Pick of the Week
Chief of War
An epic history lesson, courtesy of the mountainous Jason Momoa. When we first meet Ka’iana (Momoa) he is something of a loner, capturing a shark with his bare hands and some rope. But he is coaxed back into armed service by the prophecy of an invasion that will lead to the unification of Hawaii. The drama is based on true events and great care has evidently been taken to present an authentic version of this undertold story. It is steeped in Polynesian cultural practices but it is also full of universal, action-adventure staples – namely, political machinations that periodically dissolve into prolonged outbreaks of expertly choreographed, frequently blood-curdling violence. Phil Harrison
Apple TV+, from Friday 1 August
***
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time
Twenty years have now passed since the horrifying events surrounding Hurricane Katrina, but this gripping series brings the trauma back to life in visceral style. What began as an appalling natural disaster soon became a national crisis then an outrage of governmental negligence and structural racism which came to embody – and irrevocably taint – the final years of George W Bush’s presidency. To watch the footage now is to be reminded of how close even the most seemingly advanced societies are to breakdown and chaos. Essential. PH
Disney+, from Sunday 27 July
***
Facebook Honeytrap: Catching a Killer
This documentary, delayed from June, explores the death of British woman Christine Robinson who was raped and murdered at a safari lodge in South Africa in 2014. After the local police drew a blank, Robinson’s niece Lehanne took it upon herself to hunt her aunt’s killer remotely. She located the suspect online and began a long-distance relationship with Andrea Imbayarwo, who had, by this time, fled the country. Her actions led to his arrest and conviction. Harrowing but also a remarkable story of crime and punishment in the social media age. PH
Prime Video, from Sunday 27 July
Trainwreck: Storm Area 51
This Netflix series is turning out to be an engaging source of quirky, marginal human interest stories. Its latest documentary explores the 2019 Storm Area 51 Facebook event, which was started by Matty Roberts as a joke but soon became dangerously real. The nominal idea was to see if anyone fancied uncovering the truth about alien lifeforms held in the US airforce facility Area 51. However, by the time the event had attracted the (virtual) attention of more than three million people, Roberts realised he’d created a monster he could no longer control. PH
Netflix, from Tuesday
***
StuGo
A trippy and inventive animation for the summer holidays. StuGo introduces six gifted students tricked into attending a fake summer camp by eccentric scientist Dr Lullah, whose propensity for swishing her gown around like she’s on a catwalk should have been a dead giveaway. Once the youngsters arrive on her island, they find an environment that is rife with danger but also full of perilous fun. It’s a world of mind-reading manatees, huge fighting fungi, human cacti and a crocodile wearing jeans, and soon the kids are having a blast. PH
Disney+, from Wednesday 30 July
***
Leanne
The southern belle stylings of Leanne Morgan meet the sitcom smarts of Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men) to create this comedy. Morgan plays Leanne, who discovers that Bill (Ryan Stiles), her husband of 33 years, has cheated on her. The devastating blow launches a flurry of gags about menopause, midlife crises and recovering your dating mojo, as Leanne – with her sister Carol (Kristen Johnston) – looks to move on. It has hysterical studio audience reactions and hits its formulaic comic beats with confidence. PH
Netflix, from Thursday 31 July
***
Classified
The idea of spies who alternate domestic bliss with espionage activities peaked with The Americans. But this French-Canadian thriller retools the premise, starring Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin and Patrick Labbé as Rachel and Émile, two agents with a loving relationship, a couple of kids and – after a shooting at a consulate exposes a CIA operation – dangerously contrasting professional missions. To make matters worse, Émile needs to root out a double agent in the organisation. Could this lead him dangerously close to home? PH
Channel 4, from Friday 1 August
