What To Watch TV reviews: Euphoria, Beef, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, The Audacity & Grand Designs UK

Euphoria

Monday, streaming on HBO Max

A lot can change in seven years. Just ask the stars of the critically acclaimed HBO drama, Euphoria.

When they first burst on to screens playing precocious high-schoolers, most were relatively new faces. Now, they are some of Hollywood’s biggest power players.

It’s for precisely this reason it took some four years to bring the third and final season of Sam Levinson’s drama back to TV.

There were schedules to juggle, commitments to factor in, not to mention the egos that must have needed massaging once fame came calling — after all, many, including Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney and Colman Domingo are now Emmy, Golden Globe and even Oscar nominees thanks to their other high-profile film and TV projects.

Years have now passed since we first met their characters in the halls of East Highland High School, and they are now all several years on from graduation.

If you’ve seen the most recent trailer, you’ll know life doesn’t appear to have been particularly kind to some of them, particularly Zendaya’s Rue, who is pictured being interrogated by law enforcement in Mexico after she’s seen swallowing drugs and working with dealers.

Meanwhile, Elordi’s Nate and Sweeney’s Cassie are married (though they don’t look particularly thrilled about it), Jules (Hunter Schafer) is in art school, and Maddy (Alexa Demie) is working for a Hollywood talent manager (played by Sharon Stone).

They’ll all careen back into one another’s orbits this season.

Not much is known about what transpires (no previews were given at time of writing), but one thing’s for sure: with a cast of this calibre, you can bet even if the plot is laughably bad (Levinson’s last project was The Idol, let’s not forget), the performances will be top-tier, and worth tuning in for.

This one’s going to be big — mark your diaries.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles

Wednesday, streaming on Apple TV Plus

Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nick Offerman, Greg Kinnear and Nicole Kidman — need we say more? Not really. Their presence in this delightfully off-beat dramedy, based on the novel by Rufi Thorpe, speaks volumes. Fanning plays Margo, a young single mum forced to think creatively to stay afloat financially, recreating herself as an Only Fans creator. Ick? Not at all — this heartfelt family drama has heaps to like, and somehow feels entirely believable. Do not miss this one.

The Audacity

Wednesday, 9.30pm, SBS

You might not know the name Jonathan Glatzer, but you will certainly know his work: he’s written for TV mega hits like Succession, Better Call Saul, and Bad Sisters. This has already been approved for a second season before the first has gone to air, which says a lot. It’s all about brilliant but flawed data mining tech CEO Duncan Park (Billy Magnussen), and the world he orbits in Silicon Valley. Think guru psychologists, bio-hacked tech bros, and all the hangers on. This is generating heaps of buzz.

Grand Designs UK

Thursday, 8.30pm, ABC

It feels as though the impact of this long-running series has been diluted somewhat by all the spin-offs and copycat restoration shows doing the rounds. But dipping into this new season, we’re reminded just how enjoyable it is to watch Kevin McCloud’s original architecture series. Episode one sees a couple creating a “metallic floating home” on a tidal estuary near Worthing in the UK. It’s a genius idea, but can they pull it off? Gosh, I love this show.

Beef

Thursday, streaming on Netflix

When this was approved for another season, I was intrigued to see how they’d move the story along. Turns out they haven’t. It’s now an anthology, and this new season sees an entirely new cast and an entirely new beef take centre stage. Gone are Ali Wong and Steven Yuen, and in their place Carey Mulligan and Oscar Isaacs, who play a boss and his wife whose sensational argument is witnessed by a Gen Z couple (Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny). Colour me intrigued.