What's on TV this week: Champions, Pose, Luke Cage and more

PEOPLE all around me are saying things like “penalty areas”, “headers” and “backheel goals” — the words make sense on their own but not in a sentence.

World Cup fever is sweeping the, well, world and there’s something unifying about this month every four years, the sheer drama of it, whether a penalty decision had robbed the Socceroos, the passion. Try as I might, it alludes me. Maybe if Richard Morecroft was commentating, I’d reconsider — not that I think he knows anything about football, I just like his voice.

I know I’m not alone in not being taken over by World Cup mania so if the sound of whistles and roaring crowds makes you reach for the remote (or phone app), know that there is other stuff out there.

CHAMPIONS

(Netflix — now)

Funny girl Mindy Kaling has teamed up with her former The Office writer Charlie Grandy on Champions, a new 10-episode comedy that hit Netflix a few days ago that is the very definition of an easy binge. Amusing, charming and populated with the kind of quirky characters you only find on TV, don’t be surprised if you find yourself consuming the whole lot in one sitting because it goes down very well, especially if the wind is blowing a gale outside.

Mindy Project and Workaholics alum Anders Holm plays Vince, a gym owner on the verge of selling up and moving to Florida when his ex Priya (Kaling) shows up with their teenage son Michael (J.J. Totah). Michael is in New York to audition for a performing arts school and needs a place to live. Vince’s heretofore simple but sad life is upended with his newfound parental duties — cue comedy antics.

POSE

(Showcase on Foxtel — Sunday, June 24 at 8.30pm)

There are three kinds of TV viewers: those who love Ryan Murphy, those who can’t stand Ryan Murphy and those who have yet to discover Ryan Murphy. The uber producer behind Glee, Feud: Bette and Joan, American Crime Story, American Horror Story, 9-1-1 and Scream Queens has a new offering up for your viewing pleasure: Pose.

The first episode was on air last night but that means you’ve got a week to catch up on on-demand before the second chapter this Sunday. Set in 1987, Pose is the story of the underground ball scene in New York City, a glamorous drag and dance competition that gave a creative outlet to those in society who were maligned because of fear and prejudice. Starring Kate Mara, Evan Peters, James Van Der Beek, M.J. Rodriguez and Billy Porter, Pose is classic Murphy: Bold, unapologetic and full of attitude.

LUKE CAGE

(Netflix — Friday, June 22 from 5pm AEST)

For many, Luke Cage is the most dynamic part of the Netflix part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (for me, it’s Jessica Jones), with its unbreakable African-American superhero whose bullet-ridden hoodie becomes a symbol of strength and resilience rather than tragedy.

After the Midland Circle battle in Defenders, Luke (Mike Colter) is back in Harlem, trying to clean up the drug network and stop Mariah (Alfre Woodard) and Shades (Theo Rossi) from spreading their criminal empire. He also has to contend with a new baddie as strong as him and wrestle with what it means to be a superhero worshipped by kids, grannies and everyone in between. Expect Danny Rand/Iron Fist (Finn Jones) to pop up this season as the power buddies consider a “Heroes For Hire” partnership.

WENTWORTH S6

(Showcase on Foxtel — Tuesday, June 19 at 8.30pm)

After a stunning season five finale, acclaimed Australian drama Wentworth returns for its sixth year. The show will pick up after the jaw-dropping prison escape of Franky Doyle not to mention the fallout from the Freak being buried alive. Susie Porter will join the show this year as a new inmate, Marie Winter, and we shouldn’t expect her to be above the fray. So, yeah, things are happening.

A complex and daring local production, Wentworth is perfect for those who think Orange is the New Black has well and truly jumped the shark, and don’t mind their drama a little bit dark.

DUNKIRK

(Netflix — Wednesday, June 20 from 5pm AEST)

Dunkirk is not an easy battle to capture on film, it being mostly about a successful retreat rather than some prosaic hero moment. But, somehow, Christopher Nolan pulls it off. It’s a return to true form for the director and it may well be his best film yet.

It combines the clever structure of Memento, the scale and ambition of The Dark Knight and the amazing cinematography of Inception. There is not a single wasted moment in this film — everything has a purpose. Nor is it dripping in sentiment, a rarity for a war film. Dunkirk is nothing short of a five-star masterpiece.

While Nolan might be horrified at the thought that anyone might watch his epic on their mobile phone, those who missed it at the cinema can now catch it on Netflix from this week.

BETTER THINGS S2

(Showcase on Foxtel — Thursday, June 21 at 9.30pm)

Pamela Adlon is back in the showcase of her enormous talent, as a performer, a director (she helmed all 10 episodes) and writer with bracing insight into absurd human behaviour, which is to say, normal human behaviour. The comedian’s series, Better Things, returns with a second season that is more confident.

As single mum Sam Fox trying to sustain a career as a journeyman bit actor in an industry uninterested in women over 40, Adlon pours her own experiences into a show that’s relevant, authentic and uncensored. You can’t help but love it, and her.

Share your TV and movies obsessions with @wenleima on Twitter.

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