The best TV and film to watch this week – from Kaos to Only Murders in the Building
IN the mood for a reality show? A new drama?
Whatever it is, look no further as The Sun’s TV Mag once again has you covered with the best TV to watch over the next seven days.
NETFLIX
KAOS – Available from Thursday
Bringing the legends of the Greek gods into a contemporary setting is an intriguing proposition – and, as a mash up of, say, Dynasty and those ancient myths, this eight-parter makes for entertaining, gripping viewing.
Zeus (Jeff Goldblum), aka king of the gods, is getting worried. Up in his luxurious mansion at the top of Mount Olympus, where he lives with his wife Hera (Janet McTeer) and party-loving son Dionysus (Nabhaan Rizwan), the ruthless, egotistic ruler of the universe has started to sense that his position might be under threat.
And his intuition is correct because his former friend, the imprisoned Prometheus (Stephen Dillane), is plotting to bring him down, with the unconscious help of three humans – Riddy, Ari and Caneus. Can Zeus cling onto his power, with enemies circling?
Being the creation of Charlie Covell – who won wild acclaim for his first show The End Of The F***ing World – this drama is also crammed with comedy and twists. Central to it all is Jeff, whose typically zany, energetic and wired performance helps to lift the series heavenwards.
Terminator Zero – Available from Thursday
Forty years after the first Terminator film thrilled moviegoers the world over, here comes an exciting animé series, which harks back to the first two Arnie-starring movies.
Featuring all new characters, Terminator Zero follows a young resistance fighter called Eiko (voiced by Sonoya Mizuno). She’s sent from 2022 – when the few remaining human survivors are fighting a seemingly unbeatable army of machines created by the all-powerful AI known as Skynet – back to 1997, to protect a scientist on the verge of creating an AI system that could save humanity from Skynet’s rise.
However, Eiko isn’t the only one who travels back in time – a familiar-looking and relentless machine assassin (Timothy Olyphant) will stop at nothing to prevent Malcolm from completing his creation. Cue a dramatic, spectacular and titanic struggle.
Adam Sandler: Love You – Available from Tuesday
Back in 2018, comedian and actor Adam unleashed his first stand-up special for Netflix, called 100% Fresh. Now, six long years later, he’s finally got round to making a follow up. Filmed at the Nocturne Theatre in Glendale, California, and directed by Josh Safdie – who worked with Sandler on the hit movie Uncut Gems – the special finds Adam in typically eclectic and entertaining form, riffing on all manner of subjects, performing songs and fully involving the audience. As he puts it himself: “I talk a lot, and then I sing, and then we do a bunch of s**t.” A welcome return to stand-up.
Untold: Sign Stealer – Available from Tuesday
For many in the United States, it’s the biggest scandal in the history of college football. In 2022, American football team Michigan Wolverines hired an analyst, Connor Stalions, who developed a detailed database of thousands of signals used by opposing teams’ coaches to pass strategies to their players on the field.
Stalions allegedly bought tickets to opponents’ games in order to record the signals – a practice banned by the sport’s governing body. It was suggested that the Wolverines then used this insider info to help them win games – indeed, that season they went on to win the championship. But was their triumph fair and square?
This intriguing documentary tells the story of the scandal, featuring an exclusive interview with Stalions himself.
A-List To Playlist – Available from Friday
South Korean actor Cho Jung-seok has had a successful film and TV career in his homeland spanning two decades. However, he’s always harboured a dream of being a successful singer-songwriter.
Now, in this new fly-on-the-wall reality series, Cho attempts to make that dream come true in just 100 days, starting from scratch. Getting his friends involved, and hoping to mobilise his legions of fans, he’s confident of success.
The only trouble is, he doesn’t have any songs, or experience, and some of his best pals think he should stick to acting. Can he pull off this seemingly impossible dream?
Breathless
Telly medical dramas are in rude health right now, with loads of addictive shows out there to stream. But if you like the idea of looking a little further afield than, say, Casualty, Grey’s Anatomy or The Good Doctor for your hospital hit, make an appointment with Breathless.
This eight-part Spanish drama is set at the Joaquín Sorolla public hospital in Valencia, where the team of doctors and residents spend their time juggling the stresses of saving lives with the equally dramatic demands of their personal lives.
And when the arrival of an important patient shines an unflattering light on the public health system, the team find themselves split.
Created by Carlos Montero, the man behind hit teen school drama Élite, and starring a cast that includes Blanca Suarez and Money Heist’s Najwa Nimir, it’s engrossing and very bingeable.
Love Is Blind: UK The Reunion – Available from Monday
You’ve got two days to finish the final two episodes that dropped on Wednesday because it’s time for the moment that promises high drama as the contestants are brought back together for the first time since they said “I do”… or “I don’t”.
Matt and Emma Willis will host the reunion, which sees the couples look back on their time in the experiment that tests whether love really is blind (assuming they’re still talking…), and they welcome special guests from the pod squad to reflect on all the major twists and turns that kept us gripped throughout this first season of the UK version.
