With all this rain, Easter should be the perfect opportunity to stay inside and watch TV. Unfortunately, though, free-to-air TV is in another non-ratings period, which leaves streaming options to be your best bet for new entertainment.
Roar (Good Friday on Apple TV+) is a nutty anthology series of “darkly comic feminist fables”. The first episode stars Issa Rae (Insecure) as a writer arriving in Hollywood to turn her bestselling novel into a film. Things get very weird and then it ends abruptly.
In the second episode, Nicole Kidman and Simon Baker play a bogan couple living in Sydney. Sporting her worst hairstyle yet, Kidman’s character goes on a road trip to pick up her troubled mother, as played by Judy Davis (with her trademark red lipstick).
While driving, Kidman sings along to several Aussie rock anthems, so her car radio must be tuned to WSFM. Again, things then take a very weird turn, but I have no idea what any of this means. Roar might have been more watchable if it was a remake of the 1981 Tippi Hedren movie of the same name with lions, arguably the most dangerous movie ever made.
Our Flag Means Death
It should be no surprise that the number one streamed show in New Zealand is Our Flag Means Death (Foxtel). Here in Australia, it’s coming second to Bridgerton (Netflix), and the reason for all the love is because it’s another hit from Taika Waititi, who also plays Blackbeard in it.
In this send-up of swashbuckling pirate movies, Rhys Darby plays an English aristocrat who hits the high seas with a motley crew in search of trouble. The cast includes Ewen Bremmer, Leslie Jones and Rory Kinnear and it is easy watching and silly fun.
The Outlaws (Amazon Prime) is a new comedy thriller from Stephen Merchant. He and Christopher Walken are hilarious in it, but there’s a darker edge running through it, given everyone is a convicted crim on community service. One to watch, especially with future guest star Richard E. Grant (more at our latest Mercado & Manning TV podcast).
The best free to air can offer is This Is Joan Collins (Sunday on SBS), two episodes of The Dog House Australia (now Monday and Tuesday on 10) and marathons of First Dates Australia (7Flix), no doubt being repeated to take the shine off 10’s new version.
Good Friday used to be a day to watch biblical epics like The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), where John Wayne would drawl “Truly, this man was the Son of God”. Not any more though, because now the midday movie is the tacky telemovie Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance (Friday on Seven).
NEW PODCAST: Mercado and Manning talk TV
The latest podcast episode from Mediaweek’s Andrew Mercado and James Manning has uncovered many shows worth your time. New dramas include Nine’s Underbelly: Vanishing Act, AppleTV+’s Slow Horses and Severance, Prime Video’s The Outlaws and Foxtel’s Julia and Hollington Drive.
Andrew asks if Courtney Act should have won Seven’s best-ever Dancing with the Stars series, James questions the terrible plot twist that ended ABC’s The Teacher and they both are enjoying Netflix’s The Andy Warhol Diaries.
Listen to new Mercado and Manning from the Mediaweek Podcast Studio.
Tune in via the LiSTNR app or your favourite podcast platform.