Small Screen Reviews

 | ABC IVIEW + ABC TV

When Australia imagines itself, it pictures the beach – sun, sand and skin, projecting a mythic lifestyle of leisure. Pair this with the libertarian spirit of the 1970s and you get ABC’s Barons, a friends-to-rivals tale about two surfers’ efforts to monetise their lifestyle, led by Sean Keenan and Ben O’Toole. Mirroring the rise of Billabong and Quiksilver, the show stresses the incongruity between entrepreneurialism and “sticking it to the man”, taking care to poke holes in the exclusionary figure of the white male surfer. After some initial clunkiness as the first episode finds its rhythm, the writers do well to maintain a “hangout” feel amid increasingly complicated character dynamics. Though peppered with some middling American accents, the ensemble cast play well together, with highlights in O’Toole, Hunter Page-Lochard and Jillian Nguyen. Keenan remains as watchable as in his Puberty Blues days, and fans of the 2012 show will find similar things to love in Barons: tested relationships, growing pains and navigation of a subculture both liberating and oppressive. TIIA KELLY

 | APPLE TV+

Elisabeth Moss returns to her old tricks, playing a strong-willed woman subverting male narratives inside an uncanny revision of reality. In Shining Girls, she plays Kirby Mazrachi, a journalist haunted by a brutal attack. Since the incident, she struggles to grapple with a butterfly-affected reality, driven by a determination to catch her serial perp (Jamie Bell, Billy Elliot). The script presents a lazy take on the memory loss that often accompanies survivors of abuse. Despite Moss’ success in similar roles (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Invisible Man) her take for this trope struggles to hold. Her past performances leave this thickly laden, fantastical feminist allegory feeling done before, as most of the series drags its feet, before making an unexpected drop into a hollow ending. Tired of seeing symptoms of trauma being used as thrilling, mind-bending narrative devices? It feels as though Moss is too. Despite her award-winning dissociative stare and reserved speech, these traits feel far too methodical and forced here.

 | PRIME VIDEO

The follow-up to 2018’s A Very English Scandal about the Jeremy Thorpe affair, A Very British Scandal follows another sensational case. The 1963 divorce between Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll, and Ian Campbell, the 11th Duke of Argyll, became notorious for the revelation of the Duchess’ numerous infidelities. The three-part miniseries attempts to offer commentary on the double standards placed on women, as well as insight into a fractious marriage, to mixed results. Greater focus on the court case and media frenzy that tore Margaret’s reputation apart may have been prudent. The true highlight is Claire Foy’s acrid and sophisticated performance. Writer Sarah Phelps’ characterisation of her shines, depicting Margaret in all her complexity, selfishness and naivety. Paul Bettany also delivers a nuanced performance for what could have been a stereotypical cad husband role. But for all the lush production values and scene-stealing supporting cast (shout-out to Julia Davis), the series ultimately feels rather safe and standard. NATALIE NG

HEARTSTOPPER IS AN EYE-OPENER

Furtive hand-holding in a cinema. Charged glances across a classroom. A stuttering confession of feelings. The tropes of the teen rom-com are evergreen, as successive young audiences experience that first headrush of longing, and older viewers remember how it all felt. Alice Oseman’s cult webcomic Heartstopper (with its 500K+ subscribers on WEBTOON) has stood out due to its candid, slice-of-life focus on first love. Now it’s getting the Netflix treatment – with Oseman penning the scripts.

Following the attraction between nerdy drummer Charlie (Joe Locke) and rugby star Nick (Kit Connor) at an all-boys school, the series veers from the grandiose drama of Euphoria, or the heightened retro setting of Sex Education. Instead, it’s confidently set in rainy England, with an interest in the minutiae of loneliness, coming out and friendship. Its authentic take on the ways Gen Z banter, text and fall in love is reminiscent of Norwegian sensation Skam (there’s even a major scene involving an “am I gay?” quiz). By elevating the uncertainty inherent in everyday interactions, Heartstopper unfurls into a series that is genuinely, achingly romantic.

Those who enjoy darker comedies are also in for a treat with the third season of Barry, the Emmy Award-winning series about a hitman-turned-actor. This season is largely a two-hander between Barry (Bill Hader) and his mentor Gene (Henry Winkler), from whom Barry delusively seeks love and absolution. It’s propulsive, weightier and even more farcical – catch it on Binge. CC