A man who looks like a modern-day, aesthetically pleasing version of Jesus turns up out of nowhere and proclaims himself the saviour of the world. Is he telling the truth or is he an extremist in disguise? This controversial ten-part drama, starring Michelle Monaghan as cynical CIA agent Eva Geller and an exceptional Mehdi Dehbi as wannabe prophet Al-Masih, will grip you from the get-go. We travel from Syria to the US as Al-Masih gains more devout followers and the CIA scrambles to determine, Homeland style, whether they should try to stop him.
In an Ice Princess-meets-Skins series, a figure skater tries to get back into competition after a fall that left her with a head injury. Although the world of ice skating may look perfect and pristine, underneath there is a dark tension with mothers sniping abuse from the sidelines and young skaters risking permanent injury by continuing to skate on damaged hips. Kaya Scodelario stars as Kat who has to learn how to skate with a partner if she wants to get back on the ice, and January Jones plays her bipolar mother. There’s even a cheeky cameo from Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness.
Netflix Original The Witcher is, by objective critical standards, not particularly good. But as binge-worthy escapist enjoyment, it’s an absolute triumph. Based on a Polish fantasy literature franchise that gained global popularity following its successful video game adaptation, the series follows Geralt of Rivia (played by Henry Cavill), whose occupation as a mutant ‘witcher’ sees him slaying monsters for money. Our beefy, gravel-voiced hero finds himself caught up in a bigger plot, however, as his destiny becomes entwined with an orphaned princess on the run and a powerful sorceress testing the limits of her abilities.
Is The Next Generation the best Star Trek series? We’re not getting into that debate, but you can decide for yourself by watching all seven series on Netflix. That said, brilliant though it is, you really shouldn’t watch all seven seasons. The first is pretty turgid and the second is only marginally better, but TNG really hits its stride in season three and never looks back. Handily, the nature of Star Trek means you can safely miss dozens of episodes and miss nothing important, so a little strategic watching is in order. Wired.com’s binge-watching guide will navigate you safely around the land mines, so you can enjoy the absolute sci-fi gems hidden within.
The very first episode of the eight-part Sex Education opens with a scene of two teenagers having awkward, unsatisfying sex and things just get more cringe-inducing from then. At the heart of the series are the gawky Otis (Asa Butterfield), so unable to confront his own desire that he can’t masturbate, and his sex therapist mother (Gillian Anderson) who thinks her son’s insecurities are ideal breakfast table conversation starter. The setting is jarring – it’s basically the school from The Breakfast Club transplanted into the British countryside – but the series’ wide-eyed honesty is a refreshing and poignant look at the bewildering world of teenage desire.
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