Critics don't always agree – so when multiple reviewers are throwing out words such as "extraordinary", "outstanding" and "Give Zahn McClarnon an Emmy Already”, you know you've come across a TV series worth watching. Such is the case with the great viewing in SBS On Demand's Critically Acclaimed Television collection, which brings together dramas, docuseries and comedies that have all drawn in some serious praise.
Boiling Point
If you like your viewing adrenaline-charged and unpredictable, with sharp knives and open flames to boot, this one's for you. Or as London's Evening Standard put it, "It’s an extraordinary peek behind the kitchen door, and an uncomfortable one. But as a drama, the ingredients are spot on and the execution superb. Am I a glutton for punishment? Yes chef…"
Adapting a cracker of a movie into a TV series doesn't always work, but in the case of this pressure-cooker kitchen drama, it certainly did. The story picks up eight months after the action of the Boiling Point film, this time with head chef Carly (Vinette Robinson) leading a turbulent team at a new high-end London restaurant. Stephen Graham, so good in the original film, is back too, no longer in charge and bitingly bitter about it. "Mesmerising... An excellent cast, a pressure-cooker atmosphere and a plot that will make you root for all the characters," said The Guardian.
Boiling Point is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Boiling Point the film is also streaming at SBS On Demand (but only until 31 July, so don't miss your chance to see it).
Dark Winds
It's impossible to think of this outstanding series without the brilliance of Zahn McClarnon, whom Rolling Stone describes as giving "one of the best dramatic performances you will find anywhere on television". McClarnon plays Navajo reservation policeman Joe Leaphorn in this 1970s-set drama based on a series of popular books. With a strong presence of Navajo (Diné) culture and language, engaging storylines that intertwine crime drama, tribal law and a touch of the spiritual and supernatural, and complex characters, it's compelling viewing.
"The acting, led by the incomparable McClarnon, is unparalleled, the action is thrilling, its cinematography captures both the beauty and the bleakness of the Southwest," says Paste magazine. "A series that has set a high bar for itself from the very beginning... Every new season works, urging us to come back for more — and Season 3 is no exception to the rule," says Collider's Michael John Petty. Unsurprisingly, it's been so popular that a fourth season has been commissioned.
All three seasons of Dark Winds are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Kin
This gripping gangland drama has won multiple Irish Film and Television Awards gongs, and with good reason. Season one introduced us to the Kinsella clan, significant players in the local crime scene, led by Frank (Aiden Gillen), who soon becomes engaged in a battle with the powerful Eamon Cunningham (Cairan Hinds). Against a moody Dublin backdrop, the series spins out a tale of murder, revenge and secrets... things get messy quickly. "Superb cast and powerful writing," said theartsdesk of season one, where the lead cast also includes Clare Dunne and Charlie Cox. After an explosive end to the first season, season two dials up the danger and the action, as the family deal with danger from within and a threat to their business from another ruthless crime syndicate. "...an Irish Gomorrah, and it's a must," said The Spectator.
Both seasons of Kin are streaming at SBS On Demand.
My Brilliant Friend
Based on the hugely popular series of novels by Italian writer Elena Ferrante (a pseudonym – despite many attempts, the writer's identity has never been confirmed), this 1950s-and-onwards tale of friends and sometimes rivals Lila and Elena (known as Lenù) has been widely applauded. The Guardian called it "the most beautiful drama on television". The BBC said "it brings Ferrante's world to life brilliantly and is as complex, gripping and immersive as the novels, while also being one of the best-looking series on television."
An engaging exploration of how important, but also complicated, friendship can be, the series spans more than four decades, with three sets of actresses (Elisa Del Genio and Ludovica Nasti who played the pair as children in very early episodes; Margherita Mazzucco and Gaia Girace; and finally Alba Rohrwacher and Irene Maiorino) taking on the key roles. A fascinating look at a time of change in Italy, and at the changing relationship between Lila and Lenù, this is an adaptation that brings Ferrente's books to wonderfully rich, rewarding life: "Sublime television," as The Telegraph summed it up.
All four seasons of My Brilliant Friend are streaming at SBS On Demand.
The Hollow
Bosnian drama isn't that common on our screens, but that's far from the only reason to dive into The Hollow. The crime drama won a brace of awards at the Sarajevo Film Festival, including best direction for Danis Tanović (who won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his work on 2011's No Man's Land) and Aida Begić; best screenplay; best lead actor for Feđa Štukan; best supporting actress for Ida Keškić; and supporting actor for Boris Ler.
When a body is found is found in the garden of a museum in Sarajevo, the investigation falls to police inspector Edib (Štukan) and fellow policeman Mido (Ler) and what initially seems to be straightforward soon gets complicated when the body disappears from the morgue. Keškić plays a journalist caught up in the mystery. One reviewer called it "probably the best Bosnian-Herzegovinian series in the last 30 years". In the Review Online, writer Joshua Polanski argues Danis Tanović is vastly under-recognised as a director, including in his article a nod to Tanović's deft touch in a scene in The Hollow ('Kotlina' in the local title). Polanski had to get a link from the director in order to view the series, but luckily you don't have to.
The Hollow is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Homeland
This twisting tale of spies, lies, terrorism, politics and dangerous missions enthralled audiences for eight seasons, kicking off with a gripping scenario: missing-in-action marine Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), long presumed dead, is rescued from a terrorist compound and heralded as a hero on his return to America, but CIA officer Carrie Matheson (Claire Danes) suspects he's part of a plan for a terrorist attack against the US. Danes and Lewis both won Emmy and Golden Globe awards for their roles in the series, which also won an Outstanding Drama Series Emmy. As the seasons rolled out, much-loved actor Mandy Patinkin became a key part of the show, and the storylines often seemed shockingly prescient of real-live events (even some unfolding today), as The Guardian noted, saying "there was no more relevant show on TV".
All eight seasons of Homeland are streaming at SBS On Demand.
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