Worst Roommate Ever
Tuesday, March 1st
The television arm of horror production giants Blumhouse (Get Out, Us, Paranormal Activity) have teamed up with Netflix for this five-part true crime thriller. Worst Roommate Ever is a more murderous spin on ITV's popular Neighbours from Hell series where instead of obnoxiously loud music and unemptied bins, there's the Jack Torrance-style threat of a hatchet through the wall. Covering four harrowing house sharing stories that range from extraordinary financial deception to terrifying violent crime, Worst Roommate Ever is a chilling advertisement for the luxury of living alone. Although the hair-raising ordeals described perhaps won't have the same effect on hardy Irish audiences who are looking for any kind of escape from the never ending nightmare of the housing crisis.
Pieces of Her
Friday, March 4th
Created by House of Cards's Charlotte Stoudt, based on the best selling Karin Slaughter novel and starring acting powerhouse Toni Collette, Pieces of Her has an impressive pedigree. The glossy eight-part thriller follows the fate of Andy (Bella Heathcote) who after witnessing her mother Laura (Toni Collette) expertly diffusing a potential shooting massacre in a cafe, wonders what secrets she has been keeping from her. As Andy unravels her mother's mysterious past she becomes embroiled in the darkness that Laura tried to protect her from, encountering dangerous characters who are intent on revenge. With its fast pace and pleasingly twisty storylines, Pieces of Her has all the hallmarks of a bingeable luxe-mystery with shades of Big Little Lies and The Undoing.
The Parisian Agency: Exclusive Properties – Season 2
Thursday, March 3rd
The Parisian Agency is the Condé Nast Traveller of property shows. It has a subtle elegance far removed from the McMansions and plastic sheen of Selling Sunset. The show is full of old world glamour featuring the chicest chateaux and most picturesque villas across Europe. Back for a second season the series follows the daily running of the agency by the ridiculously photogenic Kretz family. Unlike the property porn and sizzling manufactured drama of the Oppenheim operation, the Kretz estate agency is much more endearing and good natured. Although tempers can sometimes flare between the siblings and parents, it's hardly the Waystar Royco of real estate. With the emphasis on the family trying to navigate through the tough times together, The Parisian Agency for all its opulence is a heartwarming gem in the rough terrain of property programming.
The Andy Warhol Diaries
Wednesday, March 9th
When Andy Warhol chatted on the phone for hours to Brigid Berlin commenting on television shows and delivering the latest gossip, he invented Twitter. His books of casual Polaroids he took of visiting friends and acquaintances at the Interview offices, a mirror of Instagram. When he wrote down every minute thought and catalogued every event he attended in his diaries they became a sacred text about the nature of celebrity. Warhol innately understood the power of mundanity, the comforting repetition of the supermarket shelves. He saw how self-obsession and the desire for fame would collide in the future and not only would make everyone famous for fifteen minutes but would disintegrate the barriers of low and high art and culture.
For all his ubiquity, Warhol is the most cunning blank canvas. The father of 20th century pop culture is maddeningly unknowable. His colossal diaries piece together a life and this Ryan Murphy produced documentary based on these volumes attempts to not only look at his lasting impact on culture but the interior life of the human behind the wig. Featuring interviews with everyone from editor and assistant Pat Hackett, Debbie Harry and the Pope of Trash himself, John Waters; it's an extensive look at his world. In typical post-modern fashion it also includes AI voiceovers created from his diaries, sanctioned by the Warhol Foundation, so Andy has the last word.
Bad Vegan : Fame, Fraud Fugitives
Wednesday, March 16th
Netflix has become synonymous with documentaries about the art of the scam. From Fyre to Made You Look to the Tinder Swindler, the streaming service has capitalised on its viewers' thirst for an elaborate, eccentric hoax. Bad Vegan is the latest documentary series that breaks down the unbelievable story of Sarma Melngailis, the holistic chef to the stars turned wanted criminal.
