The Righteous Gemstones
Danny McBride pens this darkly comic take on the mega-rich, mega-church-fronting family the Gemstones and their quest to expand their evangelical empire. John Goodman heads up the institution, while son McBride soon finds himself at the centre of a blackmailing attempt to expose some deeply sinful behaviour. A biblical nightmare.
Wednesday 5 February, 9pm, Sky Comedy
Inside No 9
Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith’s unpredictable yet hilarious anthology series returns for a fifth season, guest-starring David Morrissey and Ralf Little in its opening episode. The pair play football match officials and corruption is in the air.
Monday 3 February, 10pm, BBC Two
Barrymore: The Body in the Pool
It was a scandal that torpedoed entertainer Michael Barrymore’s career and launched a relentless tabloid attack: the 2001 death of party guest Stuart Lubbock in Barrymore’s swimming pool. It’s a still-unsolved case, and this one-off documentary interviews eyewitnesses to the tragedy and examines its tumultuous aftermath.
Thursday 4 February, 9pm, Channel 4
WeCrashed
WeWork was a $47bn startup with a mission to revolutionise the way millennials worked, yet only 33 days after its valuation, founder Adam Neumann was forced to step down as CEO. Hosted by David Brown, this six-part podcast explores how the bubble burst so dramatically.
Podcast
The Pharmacist
An underdog story of epic proportions. The titular pharmacist is Dan Schneider, whose son was killed in a drug-related shooting in 1999. As he sought to bring the killer to justice, he noticed a wider opioid epidemic beginning in his community and saw that the bigger fight to be had was with big pharma. Rest in Power’s Julia Willoughby Nason and Jenner Furst direct.
From Wednesday 5 February, Netflix
Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet
It’s Always Sunny’s Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day take the office sitcom to the online gaming world in this quirky series. Navigating tween bloggers and an egotistic founder, the creators of Mythic Quest battle it out for MMO supremacy.
From Friday 7 February, Apple TV+
Beauty Laid Bare
Four makeup users go in search of the secrets and scandals behind the beauty industry in this fascinating three-part series. Beginning at influencer convention Beautycon, they examine the massive profitability of makeup endorsements before finding out just how recyclable and ethically made the products are.
From Sunday 2 February, BBC Three
The L Word: Generation Q
More than a decade since the original graced our screens, the creators of the lesbian ensemble drama return with a revamped, Gen Z-friendly sequel. New characters are drafted in alongside familiar faces Alice, Bette and Shane to explore the experience of a queer community in present-day LA.
Tuesday 4 February, 10pm, Sky Atlantic
Menashe
Joshua Z Weinstein’s beautifully observed portrait of life in New York’s Hasidic community follows the story of widowed grocer Menashe (Menashe Lustig). According to tradition he must find a new wife before being reunited with his sweet son Rieven, currently living with his more successful uncle’s family. A quietly delightful tale of faith and fatherhood.
Sunday 2 February, 1.35am, Film4
Studio Ghibli Collection
Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli has become one of the most loved Japanese animation houses since its founding in 1985. Now, all 21 of its films are coming to Netflix over the next three months, beginning with a batch that includes rural fantasy and fan-favourite My Neighbour Totoro, as well as the studio’s first feature, the thrilling Laputa: Castle in the Sky.
From Saturday 2 February, Netflix
