Ten TV shows you should binge the shit out of during Lockdown: Part II

It's only three days, so make sure your subscription services are up to date ...

I had a whole other post pre-written and ready for publication today, one created during simpler times. But then my phone made a stupid silly weird crazy WTF-was-that? STFU bonkers noise at 10.13pm on Tuesday night and now everything done changed.

We’ve only got three days of this, hopefully, so we might as well make the most of it.

Get your food delivery services lined up (this is the time I do a bit of self-promoting lol), update your streaming subscriptions, make sure your popcorn maker still works, put the headphones on the kids, relax and use this time to catch up on some of the telly you’ve missed.

Here’s a full list of everything I’ve been watching lately. I hope you find something that helps you cope during these precedented times …

Ramy (TVNZ OnDemand)

This show reminds me of my high school mate who spent his university years alternating between being a good Christian kid, and engaging in far less puritan pursuits. Ramy, the first show from Ramy Youseff, shows why it’s turned the American stand-up comic into a bit of a big deal, scoring him contracts with A24 and Apple TV+ - it’s funny, heartfelt, beautifully written and entirely relatable.

Search Party (Neon)

I got myself some Twitter grief when I raved about this one on Nine to Noon recently, but I stand by it: Search Party is a little-watched ultra-bingeable TV treasure, one that skewers millenial culture to within an inch of its perfectly curated Instagrammable life. Mark my words: in five years, we’ll be talking about this as one of the best shows on TV - and Alia Shawkat as one of its greatest stars.

Gangs of London (Neon)

Anyone missing some Guy Ritchie-style wanna-bit-of-bovver? ultra-violence in their lives? This one, which starts with someone being tortured, burnt to death then dumped off the top of a skyscraper and only gets worse, will scratch that itch. It’s mostly nonsense with its delightfully silly gangsterisms, but all those brilliantly orchestrated fight scenes really are something to behold.

Dispatches From Elsewhere (Amazon Prime Video)

Look, even I have to admit that this is a weird one. When I first started watching Dispatches From Elsewhere, I started writing a newsletter right here titled, ‘I found this year’s most bonkers TV show’. Then I did some research and discovered it’s based on real life events, an alternate reality game that played out in real life in Philidelphia. There’s even a doco about it, so there you go, sometimes reality really is stranger than fiction.

Immigration Nation (Netflix)

When Trump closed the American borders to Mexico back in 2016, filmmakers Christina Clusiau and Shaul Schwarz jumped into action, asking then gaining unprecedented permission to spend more than two years filming Immigration and Customs Enforcement staff in action. The results are grim, compelling viewing, so incisive and explosive that ICE tried to get the show off-air.

Dave (Neon)

I’m not going to rave about Dave, and I struggle to recommend it. It’s stupid, puerile, vulgar and pretty damned basic. But maybe what you want right now is a show created by the one-note joke-rapper Lil Dicky, based around his struggling rapper exploits, full of silly celebrity cameos and some pretty terrible poo jokes. I’ve watched the whole thing, and hated myself for it. I’m not going to judge you for doing the same. Just so you know, both seasons of Atlanta are on Netflix now, and you should definitely rewatch that over Dave. Don’t make the mistake I made. Or do! Don’t let me stop you.

Punk’d (Quibi)

God I loved Punk’d. So many moments stick in my mind, like when Ashton Kutcher ruined Mandy Moore’s good intentions by knocking down a house she was supposed to be building, or when they made Justin Timberlake cry by repossessing his motorbike collection, or forcing Rihanna to utter the immortal line: “Don’t you know who I am?” Well, Punk’d’s back! It’s a bit of a hassle to find - you have to download Quibi, a struggling new quick-bite streaming service based in America. But this one is hosted by Chance the Rapper and it’s pretty decent, with some good gotchas.

Stateless

If Immigration Nation wasn’t enough for you, Stateless also takes on immigration issues - this time at an Australian border centre. This is a big show, full of separate story strands that slowly intertwine. Many of them are based on true stories, but the real reason you should watch this is to catch Dominic West as a creepy-as cult leader. He really is something to behold.

Last One Laughing (Amazon Prime Video)

Like Dave, this is another show that I really hate myself for enjoying. But if you’ve never seen an Australian comic perform a seductive dance in a denim jacket covered in giant penises, then you’re really in for a treat. Last One Laughing plonks 10 comics in a room for six hours, then eliminates anyone who cracks a smile, giggles, or straight up laughs. I just hope we’ve got a Kiwi version of this in the works, because Josh Thomson, Melanie Bracewell, Rose Matefeo and Dai Henwood would just rule at this.

Sextortion (TVNZ OnDemand)

Tom Sainsbury’s hilarious Instagram covers helped me get through the last lockdown, and he’s helping me get through this one too. Sainsbury’s playing a politician embroiled in a sex scandal, but don’t worry, Sextortion is mostly played for laughs thanks to his brilliant deadpan expressions. Sign him up for a second season please.