The day's are getting shorter and Easter weekend is before us - there's no better time to get settled on the sofa for a streaming session. Here are Perlina Lau's picks for the month ahead.
Photo: Screenshot
Beef - Netflix
Who doesn't love a petty revenge tale? Ever since Ali Wong released her Netflix Baby Cobra comedy special, in which she struts around stage about seven months pregnant with red glasses, I have really wanted to be her friend. Alas, this has not happened so I continue to settle for being a fan-girl.
This latest comedy drama, created by Lee Sung Jin, stars Wong and Steven Yeun as two people who get into a road rage incident that slowly consumes their entire lives. If you've ever had road-rage or felt deep injustice from other drivers you'll understand the feeling.
So imagine that moment being stretched out over a longer length of time, and you have Beef. You could be mistaken for thinking the trailer centres around a murder or a more serious crime and becomes a tale of revenge, but the fact it's from one road incident is where the absurdity and comedy lies.
The series premiered at South by Southwest in March and has now made its way to Netflix. Personally, I'm fizzing about this show coming out. I've decided I rather enjoy watching women absolutely lose their s*** on-screen. It's real, it's relatable and makes for great comedy.
Barry - Neon
Baaarrrrryyyy (said in Hank's accent, of course). This is perhaps one of the best shows I've seen in the last five years. The black comedy, the tone, the pace and the characters are so considered and well thought out. I cannot wait to dive into this fourth and what appears to be the final season of the show with Bill Hader as the director of all eight episodes.
The end of S3 could have been the end of Barry, but instead, the former marine-turned-hitman is arrested in connection with Detective Janice Moss' death. His improv tutor, Gene Cousineau (what a brilliant and tragic character played by Henry Winkler) - tricks him into storming the home of Janice's father where a SWAT team awaits him.
This new season shows Barry thrown into jail as he tries to come to terms with who he's become and where everything has landed. It also seems like Noho Hank & Barry's girlfriend, Sally, get themselves into trouble, real trouble for the first time.
If you haven't jumped on the Barry train, I implore you to do so and make sure you give it a chance, because you do have to watch a few episodes to get into its rhythm and tone.
The Last Thing He Told Me - Apple TV
You'll notice most new shows coming out are based on existing material, whether it's a book or a podcast. It's a risk-reducing method for networks and comes with an existing audience. This has proved to be a lucrative business model for producer and actor Reese Witherspoon who has garnered a huge following with her Reese's Bookclub in which she recommends books and has since produced the film or television version of many of them.
This is the same story. The Last Thing He Told Me, a mini-series starring Jennifer Garner, is based on a book with the same title by Laura Dave, which has sold more than two million copies.
After her husband disappears, a woman has to forge a relationship with her step-daughter in an attempt to find out what happened to him. It's a story about motherhood first and foremost, but also a story about thinking you know someone, and the way you see them, and how that could differ from the way the world sees them.
Tiny Beautiful Things - Disney
It's been rather satisfying watching Katherine Hahn take leading roles. She has been around for what feels like decades, but always as the friend, assistant, sister-in-law etc.
Tiny Beautiful Things is based on the book by writer and podcaster Cheryl Strayed. In it, Hahn plays a woman who suddenly finds herself as a revered advice columnist - Dear Sugar - while her own life is falling apart.
You may recognise Strayed's name - she wrote the non-fiction book Wild, which became a film starring Reese Witherspoon. Strayed is also the host of the New York Times podcast, Modern Love, which became the basis for a TV series on Amazon.
Love & Death - Neon
Elisabeth Olsen has carved out an impressive career and I've been waiting for her next project ever since WandaVision.
Some big names are at the helm of Love & Death. It's written by David E. Kelly (Ally McBeal, The Practice, Big Little Lies) and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter (Mad Men & Homeland). This crime/drama miniseries is based on the true story of Candy Montgomery, a housewife in Wylie, Texas, who's accused of killing her friend Betty Gore in a brutal axe murder in 1980. The supporting cast includes Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog), Krysten Ritter and Lily Rabe.
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel - S5 - Amazon Prime
The curtain will fall on this show after the fifth and final season. It's undoubtedly one of the best shows of the decade. From its quick-witted scripting and the chemistry between the characters, to its incredible wardrobe and styling to emulate the 60s, the last four seasons have been a journey.
It appears, for the last hurrah, Midge IS taking Lenny Bruce's advice seriously and she's carpe diem-ing all over New York. She's determined to really make it this time, after what has been a rollercoaster career - and she wants the big time; the audience, the late-night show appearances and all with her manager kickin' alongside her.
Starting in the Upper-West side, to the Catskills, to Paris and back to New York - it's been an adventure and joy watching Midge Maisel completely turn her life upside down after discovering her husband had an affair. This show is simply brilliant and deserves the dozens of awards it has received.
