Hey sofa surfer! 9 unmissable new shows to watch on TV this week
Time for a night in? Let the frank and funny Kyla Harris, Awkwafina, John Cena and, um, Sven-Göran Eriksson entertain you this week.
PICK OF THE WEEK
We Might Regret This, BBC Two, Mon 19 Aug
As Rosie Jones found out, making a show about disability is no easy feat, (her 2023 doc received fierce backlash) no less a comedy, and yet Kyla Harris will certainly not regret this laugh out loud new series. Providing a frank, funny and unflinchingly honest portrayal of dating with a disability – personal assistants present during your most, uh hum, intimate moments and all – We Might Regret This follows tetraplegic Freya (Harris), who is in her words disabled before it became cool, and her whirlwind romance with Darren Boyd’s straight-laced lawyer, Abe. Elena Saurel, Sally Phillips, Edward Bluemel and Youssef Kerkour also star in this cracker of a new series.
Dame Judi and Jay: The Odd Couple, Channel 4, available now
We love a TV double act; French and Saunders, Mulder and Scully and we can now add Dame Judi Dench and Jay Blades to that list. That’s right this unlikely but genuine friendship blossomed after Dench visited The Repair Shop a few years back. The Odd Couple – they aren’t wrong – is a road trip doc of sorts with the pair showing each other notable places from their lives including Ridley Road Market and the Old Vic where Dench belts out some Shakespeare. A heartwarming hug-in-a-mug of a watch.
Jackpot!, Prime Video, available now
Awkwafina, John Cena and the director of Bridesmaids? Enough said really. If you need more convincing, Jackpot! is like a cross between The Hunger Games and Bullet Train, set in the near future where a multi-billion dollar lottery has been established, with just one small caveat – kill the winner before sundown to legally claim their winnings. Katie Kim (Awkwafina) finds herself with the winning ticket, in a bid to survive she teams up with Noel Cassidy (Cena) who vows to protect her in exchange for a piece of her prize. Cue an onslaught of kick-ass fight scenes and silliness.
Ocean Xplorers, Disney+, Mon 19 Aug
All aboard the OceanXplorer! The state-of-the-art research and exploration vessel is bound for the deepest depths and farthest frontiers of the world’s oceans to solve some of its greatest mysteries and you, along with a team of intrepid explorers and scientists, are going along for the ride. This fascinating documentary, brought to you by National Geographic and narrated by none other than James Cameron, is a must for nature lovers and those fascinated by the big blue.
Untold, Netflix, Tue 20 Aug
There’s a lot of things we want to thank Netflix for – Bridgerton, Black Mirror and its roster of sports docs. Untold, the series which unpicks the biggest stories in US sports, being one of them. Back this week with three, wild, new episodes investigating goalie Hope Solo’s battle with the US soccer org, American footballer Connor Stalions’ gamesmanship accusations and, perhaps the most tantalising for all you true crime fans, the alleged murder suicide of NFL hero Steve McNair. Slick, well-reported and thoroughly intriguing.
Secret Life of Orangutans, Netflix, Thu 22 Aug
Prepare to fall in love! This riveting nature doc follows multiple generations of a surprisingly cute organutan family living in the jungles of Sumatra. From treetop triumphs to treating wounds with medicinal herbs, David Attenborough reveals the Secret Life of Orangutans, over 60 years since his first encounter with one. A real heartstring puller.
Pachinko, Apple TV+, Fri 23 Aug
This sweeping historical epic is back for round two, slotting very nicely into the Shōgun shaped void in your lives. Based on Min Jin Lee’s 2017 novel which follows the many generations of a Korean family living in Japan between 1915 and 1989. This season flits between 1945, where the US begin a bombing campaign in Osaka, and 1989 in Tokyo. An eye-opening watch, expertly portraying the discrimination of Korean immigrants in Japan, it’s impossible not to find yourself completely captivated by Pachinko.
Sven, Prime Video, Fri 23 Aug
Before Gareth Southgate there was Sven-Göran Eriksson. Though the gossip hungry among you may remember him more for the tabloid headlines about his personal life – affairs, dinners with North Korean government officials, bankruptcy – than his cracking footballing and time as England Manager. Sadly Eriksson is nearing the end of life with terminal cancer and this doc looks back over his remarkable career, allowing him to set the record straight once and for all.
Dating Naked, Paramount+, Fri 23 Aug
Ah, the reality dating show, an endless, annoyingly addictive, TV gold mine. Dating Naked, the latest meet cute, lures 10 singles sans clothing to a tropical island in the hope of finding love. Like a mix of Naked Attraction and Love Island wrapped up with commentary from Rylan Clark, consider yourself hooked to this car crash of a watch for the foreseeable.