What To Watch In Oz - July 2016

Winter is well and truly here, and if you aren’t already bundled up in bed, binge watching movies and TV and chain eating home delivery, you can’t be far off. I mean, is there any better way to deal with the colder months? I mean short of sharing body heat obviously.

The problem, of course, is that with the televisual golden age we’re going through these days, not to mention all the great movies coming out, there is just so much to choose from. Well never fear, that is why we at Crave Online are here! To be paid a pittance to help guide you through this overgrown forest of entertainment as we tell you What To Watch In Oz July… brought to you by the new Samsung SUHD Curved TV.

Cleverman

Re-imagining stories from the Aboriginal Dreaming into the superhero genre, Cleverman is set in a dystopian near-future Australia where the indigenous race of Hairypeople (non-human people covered in thick facial and body hair and with superhuman strength) are kept in camps and treated as sub-human. The series follows the story of the Cleverman, an indigenous “superhero” who series creator Ryan Griffen described as “the Pope of the Dreamtime… the conduit between the present and the Dreaming”, with powers that reflect that. I don’t want to give any more than I already have away, as the way the show reveals the world it’s set in is one if the most compelling part of it. Timely, original and with the courage to explore tough issues through its fictional world, this is must-watch TV for any Aussie fans of superhero fare.

Cleverman airs on ABC on Wednesdays at 9:30pm and is available on ABC iView

Unreal Season 2

Following the cast and crew of a The Bachelor-esque fictional dating show – called what else but Everlasting – Unreal is without a doubt one of the best shows on TV at the moment. Starting out as a dramedy in the first episode, by the end of the first season the jokes are out the window and the stakes are higher than Robert Downey Jnr in the 90s. How the hell they are going to top Season 1 (which included death, debauchery and so so much adultery) I don’t know, but to say I am excited to find out is a massive understatement. Almost half way through the season now, the episodes are being fast-tracked to Stan from the US as soon as they air on Showtime there, so if you haven’t seen the first season yet, it’s a perfect time to start binging so you can catch up for Season 2.

Unreal Season 2 is streaming now on Stan

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Guy Ritchie’s stylish tribute to 60s spy flicks, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. balances slick action with character-based humor and oh so much Mad Men-esque fashion nostalgia. The Man Of Steel himself Henry Cavill absolutely own the role of US superspy Napoleon Solo, showing himself just as capable as a debonair charmer as stoic superhero, while Armie Hammer‘s portrayal of KGB agent Illya Kuryakin proves that you can play a spy with a range of emotions beyond horny, angry, remorseful and drunk.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is streaming on Netflix from 16th June

Fargo Season 2

You would have been forgiven for having doubts about the television adaptation of the Coen Brothers‘ masterpiece when you first heard about it, but two seasons later and an army of critics singing its praises it seems all those doubts were unfounded as the verdict is in. Fargo is some of the best TV out there. Picking up an entirely different storyline from the first season, and starring Ted “Dr Becker” Danson, the second season is even stronger than the first… if that’s possible. Either way, they’re both amazing and you should watch them.

Fargo Season 2 is streaming on Stan from 16th June

Orange Is The New Black Season 4

Another highly acclaimed show that started out life with a more comedic bent before embracing its dramatic edge, Orange Is The New Black is back with Season 4 and it’s getting darker and heavier than ever. If you somehow didn’t know, the show tells the story of the inmates of Litchfield women’s prison and the power struggles between inmates, guards and the prison system in general. Picking up where Season 3 left off, with Litchfield becoming a privatized prison and having to deal with a tsunami of new inmates, Season 4 well and truly takes off the gloves and lands some very hard punches. While there are still moments of hope – something the show was always good at finding in weird and unlikely places – for the first time in it’s run it now well and truly feels like a show set in a prison, something you could at times forget during Seasons 1 – 3.

Orange Is The New Black Season 4 is streaming on Netflix from 17th June

Angie Tribeca

If there is a crazier show out there than Angie Tribeca, I’d like to see it. Steve Carell and his wife Nancy’s brainchild, the show is essentially a spoof of police procedural shows like Law & Order or NCIS, with the spoof element turned up to 11. Don’t expect even vaguely realistic characters, or any sense of normalcy as the Carells and the writers manage to cram bizarre sight gags and physical comedy into almost every moment. Whether it’s the constant and comically over emphasized product placement or the opening theme that is pretty much just someone screaming over some guitar licks, there is nothing that the show doesn’t seize on for comic effect. Not everyone’s cup of tea for sure, but if you like Tim & Eric Awesome Show and have ever seen an episode of CSI this is sure to entertain. Plus it has all round legend Rashida Jones as the titular hero, so you know you can’t go wrong.