Pick of the week
I’m a Virgo
Boots Riley’s oddball 2018 film Sorry to Bother You used surrealism and absurdity to satirise capitalism. This gloriously eccentric series is equally singular and charming. Jharrel Jerome is 13ft-tall teenager Cootie, kept in seclusion by his parents for his own good but desperate to live a normal life. It’s funny, of course, as Cootie navigates his way around the family home causing significant structural damage with every hunched step – how could it not be? But it’s touching, too, and oddly profound about belonging, difference and fear of the unknown. When Cootie enters society, he’s lucky to make accepting friends. But then he finds a world becoming ever more homogenised.
Prime Video, from Friday 23 June
***
Secret Invasion
In the Marvel cinematic universe, the shapeshifting Skrulls are as persistent and hard to kill as Daleks in Doctor Who. Sure enough, they’re back again in this fantasy series. Samuel L Jackson is Nick Fury, the agent tasked with uncovering an invasion plot by Skrulls who are carrying out various forms of identity-compromised terrorism, from bombs to silent infiltration. But Fury seems in no state to fight this battle – his past entanglements with the enemy have taken a heavy toll. It’s a much darker affair than many recent Marvel efforts and boasts a fine cast, including Olivia Colman as Fury’s handler.
Disney+, from Wednesday 21 June
***
Glastonbury
As ever, the iPlayer allows the BBC to offer an embarrassment of riches from Glastonbury – so you can still experience a vicariously enjoyable few weeks of wading through musical highlights rather than the Worthy Farm mud. The live Glasto-cam launches on Monday, so the truly obsessed can watch the festival begin to take shape. There will be iPlayer-only classic performances from years gone by and, once the music gets under way, the streamer will be hosting more than 90 performances from the Pyramid, Other, Park, Woodsies and West Holts stages.
iPlayer, from Monday 19 June
***
Break Point: Part 2
There’s always a trade-off at the heart of Netflix’s fly-on-the-wall sports documentaries. Sure, they get incredibly close to their subjects. But as a result, we’re treated to endless motivational sloganeering (“Pressure is a privilege”) as athletes prepare for battle. In this second part, Serena Williams is nearing the end of her career, bad-tempered Australian Nick Kyrgios is embracing his pantomime villain status, and Polish prodigy Iga Swiatek is maintaining her rapid ascent to the top of the women’s game. Perfect pre-Wimbledon fare.
Netflix, from Wednesday 21 June
***
Glamorous
Marco Mejia (Miss Benny) is in a rut. They’re a young, gender non-conforming queer person searching for a place in the world. Cue Madolyn Addison (Kim Cattrall), a legendary and slightly terrifying makeup mogul who gives Marco a job and takes them under her wing. But Marco has entered the business at a hard time – Addison is looking to sell her company and Marco’s inimitable style (“He’s going to ‘Yas Queen!’ us into bankruptcy,” mutters one sceptic) isn’t for everyone. It’s an effervescent, hyperactive coming-of-age story.
Netflix, from Thursday 22 June
***
Ruby Speaking
The latest of ITVX’s run of new sitcoms is set among the customer service team at a Bristol call centre and stars Jayde Adams as the titular Ruby. She is one of those characters who only really exists in sitcoms – likable, easy to root for but clearly utterly ill-equipped for the job she finds herself doing. Ruby is the life and soul of Hellocom but her difficulties in sticking to the script – in both a literal and a figurative sense – sees her struggling to keep her job. Oh, and she and a group of colleagues have semi-accidentally entered a choir competition.
ITVX, from Thursday 22 June
***
Let’s Get Divorced
A British drama about the tumultuous marriage and possible divorce of a politician and his actor wife would be a scabrous and satirical affair, probably starring David Morrissey and Suranne Jones. In contrast, this Japanese series is a light, jaunty farce. As the relationship between Taishi Shoji (Tori Matsuzuka) and Yui Kurosawa (Riisa Naka) breaks down, a tricky decision looms: what are the political implications of a public separation? And if the couple decide to tough it out, what happens when new love interests appear on the scene?
Netflix, from Thursday 22 June
