YOU can always count us to come up with the best TV and films for you to watch next week – from Love Is Blind to Players – there’s plenty to choose from.
Once again, The Sun’s TV Mag has curated a fresh list of must-watch shows for the upcoming week.
NETFLIX
Love Is Blind – Available from Wednesday
The city of Charlotte in North Carolina provides the pod squad for this sixth season of the addictive reality dating show. As ever, the gang will form bonds and get engaged without actually seeing each other, before testing the strength of their new relationship in the real world.
The 30 men and women entering the experiment this time round are a typically intriguing bunch, and include former cheerleader Amber Desiree, ukulele-playing Amy, soldier-turned-lawyer Vince and Nolan, who won’t date anyone with cats, after being bitten on the head by one as a child.
Oh, please. Nick and Vanessa Lachey host, and six episodes land this seek, followed by three more on 21 February, two a week after that and the finale on 6 March.
Players – Available from Wednesday
New York sports journalist Mack (Gina Rodriguez) and her gang of fun-loving friends have over many years devised all manner of hook-up ‘plays’ – ingenious set-ups to help each other bag hot dates and one-night stands.
But when Mack meets dashing and charming war correspondent Nick (Tom Ellis), she realises that this time, she wants to play for keeps.
So, with the help of bestie Adam (Damon Wayans Jr.) and the rest of the crew, she sets about devising the perfect play to bag her man.
Cue a film that’s part romcom and part heist movie, where the mission is to steal Nick’s heart.
Sunderland ’Til I Die – Available from Tuesday
If you’re a Sunderland fan, you’ll have been waiting a long while for a third season of this warts-and-all fly-on-the-dressing-room-wall football series.
Finally it’s here, with a three-parter that takes viewers back to the dramatic climax of the 2021-22 season, when the Black Cats – led by then-manager Alex Neil – pushed for promotion to the Championship via the play-offs.
As before, it promises to be an enjoyably compelling snapshot of life on the supposedly less glamorous rungs of the footballing ladder, featuring interviews with players, staff and supporters.
And this time, as fans will know, the series is guaranteed to have a happy ending.
Taylor Tomlinson: Have It All – Available from Tuesday
She might not be a household name here in the UK but Taylor Tomlinson is a real rising star in the States. Following on from her previous Netflix stand-up specials, Quarter-Life Crisis and Look At You, the comedian – who also hosts late night panel show After Midnight – is back with a third.
This time, Taylor will be examining the highs and lows of modern life, riffing on subjects such as getting your dream job, finding the perfect partner, navigating romantic relationships and coping with insomnia and anxiety.
Just like her previous shows, expect it to be sharp, smart and near-the-knuckle.
The Vince Staples Show – Available from Thursday
Vince Staples is a talented guy – he’s a rapper and producer who’s released critically acclaimed albums, an actor who’s appeared in the award-winning Abbott Elementary, and now he’s written and stars in his own series called – funnily enough – The Vince Staples Show.
The wild and unpredictable five-part comedy sees the star playing a fictionalised version of himself, a semi-famous rapper who sometimes flirts with being on the wrong side of the law and is constantly getting himself into all kinds of risky scrapes.
From bank robberies and shootings, to punch-ups with theme-park mascots, life is never dull for Vince.
Good Morning, Veronica – Available from Wednesday
We’re more than used to watching gritty crime thrillers from the continent, which are centred on tough, troubled female investigators. But this Brazilian series has proven that South America has its fair share too.
Following butt-kicking cop Veronica (Taina Muller) and her quest for vengeance against some seriously nasty bad guys, the first two seasons were extremely bingeable.
It returns for a third and final run, with Veronica on the hunt for Doúm, the third sibling of the unholy mafia trinity.
But with her own family in terrible danger, Veronica faces a race against time. Packed with complex characters, contemporary, clever storylines, plenty of pace and some nuanced performances, this show is every bit as good as its European counterparts.
DISCOVERY+
Rylan: Homophobia, Football And Me – Available from Thursday
Popular This Morning and Radio 2 presenter Rylan was raised as a die-hard West Ham fan. Yet as a young gay man, he felt unwelcome by the game due to homophobic attitudes, both in the crowd and on the pitch.
In this eye-opening documentary, Rylan speaks to various football figures to explore homophobia within the sport.
Former Aston Villa and Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger discusses coming out after retirement, while Arsenal women’s player Jen Beattie talks about attitudes within female footie.
