TVNZ+’s The Dry, Prime Video’s Mayor of Kingstown among great shows to stream this week

ALASKA DAILY (DISNEY+)

The Oscar-winning director and co-writer of Spotlight has returned to the newsroom – and he’s bought a two-time Academy Award-winning actor with him.

Like that true-life tale focused on The Boston Globe’s uncovering of a massive scandal involving the Catholic Church’s cover-up of child molestation, Tom McCarthy’s Alaska Daily is a testament to the power of investigative journalism and the importance of a newspaper in keeping a community informed and its leaders’ accountable.

Hilary Swank plays hard-nosed New York journalist Eileen Fitzgerald, who somewhat reluctantly has to seek a fresh start at an Anchorage newspaper after a scandal brings down her illustrious career in the Big Apple,

A kind of a cross between Sharp Objects and Northern Exposure, Alaska Daily benefits greatly from McCarthy’s ability to create colourful characters and give them something meaningful to say.

THE DRY (TVNZ+)

Eight-part drama which follows the fortunes of the troubled Shiv Sheridan (Roisin Gallagher). After living it up in London, she’s returned home to Dublin, where she’ll have to navigate new relationships, family drama and her own questionable life choices, all while trying to stay sober.

The impressive cast also includes Ciaran Hinds and Siobhan Cullen.

“The Dry has a heart as dark and nourishing as a pint of Guinness. It sobered me right up, and I loved it,” wrote The Guardian’s Chitra Ramaswamy.

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HAPPY VALLEY (TVNZ+)

The hotly anticipated third and final six-part season of this multi-Bafta award-winning drama sees Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) discover a gangland murder victim in a drained reservoir.

That sparks a chain of events that leads her straight back to Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) – the father of her grandson, and her daughter’s rapist.

“Lancashire’s marvellous performance aside, its excitements are so much richer and deeper than those of its nearest rivals — it is a family/small town saga as much as it is a police procedural — and I adore its sense of place,” wrote The New Statesman’s Rachel Cooke.

THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS (NETFLIX)

Six-part, coming-of-age drama based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Elena Ferrante (The Lost Daughter, My Brilliant Friend).

Set in 1990s Naples, it’s the story of bored and restless teenager Giovanna (Giordana Marengo). Struggling at school, she has little interest in anything other than books, and worries she is becoming ugly, having overheard her father expressing concerns that she is starting to resemble her mysterious Aunt Vittoria (Valeria Golino). However, when the two meet, the latter sparks a new sense of adventure in Giovanna.

“When I read The Lying Life of Adults, I thought of it as a very internal and inward-looking story, but this version breathes new life into it, turns it outwards, and adds a touch of rocket fuel,” wrote The Guardian’s Rebecca Nicholson.

MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN (PRIME VIDEO)

Much grittier and darker than his wildly popular Yellowstone, this feels more like Taylor Sheridan’s big-screen stories like Wind River – and in particular – Sicario. There’s also a sense of trying to evoke something akin to David Simon’s The Wire, with its focus on the interactions between those on either side of the law, but its more melodramatic moments mean it sometimes feels closer to Prison Break, or any one of Dick Wolf’s long-running police procedurals.

What there’s no debate about, is that Mayor offers a terrific showcase for the often under-rated Jeremy Renner. Nearly lost to us after a recent mishap involving his snowplough, the 52-year-old is simply superb as the under-fire elected official Mike McLusky. It’s a role that offers him a chance to show his softer side, as well as the hard-nosed broodiness that has been his trademark in movies like The Hurt Locker and American Hustle, not to mention his recurring role as Clint “Hawkeye” Barton in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

THE RIG (PRIME VIDEO)

Iain Glen, Martin Compston, Mark Addy, Emily Hampshire and Mark Bonnar star in this six-part character-driven mystery thriller that follows the crew of the Kinloch Bravo oil rig, as they fight for survival in the North Sea after a strange fog cuts off all communication with the shore.

To make it out of this increasing9ly perilous situation will take bravery, heroism, sacrifice and a confrontation with the consequences of the paths that brought them together.

“The faith that it won’t all descend into a Lost-style debacle will keep you going until the end,” wrote The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan.

SERVANT (APPLE TV+)

Season four of this critically-acclaimed psychological drama series brings the story of the Turner family to an epic and emotional conclusion.

As the Turner brownstone continues to crumble, questions are finally answered: Who is Leanne Grayson and who is the child in their home?

The impressive cast includes Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Nell Tiger Free and Rupert Grint.

“M. Night Shyamalan’s darkly funny, deeply twisted TV horror saga confirms its status as one of his greatest achievements,” wrote Empire magazine’s Boyd Hilton.

THAT ‘90S SHOW (NETFLIX)

More than 16 years after the beloved US sitcom That ‘70s Show ended its eight-season run, we’re back in Point Place, Wisconsin where Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) is visiting her grandparents Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) and hanging out with a whole new group of cool kids for the Summer of ‘95.

Topher Grace, Laura Prepon, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher and Wilmer Valderrama are among the original cast members making an appearance during the 10-episodes.

“It aims for nothing much more ambitious than recreating the low-key charm of its predecessor. But it hits that target with enough confidence and consistency to become a treat in its own right,” wrote The Hollywood Reporter’s Angie Han.