As with Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G, some of the experts interviewed in the latest instalment of this British mockumentary series are in on the joke. Physicist and actual TV host Brian Cox leans into the daft questions of Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan), the comically ill-informed host of the show. But some, thankfully, are not. Bless you, Cambridge University professor of religious philosophy Douglas Hedley, who calmly discusses whether the 10 Commandments are God’s “T’s and C’s”.
Cunk on Life is something of an encore to the character’s unexpected 2022 international breakthrough series Cunk on Earth. Creator Charlie Brooker (Black Mirror) provides a single 70-minute episode where Cunk’s glorious Lancashire accent delivers baffling observations about faith, philosophy and art alongside genius descriptions, awkward interview exchanges, teenage puns and some loving fan service. Is Cunk crediting the Sistine Chapel to “Michael A.N. Jello” silly? Yes. Did I laugh out loud? Absolutely.
Brooker and a lengthy list of writers have probably found the limit of their satiric format, having mastered both the globe-spanning segues of the genuinely weighty BBC documentary and the brain-bending logic of Cunk’s queries. Some of the diversions work better than others (shout-out to the puppetry team), but there are still just enough gags that transcend stupidity for subversive insight. Case in point: Cunk calling religious worship “sucking up to the boss”.
Everything Is Fine
Disney+
Disney+ has a surprisingly large range of subtitled international productions, most of which are decidedly low-profile in the eyes of the recommendation algorithm. One of the best is this French drama, which begins from a family coming to terms with their nine-year-old daughter, Rose (Angele Romeo), requiring a bone marrow transplant due to leukaemia. The life and death demand changes the extended Lafarge clan’s relationships, bringing the women in particular into sharp focus. Virginie Efira, as Rose’s aunt Claire, gives a thrillingly complex performance that distinguishes the show from a hospital drama.
The Rig (season 2)
Amazon Prime
A mix of science-fiction conspiracy and supernatural chiller, this British series earned a small but dedicated audience with its first season, which unfolded on a Scottish oil rig in the North Sea where things quickly turned bad after it was encased in an otherworldly fog. The key cast that made it out of the first season – including Iain Glen, Emily Hampshire and Martin Compston – return for a second season of searching for answers while barely staying alive. The budget constraints still show, but the storytelling has a creepy momentum.
Rectify
Stan
This is my annual public service announcement that the four seasons of this quietly masterful American drama top the list of best shows from the past 15 years that hardly anyone watched. From a legal thriller’s set-up – an exonerated prisoner, Daniel Holden (Aden Young), returns to his small Georgia hometown after two decades on death row – springs a study of belief laced with anger that often moves to the most intimate of storytelling rhythms. An exemplary supporting cast, including J. Smith-Cameron and Adelaide Clemens, adds to a level of illumination that verges on the spiritual.
The worst TV show ever made? The Jerry Springer Show under the spotlight.Credit: Getty
Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action
Netflix
Before his death in 2023, Jerry Springer apologised for the tabloid TV show that he gave his name to. As this two-part documentary series makes clear, it was the least he could do. Running from 1991 to 2018, The Jerry Springer Show was a crude provocation that exploited guests to the point of violent confrontation, both on and eventually off the set. But the endless examples of the show’s failings are mostly presented as a lurid recap, shorn of analysis. The more pertinent question is: Why does America’s broader political discourse now resemble the daytime series?
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