with PTSD. One for fans of intense, character-driven action.