Represent – Available from Thursday
Fancy a fish-out-of-water comedy from France? This second series once again follows the trials and tribulations of Stéphane (Jean-Pascal Zadi), a black youth centre leader from the gritty suburbs of Paris, who finds himself running for President – much to the horror of the very conservative, very white Establishment.
Spoiler time – at the end of the first series, Stéphane defied expectations and won the election, which means season two finds him trying to adjust to his new job.
But with protests, gaffes, troublesome domestic affairs and even death threats all in a day’s work, it looks set to be even tougher than he expected. An enjoyable, smart and thought-provoking comedy that gets our vote.
DISNEY+
Only Murders In The Building – Available from Tuesday
The tremendous true-crime podcasting trio of Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) have a new case to investigate, and if you remember the final moments of season three, you’ll know what it is – the shooting of Charles’ eccentric friend and stunt double Sazz (played to perfection by Jane Lynch). But was Sazz the intended victim or was it actually Charles?
The gang’s haphazard sleuthing leads them out of the Arconia and off to LA, where answers – and the small matter of a lucrative deal with a Hollywood studio to make a movie about their podcast – await. Featuring another impressive roll call of guest stars, including Meryl Streep, Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy, Melissa McCarthy and Zach Galifianakis, the end of summer just got a little brighter.
PRIME VIDEO
The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power – Available from Thursday
Dust off your elven bow-and-arrow and dwarfs’ axe because we’re off to Middle-earth once again for a second season of this epic, effects-laden prequel series.
Picking up from where we left off last time, the evil Sauron (Charlie Vickers) is still on his wicked quest for complete power. After being unmasked by Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), the exiled Sauran sets about his aim of creating the Rings Of Power, which will allow him to control the people of Middle-earth.
As his influence grows, old friendships and alliances start to strain. With new characters and returning favourites such as Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and Durin (Owain Arthur) taking up arms, it promises to be another spectacular and action-packed helping of Tolkien magic.
APPLE TV+
K-Pop Idols – Available from Friday
In case you hadn’t noticed, the planet has gone K-Pop mad over the last few years, but if you do need a quick primer, K-Pop is the name given to a modern genre of pop music from South Korea.
Acts such as BTS, BLACKPINK and Seventeen have often lived and trained together, learning everything from dance moves to foreign languages in preparation for eventual worldwide stardom.
Now the reality of what it takes to make it as a K-Pop star is revealed in this six-part series which follows artists Jessi, CRAVITY and BLACKSWAN as they put everything on the line to reach the kind of perfection needed to succeed in K-Pop. Prepare for an eye-opening examination of a very modern music phenomenon.
U
Bangers & Cash: Live – Available from Thursday
Packed live auctions have unfortunately become something of a rarity for classic car auctioneers the Mathewson family ever since the Covid pandemic hit, with more and more people preferring to bid via the internet and phone.
However, the crowds were definitely out in force for this year’s annual special live classic car and memorabilia auction, which was held earlier in the month over a weekend at Scampston Hall in Rillington, Yorkshire.
This special programme brings viewers all the highlights from the event, and features commentary from the show’s usual narrator, Toby Foster. One for the petrolheads out there.
PARAMOUNT+
PAW Patrol: Mission Paw & Paw Patrol: Moto Pups – Available from Friday
There’s a treat in store for the PAW Patrol fans in your life, in the shape of two special collections of popular episodes. The Mission Paw collection finds Chase and the pups going undercover in Barkingburg, to keep a watchful eye on the Princess’ crown.
However, when Chase is framed for stealing it by the real thief, Sweetie, will they be able to save the day? In the Moto Pups collection, the Motorcycle Stunt Show comes to town, complete with the trouble making Ruff-Ruff Pack.
Can the PAW Patrol, along with new buddy Wildcat, protect the town? Meanwhile, there are adventures involving rescuing Mayor Goodway and catching some giant runaway doughnuts. Pawfect.
VIAPLAY
Borje – The Journey Of A Legend – Available from Monday
As the first European ice hockey player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the late, great Swedish star Börje Salming was an icon of the game.
Now his remarkable life story is told in this six-part drama starring Valter Skarsgård. The series traces Börje’s journey from small-town Sweden to the bright lights of the National Hockey League in Canada, where he was to spend 16 years with the Canadian Maple Leafs, breaking many records along the way.
It also charts the passionate love story between Börje and his wife Margitta (Hedda Stiernstedt), and her struggles to adapt to life as a top NHL star so far from home. A worthy tribute to a giant of the sport.
The King’s Inner Circle – Available from Monday
Last year, Sweden’s king, Carl XVI Gustaf, celebrated his Golden Jubilee, making him the country’s longest-reigning monarch.
Featuring never-seen-before footage and exclusive interviews with the likes of his wife, Queen Silvia, his sister Princess Christina and Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, as well as close friends, this three-part series pays tribute to the King’s eventful and, at times, tragic life and his 50 years on the throne.
Whether you’re familiar with the Swedish royal family or a complete newcomer to the subject, it’s a fascinating insight, and parallels to the long service of the late Queen Elizabeth II are clear.
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