pick of the week
Before
Billy Crystal plays against type (with reasonable confidence) in this thriller as child psychologist Eli, whose wife Lynn is recovering from suicide. When a mysterious, mute boy appears at his door with bloody hands and a blank stare, Eli assumes he has dreamed it. But Noah (a chilling turn by Jacoby Jupp) is more real: He is equally attracted to Eli, but is unable to explain the roots of his apparent trauma, which unfolds in incredibly detailed drawings and episodes of violence. The dialogue is complex and feels indebted to horror totems The Exorcist and The Sixth Sense. But the interesting central premise makes it worth watching.
Apple TV+ starting Friday, October 25
Beauty in black
Tyler Perry's work has at times been criticized for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Black Lives Matter. This brilliant drama doesn't completely dispel that feeling by focusing on the gradually intersecting lives of two somewhat familiar paragons of black womanhood: pole dancer Kimmy (Taylor Polidor Williams) and high-achieving boss Mallory (Crystal Stewart). . When Kimmy gets a chance to improve her circumstances, she finds herself entering Mallory's immaculately carved environment, with unpredictable consequences for both of them.
Netflix, starting Thursday, October 24
black shore
DI Fia Lucy first appears in a pub bathroom breaking a creepy nose. She's that kind of TV cop: ambitious, focused on perpetual angst, and a bit of a troublemaker. Like many Rossers before her, she temporarily returns to her hometown from Dublin and struggles with its provincial attitudes. It's not the smartest idea, and the drama that unfolds (the search for a missing woman with mental health issues) is no less common. Likewise, Lisa Duane is an enthusiastic protagonist whose character Lucy makes it easy to root for.
I, out now
The disappearance of Kimmy Dior
A French crime drama set in the world of influencers and social media. When the titular six-year-old girl goes missing, Detective Sarah Roussel (Geraldine Nakache) finds herself investigating a primary-colored but sinister scene. Kimmy and her mom co-star in a cute, hit online TV show, but suspicions about her family's motives soon become clear. As Sarah grows closer to them, a story of exploitation and madness begins to unfold. How will fans of the show react when the truth comes out?
Disney+, starting Wednesday, October 23
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doctor odyssey
Another product of Ryan Murphy's Fevered Minds, this largely melodramatic medical procedural is set on a luxury and star-studded cruise ship. Joshua Jackson as Max, the doctor in charge of keeping the passengers and crew safe. It is a more difficult task than it seems; unsurprisingly, the Odyssey turns out to be a complete death trap of a ship, populated by accident-prone idiots. When Dr. Max is not saving lives, he begins an apparently premeditated affair with one of his colleagues. Indescribable.
Disney+, starting Thursday, October 24
Nautilus
The work is based on Jules Verne's story about a difficult birth twenty thousand leagues under the sea. It was originally scheduled for distribution on Disney+, before they jumped ship and left Prime Video to pick up the series. Lively tells the story of Nemo (the unflappable Shahzad Latif), one of the slaves captured, and used to build a large submarine for the villainous British East Company. However, Nemo leads a rebellion and soon he and his renegade band are sailing across the seas with adventures and plans for revenge.
Prime Video, starting Friday, October 25
stem
This French offering from Walter Presents Strand is a high school drama with a technical edge. Lucas (Theo Fernández) is a young man whose natural geek nature makes him an easy target for bullies. However, he is very skilled and soon begins to exact revenge through cyberbullying, catfishing, and other online tactics. Before long, this prank turns into an all-out war when he hacks into his tormentors' phones and computers to learn their most intimate secrets and manipulate them accordingly. A dark tale of modern morality.
Channel 4 starting Friday, October 25
