James R | On 23, Jul 2014

Sweat. Swimming trunks. Sand. Sunburn. Other people. Let’s face it. Summer sucks.

If you go outside. You know, in the sun.

Us? We’re indoors. Under the duvet. Plan to do the same? We’ve picked our highlights of what’s on UK VOD to save you from leaving the house.

How long does it take to watch The West Wing? Where can you see Girls Season 3? What’s coming soon to Netflix UK in August? From new releases to old favourites worth catching up with, here’s the only binge-viewing guide you need to survive the heat.

For a downloadable PDF guide, click here.

Fargo

Continuing the misdirect that Joel and Ethan Coen used to get away with some of their more audacious twists in the movie on which this series is loosely based, creator Noel Hawley prefaces each episode of Fargo with a notice: “This is a true story.” Although this monologue-heavy character epic sometimes stretches credulity, the real truth is in its darkly funny portrayal of human nature and the frightening power of corruption. Specifically, it’s about Martin Freeman’s mild-mannered insurance salesman Lester Nygaard discovering his sense of self-preservation, after a meeting with Billy Bob Thornton’s wolfish Lorne Malvo. Violence and betrayal ensues, leaving Allison Tolman’s quick-witted police deputy, Molly, to make sense of it all.

The West Wing

If you’ve ever wished politicians were less full of crap, The West Wing is the answer. Martin Sheen stars as President Bartlet, who feels like the best parts of Roosevelt, JFK and Clinton rolled into one. Over the course of eight years, Bartlet deals with war, security threats and a scandal which threatens to ruin his presidency. Thankfully, he’s not alone – Bradley Whitford, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney and the late, great John Spencer give knockout turns as the his closest staff. And that’s without mentioning the plethora of guest stars  – appearing here was, at one time, as big an honour as a cameo on The Simpsons. But the real star is writer Aaron Sorkin. Before The Social Network, he cut his teeth in the White House, creating some of the funniest, inspiring and dramatic moments in the history of TV.

Arrow

The CW have dug up DC’s Green Arrow and given it a realistic sheen. Five years ago, Oliver Queen was lost at sea. The Ollie rescued from the island is not the same spineless spoiled brat that washed up there. He has a mission: hunt down the people corrupting the city with a bow and some dubious morals. Arrow seamlessly meshes island flashbacks with present day crime-fighting. And even if Stephen Amell only has one facial expression, the cast, characters and story arc keep you hooked – Susanna Thompson’s creepy mother and Willa Holland’s awesome little sister are both top-notch. And if John Barrowman’s enigmatic Malcolm Merlyn’s not your cup of tea, you’ll fall for Emily Bett Rickards’ sparky, can-do IT girl, Felicity Smoak.

Girls

Set against the backdrop of Brooklyn’s uber-hip Williamsburg (the Shoreditch of stateside), Girls follows four New Yorkers as they navigate first jobs, first loves, first smear tests and first marriage breakdowns. It’s been called the new Sex and the City but aside from being about four white women who somehow have bottomless pockets and huge flats, the comparisons end there. Don’t let the title fool you; the girls play off against a cast of men – notably Adam Driver, playing Hannah’s on-off boyfriend, and a bizarre cameo from Chris O’Dowd. It’s been criticised widely for its lack of diversity (and for Lena Dunham’s “insistence” on getting naked), but it’s unflinchingly honest and in that, everyone can draw something from it.

Veep

Born from The Thick Of It and helmed by Armando Iannucci himself, Veep follows to the day-to-day trials of Vice President Selina Meyer and her working relationships. Struggling against the President, the media and her staff, Selina tries to balance staying afloat with staying relevant. Keeping with the Armando tradition, the satire is brilliantly foul-mouthed and creatively insulting whilst maintaining an air of urgency about the office in which it all takes place. Julia Louis-Dreyfus shines as the politician battling to be treated as the second most powerful person in the world. With Dreyfus flanked by comedy talent like Anna Chlumsky, Tony Hale, Matt Walsh and Timothy Simons; the show manages a unique blend of satirical optimism and – yes – swearing.  

