What To Watch: Pluribus, I Love LA, All Her Fault, Portrait Artist Of The Year and Crime Night

Pluribus

Friday, streaming on Apple TV Plus

I have to admit, I sat down to watch the trailer for this new drama from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and was none the wiser as to what this series was actually about — it’s frustratingly vague.

But from what I can ascertain, this nine-part series sees Rhea Seehorn, last seen collaborating with Gilligan on Better Call Saul, playing a woman surrounded by strangely happy people, and she’s none too pleased about it.

Everyone around her appears to have fallen prey to some sort of happiness epidemic, and she looks to be the only one not affected. In one scene, the president of the United States is pictured telling her character to “Rest assured, Carol.

We will figure out what makes you different . . . so you can join us.”

Creepy, much?

Apple TV Plus is being cagey about what’s afoot, simply describing the series as “a genre-bending original in which the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness”. OK then!

It’s giving serious sci-fi vibes, which feels apt given its home on the streamer. In recent years, Apple TV has cemented a place for itself as the go-to destination for strange, off-kilter dystopian stories (think Severance and Silo), and this series seems to slot there beside those excellent shows.

With Gilligan’s talents as a storyteller, Seehorn’s acting chops and Apple’s seemingly limitless budget, this is shaping up to be one of the biggest TV releases of the year.

Here’s hoping it lives up to the hype.

Portrait Artist Of The Year

Sunday, 8pm, ABC

“What I’m looking for is an artist who can draw out the inner humanity of their sitter,” says director of the National Portrait Gallery, Bree Pickering, who is judging this eight-part art competition, hosted by Miranda Tapsell and Luke McGregor.

The winner gets their art hung in the gallery so you know it’s going to be a sought-after prize. Their subjects are a great selection of Australia’s most interesting figures. One for art lovers.

Crime Night

Wednesday, 8.30pm, ABC

Gruen — but for lovers of a good true-crime podcast! This panel show sees host Julia Zemiro sit down with criminologists Danielle Reynald and Dr David Bartlett, alongside a revolving host of comedians, to explore all things crime and criminology.

It’s a strange concept for a show, but it’s also morbidly fascinating to sit down and unpack things like eyewitness testimony, forensic science, alibis and scams. There’s an armchair sleuth in all of us —this is tailor-made for them.

I Love LA

Monday, streaming on HBO Max

HBO has gifted us some sensational comedy series over the years (the peerless Girls, Broad City, Issa Rae’s under-the-radar hit, Insecure) and now this brutally hilarious eight-episode series written by and starring comedy It girl Rachel Sennott.

She plays Maia, an aspiring talent manager living in LA, striving with her ambitious friends to get a foothold. You won’t always like them, but chances are you’ll end up rooting for these cringingly awful anti-heroes. Seriously good TV.

All Her Fault

Thursday, streaming on Binge

This drama, starring Succession star Sarah Snook, was filmed in Melbourne (though the story is set in the US) and is based on the bestselling novel by Andrea Mara. Snook plays Marissa Irvine, who arrives to collect her son from a play date only to realise he was never at the address and the set-up was a ruse.

The story veers off in different directions as Marissa tries desperately to piece together what has happened to her missing son. Dakota Fanning also stars.