The Boroughs

Thursday, streaming on Netflix

Wait, the Duffer brothers have released ANOTHER series? They have: they’re a couple of busy brothers, it seems.

Already this year they’ve had their mitts on the scary-as-heck Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, and the Stranger Things animated spin-off, Tales From ’85. This is their next high-profile project.

They’re not technically the creators of this one. That honour goes to Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (of The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance fame), though Matt and Ross Duffer are the executive producers and their DNA is all over this strange, off-kilter 12-part drama.

The show has been described as a “spiritual successor” to Stranger Things, but there’s one big difference: instead of kids on bikes, the heroes in this particular story are retirees, residents of a New Mexico old folks community called The Boroughs.

They’re whizzing around on golf buggies, not BMXs, but like Hawkins, there are strange things afoot at The Boroughs, and it’s up to a group of residents to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

The story centres around Alfred Molina’s Sam, a recently bereaved widow who’s new at the complex. After a few teething problems he decides to stay, but around the same time he realises this picturesque community has some unwelcome residents who have sinister intentions — it’s up to him and his new friends to “band together to stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don’t have . . . time”.

Like most of the Duffer brothers’ projects, this one is hard to explain. But with a stellar cast which includes Molina, screen icon Geena Davis, Bill Pullman and Alfre Woodard, you’ll be hooked long enough to get to the end for some answers.

Off Campus

Streaming now on Prime Video

Large Heated Rivalry hole in your life? Fill it with this! Ice hockey is once more front and centre, but this time it’s a steamy romance between a player and a geeky music major at a college campus that’s got our pulses racing. This is The Summer I Turned Pretty meets Friday Night Lights meets Euphoria. If you love teen drama, this is a distraction worth seeking out — one for the young and young-at-heart. Sorry, not sorry: I loved this.

Rivals

Streaming now on Disney Plus

And just like that — we’re back in Rutshire! And oh, what a delight it is to be fraternising with the county’s naughtiest neighbours in this second instalment of the TV adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper’s raunchy books. This time it’s 1987, and a war is brewing between Tony’s Corinium TV network (oh yeah, spoiler alert: Tony’s not dead!) and Venturer. You can bet the gloves are off. This has been getting five-star reviews and rightfully so: it’s fabulously good fun.

Murder In The Skies: Who Downed MH17?

Tuesday, 8.50pm, ABC

This National Geographic three-part documentary is well worth a look. It’s an in-depth exploration into the civilian-led digital investigation into the downing of MH17 back in 2014. As this doco says, planes don’t just fall from the sky for no reason — there’s far more at play here, and this doco is looking at how a group of ordinary Joes dug a little deeper in an attempt to get justice for the 298 people killed.

Kylie

Wednesday, streaming on Netflix

It’s Kylie — but not as you know her. Get ready to see Ms Minogue open up like never before, as she pulls back the curtain and invites viewers to spend time looking back at her extraordinary life. Nothing is off limits, as she opens her archives for the first time ever and sits down to chat about her storied rise to the top. Kylie’s family take part in this, as well as Nick Cave, Jason Donovan and Pete Waterman. One for fans.