The holiday season is approaching. Do you want to take advantage of it and watch quality series? Here are some series ideas that deserve your attention.
Published at 7:00 a.m.
Hacks
In Hacksthe excellent Jean Smart plays Deborah Vance, a legendary comedy star who hires a young writer named Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) to help her appeal to a younger audience and modernize her style. The two women are very different: one is a diva in decline, the other a young author full of ambition. Their collaboration is very turbulent, just like their life, full of twists and turns. This series is funny, intelligent, well written. It dwells on complex human relationships and deals with aging – and being a woman – in the cutthroat world of show business. It is also about ambition, manipulation, success, the clash of generations and often complicated family relationships. We never get bored, Jean Smart is extraordinary and Hannah Einbinder, brilliant.
The three seasons of Hacks are available on Crave (with subscription). The fourth is planned for 2025.
Olivia Lévy, The Press
The Blues: the blue brigade
The story of the Blue Brigade, inspired by true events, takes place in the 1970s, at a time when a serial killer on the loose is rampant in Mexico. To divert media attention, the government decides to accept women in the police force. We follow four of them, determined to capture the killer, while facing sexism from their male colleagues, but also within their own family, which is often very conservative. This 10-episode series, in Spanish, is sometimes very dark and violent; it mixes the captivating style of a criminal investigation with a more social side, where it is a question of the place of women in Mexico in the 1970s. The actresses Bárbara Mori, Ximena Sariñana, Natalia Téllez and Amorita Rasgado are excellent.
On Apple TV+ (with subscription)
Olivia Lévy, The Press
Masters of the Air
Camped during World War II, Masters of the Air follows the lives of fighter pilots within the 100e “Bloody Hundredth” bomber group, based in England and decimated between 1943 and 1945. After Band of Brothers et The PacificSteven Spielberg and Tom Hanks produce this series which takes us into the daily life of these aviators led by Majors Gale “Buck” Cleven and John “Bucky” Egan, who carried out numerous aerial missions at the risk of their lives. The historical reconstruction on screen is breathtaking. The combat scenes in the air between American B-17s and German fighters are captivating. And viewers are spared nothing about the harshness of the war as well as the courage of these men and women. Even if the second part of this nine-episode series loses a little pace, we salute the performances of the two main actors: Austin Butler and Callum Turner.
On Apple TV+ (with subscription)
Olivia Lévy, The Press
Only Murders in the Building
PHOTO PROVIDED BY DISNEY+
The series Only Murders in the Building stars Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short.
They are so funny and endearing that we fall for this incredible trio every season made up of Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez! In Only Murders in the Building, each season brings a new murder. The trio wants at all costs to find the culprit, with means that are not always very brilliant, but oh so entertaining, which they expose in their successful podcast. We like the atmosphere a little vintage which reigns in The Arconia, this New York building on the Upper West Side. The characters are eccentric and the twists and turns are incredible! Everything is very neat, the sets and costumes are colorful, the dialogues are tasty. Distinguished guests join the cast each season, including Sting, Meryl Streep, Tina Fey and Eugene Levy. This series is a favorite and a real pleasure to watch.
All four seasons are available on Disney+ (with subscription)
Olivia Lévy, The Press
Agatha All Along
AlthoughAgatha All Along more suitable for the Halloween period than the Holiday season, this series which takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is worth discovering, no matter the time of year. Kathryn Hahn, nominated for the Golden Globes for her performance, reprises the role of Agatha Harkness. Following the events of WandaVisionthe centuries-old witch no longer knows who she is and has lost her powers. With a mysterious teenager simply called Teen, played by Joe Locke, and a coven of witches from diverse backgrounds, Agatha travels the Witches’ Trail in hopes of returning to her former glory. The irresistible dynamic of the group, the nods to The Wizard of Oz, The Witches of Eastwick or Labyrinthtangible settings, fabulous costumes and an unpredictable plot make this series one of the best in the MCU.
Available on Disney+ (with subscription)
Pascal LeBlanc, The Press
The Penguin
The Penguin follows the events of the film The Batmanby Matt Reeves, released in 2022. However, the Dark Knight does not appear in this series which has more in common with The Sopranos than the usual superhero works. As Gotham struggles to recover from the floods caused by The Riddler, Ozwald Cobb seeks to reestablish his place in the world of organized crime following the death of his boss, Carmine Falcone. The Irishman Colln Farrell transforms again to embody this abject man, but not entirely devoid of humanity. He will join forces with the impressionable Victor Aguilar (Rhenzy Feliz) to make his way to the top. Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), daughter of the former godfather, also wants to succeed him. She and Colin Farrell got nominations at the Golden Globes.
Available on Crave (with subscription)
Pascal LeBlanc, The Press