Plus, ex-England player turned pundit Rio Ferdinand acknowledges how he once used an anti-gay slur on live radio but has since changed his mindset. It’s an important exploration and Rylan is the perfect guide. Also airs on TNT Sports 1 .
APPLE TV+
The New Look – Available from Wednesday
Set against the World War II Nazi occupation of Paris, this expansive and intriguing period drama tells the true story of the French capital’s top fashion houses. Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn plays Christian Dior, while Oscar winner Juliette Binoche is Coco Chanel.
The heavyweight cast also includes John Malkovich and Emily Mortimer, while the impressive soundtrack features Florence Welch, Lana Del Rey, The 1975’s Matty Healy and Nick Cave.
Across 10 big-budget episodes, The New Look explores how Dior’s rise to prominence threatened Chanel’s reign, while their contemporaries Pierre Balmain and Cristóbal Balenciaga are also in the mix. A lavish, epic experience.
APPLE TV+
The Dynasty: New England Patriots – Available from Friday
Between the years of 2001 and 2019, the New England Patriots ruled American Football, winning six Superbowls and 17 division titles.
Central to the NFL team’s dominance during that period were their iconic quarterback Tom Brady, inspirational coach Bill Belichick and far-sighted owner Robert Kraft.
The story of the Patriots’ remarkable success in the Brady-Belichick-Kraft era is told in this docuseries, which is based on the best-selling book of the same name.
It features never-seen-before footage from the Patriots’ own archive, plus new interviews with players, coaches and executives, and, of course, the holy trinity of Brady, Belichick and Kraft themselves.
DISNEY+
Life & Beth – Available from Friday
Amy Schumer’s superior half-hour dramedy has bagged itself a second season, giving us another chance to check in with flawed but likeable wine salesperson Beth (played by Amy).
There’s more self-reflection and exploration of her past as Beth and her vineyard farmer beau John (Michael Cera) get serious.
As the couple consider the possibility of marriage and their options with starting a family, they also need to address their emotional baggage.
With lots of jokes at the expense of Manhattan therapists and some lovely chemistry between Amy and Michael, this show is a very human look at complicated people.
PARAMOUNT+
World’s Most Dangerous Prisoners – Available from Tuesday
Standing at an intimidating 6ft 7in, Gary Vinter is one of the most terrifying people behind bars in Britain today. He was first locked up following a frenzied attack on a work colleague, who he stabbed several times and left to die.
Released after 10 years in prison, Vinter soon killed again, stabbing and strangling his estranged wife.
Back in jail, he’s just as dangerous, having stabbed one fellow inmate in both eyes, and fractured the skull and blinded another.
This unsettling new series, which tells the stories of some of the world’s most feared inmates, begins with Vinter, before moving on to James O’Rourke and Joanne Dennehy.
PRIME VIDEO
This Is Me…Now: The Film – Available from Friday
Ready for some Noughties nostalgia? Back in November 2002, US superstar Jennifer Lopez released her third studio album, <This Is Me…Then, with Jenny From The Block as its lead single.
At the time, “Bennifer” – the name given to J. Lo and her then-boyfriend Ben Affleck – were a tabloid staple. Now, over 20 years later comes This Is Me…Now, her first new album in a decade, which is accompanied by this film, described as a narrative-driven reflection on her journey to find love, which culminated in Jennifer and Ben finally tying the knot in 2022.
Expect some sizzling looks, lashings of romance, flights of fantasy, plenty of emotion and new hits.
DISNEY+
Spidey And His Amazing Friends – Available from Wednesday
You’re never too young to get excited about the action-packed adventures of Peter Parker, better known as Spider-Man.
Spidey And His Amazing Friends, which is swinging back into action for a third season, introduces the web-slinging crime buster to pre-schoolers, and lets them tag along as a young version of Peter and his pals, Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, aka Spin and Ghost-Spider, take on some tricky villains.
This time round the gang have a new batch of bad guys to vanquish – including White Tiger, Trapster and Lizard – and, as ever, it’s teamwork that will prove their greatest strength.
DISCOVERY+
The Truth About Jim – Available from Thursday
Anyone in the mood for a chilling true-crime binge, look no further than this four-parter, which follows amateur investigator Sierra Barter, who’s confronted with horrifying revelations when she tries to find the answer to a shocking question that has long troubled her family: was her stepgrandfather, Jim Mordecai, a serial killer?
She begins her investigations by trying to get details from Jim’s ex-wives, children and stepchildren – and soon an appalling picture emerges of the terror Jim inflicted on them. An unsettling watch.
