Pick of the week is Little House on the Prairie, a new adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s rural Americana novels for the streaming era. Alice Halsey plays Laura Ingalls, a sparky pre-teen whose family sets out on an exciting but uncertain adventure to Kansas to start a new life. Encounters with wolves, strange neighbours and Native Americans prove that claiming land and building a house is not as easy as it seems. This version largely plays it safe, with some grittier moments but overall a deeply wholesome confection. It premieres on Netflix from Thursday 9 July.
Trying Returns for Fifth Season
Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) are no longer trying to have kids; they now have an adoptive family that is functional and mildly chaotic. The arrival of Princess and Tyler’s biological mother, Kat, sends Nikki spiralling as she worries her daughter might prefer her less uptight but less responsible “real” mum. The show has earned its five-season run by offering an edifying representation of modern family life, with performances that invest the scenarios with warmth and pathos. New episodes drop on Apple TV from Wednesday 8 July.
Summer ’36: A Riviera Murder Mystery
Set on the French Riviera in 1936, this murder mystery has intriguing undertones of class conflict. Working-class French people have finally been granted paid holidays, an uncomfortable development for the monied elite who must now share luxury hotels and beaches with the hoi polloi. The killing of a local prosecutor throws four women from different backgrounds together. It’s a juicy if contrived premise, though the clunkily dubbed English dialogue detracts. Available on Netflix now.
Sparks of Tomorrow: An Eccentric Anime
Kyoto Animation returns with Sparks of Tomorrow, a story about electrical inventions and the bond between two brothers in the early 20th century. Kihachi and Seiroku are obsessed with electricity, but Seiroku is sent to war, taking their catalogue of inventions and never returning. Kihachi’s quest to recover the catalogue involves a love affair and a company wanting the designs for nefarious reasons. It premieres on Netflix from Sunday 5 July.
Hammerhead Sharks Up Close With Bertie Gregory
Film-maker Bertie Gregory ventures into Mexico’s Pacific waters to study hammerhead sharks, once abundant but now pushed to the brink of extinction. He explores various schemes to protect these predators and eventually finds a surprisingly large group to commune with. The footage is startling and the environmental message unambiguous. The special airs on Disney+ from Sunday 5 July.
I’m Not Afraid: A Mexican Thriller
This Mexican drama centres on 10-year-old Miguel, who finds a kidnapped child while looking for a lost football. He musters a posse of his pals to address the situation, riding their pushbikes into a dangerously adult situation. Earthier and less supernatural than Stranger Things, it premieres on Netflix from Wednesday 8 July.
Shifting Gears Returns for Season Two
This warm, family-focused sitcom has a traditional feel with moral simplicity and a laughter track. In season two, Tim Allen’s patriarch Matt has a new love interest and behaves like a teenager, so his stroppy daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) must keep him in line. New episodes start on Disney+ from Wednesday 8 July.
