Channel 4Love, zombies and super-sleuths: The weekend's must-see TV
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Best of the bunch
Hunted, Channel 4
What happened? Back for a second series, the premise of this reality show is that 10 regular people attempt to go off the radar for 28 days while a super-sleuth team, made up of ex-police officers, profilers, cyber experts and the like try to track them down. The person/people who manage to remain undetected win. Is it possible in a world of CCTV and computer-reliance to remain undetected?
Why was it so good? Unlike the first series there's now a prize pot with £100,000 up for grabs. This gives it an edge. While series one was essentially a social experiment, the stakes - and so also the tension - have been moved up a notch this time around. Watch it, pick who you're rooting for, then get frustrated with their rookie mistakes.
Thursday
What we watched: Easy, Series one, Netflix
What happened: While there's a slight cross-over of characters, these eight episodes are all independent of each other. They're all produced and directed by indie filmmaker Joe Swanberg, all set in Chicago and have one thing in common: they focus on just how awkward and difficult relationships can be. There's a great cast, with the likes of Orlando Bloom, Dave Franco and Michael Chernus all involved.
Why was it so good? If truth be told, they all differ in quality. Episode two - Vegan Cinderella - which focuses on the start of a relationship and trying to impress each other (even if that includes lying) is particularly good. Likewise, Chemistry Read, which tells the opposite story - a couple breaking up - is equally charming. There's the odd smugness - Art and Life grates a little - but that aside it's a good collection, which is perfect for the weekend.
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Friday
What we watched: Transparent, season three, Amazon
What happened: The comedy-drama with the list of awards as long as your arm has returned, with the wonderful Jeffrey Tambor (of Arrested Development and The Larry Sanders Show) in the lead role. It's a complex show with a storyline revolving around the exposure of sensitive family secrets. But at its heart it's a hilarious - if boundary expanding - look at the complexities of 21st century life.
Why was it so good? So many reasons. The acting, for a start, is pretty incredible. But on a more general note, the scale of Transparent is vast, taking in the kind of themes that some documentaries - let alone comedies - would shy away from. (The director actually described the show as a 'trauma-dy'.) While it has moments of feeling a little worthy, it's never unfunny and the portrayal of a dysfunctional, privileged family wrestling with deep and personal issues always feels spot-on.
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Saturday
What we watched: Gaycation, Viceland/Now TV
What happened? Passport? Check. Flip-flops? Check. Will we be assaulted or worse if we hold hands when walking on the beach? Check. For many LGBTQ couples, booking a holiday isn't just a case of seeing what the weather's like at that time of year, it's having to check both the legal and social status of being in a non-heterosexual relationship. The four episodes available to watch on Now TV (to celebrate the launch of Vice TV) is presented by Ellen Page and Ian Daniel. They visit Brazil, Japan, Jamaica and USA.
Ellen and Ian explore exactly what it's like to visit tourist spots when your lifestyle is at best not socially acceptable, at worst illegal. But more importantly the episodes focus on what it's like for the areas LGBTQ residents.
Why was it so good? It's depressing to discover what life can be like for some people. Jamaica (where buggery is still legally classed as an 'abominable crime') is, of the four destinations, the most notorious for their lack of gay rights. But it's still unbelievably shocking to see what life is like there if you don't fit into society's norms. However, from the shame that same sex couples face in Japan to an utterly horrendous interview the presenters undertake in Brazil - all four episodes will shock and appall in equal measure.
Sunday
What we watched: Walking Dead series 1-6, Now TV
What happened? American police officer Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), wakes up from a coma to discover that while he's been in a medical slumber everything has changed. Essentially he's woken up to a post-apocolyptic nightmare where zombies are fast outnumbering humans.
Why was it so good? There are plenty of zombie programmes out there but none come even close to Walking Dead. With season 7 on the way, Now TV have series 1-6 at the ready for your viewing pleasure. That said, if you're yet to watch an episode, think very carefully about clicking on that remote. It's unbelievably addictive - can you face your entire free-time being consumed by it? You can? Then get started...
BBC
BBC Three Must-watch
The Trouble With My Dad
What happened? When he was 13, Kyle learned in dramatic fashion that the man he’d always called dad wasn’t in fact his biological father. Now 21, and after learning he has many half siblings from his real dad, Kyle decides to set out and discover some of the characters and stories that make up his family in the UK and abroad.
Why was it so good? Watching someone piece together unknown links of their family tree is always fascinating, but this documentary is also a heart-warming (and at times heart-breaking) journey for both Kyle and the viewer. The scenes in Jamaica are especially affecting, and overall you get a sense that this is someone getting invaluable insights about their heritage and ultimately themselves.
