What To Watch this week: The Comeback, Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, Homebodies, Whale Shark Jack

The Comeback

Screening now, HBO Max

When Lisa Kudrow first appeared in this series, which she co-created with Sex And The City’s Michael Patrick King, she was only freshly done with Friends. It was 2005, and her new comedy, which saw her starring as faded 1990s sitcom star Valerie Cherish (meta, much?), landed with little fanfare, getting lost in the noise of flashier shows.

Fast forward to this finale season, the third filmed over three successive decades, and it’s become one of the year’s most anticipated, the show’s influence and impact only growing with each belated season.

Each iteration of The Comeback (the latest is 12 years after season two, which was in turn nine years on from its first season) has charted one of Valerie’s many TV comebacks. This one sees her up for another shot at small-screen success, this time courtesy of a sitcom written by AI. It perfectly nails the bizarre position Hollywood now finds itself in.

Critics are raving, with Variety calling it a “bittersweet swan song for Valerie Cherish — and Hollywood as we know it”, and while, like comedy classics like The Office, it can be a cringe-inducingly difficult to watch, Kudrow’s performance makes this a must-see (albeit through slitted fingers, with grimaces aplenty).

The beauty of this series is just how real it feels, even when the plot and Valerie’s exploits veer into outlandish territory — it helps that there’s an insanely good supporting cast, which this season sees Abbi Jacobson and “Hot Priest” Andrew Scott joining the fray.

This is a fitting send-off for a show that’s defied expectations and cemented itself as an absolute classic. Don’t miss it.

Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen

Screening now, Netflix

If you’re not watching this dark, psychological horror series, you’re missing out. It’s one of the most interesting things on TV right now. Like its title suggests, something very bad is, indeed, going to happen to young bride-to-be, Rachel (Camila Morrone), who has travelled with her fiance Nicky (The White Lotus’ Adam DiMarco) to his family’s remote cabin for their wedding ceremony. Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers are behind this, which tells you everything you need to know. Obsessed.

Homebodies

Saturday, 8.30pm, SBS

Claudia Karvan stars in this Aussie drama, which has one of the most unique premises we’ve heard in a long time. It’s all about a young trans man, Darcy (Luke Wiltshire) who travels back to his childhood home to help care for his ailing mum (Karvan), only to discover the ghost of his pre-transition teen self has taken up residence with her. This sounds strange, and it is, but it’s also wonderfully heartwarming, with some terrific performances, especially from Wiltshire and Karvan. Worth a look.

Whale Shark Jack

Thursday, streaming on Stan

This family-friendly feature film, from local brother and sister filmmakers Miranda and Khrob Edmonds, is set around Ningaloo Reef and Exmouth in northern WA, and the area’s stunning beauty is on full display. Starring Abbie Cornish, Rachel Ward and Alyla Brown, it’s all about a young girl named Sarah (Brown), who strikes up a friendship with Jack, an endangered whale shark. When he disappears, Sarah embarks on a quest to find out what’s happened. One for the kids these holidays.

Riot Women

Thursday, 9.35pm, SBS and On Demand

British acting royalty Joanna Scanlan, Tamsin Greig, Lorraine Ashbourne and Amelia Bullmore star in this UK drama, which hails from Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright. It’s about a bunch of midlife women who decide to form a punk band in the hopes of winning a local talent contest. This has been getting terrific reviews in the UK, with audiences connecting with the story of women reinventing themselves in midlife. You can watch this on SBS or binge it on SBS On Demand.