TVNZ+’s Totally Completely Fine, Disney+’s The Bear among great shows available to stream this week

THE AFTERPARTY (APPLE TV+)

TV’s wild and wackiest crime-comedy is back. Known for its genre-bending approach to murder-solving, this 10-part second season keeps that conceit intact, while swapping the original run’s clifftop mansion for a country estate.

Solving pop-music icon and movie star Xavier’s murder has enabled Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) to retire. However, much to her book publicist’s frustration, work on X Marks The Murderer: A Detective True Life Mystery hasn’t progressed that quickly. Their showdown meeting though is interrupted by a blast from the past – escape room designer and former Xavier murder suspect Aniq (Sam Richardson) is in desperate need of her assistance.

Like the inaugural round, if the central mystery perhaps lacks the nuance, smarts or swagger of a Knives Out, Glass Onion or Poker Face,The Afterparty at least delivers plenty of laughs.

This is a show where you can see the seams, but some scenes and lines are side-splittingly funny.

THE BEAR (DISNEY+)

One of the hottest shows of last year is back for an extended 10-part second season.

Bringing in older sister Natalie (Abby Elliott) as a renovations project manager, chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and his sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) work on developing a menu for their new restaurant, The Bear. To help get them off the ground, Carmy also strikes a deal with his Uncle Cicero (Oliver Platt) for an 18-month loan.

“Tackles everything from menu development to renovation woes with an appealing mix of warmth, dark humour and chaos,” wrote Time magazine’s Judy Berman.

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GREAT EXPECTATIONS (DISNEY+)

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is the mastermind behind this latest, six-part BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved 1861 novel. As in the original book, it’s the coming-of-age story of Pip, an orphan who yearns for a greater lot in life, until a twist of fate and the evil machinations of the mysterious and eccentric “Miss Havisham” shows him a dark world of possibilities.

The impressive ensemble of actors assembled includes Fionn Whitehead, Olivia Colman, Hayley Squires, Matt Berry and Tim Key.

“The writing may have its iffy moments, but it is beautifully shot, rich with atmosphere and Colman’s Miss Havisham is a musty treat,” wrote Financial Times’ Fiona Sturges.

THE HORROR OF DOLORES ROACH (PRIME VIDEO)

Based on the hit 2018 Spotify podcast of the same name, this eight-part horror-comedy is billed as a contemporary, Sweeney Todd-inspired “urban legend” of love, betrayal, weed and cannibalism.

Having emerged from 16 years in prison, the eponymous Dolores (Justina Machado) is given refuge and a home by her old stoner friend Luis (Alejandro Hernandez), who also lets her conduct her massage business in the basement under his empanada shop. However, when her newfound stability is threatened, she feels forced to resort to extreme measures.

“The Horrors of Dolores Roach is for all those who have sat back and thought: what if Sweeney Todd was remade in the present day, but dialled up to 11?,” wrote London Evening Standard’s Soraya Gaied Chortane, while the Financial Times’ Dan Einav thought that “Dolores remains recognisably human even as she serves up human remains”.

I’M A VIRGO (PRIME VIDEO)

Sorry to Bother You writer-director Boots Riley created this seven-part, coming-of-age tale about 13-foot-man Cootie (Moonlight’s Jharrel Jerome).

Raised in Oakland, California by his Aunt Lafrancine (Carmen Ejogo)and Uncle Martisse (Mike Epps), after being accidentally discovered by a group of teenage political activists, he escapes to the “real world”, where he forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations and encounters his idol – The Hero (Walton Goggins).

“Precisely what viewers complain they can’t find on television – something novel, something offbeat, something surprising,” wrote Wall Street Journal’s John Anderson, while Slant magazine’s Steve Nguyen Scaife described it as an “intoxicating shot of imagination”.

STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS (TVNZ+)

Set in the decade before Captain James T. Kirk and company’s five-year mission “to seek out new life forms and new civilisations”, this sci-fi series begins its second 10-episode season with Spock (Ethan Peck) disobeying orders when he receives a distress call from Lt. La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong).

By taking the U.S.S. Enterprise and its crew into disputed space, he risks renewed hostilities with the Klingons.

“Fans get a wide range of compelling new stories, often in an adventure-of-the-week format, with lots of eye-popping special effects and cool nods to the history of these beloved characters,” wrote NPR’s Eric Deggans, while Empire magazine’s James White thought that “with a great balance of compelling characters and engaging, self-contained stories, this throwback series continues to prove itself the very best of the current live-action Trek shows”.

THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY (PRIME VIDEO)

Inspired by the best-selling trilogy of books by Jenny Han, this young adult drama enters its second, eight-part season with Belly (Lola Tung) unsure if summer at Cousins Beach will ever be the same again what with siblings Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno) fighting over her heart and the Susannah’s (Rachel Blanchard) cancer returning.

However, when an unexpected visitor threatens the future of Susannah’s beloved house, Belly has to rally the gang to come together– and decide once and for all where her heart lies.

“Season 2’s emotional roller coaster serves as a harsh reminder that life isn’t always a beach, but its unique mix of ‘miserable and magical’ [as Taylor Swift – who features heavily on the soundtrack – would describe the events that take place] will keep you hooked until the end,” wrote Decider’s Nicole Gallucci.

TOTALLY COMPLETELY FINE (TVNZ+)

New Zealand’s own Thomasin McKenzie headlines this six-part black comedy about a young woman who inherits her grandfather’s coastal home, only to discover that it resides on a clifftop that is regularly used by people attempting to take their own lives.

Using her own chaotic brand of off-the-cuff psychology, McKenzie’s Vivian develops an unexpected knack for bringing people back from the brink.

Inspired by Sydney screenwriter Gretel Vella’s (The Great) own brushes with suicidal people during Covid lockdowns, Totally Completely Fine is a thought-provoking dramedy that shares her Russian tale’s twin strengths of edgy humour and compelling characters. There’s a hint of Offspring, a touch of Rake and soupçon of Deadloch in this potent cocktail, but it’s McKenzie who is Totally Completely Fine’s secret ingredient.

Her chaotic, depressed, dark eye shadow and black toenail polish-sporting Vivian is light years away from Life After Life’s Ursula Todd, Last Night in Soho’s Ellie Turner or Jojo Rabbit’s Elsa Korr. Yes, there’s a certain similarity in the strength of character they all need to survive their respective ordeals, but here McKenzie displays a so far reasonably untapped penchant for comedic timing and physical humour that really sells Vivian Cunningham to the audience.