Amazon Prime
Roadies
As HBO’s disappointing Vinyl showed, rock music is a tricky area to fictionalise. Part of the problem is that the songs are the point – and who’s going to give their best tunes to a TV drama? Cameron Crowe’s new series tries to sidestep this problem by homing in on the triumphs and disasters of the road crew. The pacing is a little sluggish at first and the characters feel underdeveloped but it’s rendered watchable by turns from Imogen Poots, Rafe Spall and Luke Wilson.
Available now
BBC Three
Fleabag
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s second sitcom of the year is a more promising prospect than her first, the underpowered property-guardians comedy Crashing. Fleabag stars Waller-Bridge as a sexually, spiritually and career- confused twentysomething, who regularly breaks the fourth wall to divulge grisly details of one-night stands and other improprieties. On the face of it, she’s not the most sympathetic of characters, but there’s a deeper poignancy that reveals itself across this smart and sardonic series.
Available from Thursday
The Paris Lees Sex Show
Transgender rights activist and Vice columnist Paris Lees has made a career in delivering frank and sometimes filthy sex advice and commentary, so she seems a good fit for a BBC3 series offering the same. Covering all areas of the sexual spectrum, it promises some Eurotrash-style cheek (Latex fetishes inevitably feature) but also, crucially, insight and understanding, as shown by an episode about the prevalence of braille pornography.
Available from Wednesday
Netflix
Power
There are two series of this 50 Cent-produced gangsta melodrama on Netflix, and anyone who has made it through the lot will be refreshing in search of series three (which arrives at some point on Monday). The opening of James “Ghost” St Clair’s club Truth brings him into contact with an old flame from school who’s oblivious to his sideline shifting drugs. His attempts to juggle his affairs – business and personal – are tense, comic and bloody.
Available from Monday
Bojack Horseman
Things are looking up for the washed-up sitcom horse (voiced by Will Arnett) as the animated series returns: he’s finally got his passion project, a biopic of racehorse Secretariat off the ground, and is now chasing an Oscar. Of course, those familiar with Bojack will know that failure isn’t far away in a series that brings to mind the dry, lugubrious comedy of Simpsons-affiliated 90s cartoon sitcom The Critic.
Available from Friday
Sky Go
The Late Late Show With James Corden
A remarkable rise for a man who, just seven years ago, was starring in Lesbian Vampire Killers, James Corden is now the toast of US late night. His CBS vehicle is a hyperactive affair featuring guests in an everyone-all-at-once format complete with bands singing their hits in their cars and the odd rap battle. Enjoyment will hinge entirely on your feelings for the host; if you’re a fan, this is a whole lotta Corden.
Available from Tuesday
