The F Ward

Friday, streaming on Stan

I absolutely love medical dramas, but I find them incredibly difficult to watch — I get anxious and my heart races as soon as I see anyone being wheeled into an emergency room.

It’s all thanks to a particularly traumatic experience I had in a Sydney ER some 25 years ago. I’ll save that story for another time, but as soon as I hear a heart-rate monitor beep, or a code blue called over the PA, I immediately break into a cold sweat.

This fear is something of a problem, given my job. It’s even trickier when you consider that two of the best shows on TV right now — HBO’s excellent, award-winning The Pitt, and this great new local production — are medical dramas.

The F Ward hails from the team from Bump — namely co-creators and producers Dan Edwards and Kelsey Munro — and it sees UK actress Anna Friel starring as Dr. Gloria Wall, an emergency doctor at the overstretched The Pines hospital in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Gloria is in charge of a crop of new doctors who have been dispatched to the hospital after they stuffed up in their other placements. This is their last chance to get their certification after each failed their first year as interns — this series is our up-close look at how they fare this time around.

It’s fabulously watchable. In fact, much to my body’s distaste — it was stuck in fight or flight mode the entire time — I loved everything about this first episode.

The cast is great — Dan Wyllie a particular standout as the head of the ER — the script cracks along at a ripping pace (miraculously managing to avoid many a medical drama trope), and the performances of the ensemble cast are all terrific. It’s must-see TV.

I’m determined to watch the whole series, though I fear it may give me a heart attack.

Someone have the crash cart handy — I’m going in.

Ride Or Die

Wednesday, streaming on Prime Video

A female-centric espionage thriller that’s also quite funny? And stars two of my all-time favourite actresses, Hannah Waddingham and the always-incredible Octavia Spencer?

Say less.

In Ride Or Die, they play a pair of middle-aged besties who find themselves on the run after it’s revealed Waddingham’s character, Judith, has been living a double life as a gun-for-hire assassin. Spencer plays Debbie, her ride-or-die (get it?) bestie, who’s unwittingly forced to flee for her life alongside her mate when she’s entangled in Judith’s shenanigans.

Can’t wait for you to see this one.

Lucky

Wednesday, streaming on Apple TV Plus

Based on the book by Marissa Stapley, this seven-episode miniseries stars Anya Taylor-Joy as a fugitive con artist wanted by the authorities. Timothy Olyphant and Annette Benning also star. Yes, please!

Alone Australia

Wednesday, streaming on SBS on Demand

This time our intrepid Aussie survivalists are off to the Arctic Circle. For the WA contestant taking part, it’s the first time he has seen snow — deep end much? This gets off to a cracking start — hooked.

Heartstopper Forever

Friday, streaming on Netflix

Netflix are ending this delightful love story with a feature-length film, which will wrap up the teen love story of Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke), and give us a hint at what’s to come for the core group of friends. One for fans.