What To Watch: Being Eddie, Big Brother Australia, Reckless, The Beast In Me and Palm Royale season two

Being Eddie

Wednesday, streaming on Netflix

Eddie Murphy must surely be one of the world’s most quotable men. For 40-plus years he’s been dropping one-liners like his life depends on it. If you’re anything like us, you’ve had phrases like, “Wanna lick — psych”, “Mamma’s little Hercules”, “sexual chocolate” and “I’m making waaaaaffles” stuck firmly in your brain on a loop.

To get that enmeshed into the collective consciousness of an entire planet takes quite some doing, and this documentary takes a deep dive into how Murphy managed it, charting his seismic influence, over a career that’s spanned almost half a century.

Starting way back at the beginning, it takes a look at how he rose to the top of the game at a remarkably young age. Murphy was only 17 when he signed on to become a cast member of Saturday Night Live, kickstarting his career — he’s been landing roles in movies ever since.

He’s interviewed alongside a line-up of Hollywood legends, including Dave Chappelle, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jamie Foxx and Jerry Seinfeld, all of whom had front-row seats to his ascension. It speaks to his standing that several of these notoriously private figures have opted to take part in the doco.

Despite being “Eddie Everywhere” back in his early days, in recent years, the comedian has retreated from the spotlight, preferring to live a more sheltered life. Fans will be fascinated to hear him riff on what life’s actually been like these past few decades.

There have been a plethora of celebrity docos of late, and this one looks set to sit alongside the best of them.

If you’re a fan, you won’t want to miss this one.

Big Brother

Sunday, 7pm, Ten

Big Brother is back on Network Ten, and this season producers are promising to take it right back to where it began, with a return to its Gold Coast home, live nominations, evictions and even a 24-hour live stream. Instead of Gretel Killeen (who captained the original ship) The Cheap Seats’ Mel Tracina is stepping up to the plate. If she’s even a fraction as charming as she is on that show, we’re in for a treat. Actually excited for this one.

Reckless

Wednesday, 8.30pm, SBS & NITV

Tasma Walton and Hunter Page-Lochard star as a brother and sister who try to cover up a hit and run — only to be dragged into a much bigger mess. This BBC Studios original, shot in Fremantle, boasts a fantastic supporting cast, and a darkly funny story that drags you in right from the word go. This veers off in lots of different directions and it’s best just to surrender and go along for the ride. Heaps of promise.

The Beast In Me

Thursday, streaming on Netflix

Homeland showrunner Howard Gordon is behind this thriller, which sees the TV creator teaming up again with Claire Danes, who steps in to play grieving author Aggie, who has recently lost her young son in a tragic accident. Her life is flipped on its head further after an enigmatic real estate tycoon (Matthew Rhys), moves in next door. He has been accused of murdering his wife — but is he really guilty? This is going to be big.

Palm Royale

Wednesday, streaming on Apple TV Plus

There are star-studded casts, and then there’s the one that’s front and centre in this quirky female-centric comedy. We’re talking Kristen Wiig, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Kaia Gerber and the iconic Carol Burnett — I mean, excuse me? Unmatched! This second season of the Emmy-nominated comedy is shaping up to be even more outlandish than the first — in the best possible way. If you loved the unhinged ridiculousness of season one, strap in, because this is getting even crazier.