Pick of the Week: Furious
On the face of it, this drama by Elizabeth Meriwether (New Girl, Dying for Sex) is a very traditional detective thriller. There’s a serial killer, murdering in inventive ways, with a flawed, gifted cop on their trail. However, they are both women with traumatic pasts involving domestic violence, so genre expectations are subverted and sympathies blurred. With her talent for manipulation and deadpan brutality, there’s something of Killing Eve’s Villanelle about Lola Petticrew’s killer. Emmy Rossum’s FBI agent Alice Black, meanwhile, is all raw nerve endings and self-destructive behaviour. The pair are on a collision course – but what justice might look like is hard to unpick. Gripping. (Disney+, from Monday 27 July)
Snoopy Presents: There’s No Place Like Home
Charlie Brown’s enigmatic beagle Snoopy is the focus of this special episode. Since Snoopy is largely non-verbal, portraying his wildly imaginative inner life asks a lot of the show’s animators. Fortunately, they’re up to the task. A yard sale results in the accidental sale of Snoopy’s beloved kennel. Cue anguish and bungled attempts from Charlie Brown to get him a new one. Eventually, the original kennel is located – but retrieving it might require Charlie to make an unimaginable sacrifice. Wholesome, bordering on saccharine, but smart and funny enough to get away with it. (Apple TV+, from Friday 31 July)
Heartstopper: Ending on a Hi
As the film Heartstopper Forever closes the book on one of the more beguiling screen romances of recent years, this accompanying spin-off show feels more worthwhile than many of its type. After all, Heartstopper’s depiction of young LGBTQ+ life has felt brave and mould-breaking in its determination to give its characters autonomy and closure, so it’s worth assessing the show’s impact on its viewers and the wider culture. There’s plenty of fan input here but also expect to hear from Heartstopper’s creator, Alice Oseman, and all of the show’s stars, too. (Netflix, out now)
The Curse of Love Island
It’s a cautionary tale that has nevertheless been repeated over and over: too many reality TV stars have found out the hard way that subjecting their intimate emotional life to public scrutiny poses significant risks to their mental health. The suicides of Love Island contestants Sophie Gradon and Mike Thalassitis are a case in point. They raise questions around duty of care that are explored in this series. With the help of other participants, friends and industry insiders, it looks at whether more should have been done to help these vulnerable young people. (Prime Video, from Sunday 26 July)
Mary Beth Barone
Mary Beth Barone is nothing if not self-aware, promising “the first Netflix special ever to be done completely in vocal fry”. The standup is as good as her word but that’s only a small part of her charm – in her deadpan way, she offers observations on Afghanistan, Woody Allen and Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros (“I just had sex with all these Netflix guys. Now I have to bounce on some Brothers?”). For all the ironic distance, there’s an underlying seriousness about Barone’s explorations of the gender politics of comedy that keeps things interesting. (Netflix, from Tuesday 28 July)
The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare
The murders of four students in their Idaho house in 2022 was so shocking, it’s not surprising that a few documentaries about the case are now airing on various streamers. This one, though, has been made with the victims in mind – Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle – by Oscar-nominated producer Joe Berlinger and director Skye Borgman (Unknown Number: The High School Catfish). Over three episodes, they set out the events and talk to the victims’ families and friends, asking: why these kids, why this house? (Netflix, from Wednesday 29 July)
The Last Settlement
An unusual premise for this bleak German drama, which is equal parts a reflection on guilt and a whodunnit from beyond the grave. Guests at David’s funeral get more than they bargained for as a letter from the deceased accuses various people in his life of inflicting the emotional wounds that led to his premature death. However, any redemption that might be gleaned from these revelations is destined to be hard won – first, via a series of narrative rewinds, there is blame to be apportioned and toxic relationships to be unpicked. Darkly intriguing. (Channel 4, from Friday 31 July)
