“Squid Game”, “La Palma”, “The Rehearsal”… What are the series of the week worth?

The return of Netflix’s horror box, a volcanic cataclysm in four breathtaking episodes, a mise en abyme of our small or great cowardices… Horror, catastrophe, absurd… series to savor (or not) for this last weekend of December.

“Squid Game”, season 2 (Netflix)

Lhe South Korean horror series which created the event in 2021 returns for a second season and for bad reasons, mainly financial. We witness, helplessly, this spectacle of uneasy violence.

“La Palma”, miniseries (Netflix)

A paradise island in the Canary Islands, a family on vacation… and a volcano that threatens to explode. Between psychodrama and cataclysm, four episodes that will keep you in suspense and that you will love to watch, hidden under your duvet.

“The Rehearsal” (Max)

Nathan Fielder’s anthology series, where he helps people “rehearse” important moments, is finally available in France. Absurd, embarrassing… a comic genius that leaves no one indifferent.

“The 8 Show”, saison 1 (Netflix)

Eight over-indebted people agree to participate in a mysterious gambling game filmed in a closed setting… Here, the game reproduces a vertical society, with its share of injustices, in which each participant occupies a floor of the setting and wins more money at the minute than the one who lives below. This South Korean series redefines the survival game while being much more relevant than Squid Game.

“Les Misérables”, miniseries (rebroadcast, Arte.tv)

Andrew Davies, specialist in literary adaptations made in BBC, tackles Victor Hugo’s masterpiece. His vision is a bit wise, very classic, but benefits from a rhythmic story and a cast of British stars.

“Bookie”, saison 1 (Max)

Chuck Lorre, king of the American sitcom (Mon oncle Charlie, The Big Bang Theory), abandons the studios for the struggles of two bookmakers in the streets of Los Angeles. Danny and Ray, potential losers, stereotypes of the pseudo-mafia Italian-American and the sinister African-American, pile up disappointments in this series with crude humor and very local issues – it is better to have one or two notions of American football. We laugh mainly thanks to the alchemy between Sebastian Maniscalco and Omar Dorsey, perfect as deadpan friends, who spend their days winnowing at each other. — Pierre Langlais

q By Chuck Lorre and Nick Bakay (8 × 30 mins, then one new episode per week)

“Doctor Who: Joy to the World”, Christmas episode (Disney+)

What would Christmas be without a special episode of Doctor Who ? The irresistible Ncuti Gatwa celebrates the end of his first season as the Fifteenth Doctor, with a more « wibbly wobbly, timey wimey » than ever. Translation for the uninitiated: here we play with space and time, in the wake of the most “human” of extraterrestrials, who this time leads the investigation in a hotel where each door opens onto a different era. Impossible to say more without revealing this cheerful adventure by Steven Moffat, which features Nicola Coughlan, the star of The Bridgerton Chronicles. —Cécile Mury

q De Steven Moffat (57 mn)

And for even more recommendations, go to our platforms guide, to find our selections of the best films, series or documentaries available on Netflix, Disney+, Arte.tv… to “binge” in the cold of winter.

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