5 best shows: quick links
5 best shows to stream this week
1) No Taste Like Home with Antoni Porowski – 24 Feb (Disney+)
Series. Look, it’s Antoni from Queer Eye and, frankly, we’d be happy to watch Antoni from Queer Eye in just about anything. And a cooking show makes sense cos that’s what he does on Queer Eye. But even if it wasn’t cooking, we’d still watch.
The sell: A family dish passed down through the generations can tell us something about who we are. Antoni Porowski curates bespoke journeys for celebrities as they travel the globe to explore their ancestral culinary heritage. Through sweltering jungles, ancient villages and bustling cities, they discover mouthwatering dishes, epic scenery and hidden family stories.
OK, but did we mention it’s Antoni from Queer Eye?
2) Berlin ER – 26 Feb (Apple TV+)
Series. An edgy German-language medical drama? Yeah, sure!
This one’s co-created by former emergency room physician-turned-screenwriter Samuel Jefferson together with Viktor Jakovleski, and stars Haley Louise Jones and Slavko Popadić, alongside an ensemble cast including Şafak Şengül, Aram Tafreshian and Samirah Breuer.
The sell: Managing a chaotic emergency room in the toughest and most overcrowded hospital in Berlin is no small task for the young Dr. Parker (Jones), who is seeking a fresh start in the big city after her private life implodes in Munich.
When she tries to implement necessary reforms, Parker is confronted with resistance from the underpaid, ill-equipped and chronically fatigued hospital staff who only survive with an indispensable dose of black humour. But in the face of an increasingly merciless health care system, the battered team must put aside their differences and pull together to save lives.
We’re in! Bring the defibrillator!
3) Running Point – 27 Feb (Netflix)
Series. A reformed party girl must prove herself as a businesswoman when she’s unexpectedly placed in charge of her family’s pro basketball team. That’s all we know … but Kate Hudson!
Starring Kate Hudson, Brenda Song and Max Greenfield.
4) Boiling Point – 27 Feb (SBS On Demand)
Series. Hungry for the next series of The Bear? Why not nibble on this one in the meantime, or even scoff it down whole?
A head chef and her team juggle the challenges of running a new restaurant and their tumultuous personal lives. A visceral tv drama adaption following on from the hit film of the same name. Eight months after her mentor Andy Jones (Stephen Graham) suffered a heart attack, Carly (Vinette Robinson) is battling to forge a name for new Dalston restaurant Point North alongside her old kitchen crew.
5) Under the Vines Season 3 – 28 Feb (ABC iview)
Rebecca Gibney and Charles Edwards are back as as two city slickers who inherit a failing vineyard in rural New Zealand … Sounds sweet as, except for the fact neither of them has ever done a hard day’s work – and they despise each another. Or do they? (Yeah, kind of …). Watch the trailer.
From ScreenHub’s review of Season 1:
‘So we have one British lead, one Australian lead, and a New Zealand setting and supporting cast. Welcome to the new world of international television production. Created by Australian Erin White (who worked on series such as At Home with Julia, Squinters, Sando, and Doctor Doctor) and produced by a string of global and local production companies – you’ll also see the NSW government and New Zealand Film Commission logos in the end credits – it’s a patchwork quilt with something for everyone.
‘Which is a fancy way of saying this is a story of city folk out of their element in a quirky country town (well, region), just like television has been reliably serving up since the dawn of time – it was definitely old news when Northern Exposure was new, and that was 30 years ago. The idea is to drop some relatable characters into a setting that looks really good, which these days is something of a New Zealand speciality, and the scenery here is worth the price of admission on its own.’ Read more …
