Catch Up: Top TV to watch this May
Claire Sawers checks out the best telly action you might have missed to bring us a cheery brew of Glasgow-based trauma, cultish malevolence, scheming scammers and creepy comedy horror
No one doubted Richard Gadd’s ability to lead us into darkness. He confirmed that around episode four of Baby Reindeer, the comedian turned writer’s semi-autobiographical tale of stalking and sexual assault, which became a global hit. The harrowing themes continue in Half Man (BBC iPlayer), where two Glasgow teenagers have to share a bedroom when their mums begin a relationship. Intense friendship spills into full-blown obsession as they become entangled. Gadd literally growls in his animalistic performance of Ruben, a truly horrifying, timely exploration of many sick male urges, while Jamie Bell puts in an equally strong turn as his tortured, closeted protégé. Gadd’s writing is scalpel-sharp and trauma-informed, showing the ability of narcissists to not only hide but thrive in plain sight. Six episodes feels hard to stomach, given the violence and sexual abuse; the same insightful points could probably have been made in four (flaws in the legal system, loyalty to abusers, cycles of harm) but Gadd seems to want to challenge audiences and his own limits through this brutal, emotional purge.
Malevolence also runs deep in Unchosen (Netflix), a six-part drama about a cloistered Christian cult in rural England. Created by Julie Gearey, it’s based on more than 2000 real UK sects such as the Jesus Fellowship Church and Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, borrowing details from both. Molly Windsor (Three Girls) and Asa Butterfield (Sex Education) are the central young couple, obedient but in turmoil, with Christopher Eccleston and Siobhan Finneran as the sinister preacher and his wife. There’s an escaped convict (Fra Fee) hiding in the barn too, giving flashbacks to Whistle Down The Wind crossed with The Night Of The Hunter, all dappled in bucolic sunlight. While the focus is on the twisted, whisky-based punishments and technology-shunning rituals of this fictional insular society, parallels can be drawn with claustrophobic, toxic marriages and the rise of male supremacy. Beyond the plot holes, redemption might be coming…
Following the 2023 success of dark comedy-thriller Beef (Netflix), starring Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as two strangers buzzing from their mutual road rage and hellbent on destroying one another, the show’s creator Lee Sung Jin delivers a second batch, with Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaac as the new leads. Certain themes continue such as the seduction of traditional family values, the reality of grind culture, existential ennui, and the lure of get-rich-quick schemes and fantasy romances. Mulligan and Isaac work among the nauseatingly ultra-rich in a country club and plot their escape through an embezzlement scam, while also being duped themselves. The luxury resort gives White Lotus vibes, while South Korean talent from Parasite’s Song Kang-ho and Minari’s Youn Yuh-jung add enjoyably weird comedy touches.
Fresh from playing the creepy neighbour to Claire Danes in The Beast In Me, this time Matthew Rhys is the one being creeped out in Widow’s Bay (Apple TV). Here, he’s Tom Loftis, mayor of the quaint, titular island town off the coast of New England who won’t let a few centuries-old curses and haunted houses ruin his chance of turning the place into a busy tourist destination. Tom is getting flak from many of the locals who think he’s a cowardly loser, plus his teenage son is giving him plenty ’tude too. There are echoes of the Amity Island smalltown conflicts that feature in Jaws, crossed with Twin Peaks uncanniness and mildly absurd humour, all thanks to creator Katie Dippold who was a writer on Parks And Recreation. Urban legends, ancient myths and classic ghost stories lend tense moments that are offset by lighter, parochial and slightly daft scenes. A strange potion of comedy and horror, wrapped in eerie fog and superstition, but somehow it works.
Sawers also saw…
Margo’s Got Money Troubles on Apple TV: ‘Cosy comedy-drama starring Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer and Nicole Kidman’; Mo Bheatha, Mo Bhodhaig (My Body, My Life) on BBC Alba: ‘Refreshing documentary about body image obsession’; Nobu on Apple TV: ‘Tasty doc about the celeb-endorsed Japanese chef’.