Godless (Mini-Series)

Godless offers a good remedy for that cowboy itch left by Deadwood ten years ago. Here is a western that is dirty, gritty, sweary and offers plenty in terms of production value (the opening scene of episode #1 might well have been 2017’s best). Like old school westerns, you know it is building up to an almighty showdown but it also isn’t in a hurry to get there, opting instead to flesh out its compelling characters. But Godless also holds the dubious honour of being the most woke western in town, as it elevates its female cast from damsels in distress to bona fide badasses – with 90% of a small town’s male population lost in a mining accident, it is up to the local women to fend off the very male threats that descend upon them. Jeff Daniels makes a menacing yet oddly sympathetic villain, but the turns that linger long after the last gunshot is fired are by Merrit Wever as the town’s de-facto governor and Michelle Dockery, who seems all too happy to shed Lady Mary’s corset and brandish a shotgun.

Verdict: 5/5

Where to find it: Netflix

The End of the F***ing World (Season 1)

Imagine if Wes Anderson decided to remake Bonnie & Clyde after binge-watching Skins and you’ll get a rough idea of what you’re in for with The End of the F***ing World. Slightly misleading title aside (despite the hardly upbeat tone, no actual apocalypses are involved), this British pitch black comedy sees two maladjusted teenagers – she’s an impulsive rebel, he’s a closet serial-killer in the making – embark on a road trip to escape their disenfranchised existence. Expect whip-smart interior monologues and earnest soul-searching coupled with the odd burst of blood-soaked violence and a hefty wallop of gallows humour. It’s that kind of show.

Verdict: 4/5

Where to find it: 4oD, Netflix;