Worth Watching: 'Wham!', 'The Traitors Australia', and 'Looking'
Plus your suggestions too... it's your Worth Watching briefing.
Hello,
Hope you’re doing well.
This is the quietest Summer for new television programmes since the start of the pandemic. There are two reasons why: an advertising squeeze that’s resulting in many commercial channels cutting the programmes that they are making (Channel 4 has been particularly affected by this), and the slowdown and consolidation currently taking place in the streaming industry. The BBC, who have had to cut the amount of shows they are making because of the licence fee freeze, have not really shown much on television these past two weeks apart from tennis.
However, if you dig a little deeper, there are still some shows worth catching up on. Summer is one of the best times to begin an all-time great series, such as Breaking Bad. With that in mind, I asked people on Threads about the shows that they’ve been enjoying at the moment.
But, to kick off this newsletter, here’s a selection of shows that I’m recommending.
SHOW OF THE WEEK
Wham! (Netflix - a 90 minute film) - A delightful documentary film charting the dramatic rise of the band Wham!, voiced by Andrew Ridgeley and the late George Michael. Rich in library and archive interview footage, what becomes most evident from watching the film is the fondness that Michael and Ridgeley had for each other, even as their worlds were turned upside down due to the global fame they received.
You learn a lot about the band too, such as the fact that before Wham! they both performed in a Ska band (which they proclaim was terrible); also that Careless Whisper and Club Tropicana, both recorded when they were 18, were jointly rejected by nearly every record label out there. Their first record, Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do), was a failure, and Young Guns debuted in the charts at number 42. If it wasn’t for the band’s notable performance on Top of the Pops — which only took place because another performer had pulled out — Wham! wouldn’t have become a thing at all.
GUILTY PLEASURE OF THE WEEK
The Traitors Australia (BBC iPlayer and BBC Three - all episodes) - Yep, another version of the reality show where more than twenty people try to work out who amongst them are the chosen ‘traitors’ who’re sabotaging the game to steal some money.
The British version with Claudia Winkleman set the bar high; the US version with Alan Cumming was rather lacklustre. This Australian version, presented by Rodger Corser, is the most unhinged. It fits the popular Australian televisual trend of taking the stakes, suspense and exchanges to another level for absolutely no reason whatsoever (it reminds me of what a lot of reality shows were like in Britain back in the noughties).
This series is also exceptionally well cast. In a series where you have to detect who is telling the truth and who is lying, they have cast a clairvoyant. And… surprise, surprise… she isn’t very good at working out who it is.
A MODERN CLASSIC
Looking (all episodes on NOW and Sky Comedy) - After a recommendation by my Must Watch podcast co-host, Hayley Campbell, I decided to give this 2014 HBO series about a set of gay friends who live in San Francisco a go. It is a delight.
What stands out — as well as the great acting by its leads Murray Bartlett, Jonathan Groff and Frankie J. Alvarez [pictured above] — is how utterly naturalistic and authentic it feels throughout. This is thanks to the directorial influence of Andrew Haigh, who filmed the acclaimed (and also naturalistic feeling) Weekend.
Although the show was not a ratings success, cancelled after two series and a special finale movie, it manages to stand the test of time rather well.
AND YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS (VIA THREADS)
If you’re stuck on what to watch, I asked people on Threads about the shows they’re enjoying at the moment and I got back some really great suggestions:
Jury Duty on Amazon Freevee - “was fantastic.”
Somebody Somewhere on Sky and NOW - “just pure wonderful.”
The Gallows Pole on BBC iPlayer - “I adored every minute… and was genuinely sad it was only three parts.”
The Afterparty on Apple TV+ - “Not all episodes work, but it’s creative and fun.”
Blue Lights on BBC iPlayer - “It’s extraordinary.”
AND ENDING THIS NEWSLETTER WITH A MUSIC VIDEO SUGGESTION…
We all have a song or a performance that resonates with us in a way no other song can. This is mine. Wolf Alice’s The Last Man on Earth is a record that manages to reflect the isolation, grief and sadness that life can bring — but all the joy and ecstasy that comes with it too. To me, it is a record all about the perseverance and need to carry on through any difficulty in order to experience that connection and joy again.
Two years ago the band were asked to perform live on Later… at the Alexandra Palace Theatre (the birthplace of television), and here an already beautiful, transcendent song is lifted even higher thanks to the use of orchestral strings. I have watched it on repeat.
WHERE TO FIND ME THIS WEEK:
In The Guardian I attempted University Challenge (needless to say, it didn’t go very well) and spoke to its new host Amol Rajan. It’ll be out in print on Saturday.
For Broadcast Magazine I brought together three notable LGBTQ+ industry figures to talk about the growth in representation.
Thank you so much for reading,
Scotty (@scottygb on Threads and Twitter)
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I loved the Wham documentary x ❤️