1. THE HANDMAID’S TALE
STARRING: Elisabeth Moss
You wouldn’t exactly say that watching The Handmaid’s Tale is an enjoyable experience. But the drama set in religious fundamentalist Gilead is essential viewing, even if season two is darker than season one in parts. In the present day, Offred (Elisabeth Moss) is being transported to her fate, after having been taken away in a van at the very end of season one. Meanwhile, in flashbacks, we continue to see just how the US was overthrown by a republic that practises enforced rape and stifles all freedoms. Once again this season, the scary thing about those glimpses into the characters’ pasts is that some of the events that occur parallel things we see happening in our own world. Even more reason The Handmaid’s Tale should be compulsory viewing and act as a cautionary tale. Brilliant performances and hauntingly beautiful direction make this one of 2018’s best shows. 5 stars (Streaming now on SBS on Demand) · By Gavin Scott
For more on The Handmaid’s Tale tune in to WHO magazine’s new TV podcast, Binge List is your weekly guide to what’s bingeworthy on Australian TV. From streaming, to pay TV, to broadcast, we’ve got it all covered. Join TV aficionados Matthew Denby, Gavin Scott and Clare Rigden as they talk about this week’s must-watch shows. So get comfortable, find the remote and tune in for everything you need to know – and a lot more!
Listen to it on iTunes here.
Listen to it on OMNY here.
2. FLUME: WHEN EVERYTHING WAS NEW
STARRING: Harley Streten
Get ready for the weekend with a chirpy documentary on Australian DJ artist Flume (aka Streten). The surfie kid from Sydney’s northern beaches, now 26, is a delight as he and those who helped him on his way marvel at his meteoric rise to fame. No-one is more surprised than Streten when he scores a Grammy, as he just likes doing his thing. “For me the most important thing about music is it sounding new and exciting,” he says. You’ll just want to hear more of whatever comes out of his magic electronic boxes. 4 stars (Now on Apple Music) · By Deborah Grunfeld
3. DAWSON’S CREEK
STARRING: James Van Der Beek
For those born after 1990, you don’t wanna wait for your life to be over before you catch up on this classic. The relatable, compelling and at-times agonising teen exploits of Dawson Leery (Van Der Beek) and his schoolmates, Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson) and reformed wild child Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams) made appointment viewing from 1998–2003. Whip-smart dialogue was a hallmark of the show, as was the Dawson/Joey/ Pacey love triangle [Joey 4 Pacey 4EVA, and they totally dated IRL too—Ed], while the young stars’ subsequent successful careers fuelled years of requests for a reunion. “I think that the charm of the show was Kevin Williamson’s writing and it was of that time and it gave teenagers this voice,” Holmes said in 2016. “It was a very, very special time—a special show and I loved every minute of it.” So did we, Katie. So did we. 4 stars (All seasons now on Stan) · By Helen Martin
4. BLAZING SADDLES
STARRING: Gene Wilder, Cleavon Little
When the town of Rock Ridge is beset by a bad bunch determined to scare off the locals so a wicked pollie can buy up their land cheap, the townsfolk beg for a sheriff to save the day, then are horrified when their prayers are answered with … a black man. There are so many iconic scenes in this 1978 classic spoof of Westerns, and all of them are as far from sophisticated and politically correct as the Wild West was from Manhattan. Blessed be the irreverent mind of Mel Brooks. 4 stars (On SBS on Demand till April 30) · By Deborah Grunfeld
5. ON MY BLOCK
STARRING: Sierra Capri, Diego Tinoco
Awkward creator Lauren Iungerich sets her new high-school series in South Central LA, but don’t let its teen themes put you off. Whatever you are in the mood for: an edgy drama in the veins of Skins or Shameless; a teen soap à la Riverdale or 13 Reasons Why; or just a good old-fashioned mystery that needs solving, On My Block has all this and more. And it just gets better as it goes. 4.5 stars (Now on Netflix) · By Deborah Grunfeld
WHO magazine’s new TV podcast, Binge List is your weekly guide to what’s bingeworthy on Australian TV. From streaming, to pay TV, to broadcast, we’ve got it all covered. Join TV aficionados Matthew Denby, Gavin Scott and Clare Rigden as they talk about this week’s must-watch shows. So get comfortable, find the remote and tune in for everything you need to know – and a lot more!
Listen to it on iTunes here.
Listen to it on OMNY here.
Want more recommended viewing? 5 TV Shows to Binge
For more entertainment news and reviews, get this week’s WHO Magazine, on sale now
This article originally appeared on WHO.
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