Shaun Micallef’s Going For Broke
Tuesday, 8pm, ABC
I’ve never understood this country’s fascination with online betting. Probably because I’ve never understood this country’s fascination with sport. Save for the odd Dockers game (Flagmantle 2026!), sport, in general, is a big yeah-nah for me.
But mark my words: we’re a nation of punters — and punters with a problem.
Apparently Shaun Micallef shares my bewilderment. He’s made this great documentary series to try to get to the bottom of why we’re some of the biggest gamblers on Earth.
With his trademark laconic wit and charm, he’s travelling around Australia, chatting with betters, experts and your average bloke at the pub to ask whether gambling is something we can control or whether the odds are stacked against us.
Spoiler alert: it appears to be the latter.
This is a confronting watch, but an essential one, particularly if you have young people at home. If you know a young man in their 20s, chances are you’ve noticed how glued to their phones they are during footy matches.
But who can blame them for being enticed to have a punt? They’ve come of age at a time when gambling ads are everywhere, our phones winking away at us with the odds, making a win feel like it’s just a click away.
Of course it’s not. And it’s not just sport betting that’s an issue in this country — that scourge of RSLs on the east coast, the pokie machine, is also doing incredible damage. About 6.6 million Australians play them each year, losing $16 billion in the process.
Shaun’s off to play the slaps to find out what’s afoot — and you’ll want to hitch a ride, because this is a seriously in-depth and fascinating exploration of a problem that absolutely needs to be nipped in the bud.
Depressing but essential viewing.
Gary (The Bear)
Streaming now on Disney Plus
Wait, what? The Bear dropped a secret surprise episode? And they made it really hard to find? And I didn’t know about it, and had to find out about it via the internets?
Yup!
All of the above is true: a standalone prequel episode, featuring Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal’s characters Richie and Mikey, landed on Disney last week, with nary a skerrick of promotion.
And it’s great. You can find it by searching for Gary on the platform — thank me later, it’s a cracker.
Oh, and more good news: the final season of The Bear is on its way, dropping June 26.
Frugal Foodie
Wednesday, 8pm, SBS Food
Masterchef alumni Steph de Sousa has been saving my bacon at family din-dins for a while now, thanks to her clever TikTok videos. She’s got a new show on SBS Food, tailor-made for those of us white-knuckling it through this cost-of-living crisis.
The Boroughs
Thursday, streaming on Netflix
Stranger Things, but make the kids septuagenarians. And have them live in a care home in the desert. And add a few scary creatures. OK, I’m oversimplifying, but this supernatural series, executive produced by the Duffer brothers, shares much of their previous hit’s DNA. Alfred Molina, Geena Davis and Bill Pullman star. I’m intrigued.
Restoration Australia
Thursday, 8pm, ABC
What’s not to love about watching Anthony Burke have a good old stickybeak through other people’s historical home renovations? Literally nothing. Inject this into my eyeballs.
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