House of Cards

Kevin Spacey takes Richard II to the Capitol in this gripping, cynical and darkly funny thriller. Majority Whip Frank Underwood devides to take revenge on all those above him after he’s passed over promotion, with the help of Kate Mara’s naive reporter, Zoe Barnes. The fact that Frank mostly succeeds is no surprise – the fact that we cheer him on is highly unsettling. Talking to the camera with his charming drawl, Spacey is as charismatic as ever, but it’s Robin Wright as Frank’s wife, Claire, who turns the TV show into something more than a pantomime: together, the believably fleshed-out couple are supportive of each other’s own power games, creating a fearsome double act that never fails to shock – and, indeed, never fails. Welcome to 21st Century politics.

 Orange Is the New Black

Orange Is the New Black is based on Piper Kerman’s memoirs about her own 15 months behind federal bars. Writer Jenji Kohan unsurprisingly changed Piper’s name to Chapman but made one, altogether more unexpected, alteration: where Kerman’s story is told from her POV, OITNB zooms out to put Chapman’s tale into perspective. More specifically, multiple perspectives. Each episode takes a different character and flashes back into their past to find out how they ended up in prison. It sounds like a corny gimmick, but Kohan pulls it off with just the right amount of heart and honesty. At no point do these inmates feel like formulaic devices or narrative padding. From Uzo Aduba’s hilarious “Crazy Eyes” to Laura Prepon’s sexy lover, they feel like real people.

Breaking Bad

Mild-mannered chemistry teacher Walter White funds his cancer treatment the only way he knows how: by cooking meth. That’s the starting point for Vince Gilligan’s epic drama, which turns Mr. Nice Guy into a Scarface for the 21st Century. Bryan Cranston astonishes as the falling father, while Aaron Paul’s sidekick, Jesse, brings swearing, humour and sympathy to the table. Balanced perfectly between dark, funny and moving, the cast of characters is so well fleshed-out that every scene feels unpredictably real – which makes the violence, when it inevitably comes, all the more effective. Unashamedly slow-paced, a measured first season gives way to a gripping downward spiral that grips with every turn; a perfectly concocted hit that never fails to produce an explosive reaction. Yeah, bitch. Science.

True Detective

“Ernest Hemingway wrote, ‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.” Imagine Se7en remade for the post-Millenial age and you’re halfway to what makes True Detective so good. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson play detectives Rust and Martin, who find themselves peering into the dark abyss beneath Louisiana’s civilised, Christian surface. One alcoholic, the other violent, if these male archetypes recall Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt’s iconic partnership, the brilliance of Nic Pizzolato’s literary script is that the unbalanced Rust, all sunken face and prophetic hallucinations, is Morgan Freeman. Disturbing, full of questions and shot with cinematic style by Cary Fukunaga, True Detective is that rare TV show which meets its hype.

The Walking Dead

What would you do if you found yourself surrounded by zombies? The Walking Dead’s stomach-clenching suspense stems from that question. While some zombie shows and films focus on running and shooting, te series – based on Robert Kirkman’s graphic novels – follows sheriff’s deputy Rick (Andrew Lincoln) as he navigates the moral dilemma of staying alive. As partners turn on each other and friends, well, “turn”, that fall from humanity to ruthless monsters is more shocking than any amount of blood. But don’t worry, the show has its fair share of that too. The writing team has changed over the years, but it’s to their credit that the series remains consistently scary, sad and surprising – helped no end by the addition of David Morrissey’s fascinating The Governor in Season 3 and 4, who extols the other ethical extreme of survival.

Homeland

Homeland is a nail-biting TV series that manages to be gripping and ridiculous at the same time. When US marine Brody (Damian Lewis) is released by al-Qaeda after years of captivity, the country hails him as a hero. Obsessive CIA agent Carrie (Claire Danes) suspects otherwise, doing everything from bugging his house (warning: contains graphic sex) to falling in love with him. The series relies on uncertainty for tension – Is he/Isn’t he? Will he/Won’t he? Did he/Didn’t he? – and, thanks to Lewis’ ambiguous performance and Danes’ intense range of facial expressions, it works. Season 2 is the least consistent, but the show lurches expertly between stupid and stupidly exciting. And that’s before you mention The Princess Bride’s Manty Patinkin as Carrie’s boss, Saul, whose magnificent beard steals almost every scene. Homeland? HOMGland, more like.

 

Your Summer Binge-Viewing Guide (PDF)

Words: Phil Bayles, Jo Bromilow, Chris Bryant, Mark Harrison, Selina Pearson, Ivan Radford

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