The docu-series untangles the messy tale of how Melngailis, the celebrated raw food restaurateur, owner of celebrity hangout Pure Food and Wine, succumbed to the influence of her partner Anthony Strangis. Strangis, an unhinged gambler who Melngailis met on Twitter, dominated her entire existence to the extent that she drained her own company of millions to fund his lavish lifestyle. As the couple lived the highlife in the best hotels buying designer goods, her employees lost their livelihoods and investors were conned out of their fortunes. With their behaviour becoming ever more extreme and with Strangis employing cult-like coercive control tactics, the pair then suddenly vanished leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Created by Fyre director and Tiger King producer Chris Smith, Bad Vegan is another gripping stranger-than-fiction modern fable.
Heist: The Great Robbery of Brazil’s Central Bank
Wednesday, March 16th
It may not be as flashy as Alex Pina's Money Heist but this three part documentary about the most audacious robbery in Brazilian history is just as intense as the Spanish series. In August 2005 after taking three months to prep and dig an 80 metre tunnel, members of a criminal gang entered the vault of the Brazilian Central Bank and managed to escape with R$160 million (€63 million) making it one of the world's largest heists. Stitched together through eyewitness accounts, interviews with key players and testimonies from the police and members of the gang, it's an insightful, illuminating look at this intriguing cat and mouse tale.
Human Resources
Tuesday, March 8th
This spin-off of the smut-filled animated series Big Mouth, concentrates on the real stars of the show, the hormone monsters Maurice and Connie. Human Resources is set in their supernatural world where they encounter others of their kind as well as Shame Wizards and Depression Kitties. It's a look at the various creatures that control us misguided humans from adolescence to old age. The show also digs into the characters' lives outside of their work and how they navigate their own complex feelings. Big Mouth regulars Nick Kroll and Maya Rudolph are joined by a host of new talent including SNL alumnus Aidy Bryant, Fresh Off the Boat star Randall Park, Hustler's Keke Palmer and Harry Potter's David Thewlis.
Standing Up
Friday, March 18th
From the creators of Call My Agent comes this buzzy new drama about the serious business of comedy. Standing Up follows the lives of four amateur stand up comedians struggling to succeed in the toughest clubs in Paris. Nezir, Aïssatou, Bling and Apolline juggle daytime minimum wage jobs with their nights in the limelight as they chase viral fame and dream of worldwide notoriety. They battle with self doubt and irate family members whilst trying to survive on the poverty line forever wondering if laughter really is the solution to their predicaments. For those repulsed by the carnival of naked materialism and hollow capitalistic greed on display in Emily in Paris, Standing Up offers a more realistic view of the French capital and its diverse inhabitants.
Top Boy – Season 4
Friday, March 18th
Between Top Boy and Feel Good, Netflix has a habit of saving cancelled Channel 4 shows from TV obscurity. With season three hitting an all time audience high, it looks as though the streaming service and singer Drake did the right thing by reviving the gritty British drama.
The season continues on from the devastating events that left Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kane Robinson) building their drug empire but at a price with the shock of friends deaths and double dealings with undercover agents – it was a dark, sombre stew of emotions. This time around things heat up with the presence of young drug dealer Jamie (Micheal Ward) who got under Dushane and Sully’s skin and Shelley (artist Little Simz) whose relationship with Dushane was just starting to blossom.
Bridgerton – Season 2
Friday, March 25th
Shonda Rhimes' frothy Regency romance returns. With expectations sky high due to its massive global viewership, the drama has a lot to live up to, especially with the departure of chief hottie, Regé-Jean Page who played the Duke of Hastings to stirring acclaim. As the show is an anthology series that concentrates on the complicated love lives and dramas surrounding each of the Bridgerton children, Daphne's (Phoebe Dynevor) narrative has been replaced as the central focus with this season with the oldest of the clan, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) coming to the fore.
The trials of his bachelorhood and quest for love will be explored along with the introduction of the Sharma family who are made up of close knit sisters Kate and Edwina. Bridgerton’s second season is as much about familial love and support as romantic couplings. Although fear not, there are still steamy surprises and outrageous scandals courtesy of the omnipotent Lady Whistledown.
